Page 40 of To Follow her Heart

“Where were you last night?” she demanded, her dark eyes flashing with impatience. “I had so much to tell you, and you and St Clair didn’t come to dinner. By the time the meal was over and I tracked down the earl, he said you’d gone to bed! How could you? I was bursting to talk to you.”

Luke chuckled, remembering all too well her outbreaks of pique when she was thwarted. It seemed that, despite waiting years for him, she’d not altogether outgrown her desire to have what she wanted at once. His mouth grew dry as he realised what that might mean for their overnight journey.

“Are you blushing?” she asked, peering at him and wrinkling her nose.

“Certainly not,” he said, clearing his throat. “What did you want to say to me with such urgency, Kitten?”

To his amusement, she glanced furtively around her before leaning in and whispering in his ear, her warm breath tickling his skin and making him shiver.

“We must elope!”

There was a triumphant glint to her eyes when she pulled back. The wretch looked utterly gleeful and so smug Luke wanted to laugh. Instead he adopted his best Trevick attitude, adjusted his cuffs and said in a bored voice. “Well, obviously, Kitten. There’s really no need for such dramatics. We shall leave tomorrow morning.”

Kitty gaped at him in stunned silence and then gave a squeal of delight, throwing her arms about his neck and kissing him.

As charmed as he was to have her in his arms, Luke could not risk them being discovered when they were so close to freedom. “Pack it in, love,” he said, untangling her from his neck. “I mean it, stop that. For the rest of the day you must not be alone with me, or give anyone any reason for suspecting our plans.”

Kitty stepped back at once and nodded. “Oh, of course, you’re right. I’ll be careful, I promise,” she said gravely, then gave a quiet cheer and danced on the spot, clapping her hands together.

Luke snorted and rolled his eyes. “Heaven preserve me, Kitty. You haven’t changed a bit.”

She gave him an unrepentant grin, and he offered her his arm to take her down to breakfast.

“There is something else you must do for me before we leave, Kitty,” he said, remembering his determination to help Jasper. “But you must swear to be discreet,” he added, giving her a fierce look and wondering if she could manage such a thing.

Kitty’s gaze was so adoring he felt his cheeks heat with pleasure and whatever it was he’d wanted to say dissolved into the mush she’d made of his brain. “Anything, Luke.”

Luke cleared his throat and tried to get his mind off the fact she would soon be his wife, and back to everything he owed Lord St Clair.

“I mean it, Kitty. St Clair has asked me for help, and I don’t want the fellow embarrassed. I spent most of last night with him and he took a deal of care and trouble planning our elopement. We owe him a great debt, so you must tread with caution.”

Kitty’s eyes widened. “How kind he is,” she said in surprise. “Well, I will do anything I can for him, Luke, of course I shall.”

“Good girl,” he said, wishing he could kiss her and forcing himself not to stare at her mouth. He lowered his voice. “Well, you see the thing is, the poor fellow is hopelessly in love—”

“Oh, yes,” Kitty said at once. “With Harriet.”

Luke stopped in his tracks and let out a huff of amusement. “Well, I’m blowed. Though I told him you might have guessed already. How observant you are.”

Kitty shrugged. “Not as observant as Matilda. She’s known for ages, I think.”

“You’ve not told anyone else?”

Kitty shook her head. “No, and I shan’t. But, Luke, it’s not that hard to figure out. He may believe he’s hiding his feelings, but you only need be in their company for a short while to feel the tension between them. She dislikes him and makes no secret of it, and he… the poor man.”

Luke nodded, experiencing a wave of fellow feeling for Jasper. How awful to love a woman who couldn’t stand the sight of you.

“The problem is, Kitten, she didn’t always hate him. From all I can gather, it stems from years ago, when she was sixteen.”

“Oh?” Kitty said, her interest obvious. “You know what happened?”

Luke shook his head. “No, and neither does poor Jasper. He told me he kissed her and… and that she was certainly not unwilling but… the next time he saw her she was as cold as ice. He’s tried to apologise, to discover if he overstepped the mark or took too much for granted or whatever it was he’d done, but she’ll not explain. She’ll have none of him.”

Kitty fell silent for a moment, and Luke slowed his steps as they approached the breakfast room.

“Harry thinks St Clair is only interested in her because he can’t charm her. She says if she were to act as though she liked him, he’d lose interest at once, but she won’t do it because she refuses to give him the satisfaction.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” Luke said, stopping to regard her.