The Kiss of a Stranger (24 page)
Read The Kiss of a Stranger Online
Authors: Sarah M. Eden
Hancock bowed as he opened the doors of Permount House to allow Philip to leave.
Philip tugged foppishly at his waistcoat and offered an affected smile. “Perhaps I should go home by way of Hyde Park,” he said. “I appear to be quite in looks today.”
Crispin shook his head in bewilderment. He would never understand why Philip acted the way he did at times, nor what had affected the drastic change in his friend. Perhaps someday Philip would confide in him.
Before Hancock had closed the door behind the baffling Earl of Lampton, Crispin was halfway up the stairs with one destination in mind.
He slipped almost silently through the door to Catherine’s rooms. She was pacing in front of the fireplace and looked up as he entered.
“Oh, Crispin!” Catherine threw herself into his arms, precisely where he needed her to be. “Is everyone all right? Is he gone?”
“Thorndale is on his way to Newgate.” Crispin hugged her close to him. “He will not be coming back.”
“I have never been more afraid in all my life.” She trembled as she spoke.
Neither had he. Thorndale had nearly succeeded. Crispin had almost lost her forever. He laid his chin on the top of Catherine’s head.
She leaned more heavily against him. “I’ve been a great deal of trouble, haven’t I?”
“As a matter of fact.” He couldn’t help a smile.
Trouble
did not begin to describe Catherine’s impact on his previously predictable life. “To begin with, you’ve turned this home into a hothouse.”
“I can hardly be blamed for being irresistible.”
She was decidedly irresistible. Crispin stroked her hair, not particularly caring that her hairpins weren’t equal to the task of holding her locks up against his interference. “For another thing, you turned me to a life of crime.”
He felt her laugh. “I thought we agreed your mother bore the blame for your tendency to steal pastries.”
“Either way, I have become a hopeless criminal—most ladies would object to that.”
“As well they should.” Her fingers rustled the open collar of his somewhat bloodied shirt “Worse yet, you are bruised like a prizefighter.”
“Just how do you know what a bruised prizefighter looks like?”
“Furthermore, you threaten me with your fountain.”
“I’m shameless.” He looked into her sparkling eyes and smiled despite himself.
“And . . .” Her expression clouded a little. “You claim you do not believe in love.”
“A belief I am beginning to doubt.” Crispin lightly kissing her forehead.
“Doubt?”
“Dismiss.” He kissed the tip of her nose.
“Dismiss?” She still seemed unsatisfied.
“Renounce, then.”
“Much better,” Catherine managed to say before Crispin covered her mouth with his.
Show her,
Philip had said. Show her how much he cared for her, needed her, loved her. He did, desperately. He could never have imagined that when he kissed her in that garden—it seemed like ages ago—that kiss would lead him to this.
He held her as tightly and closely as possible. She returned the embrace with equal determination and didn’t pull away from his kiss.
“Catherine.” The word rasped out of him as he broke the seal of their lips. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to hers, breathing in the familiar scent of her. He could not bear the thought of her leaving him. “I cannot do this.”
He felt her pull back. Crispin dropped his hands to her shoulders, holding her in place. He opened his eyes and locked his gaze with hers.
“Please reconsider,” he said, desperation making his heart thud anew. “I know I haven’t been the ideal husband, and I often say and do stupid things. But I cannot simply let you walk away. Give me a chance, Catherine. Please. Come with me to Kinnley—even for just a fortnight or so. Give me a chance to court you properly before you insist on an—an annul—” Lud, he couldn’t even push the word out. “Just allow me a chance. Please.”
“You want me to come with you?” Catherine asked.
“I want you to
stay
with me,” he answered. “I won’t force you, but, heaven help me, I will fight for you. I’ll do whatever I must. If that means raiding every hothouse in the county or throwing myself in the fountain or begging you shamelessly, I’ll do so without a moment’s hesitation. I swear to you I will.”
“You don’t want an annulment?”
Crispin shook his head. “I haven’t for some time now.”
Her gaze dropped, a look of uncertainty on her face. Crispin brushed a strand of hair back from her face, waiting anxiously for her next words.
“Because you feel sorry for me?” she asked.
He placed a lingering kiss on her forehead, knowing if he kissed her lips he’d never manage to say what he needed her to hear. “Because I can’t live without you.”
He felt her sigh, and her entire expression lightened. “Then you don’t regret walking in that garden all those weeks ago?”
“Providence, my dear. The heavens knew I needed you.”
She very nearly smiled. “You needed an
accidental
wife?”
“It seems to me”—He pulled her closer once more—“those are the very best kind.”
Her smile bloomed fully, and Crispin was lost. Who initiated the kiss that followed he did not know. He simply savored her, knowing he didn’t deserve the treasure he’d been given. When he attempted to break the kiss, Catherine didn’t allow him to, a turn of events he hadn’t foreseen but to which he didn’t object.
“I love you,” Catherine whispered against his mouth several moments later.
The old, rusted, battle-weary knight straightened his creaky armor as he bent his neck to kiss her once more. “And I will forever love you.”
About the Author
Sarah M. Eden read her first Jane Austen novel in elementary school and has been an Austen Addict ever since. Fascinated by the Regency era in English history, Eden became a regular in the Regency section of the reference department at her local library, painstakingly researching this extraordinary chapter in history. Eden is an award-winning author of short stories and was a Whitney Award Finalist for her novel
Seeking Persephone
(2008). You can visit her at www.sarahmeden.com.
Photo by Claire Waite.
Other books and audio books by Sarah M. Eden:
Courting Miss Lancaster
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