Page 32 of Always the Bridesmaid, Never the Duchess
Kate looked up and saw that a stunning woman with auburn curls and eyes the color of the sea descended the stairs. Her gown was a shimmering emerald green that made her appear as ethereal as a fairy queen. Kate grabbed Julia’s elbow and whispered in her ear. “Julia, now is not the time. Come with me.”
Her face was a mixture of grief and anger, Julia turned away from Kate and Nicholas. “I don’t feel well. I think I shall lie down.” Before Kate could stop her, Julia darted up the stairs brushing past Nicholas’s date. Kate glared at her brother.
“Nicholas, how could you do this?” Kate admonished.
Nicholas shrugged. “Miss Roves will be married in three days’ time. Why should it matter what I do?”
“You promised to stay away,” Kate hissed.
“I changed my mind,” he said. Nicholas turned to the woman who now stood by his side. “Kate, may I present Miss Chambers. Miss Chambers, my sister, Kate.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Avery. Your brother speaks highly of you,” Miss Chambers said. Her voice was as melodious as her face was beautiful. Kate had to admit Miss Chambers appeared perfect. She wondered if the inside matched heroutside. If it did, Kate could not protest her brother’s courtship of her.
“May I escort you both to the dining room?” Nicholas held out both arms. “My intelligent, lovely sister on one arm and the stunning Miss Chambers on the other. I am a lucky man, wouldn’t you say?”
Kate stayed silent. Worry for her friend filled her mind. She simply nodded and walked alongside her brother to dinner.
Chapter Fourteen
Kate waited until most of the guests retired for the evening before heading to her own bed chamber. As she left the drawing room, Andrew caught her eye and gave her a knowing look. She lowered her head and hurried out of the room before she embarrassed herself by turning twenty shades of red. She heard the hall clock strike thirty past ten and wondered how she could contain her anticipation.
Upstairs, Sally released her hair from its pins, and it fell in waves about her shoulder. She brushed Kate’s hair until it crackled beneath the bristles. After she had helped Kate into her nightgown, she bade her goodnight and retired to the servant’s quarters.
Kate paced the room. She couldn’t meet Andrew in her bedclothes. It would be the height of scandal if she were caught. She needed a simple gown. She strode over to her wardrobe and looked through the many gowns until she found a simple gown of midnight blue. It would keep her hidden in the shadows and it was well out of fashion, so it contained none of the small buttonsthat her current gowns possessed. She slipped off her nightgown and stepped into the dress.
At eleven thirty, Kate eased her door open. She stood in her doorway listening, but everything was quiet. Most of the guests had retired early due to the darkness from the storm, and the few who had remained in the drawing room had been yawning and fighting off sleep when Kate had retired. The house was still. She slipped out and tiptoed past her grandmother’s door. As she made her way down the dark hallway with only the light from a small candle in a wall sconce, she spotted Julia’s door opening.
Kate moved into the shadows and watched as Julia looked in both directions before tiptoeing down the hallway herself. Kate waited until she neared the end of their wing before quietly following her.
She had thirty minutes until she was to meet Andrew. Time enough to determine what her friend was up to in the wee hours of the morning. Unlike her dark gown, Julia still wore the yellow silk from earlier which made her shine like a beacon in the moonlight. She stopped in front of a doorway, tapped lightly on it twice, then opened it.
Kate gasped. She had assigned all of the rooms and knew who awaited Julia inside.Lord Radford! What is she up to?Kate hurried until she was across from his bedchamber and eased next to the door. She heard the murmur of voices inside. Why would Julia meet Lord Radford in his bedchamber? Could Julia have drank so much wine and become so distressed over Nicholas’s appearance that she had thrown all caution aside?Kate considered knocking on the door, but to do so, might alert others to Julia’s late-night assignation. No. She would do better to wait and speak to Julia. Perhaps Kate was mistaken.
The clock at the end of the hallway ticked slowly through the half-hour, yet Julia did not emerge. Kate wrung her hands. She couldn’t leave. She had to confront Julia and determine the reason for her secret visit. Would Andrew wait for her? Kate did not know what to do. The clock’s hands moved past midnight.
In the library, Andrew paced himself. He wondered if he had been a fool to believe a midnight dalliance with Kate was a good idea. But her lips had been so sweet beneath his and her body elicited a faster response in his own than he had ever experienced. He had to go further. Had to see what more she would allow.
When the clock struck midnight, he stilled and waited for the door to open. It did not. Had she changed her mind? He couldn’t believe she would deny him the pleasure she had promised with her looks and her kiss. He would wait. Perhaps she couldn’t get away without being seen at the moment. Or maybe Kate thought making him wait for her arrival would make his hunger for her grow. He settled himself down on the couch to wait for her entrance. It would never do for her to see him so eager.
The clock struck thirty minutes past midnight. Andrew had gone from eager to disappointed. He must have misread her attraction to him. Despite her obstinate manner, Andrew hadbelieved Kate would be submissive to his will in bed. It appears she did not plan to give him the opportunity to discover the truth. He left the library and headed back to his own chambers.
In the hallway, he spotted movement. At first, he thought it was a trick of the candlelight. Then, he waited and saw the figure move from the shadows and realized it was a woman. He slowed his steps. When he was almost upon her, he realized it was Kate.
“Kate,” he whispered.
She started and let out a small squeak but quickly clamped her hand over her own mouth. Her eyes widened when she saw that she had been caught and she shook her head and pulled him aside. “Andrew, I am so—”
Andrew cut her off. He knew whose bedchamber she stood outside. A hot flame of jealousy flared in his gut. Had that scoundrel Lord Radford somehow convinced Kate to attend to him? He was furious. Not with Kate. She was innocent and trusting. He would thrash Lord Radford to within an inch of his life.
He reached for Kate and pulled her to him. “Don’t say a word,” he whispered. “You shall not give yourself to a rake like Lord Radford. Darian is a cad and a rake. He is not worthy of a woman of caliber like yourself.”
“But I—” Kate tried to speak, but she stopped. “I am sorry. I wasn’t here to see Lord Radford.”
“Then why are you standing outside his bedroom?” Andrew was growing more confused.
“I can’t tell you.”
Andrew looked down into her brown eyes and saw she was upset. He had spoken too harshly. He did not like that he had distressed her in any way. He kissed her lightly on the lips, restraining the urge to ravish her. “You can trust me, Kate. I will never mistreat you. You and you shall not give yourself to anyone but me.”
