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Her heart lightened, and she knew she would tell Aidan the truth. Not out of fear of Gerard Gallow, but out of love for Aidan. Today she was a woman with a life ahead of her. Now she only had to get rid of the past.
Kate did not like the contrast of her drab brown dress against the flower blue runner that carpeted the stairs. She lifted her skirt higher in an attempt to lessen the comparison, but then she felt vulgar and lowered the fabric again. She could not wear the blue dress every day. And she had greater problems than her sad fashions, but she still wished to look beautiful for Aidan.
When she glanced up and saw him waiting at t
he bottom of the stairway, Kate’s awareness of her dress grew heavier for a brief moment. And then he smiled and it disappeared altogether.
“Good afternoon,” he said with a solemnity that clashed with his boyish grin.
“Good afternoon, Mr. York.”
He stole a quick kiss when she joined him.
Though she blushed, she couldn’t bear to pull away. “Your servants . . .” she murmured.
“I’ll pay them extra to recover from the scandal of it all. They’ll be begging me to have you back again.”
She let her fingers trail against his as she stepped away.
“Now,” he said, strolling with her toward the morning room. “We have luncheon in a few moments, but perhaps you’d like to see some of London afterward. Much as I’d like to keep you locked in the bedchamber for days.”
“Surely we can’t be seen together.”
“We’ll take a closed carriage. No one will know.”
It sounded wicked and dangerous, but she couldn’t enjoy it until she’d set her deception aside. “Aidan, I need to tell you something.”
His teasing smile faded to a frown.
“Could we sit for a moment, before luncheon?” Her heart thundered in her chest as if danger were approaching at a fast run.
“Kate, what is it?”
She was just opening her mouth when danger became all too real, though it appeared in an unexpected form. The front door opened, and there stood someone she hadn’t thought to worry over. Young Mr. Penrose.
Kate could not see her own face, but she imagined it mirrored Mr. Penrose’s expression perfectly: utter, sudden shock.
“Mrs. Hamilton,” he gasped.
Aidan cursed, and Penrose’s eyes shifted to his employer for a moment. When he looked back to Kate, realization hit his gaze, and his mouth dropped open.
Kate’s face burned with mortification. They stood frozen in an awkward triangle until Aidan finally spoke. “What the hell are you doing here, man? I sent you to Hull!”
“But I . . .” Penrose stammered. “I found a house. And I thought . . . I sent a letter last night, sir. I thought . . . Um . . .” He swallowed so hard that the sound echoed through the room.
“I received no letter,” Aidan snapped, but Kate felt sorry for poor Mr. Penrose. If a letter had arrived, surely Aidan had been too occupied to notice.
“I’m sorry, sir. I . . .” His voice faded into a small leak of air from his throat. He swallowed hard again, his natural color disappearing behind a wave of red. “I’m so sorry.”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” Aidan said, throwing up his hands in exasperation. “Wait for me in my study.”
“Yes, of course!” Penrose offered a quick bow in her direction. “Excuse me, Mrs. Hamilton.” Then he raced so quickly toward the far corridor that he slipped on the marble floor and nearly fell. “Pardon me,” he gasped before lurching away.
Kate and Aidan both stared at the archway to the corridor until they heard the sharp clap of a door closing.
“I’m so sorry,” Aidan said, turning to take her hands. “I’ll explain to him that you’ve come for a tour of my home while you’re visiting London.”
“I’m not sure he’ll believe that,” she whispered.
