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“I hope I always will,” she whispered, as he slid a finger inside her wetness then began to stroke the slick nub at her core. Her excitement notched up a level and she closed her eyes, reveling in the attention.
“Just stay as beautiful and willing as you are now, and you’ll not have to worry about anything, my sweet.”
Kitty’s eyes fluttered open, for she wasn’t sure if he’d said the words in jest. But his eyes were closed, and now he was rolling on top of her, positioning himself at her entrance before plunging in with a groan of satisfaction.
And Kitty, who hadn’t quite reached the zenith of her own of excitement, felt it incumbent to gasp and enter into the act with equal enthusiasm, wishing he’d spent just a little longer pleasuring her. But she was not dissatisfied when it was all over, for Nash was gazing down at her with pure rapture in his face, and she surely must have misunderstood his meaning when he’d insinuated her security lay in retaining her looks.
When it appeared he would go straight to sleep, Kitty gave him a little nudge.
“Don’t you want to hear how my sitting went? How I found Mr. Lamont?”
“Surely I’d be more interested in how he found you, my darling.” Nash gave a little laugh at his own joke, reaching up one arm to lazily brush aside a tendril of her hair. “Delightfully en dishabille, no doubt, but respectable enough. I hope he will convey you as I see you...three-quarters the innocent virgin and one-quarter femme fatale.” He curled his arm about her neck and brought her face down to his to murmur against her lips before he kissed her, “All in all, a delightful little enigma.”
Kitty sighed with pleasure. “I learned something that pleased me very much.” When he didn’t ask her to elaborate, she went on anyway. “He told me he’d seen my sister.”
“I didn’t know you had a sister. Is she as beautiful as you?”
“She’s considered beautiful, though she hides it. She’s a governess. I’m trying to find her as we’ve lost touch.”
“I’d have thought she’d have already found you if she wanted to. Your name is in all the gossip columns; your description bandied about.”
He obviously didn’t realize what a dismal reflection this was for Kitty to look at it in these terms, for while Nash drifted off into almost immediate slumber, Kitty found herself staring at the ceiling with the chill fear that Lissa was so shocked and ashamed of Kitty, she wanted nothing more to do with her.
In fact, it was in a similar mood of reflection, that she was nudged while gazing at the wares of her favorite jewelers in Bond Street.
“What a look of woe. That’s not the carefree Miss La Bijou I know. You’re not looking at betrothal rings, I trust?”
The goldsmith had just pulled out a tray of ruby and sapphire rings for Kitty’s perusal, and Kitty had been studying a diamond and ruby studded affair with great interest.
“Oh, Lord Silverton, I do feel full of woe,” said Kitty, glancing up and adding quickly at his quirked eyebrow, “and it has nothing to do with Lord Nash. He’s been charming and attentive—”
“So you are looking at betrothal rings.”
“Not yet,” she dropped her voice, “though it is my sincerest wish to be respectably placed in life, as you know. Lord Nash has showered me with gifts. His generosity is extraordinary—”
“Meaning you can set yourself up for life if you are wise with your investments and do not squander what you are given.”
Kitty waved a finger at him. “A salutary warning, Lord Silverton. I might have high hopes you think cannot be fulfilled, but I am not stupid. My brother is apprenticed to a goldsmith for a career in finance, and he will advise me.”
“You are indeed a woman of mystery. A brother who inhabits the world of investment. A father who is a nobleman. What do they think of you, Miss La Bijou?”
Kitty nodded to the goldsmith to put away his wares. “What do they think of me?” She repeated his question, sadly. “My sister, a governess, is ashamed. She has not contacted me, though she must know where to find me.”
“And that is why you’re sad?”
“And, as you know, my friend, Dorcas, is trapped in a horrible situation and won’t allow herself to be saved.”
“So that compounds your dismal mood, of course.”
“And Nash is going away for a few days, and I shall miss him.” She sighed and glanced up at the sun which was getting low. Soon she would have to make her way to the theater.
“You’re welcome to visit me anytime you are feeling in need of company, Miss La Bijou.”
Kitty gave him an ironic smile. “Nash didn’t like it one little bit when he learned I’d been staying with you. I had a difficult time persuading him that he had nothing to be jealous about.”
Silverton pretended he’d just received a blow to the solar plexus. “That is not something I like to hear.”
Kitty giggled. “You’re vastly entertaining, my Lord, and I enjoyed our cribbage evenings enormously, but I’m not going to allow myself to fall in love with you.”
