“I’ve taken the edge off their energy,” he said cheerfully. “Care for a sedate drive?”
It was an open carriage. She had no reason to refuse. He reached down to help her climb up.
“I think Papa was successful,” she said at once.
“He was. He shouted across to me that he had a few jobs lined up, said to tell you he wouldn’t be home until dinner at the earliest.”
“Oh, thank God.” It was an excessive reaction, of course, but she truly began to believe they had turned an important corner. “I cannot thank you enough for this.”
“I’ll call for him again tomorrow morning, but he has to do it without me, too.”
“I really believe he will. You’ve been so kind to him.”
His gaze shifted back to the road, and a line of pink began to form along his cheekbone.
“Nonsense,” he said, throwing back his head as if to be rid of his discomfort. “And talking of which, there’s a child at the Black Lion with a pet lizard. That is, he did have a pet lizard, but it’s been enjoying scaring the maids so much that I doubt he’ll ever catch it again...”
She laughed as the horses clopped their way out of the town. She saw the flat countryside, the often muddy, changing coastline, and picturesque cottages with different eyes now,almost as if seeing them in his company made them new and exciting.
He pulled the horses up in a shaded copse to rest and crop at the leaves and grass. Climbing down, he looped the reins around a branch to stop them wandering, then helped her down.
“Shall we walk?” he suggested.
She agreed happily, with just a hint of guilt because she was wasting her time in pleasure. In fact, it was delightful, strolling with nowhere to go, listening to the birds’ song and the timbre of Durward’s voice. They talked about everything and nothing, laughing as much from happiness as from wit.
So that when he paused to brush some speck of leaf off her face, she smiled trustingly up at him. His eyes were like a heat haze, misty and full of promise. He cupped her cheek, stepping closer until she could feel his beguiling warmth. Her breath caught. There were butterflies gambolling in her stomach again, especially when his caressing hand slid around to her nape and he bent his head.
Her insides melted. It never even entered her head to stop him. There was nothing she wanted, nothing she hadeverwanted or ever would, more than his kiss...
She felt the whisper of his breath on her lips. The moment stilled and stretched. She was afraid to move.
And then he straightened. “There. Iama gentleman. Rejoice.”
His voice was light, and yet just a little hoarse. Carina, dazed and unsure whether she was naïve or simply rejected, let him thread her hand through the crook of his arm and lead her back toward the curricle.
After a moment, he even began to talk, but the delicious intimacy had somehow turned to formality, and she interrupted him without compunction.
“Is something wrong?”
He glanced down at her, a surprised and rueful smile hovering about his eyes. “Not with you. You are wonderful. I, however... You have enough to contend with.”
“Then, we are not friends?”
He muttered something under his breath that she could not catch and for an instant tightened his hold of her arm, drawing her closer again. “Of course we are friends. And that is where you should make sure I stay—a mere friend—until I go.”
She had always known he was leaving, so exactly why the reminder should bring such desolation, she had no idea.
“Don’t look like that,” he said quickly. “I am a bad man, Carina Jasper, and you deserve better. So much, much better.”
“What is better than friendship?” she retorted.
“Never ask a man like me such a question.”
“I have never met a man like you.”
He halted suddenly, swinging around to face her. “Carina—” He broke off, the determination fading from his eyes to leave them oddly helpless. Unexpectedly, he bent his head, touching his forehead to hers. “I should go. With the next tide.”
HE DIDN’T, OF COURSE. For one thing, he had done nothing about booking passage and had no idea which ship left when or for where and was prepared to carry passengers. For another, he had promised Captain Jasper to take him to the harbour in the morning.
