Those Endearing Young Charms (17 page)

The boy wiped his streaming eyes with the back of his sleeve, gave a clumsy nod, and set off at a jog trot, with Emily and the earl following close behind.

* * * *

The Earl of Devenham, who had cracked two of the village gang leaders' heads together, had dived into the water. He swam to the shore and climbed out and laid the cat on the bank. "Is he dead?"

whispered Emily, as if a raised voice would frighten the last of the life out of the cat.

The earl was about to say, "I hope so," but he changed it to, "With any luck, I may be able to get the water out of the brute." He jerked the animal's paws and massaged its stomach until water spurted out of the cat's mouth. Emily stood watching him. The sun filtered down through the trees onto his thick black hair. His fine cambric shirt was molded to his chest. She felt her heart lurch with love.

The cat's chest began to move up and down, and, under the probing of his fingers, the earl felt the beginning of a faint purr.

"He'll live," he said. Emily went to rush into his arms, but stopped short for fear of crushing the cat.

The earl scowled down at the animal in his arms and then began to climb up the rocks to the roadway.

Emily climbed after him, while the knife boy, now fully recovered, scampered back to The Elms to be the first to break the news of my lord's routing of the village bullies.

The earl did not speak until he had reached the house. "Where does this creature bed down," he said curtly. "In your room, I suppose?"

Emily nodded miserably. He had looked, that one splendid moment when he had held out his arms, as if he loved her. Now the cat had come between them again. "Better a cat than a mistress," thought Emily with sudden anger.

Housemaids came running with warm towels. Peter was gently rubbed down and placed in his sleeping basket in Emily's room. He felt warm and safe and completely exhausted. He gave a sleepy purr and closed his eyes.

The servants departed, leaving Emily alone in her bedroom with her husband.

Emily looked at him, her eyes guarded, wary. The silence between them lengthened. The light was fading outside and the room was full of shadows.

"Why did you come?" she asked faintly.

He shrugged. She waited for him to say that he had come to arrange a divorce, that he wanted to marry Cordelia Haddington.

He said, "Because I love you with all my heart. I do not even care if you don't want me. I just had to tell you the truth."

"But what about that ... that woman?" asked Emily.

"Cordelia? I told you that was finished."

"But the day before I left London, you were seen with her in your carriage."

"She practically fell in front of my wheels to stop me. I took her up and took her home. Nothing more."

"But what of that bill that Madame Dupont gave you? You looked embarrassed and thrust it in your pocket when you saw me."

"My life, I confess it was an old bill of Cordelia's. I desperately wanted you to love me. I thought it the wrong time for an explanation."

"I thought you loved her."

"Is that why you left?"

Emily nodded.

He put one knee on his side of her bed. "Come to me," he said huskily.

Emily fell over the bed and tumbled into his arms. "You're wet!" she laughed, feeling his shirt.

"Then undress me."

"I cannot, Peregrine. I am frightened. That has always been the trouble. I am so frightened. I have no experience. I..."

His mouth stopped her words and his hands on her body stopped her trembling. He parted her lips and groaned words of love against her mouth, feeling her little hands reach for the buttons of his shirt in the most natural way in the world.

Emily could not remember afterward how they had got out of their clothes. It was almost as if passion had melted them away. A brief spasm of fear stabbed her when she finally lay naked in his arms, but a great red wave of passion came down on her and carried all her fears and inhibitions away.

An hour later, the earl awoke. He felt marvelous. He felt he held the whole world in his arms.

Someone -- Mary? -- was singing out in the garden. "Believe me if all those endearing young charms,"

she sang in a lilting voice.

The Earl of Devenham felt extremely hungry. He was about to waken his love when he felt movement against his naked back. He lit the rushlight on Emily's side of the bed by stretching over her sleeping figure. Then he turned slowly round.

The cat was stretched out on his other side, purring noisily. It butted its head against his arm.

"No," said the earl softly. "Get out of bed this minute."

And Peter went.

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