Page 134 of The Trouble with Tigers
The problem was, of course, Zeke.
She stripped off her gloves and tried to remember exactly what he’d said this morning, pre dawn, before leaving her. Something about seeing her later. But he left under the assumption they were heading for Maidstone. How would he find them now?
It’d serve you right if he didn’t, her inner critic sneered.
She slumped onto the edge of her bed, tossing her gloves and travel bonnet on the nightstand.
She’d gotten herself into a fine kettle of fish. She’d promised Collin she’d wed Garrick knowing his future depended on it. Meanwhile Zeke wasn’t going anywhere ’til he knew she wasn’t pregnant. Meanwhile she’d lain with him again, and instead of feeling guilty as she ought, all she could think about since arriving to this out-of-the-way village was whether Zeke would find her and make love to her again tonight.
She rose and moved to the window. The sun hadn’t yet set. Warm bands of fading daylight shone into the room from the west, silhouetting the church dome from its perch on the hill, and casting long shadows on the quaint, bustling town below. Street vendors, open air markets, and people abounded on the cobbled streets.
It was certainly a festive scene. But Kitty couldn’t help wondering what on earth they were doing here.
She’d asked Collin once out of Garrick’s earshot. According to him, he’d made this detour for her. To give her a buffer of time before she had to commence with planning her wedding. Kitty wanted to believe him. And yet, something about his answer didn’t set right.
She trusted Collin. Of course she did. But she couldn’t stop thinking of the man who’d approached them last night. That Mr Peters. And what had Garrick muttered when she asked Collin how long they’d be staying?
“I agreed to one night, Hastings.”
Collin’s reply to Garrick had been odd. “One night’s all I need.”
A knock sounded at her door, and her heart practically leaped from her chest. “Yes?”
“It’s me, love.”
Collin.
She opened the door and gestured for him to come inside.
He lingered in the corridor. “I thought I’d go for a stroll. Take in a few of the sights.”
“Oh. I’m not quite ready to…”
“Don’t trouble yourself m’dear. You need to rest. What say we meet up later for supper, and afterward I’ll take you around, after I’ve scouted the area.”
“Very well,” she answered in no small relief. Collin had just afforded her the opportunity to wait for Zeke. “Is Garrick going with you?”
He frowned. “James? No, and I doubt my lack of invitation will wound him terribly.”
“Collin,” she began before she could stop herself, “that’s the thing. He doesn’t appear overly fond of either of us. Yet he presses for this marriage. It doesn’t make sense. Perhaps we--”
Collin held out a palm to silence her. “Are you backing out of your promise?”
“Of course not, it’s just—”
“Kitty, do we have to discuss this again? You know how much it destroys me to ask this of you. And I’ve already promised you’ll be welcome to stay with me after your nuptials. That I’ll continue to support you. What more do you want?
“Or should I simply accept my fate? Embrace my future as a penniless, landless, displaced aristocrat so you can avoid the responsibility embraced by many a well bred lady, to marry for the sake of her family?”
Kitty’s heart sank. “Of course not.”
He smiled grimly. “Thanks for that, anyway.” He grasped the door handle. “Kitty, you really disappoint me. This again, after I brought you here, after I went out of my way for you, sparing no small expense, to see to your happiness.”
“I appreciate you doing so, Collin.”
He nodded crisply. “Right. See you in a few hours, then, for supper. Maybe a nap will see you in better spirits.”
He left, evidence of his lingering irritation reverberating in the slamming door.
