Page 55 of Gambling with the Earl
“You have no need to be sorry.” He looked down at her in amazement. “You are the one who showed me there is goodness to be found, in people, even here in this castle which was full of darkness before you came.”
She shook her head. “No, you’ve got it wrong.”
“Yes,” he insisted, kissing her hard. “And I would have you here always, to show me the way to the light.” To illustrate his words, he leaned over the side of the bed and brought the flickering candle closer to them.
She opened her sea-green eyes and gazed frankly into his. Painful indecision passed over her face and he knew she must be thinking of the unlikelihood of their union. An earl could never marry a servant. But resolution tightened within him. Guy was not a man to bow to the dictates of convention.
“I want to be with you, Kitty.” The words were wrenched from him. A declaration of feeling from someone who professed to having none.
And his words found their mark. He saw the moment the clouds shifted from her eyes and she smiled, alight with new possibility. “And I you.”
“Then it shall be.” He dropped a kiss onto her pert nose as the belltower tolled for midday, the dull echoes reverberating around the bare walls of the tower room. Guy was startled to realise the whole morning had passed without him attending to any business, although nothing seemed as significant as the beautiful woman in his arms.
Kitty put a hand to her heart, seeming to share his concerns. “The midday bell.”
“Is there some place you need to be?”
“Many places, my lord. I mean, Guy.” A blush found its way to her cheeks as she struggled to navigate this new path.
Guy caught at her hand. “Not ‘my lord,’ not anymore. I will find a way forwards for us, I promise.”
“I believe you.” She took a breath. “It may in fact prove easier than we fear.”
That was exactly as he hoped. He dropped a kiss onto her palm, but saw how she wrestled with the need to be elsewhere.He stood and stretched his arms overhead, marvelling afresh at the ease of his movements. Life fanned out before him, brimming with possibilities.
Their love-making had banished the gloom of the tower-room. He could have new windows put in and turn this into a study, or a day-room. The views would be magnificent.
He reached for the blue shirt and passed it back to Kitty. “You cannot pass through the castle wearing this.”
She caught at her lower lip. “The servants will be eating in the great hall.”
His mind raced, searching for a plan.
“Then the kitchens will be almost empty. If you leave through the tower door and come in through the back, scarcely anyone will see you.”
Her eyes widened. “One would be too many.”
“Come down to my bedchamber first. I will find you a travelling cloak. You can simply say you were gathering more herbs and wore it to ward off the sun.”
At that moment, a distant crack of thunder rolled over the sky ahead. Kitty put her head to one side. “The weather is breaking.”
“At last.” He pulled on his breeches and helped her with the shirt. “The noise of the storm may provide some distraction for us.”
Hand in hand, they slipped down the spiral staircase, waiting at each bend to ensure no one was present. They reached Guy’s bedchamber without incident, and he closed the door behind them, sliding shut the bolts to guarantee another few moments of privacy.
“The storm clouds are gathering.” Kitty stood at his window, gazing out at the castle grounds. The bright, searing sunshine had been replaced by a sky as grey as the granite walls of the tower room. She jumped at another crack of thunder.
He pulled a dark green cloak from his closet and folded it around her shoulders. It was far too large, but it would certainly cover her modesty.
“Do you know where you’re going?” He didn’t want her to leave his side, not even for an afternoon.
“Back the way I came.” She smiled, momentarily transformed. He was struck anew by her grace and bearing. “Guy, may I tell you something?”
He smoothed the cloak over her arms. “Anything.”
She lifted her chin to look him in the eye. “My name is not really Kitty. It is Katherine.”
“Katherine.” He liked the way it rolled from his tongue. “Why do you not use such a beautiful name?”
