Page 60 of Gambling with the Earl
He spun around, ready to stride back towards the stable yard, when his attention was caught by something on the ground. A white body, splashed with red. He looked closer and grimaced when he realised he was looking at a gull with a broken neck. It must have become caught up in the storm and dashed against the ramparts by the strong winds.
He reached out with the toe of his boot and gently prodded the creature, checking for any signs of life, but it didn’t stir. He’d have one of the stableboys remove it.
A muscle twitched in his jaw. He must wake Kitty and talk to her properly before they arrived.
She was still sleeping when he returned. Once more, he felt reluctant to disturb such peaceful repose, but she would be mortified if anyone discovered her.
He cleared his throat. “Kitty,” he whispered, shaking her shoulder very gently.
She opened her eyes, blinked and sat up in a rush when she realised where she was. The blanket fell away, revealing a chemise so sheer that the pink of her skin showed through the thin fabric.
Guy averted his gaze politely. “I’m sorry to wake you, but it is sunrise,” he addressed a nearby horse.
Kitty pulled the blanket more securely over her shoulders. “Thank you, my lord.”
Her words sent a chill through him. “Not ‘my lord,’” he corrected her. “Please, don’t address me as such, Kitty. We know each other better than that.” Her cheeks flamed red, and he regretted his choice of words. “Allow me to fetch your dress,” he muttered.
He had hung it over a stable door to dry last night. The fabric was still damp, but it would suffice to wear back to the keep. He gripped the woollen garment tightly, breathing in the scent of lavender. He couldn’t let her dress now. If he turned his back, the moment would be lost.
“May I speak with you?” The words came out more forcefully than he’d intended. She took half a step backwards. Where had this fearful reserve sprung from?
From his own actions. His shouting. His anger at being stolen from once again.
He shook his head to dislodge the remorse. He couldn’t undo yesterday’s rage. He could only hope to tread a new path, today.
“As you wish.” She hung her head so her beautiful auburn hair fell forwards, obscuring her face.
He would like to look into her sea-green eyes when he told her how he felt. Instead, he gripped his hands together and shuffled his feet like an anxious youth.
“Katherine,” He tried out her true name, liking the way it rolled off his tongue and wishing to conjure the warmth and connection they had shared just yesterday. But then he faltered. How could he proceed? “I am falling in love with you,” he blurted out. He clamped his lips together, unaccustomed to the sudden vulnerability which accosted him. But despite the tingle of nerves which made his pulse pound and his breath catch in his throat, he didn’t regret telling her the truth.
He expected her to look up, to show some surprise. But Kitty shrank further back into the shadows of the store room as if his declaration had filled her with dread.
“What is it?” he demanded. “What’s wrong?”
She put shaking hands to the sides of her head, swaying as if at any moment she might fall. “Nothing is wrong, my lord. How could it be? It is only that a girl like me doesn’t deserve the regard of an earl.”
“Nonsense.” Anger surged in his veins. Anger which, just moments ago, he had vowed to leave behind him. “Haven’t I shown you already how high my regard is for you?”
“In so many ways,” she sobbed.
“It is I who am not worthy of you.” The realisation seeped through him. Kitty was beautiful, wise and strong. She would have many suitors. Mayhap she was even fleeing one when she came here. He was older than her and scarred to boot. Had he been naïve to imagine that one so young and lovely could care for a body so battered and bruised as his?
“No,” she shook her head staunchly. “Not that.”
He was right. The truth was written all over her. He had made a fool of himself.
“Here.” He flung the dress towards her. “I will detain you no longer.”
But instead of travelling through the air towards Kitty, the gown slumped to the floor and clattered on the cobblestones. Kitty gasped and held herself rigid, her eyes half closed in new despair.
What was this?
He snatched the dress from the floor. It was heavy in his hands, too heavy. How had he not observed this before?
“Don’t.” Her eyes were fixed on his now, wide open and pleading. “Please.”
“Don’t what?” He was confused, embarrassed, but far beyond him shimmered a truth that he wasn’t yet ready to accept. “What’s inside the dress, Kitty?”
