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Her figure drew on the man in him, and he found it difficult not to stare at her lovely, full breasts and the curve of her hips. He forced his eyes up but discovered luscious lips … further up to her eyes, and those eyes looked back directly into his. Their gazes locked, and she said, “Oh, but, my lord, you have such deep blue eyes.”
He was surprised into answering, “Do you think so?”
“I daresay you have been told that before,” she said and looked away as though realizing her forwardness.
He felt a shock wave of sensation rush through his blood. She was absolutely tantalizing. The way she moved, the way she smiled, the way her green eyes sparkled, so alive with mischief and yet uncertainty. She would take London by storm and slay every man that looked into her eyes.
He looked away and greeted Nanny sweetly, pleased to note that she seemed perfectly comfortable in his company. “Nanny,” he said and attempted to ignore Miss Kingsley. “May I say you look lovely this evening?”
Nanny’s hand fluttered in the air. “Nonsense.”
He turned back to Miss Kingsley and held his brandy to her as though in a toast. “Well then, Miss Kingsley.”
“Well then, what?” Kitty’s eyes narrowed.
“Better, my dear, much better.”
* * *
The inference was clear to Kitty. His words stung sharply, for she did not take it as a compliment. A small voice in her head tried to reason with her and tell her he meant it as a compliment, but all she heard were the words, and they bit through her flesh. Better? Is that all? After she struggled and primped—better? She didn’t approve of her gown and knew it was nothing special, but, still, she felt he could have paid her a bit more flattery.
Her chin went up, and quietly, so quietly, she answered, “Ah, no doubt, this is high praise, indeed, from a London dandy!”
Nanny nearly swooned and did in fact gasp and exclaim, “Christina!”
The earl seemed to struggle with himself for a moment, and Kitty felt the blush rise to her cheeks. She was fairly certain no one had ever dubbed him a dandy, and she knew, of course, that he was not. He was what the men of his set would call a Corinthian—a sporting man—a top sawyer, but never a dandy.
He made a quick recovery, however, and said, “As it happens, I don’t suppose you would have had that high praise from a London dandy, Miss Kingsley. From me, however, it was no more, no less than what it was. I meant only that you look better out of your dirt.”
She felt his scrutiny and met his gaze. She didn’t know why he so rubbed her wrong, but he did. She inclined her head. “Thank you, my lord. Why I should think it was not high praise eludes me,” she said sarcastically.
To be fair to the man, she had been nothing more than a rough and ready urchin earlier. No doubt he had wondered how he could present such a girl. She had not looked much better in her schoolgirl gown and had hoped that although her present gown was not up to London standards it would draw more of a compliment than better.
Her temper had been stirred, but it was not yet bubbling.
“You are quite welcome.”
“So, tell me, I look better, but not quite to your sophisticated tastes?” She pursued the matter.
“My tastes have naught to do with it. However …” He inclined his handsome head and gave her a gentle smile that almost, not quite but almost, won an answering smile from her. “If you wish to feel comfortable amongst your own while in London and enjoy a successful Season, we will have to see to your wardrobe.”
This was precisely what Kitty had been telling Nanny earlier, but hearing the words out of this handsome buck’s mouth was most offensive. She was a proud young woman who had not hitherto been questioned about her style. This was all very agitating.
She snapped her fingers in the air before she knew what she was doing, and though she saw Nanny close her eyes, she said in a tone sharper than she had intended, “I don’t give a fig about fashions, and I don’t give a fig about a successful London Season.” She knew that this was, in part, not at all true. She needed to make her way in the world, as everything she had ever known had been taken away from her. Her hands were now on her hips, and that same little voice in her head warned that she was heading for trouble.
“Well, that may be for now, but I advise you to care, my girl, care a great deal,” the earl snapped, his patience evidently at an end. “As it happens, we are both bound by your guardian’s will. We may not like one another, but I am at present acting as your guardian and shall discharge my
duty, which at present is to see you through a London Season and respectably wed!” By the time the earl had reached the last word in his diatribe he appeared to be seething.
“You!” Kitty was breathless. He had openly admitted to not liking her. Suspecting that he did not like her and hearing the words were two very different matters. That temper began to bubble. Her hand moved to forestall Nanny, who was mumbling something at her back. “Are not my guardian. You were not named so by my Uncle Edwin’s will.”
“Am I not? Well then, I shall have to do something about that, shan’t I? Tomorrow, I will pay a visit to Mr. Harkins and see what can be done. For the present, I suggest we drop the subject, as I see Withers has just arrived and no doubt wishes to take us into the dining room for our dinner.” He put down his glass of brandy with a flourish and politely put out his arm for Nanny’s hand.
This flustered Nanny, but he said softly, “Don’t fret this little scene, Nanny dear. She is high-spirited and speaks before she thinks, and unfortunately I have a bit of a temper myself. Eventually she and I will find common ground, if only to please you.”
“Thank you, my lord,” Nanny said, her eyes warm on his face. “Thank you, so much.” They watched Kitty march off ahead of them, and Nanny hesitated and then added, “She is all heart, you know, and that heart leads her to speak before she thinks. I know she is head-strong, but she is ever so dear … I can’t imagine why she is so angry with you.”
“Well, for one thing, I imagine she sees me as an interloper. I have usurped, or will be usurping, her home and taking on a role she believes belongs to no one but her late guardian, my uncle,” he said thoughtfully.
