Page 55 of The Trouble with Tigers
“Ha,” she said. “Give me a moment to finish off my first opponent, then you are welcome to try your hand.”
“Challenge accepted.”
Butterflies erupted in Kitty's belly.
Zeke had never expressed an interest in spending time with her alone. Not that they'd be alone, but she'd have his undivided attention, at least for the length of the chess game.
It was all she could do to keep her mind on the game at hand.
Minutes later, the earl pushed himself out of his chair. “All yours, Zeke. My turn to be the heckling spectator. Just let me stretch my legs a bit.”
Zeke took his seat while Kitty reset the board.
He won their first game. “Care to try again?” he asked, flashing his cocksure smile.
She shook her head. “Another time. Perhaps the earl would like…” Her words died in her throat as she glanced around the room.
The earl had slipped out without a word, leaving she and Zeke alone.
She glanced at him, only then noticing how the fire had dimmed to a low burning glow, giving the large room an intimate feel. Her stomach fluttered and she found it hard to draw an even breath. She ought to excuse herself this instant.
Instead, she smiled uncertainly at Zeke, who studied her in turn, an unreadable expression on his face.
He was ever a mystery. With the earl and his aunt, he displayed ample charm, and a proclivity to see the humor in almost everything. Toward her, however, he was distant, bordering on rude.
Over the last few days, however, his chilly veneer showed an occasional crack, and he treated her as someone he almost liked, or at least didn’t dislike.
She found herself craving his attention, a smile aimed in her direction. Her name on his lips spoken in his rough velvet voice was like a dollop of thick, melted fudge. Better, even.
“Tell me about your family, Kitty.”
“What would you like to know?” She began collecting the chess pieces. She would leave as soon as she put the game away.
He shrugged and leaned over the board, nudging her hand aside with his. “I’ll get these.”
Her skin, where his fingers had brushed, tingled. “Thank you.”
He didn’t acknowledge her thanks. “What were your parents like?” He asked, his eyes still on the board. A golden lock of hair fell over his brow.
Kitty folded her hands in her lap rather than give in to the inane urge to smooth it back. “Adventurous. Both of them. And quite learned. My father was a geologist turned cartographer.”
“A rather unusual practice for a member of the peerage, isn’t it?” He paused in the act of folding the board to study her.
She smiled faintly. “Especially considering father was my grandfather’s only son, and by all standards should’ve begun managing the Maidstone properties when he came of age. He didn’t. I never heard it discussed. It was just that way. Father’s choice, I presume. He never showed any interest in anything other than my mother and their explorations.
“Not that grandfather complained. He was extremely vital. In fact, I never remember him taking ill, until the last.”
She stared into the fire, and willed away the rush of emotion. “Anyway, Grandfather had Collin to take up the helm. I think my father—not that I’m criticizing, mind you—but I think he counted on that.”
“I see.”
Something in his tone drew Kitty’s gaze. His head was cocked to one side, his eyes narrowed and focused—on her.
Her heartbeat skittered, leaving her breathless, as if she’d run up a flight of stairs.
“How did your brother feel about taking on his father’s responsibilities?” Zeke asked.
Her lips curved slightly at the memory. “Collin was a natural born lord-of-the-manor. Even as a child he insisted on riding out with Grandfather to tour the properties. By the time he reached adolescence he sat in on grandfather’s meetings with his man-of-affairs. He always said things like, ‘When I’m baron, I’ll do thus and such.’ ” She altered her voice to sound like a man’s.
