“Oh, I have broken a great many rules. And I am certain you know of a few of them,” the Earl grinned. Ellen turned away as she felt her face suddenly heat up at the memory of what happened in the garden.
“Tell me about Ridlington. I have never been outside of London,” she inquired, changing the subject.
“What can I say? I can say that it has the most beautiful landscape known to man, and the spread on the hill is magnificent. You can see the entire town of Ridlington from there: you can see the smoke coming out of old Mary’s rafters, hear the sound of the young lads playing, and if you breathe in deeply, you may even catch a whiff of freshly baked bread from old Manor’s bakery. Ridlington is home.”
“Home,” Ellen repeated.
Gerard chuckled. “Yes, home.”
“I would like to see it sometime.” As soon as the words were out of Ellen’s mouth, she instantly regretted it. She wondered if Gerard heard her.
But Gerard smiled. “That, My Lady, can be arranged.”
He got to his feet and helped Ellen up. They resumed their strolling again, but this time they left the park and walked toward the streets of London.
“Where are we going?” Ellen asked. These streets were unfamiliar to her, and she did not relish the thought of getting lost.
“Somewhere. Don’t worry, you’re safe with me.”
Ellen looked back and caught Cara watching them disapprovingly. Gerard saw it too. He turned Ellen around and said, “You remember how I talked about women in Society not being allowed to do what they dreamed or thought?”
Ellen nodded.
“Well, let us begin your first lesson.”
“Already?”
“Yes, My Lady. Time waits for no man.”
“All right then, what is the first lesson?” Ellen asked.
“I want you to find a way to lose your chaperone, and I will show you.”
Ellen felt a thrill through her, and she shivered in anticipation. But she could not and told Gerard so.
“You can, think of something.”
Sighing, she walked back to meet Cara. It took her a few minutes before she came back, but when she did, Cara had stopped following.
Gerard was impressed. “What did you tell her?”
“I asked her to help me get a necklace that I forgot in the carriage.”
“Impressive. But she will find it soon enough, no?”
“No.” Ellen chuckled. “I did not leave any necklace in there.”
“Well done! Now, you’re learning fast.” Gerard took her hand and led her down an alleyway. They stopped suddenly with Ellen out of breath.
“What, why did we stop?”
“For this,” Gerard said moments before he sealed his lips with hers, effectively cutting out her protests. Ellen could feel herself floating and yearning for more of the Earl’s touch. And unlike the first time, she was not scared of being caught with Gerard like this. She hungered for the feel of his warm lips on hers, but a faint mewling sound kept distracting her.
Gerard pulled away, and Ellen whimpered softly. “Soon, my Diamond, soon,” he said as he pressed one more kiss to her temple.
They both heard the mewling sound again, this time, nearer and louder than before. Gerard led Ellen toward the direction of the sound, and they discovered a kitten.
“Oh,” Ellen gasped softly, immediately taken by the small creature. “What do you think the poor animal is doing all by itself in this chill?”
