Page 95 of Keeping Kate
Effie clasped her hands together as if in rapture and then grabbed Kate in a hug. Since his aunt was taller and nearly twice the girl’s weight, she nearly enveloped Kate, who emerged, half-laughing. She glanced at Alec and straightened her little lace cap.
“I like your lass!” Effie announced as she straightened up. “You should marry her in a real wedding, and soon!” She swept toward the door. “Now, you must rest and refresh, and Mr. Jack MacDonald as well, when he returns.”
“I believe he is staying at an inn,” Alec said, “with friends.”
“Oh? Pity! He knows he can always stay here. Lovely lad. Well, the maid should have rooms ready for you by now. We will all rest before luncheon. What a glorious and bonny morning!” She smiled at all of them and left the room.
“She must be drinkin’ brown sherry before luncheon, that one,” Walter drawled as the door closed with a theatrical thud. “Too happy and loud by far. But today we have something to celebrate. After you have had a rest, come down, and I will show you the chocolate shop,” he told Kate, patting Alec on the back. “Now, where is the lass who watches the girls? She must take them for their rest too. Annie! Annie!” he boomed.
Easing openthe door that adjoined his room and Kate’s, Alec stepped in quietly, expecting to find Kate resting. But she stood at the window and turned, haloed in sunlight softened through curtains, as if she had been waiting.
He knew she had, then, for she wore only a chemise, only that, so that the light behind her gently filtered through the fabric to show her delectable shape. He caught his breath silently, feeling himself surge and harden just at the sight of her. He walked toward her over oriental carpets that added quiet luxury to the bedchamber.
She moved toward him, the rhythmic sway of her body telling him what she wanted, for it was the same desire he had. She lifted her arms to him as he reached her, and without a word, he took her by the waist, drawing her forward to kiss her. Under his hand, smoothing up and down her back, he felt her warm curves, felt her body press against his own.
Her lips were luscious beneath his, firm and knowing, and she opened for him quickly, the small tip of her tongue sweet and willing. He sucked in a breath and pressed her even closer. Earlier, he had removed jacket, sporran, all but his shirt and plaid, and he could feel her shape meld against his through the layers of fabric, could feel the heat and hardness building in his own body.
She pulled back, glancing at the door. “They are busy downstairs,” Alec told her, “and the children are napping in the nursery.”
“And we should be resting as well,” she whispered.
“Mmm, in a little while,” he murmured, tracing his mouth over her cheek to her lips, so lush, warm, and delightful. “We have a promise to fulfill.”
“Aye, what is that?” she murmured.
“The rest of our marriage promise, to fix the bargain between us.”
“A bargain we can both agree on.” She tapped a finger against his chest. “But we will have to wait, my dear,” she added, laughing softly. “I hear footsteps outside. I believe the maid is about to bring us a pot of tea and some cakes.”
“I can think of something more delicious,” he said.
“Later for that,” she said, setting a finger to his lips.
“I promise to marry you, Katherine MacCarran,” he whispered, “as soon as you like. And will you promise the same to me?”
“Oh, aye,” she whispered, “I will.”
“So that is all we need for thematrimoniopart of it,” he murmured, tracing his lips over the softness of her cheek. “And we can look forward to theconsummato,if you will.”
“I would dearly love that,” she breathed.
The tea, when it arrived soon after, was hot and strong, the cakes with it buttery and delectable. He had forgotten how much he enjoyed Effie’s talent with baking. By the time they finished, Kate was yawning, her eyelids drooping, though she sat up straight, forcing a smile.
Shaking his head, amused and relaxed—and feeling weary from the journey himself—he guided her to the bed. As she settled against the pillows, he drew the coverlet over her, kissed her gently, and left to seek his own room, which he had not used for a long while. He was glad for its familiar comforts, and soon he, too, was dozing.
“We will be meetingour friends at the Chocolate House in little while,” Alec said, when they met Walter in the drawing room an hour or so later. “We would like a private room to speak with them if one is available.”
“Just the thing, you know the wee room in the back o’ the shop,” Walter said, as he led them out the front door of Hopefield House.
A minute’s walk took them across the yard to the tenement building. Walter let them in the back door, and through a corridor past a kitchen, and out into the main area of the shop. The fragrance, an intoxicating blend of chocolate, coffee, and pastries, brought to Alec a flood of good memories as they walked through.
“We’ve been here near forty years,” Walter told Kate, “though my grandfather started Fraser’s Fancies selling coffee, my brother and I added China tea and then chocolate. We opened this shop as a coffee house and added the chocolate drink, and renamed it The Chocolate House.” He held open a door for Alec and Kate to pass through before him. Walter Fraser was slightly built, lean and spry and a bit shorter than Effie, and his gentle good nature balanced her exuberance.
Kate smiled up at Alec. “I like your uncle,” she whispered. “Is he one of the staid Frasers?”
He leaned down, knowing Walter was a bit deaf and would not hear their words. “Perhaps, but his penchant for experimenting with cacao flavors puts him on the wilder side, I think.”
“Hot peppers and such?” she whispered.
