‘I do not believe that we should be speaking of such things,’ Cory said, with a wicked smile. ‘But if you wish to discuss matrimony, Rae, perhaps you should talk of your own plans. Have you met a man with whom you could settle down? Someone to give you your heart’s desire?’
Rachel shot him a sidelong glance. He was lounging beside her, his long, lean frame relaxed, his grey gaze on the river, where a heron was picking its way through the shallows. Behind them the sun was dropping in the sky and a full moon was climbing to take its place. The air was becoming chill. Rachel reached for her shawl.
‘Here, let me help you.’
Cory’s touch was light and impersonal as he arranged the shawl about her shoulders, but still she shivered beneath his touch-and told herself that it was only the effect of the breeze.
‘I have no marriage plans at present,’ she said, holding the shawl to her almost as much for comfort as for warmth. ‘As you have no doubt observed, I cannot find a man who pleases me.’
Cory’s hands stilled, then fell away. ‘Indeed? Why not? I thought there were a score of men queuing up to pay their addresses to you, Rae.’
Rachel sighed. ‘There may be a score of them willing to pay court to my fifty thousand pounds, but they are sadly indifferent to me personally. Besides, as you so presciently observed a few weeks ago, they are rakes and scoundrels to a man.’
‘James Kestrel seemed more than a little interested,’ Cory said, ‘and surely he cannot be a rake. What is the stumbling block?’
Rachel looked at him through her lashes. ‘Do you require that I reply to that question or do you already know the answer?’
Cory gave her a quizzical look back. ‘I hesitate to get my head bitten off again by criticising one of your admirers, Rae.’
Cory relaxed. ‘Then I should say that he has no sense of humour and you could not bear to be tied to a man so pompous.’
‘Precisely,’ Rachel said. ‘You know me so well.’ There was an odd silence. Cory was watching her, a faint smile on his lips. She hurried on to cover the pause.
‘There is another reason,’ she said, ‘but if I tell you, you must promise not to laugh.’
Cory raised his brows. ‘I cannot guarantee it. Not if what you tell me is amusing enough.’
Rachel dug him in the ribs. ‘It is not in the least amusing!’ She took a deep breath. ‘You must promise not to tell anyone as well. You remember Lady Sally’s ball? Miss Lang was…flirting with a gentleman in the gardens and I think it was James Kestrel.’
Cory looked thunderstruck. ‘James Kestrel indulging in amorous dalliance? Good God! He is more like his cousins that I thought.’
‘It is not funny,’ Rachel said crossly. ‘I was a little shocked.’
‘So am I! I would have thought that Kestrel would avoid kissing in case it interfered with the set of his coat!’
‘Cory…’ Rachel said disapprovingly.
‘Sorry.’ Cory grinned. ‘Were you very disappointed, Rae? After all, he was dancing attendance on you all evening.’
‘Oh, I did not repine,’ Rachel said honestly. ‘At least, not for myself, for I had known almost from the first that Mr Kestrel would make the most tedious husband. I was simply disappointed to discover yet another gentleman whose conduct did not live up to the title.’
Cory pulled a face. ‘I can see that you might be. Did James Kestrel ever try to kiss
‘Certainly not.’ Rachel smiled. ‘But then I was not as ardent for his embrace as Miss Lang must be.’
‘Ouch,’ Cory said appreciatively. ‘You are not so sweet-natured yourself, sometimes, Rae! So if Kestrel is out of the frame, what about John Norton?’
‘What about him?’
‘Did you have any hopes of marrying him?’
Rachel gave him a frown. ‘Oh, Sir John has no thought of marrying. You told me that yourself.’
‘I hope you did not take my word for it.’
‘Well, of course I did!’ Rachel smiled at him. ‘If you tell me such a thing, then I do not doubt you, Cory. I trust you.’
‘You silence me,’ Cory said after a moment. ‘Thank you, Rae.’
‘Anyway, I think you are quite right that Sir John is a rake who will say anything to trick a lady,’ Rachel said thoughtfully. ‘On the day that he escorted me into Woodbridge, he told me the most affecting tale about how he was out at sea in a storm and almost drowned. All he could think of as he drifted half-unconscious to shore was of his home, and the fact that if he had his time over again, he would marry and settle down there instead of going back to the sea.’ She laughed. ‘And
She felt Cory stiffen beside her. ‘The blackguard!’
‘Oh, do not worry,’ Rachel said airily. ‘I sidestepped him in time, so it ended up as a sort of kiss rather than a real kiss.’
Cory laughed. ‘It seems to me,’ he said, ‘that a kiss is a kiss is a kiss, Rachel. How can one have a sort of kiss?’
‘A sort of kiss is when you miss,’ Rachel said. She looked up to see Cory watching her with interest and felt a faint stirring of the disturbing emotions that had captured her before. Talking about kissing was not a good idea. She hurried on.
‘I did think it was rather clever of Sir John to try to gain my sympathy with his tale of gallantry and near death,’ she said. ‘It might well have worked on some other, more susceptible lady.’
‘I imagine it has worked a score of times,’ Cory said drily. ‘You are hard-hearted, Rachel.’
Rachel started to pack the remains of the picnic back into the basket for her parents.
‘The Midwinter villages are full of rakes at present,’ she said. ‘A young lady must protect her reputation as best she may.’
Cory shifted. ‘And do you consider me to be one of those dangerous rakes in question?’
Rachel looked at him through her lashes. ‘I cannot believe that you are dangerous to me, Cory. We are such old friends that I do not imagine you would either wish to seduce me or be successful if you tried. Such things do not happen between friends.’
There was another pause that felt curiously alive with all kinds of emotions. Rachel drew a short breath to retract her remark, but Cory forestalled her.
‘You are mistaken,’ he said smoothly, and the tone of his voice sent a shiver squirming down Rachel’s spine. ‘I cannot guarantee the outcome, of course, but I can assure you that it would be a positive pleasure to seduce you…’
He put a hand about her wrist and tugged, so that Rachel, taken by surprise, tumbled beneath him on the picnic rug. Cory’s grey eyes were dark with some emotion she did not understand, and she lay still, looking up at him. And suddenly it felt as though she had been waiting for this moment for all her life without really knowing what it was she was waiting for. Cory’s mouth came down on hers and Rachel’s lips parted beneath his and the sensation tore through her like wildfire in the blood, and Rachel was lost.
Chapter Fourteen
Cory had never intended to kiss Rachel. He had been struggling for days to subdue his most predatory of instincts and treat her gently. Then she had looked at him and he had seen the mixture of passion and shyness shimmer in her eyes when she had spoken of kissing. He had known then that she was feeling the same disturbing awareness that he was and he had been totally unprepared for the effect that this knowledge had had on him. Desire had ripped through his body and when Rachel had smiled and said innocently that no doubt he would
