As the clock struck the hour, she rose to her feet with a twist of unease in her stomach and smoothed her hands down the silk of her gown. It was just a party. Amongst a crowd of strangers.
No problem.
At the bottom of the stairs, she collected her cloak from Foster, who informed her the carriage had already been brought round from the mews and was waiting outside. She was just about to head out the door when she heard a familiar foot tread behind her. A rush of tingling sparks erupted in her belly as she turned to see Hale stalking purposefully down the stairs. He’d dressed in dark clothing and no cravat. His hair fell to his shoulders. When she took a brave glance at his face, it was to see a heavy scowl darkening his brow.
“Don’t tell me you were thinking to leave without me.”
She frowned as her brain struggled to catch up to the riotous reaction in her body. “And why wouldn’t I?”
He came to a stop in front of her. Close enough she had to tip her chin to look into his face. His hard stare swept over her appearance from head to toe before coming back up to meet her gaze.
Then—finally—he smiled and his voice dropped to a husky timbre. “You dress up rather nicely, dove.”
Ignoring the way his voice made her melt, she pressed her lips together and lifted a brow. “You are not coming with me tonight.”
Arriving without a chaperone was one thing. Arriving with a brutish bodyguard was quite another.
“Oh, yes I am,” he replied as he took her hand and slid it into the bend of his elbow before guiding her down the front steps.
“There is no cause for you to join me,” she argued, though she already suspected it was futile. “Your job is to protect Frederick. He is staying here; therefore, you must stay here.”
Reaching the carriage, Hale held her hand firmly to assist her into the vehicle. “I have four well-trained men guarding this house and your brother tonight.”
She settled into the seat and before she could even draw her skirts out of the way, his great form climbed in after her to take the seat across. “You, on the other hand, shall have me.”
“I don’t need you,” she lied. “Frederick does.”
There was a pause after her words as he stared intently at her through the darkened carriage. “I’m gonna protect you, duchess, whether you like it or not. But don’t worry, I’ll find a nice dark spot to keep myself away from the fancy guests and their delicate sensibilities.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as his intense eyes flickered. “But I will be there. In case you decide you do need me, after all.”
Then he leaned back more comfortably in the seat and rapped sharply on the ceiling to signal the coachman to drive.
As the carriage rolled along the lamplit streets, Katherine accepted Hale’s company with contrary emotions of worry and relief. Worry for her brother’s security while his bodyguard was with her. And relief to have him at her side. She hadn’t realized how nervous she was about tonight’s foray into London society until he’d managed to provide a bit of confidence by the simple nature of his presence.
It was just a party. She’d make it through the next few hours and then she’d be on her way home again. With Hale across from her.
And then what?
Would he escort her up to her bedroom? Would he want to go inside? Heat swept through her at the thought. She forcefully switched direction of her thoughts.
“I doubt I’ll be in any danger at a small gathering of the ton.”
His visage darkened. “Have you considered the possibility that whoever’s after Freddie might try to use you to get to him? The foolish boy would give himself up in a second if he knew you were in peril.”
“As I would for him,” she noted, though the thought of Frederick doing anything of the sort terrified her.
His mouth tilted. “Like I said...foolish.”
“Are you telling me you wouldn’t do the same?” she asked.
His gaze found hers in the darkened carriage. “I’m not a skinny lad still learning how to throw a proper punch.”
“No.” A smile softened her mouth as she openly appraised his muscled form. “You’re definitely not that.”
He shifted in his seat and his voice lowered. “Don’t be looking at me like that, dove.”
A pause.
“How am I looking at you?”
“Like you’re thinking of climbing into my lap to get a feel for just how big I am.”
She hadn’t actually been thinking of that, but she sure as hell was now.
“And that’s a bad idea?” she whispered.
He growled. “If you don’t want to arrive at your party looking like a well-pleasured woman, it is.”
The raw hum of his voice went straight through her with a tingling effect, arousing every nerve. She held his gaze as rising desire made her bold. “Perhaps we could...be discreet?”
He gave a rough laugh. “I don’t do discreet, luv. The second I got my hands on you, I’d be tearing that gown from your body.”
His words made her breathless.
But then his tone shifted as he added, “Don’t ever mistake me for a gentleman, duchess. I’m a bounder from the East End and always will be.”
“That may be true,” she replied earnestly. “But you’re also a great deal more.”
He scoffed. “Right. I’m a man who likes to swing his fists and run stakes for illegal fights.”
The self-deprecation in his tone had Katherine adding, “You’re also a man who inspires loyalty and confidence in a twelve-year-old boy who has good cause to trust no one. A man who walked away from the life he knew to take in two children who needed him. A man who loves and protects his young daughter in a way he was not.”
There
