LITMIR.BIZ

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But wasn’t that what she wanted, too? All she would allow herself?

      Besides, being involved in a summer’s romance was an exhilarating feeling. Even Stephanie’s complaints about her pregnancy and her increasing demands failed to dampen Hattie’s enthusiasm for riding and for the clandestine affair. She rejoiced in the knowledge that it belonged to her and Kit only.

      She reined in Strawberry at the top of the hill. Kit came thundering up the hill, a few feet behind her. ‘You see, Kit, I could do it. I was able to take the wall and land correctly.’

      ‘You made it to the top of the hill first … for once.’ His grey eyes twinkled as he dismounted. ‘You are fast becoming an expert rider. Only a week ago, you’d have avoided that wall. Today, there was no hesitation.’

      ‘It felt like flying.’

      ‘You should take care. The last thing anyone wants is for you to get hurt.’

      ‘What are my winnings?’ She slid off Strawberry’s back and looped the reins around a branch. A buoyant happiness filled her. She had done it. She had actually jumped the dry stone wall and flown over the stream, things she never dreamt possible. And she wasn’t going to allow Kit’s sudden concern to dampen her triumph.

      A dimple shone in the corner of his mouth. ‘What were you thinking?’

      She glanced about her. The ridge was secluded and private. She stripped off her gloves and hat, and placed them on the ground. She lifted her face to his. ‘A kiss. No one is here. No one will spy on us.’

      ‘My lady is demanding. A kiss it shall be.’ He lowered his mouth to hers and brushed her lips. She wrapped her arms about his neck and drank from his mouth.

      ‘You call that a kiss? Your hat kept hitting my forehead.’ Hattie knew her breath was coming a little too fast.

      ‘A thousand pardons.’ He took off his hat and tossed it neatly on top of hers before undoing his neckcloth.

      ‘That’s a bit better.’ A deliciously wicked shiver went through her. There was something to be said for enjoying Kit’s company. He was the perfect companion for playing and she had a hard time remembering when she’d last played so much.

      He gave a husky laugh and pulled her body into his so that their pelvises touched. ‘Perhaps I should allow you to win more often.’

      ‘Only if I deserve it.’

      ‘You definitely deserve to be kissed.’ He pulled her more firmly into his arms. ‘And for once no one is here.’

      ‘I take it you wish to stay here for a while.’

      ‘I might do … unless there is a call upon your time.’

      ‘Do you think we dare?’

      He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked down at her. His eyes crinkled in the corners. ‘We can do what we want, but I suspect the grass will be itchy. And you will get seeds in your hair again.’

      ‘Mrs Hampstead keeps her conversation to domestic trivialities these days and Stephanie is utterly absorbed in her family. She never asks about how I spend my time.’ Hattie bit her lip. She’d been thinking about touching him all morning while she was listening to Stephanie’s complaints about how Livvy had suddenly become a bluestocking and was constantly seeking to go to the circulating library. She’d wanted to feel his skin under her hands and had stopped herself from saying something just in time.

      Sometimes, in her wilder moments, she did wonder what her sister would do if she confessed to her indiscretion.

      ‘You’re wearing your serious face.’

      ‘Stephanie gets worse. She keeps dropping subtle hints about me moving in with her until the baby comes. And I can’t. The walls would press down on me too much.’ Hattie knew it was another half-truth. If she had to move back there, all these clandestine meetings with Kit would have to cease.

      He brought her hand to his lips. His eyes turned deep grey. ‘I’d prefer a soft bed with clean sheets and a roof over our head, and hour upon hour to enjoy you without your sister calling on you at all hours. Someone will have to give way.’

      ‘That is impossible, here. This is not London where you can be anonymous.’ She glanced over her shoulder. Thus far, the gossip had been muted, but she knew the limits. Discretion rather than full-blown flaunting of the relationship.

      When they met at social occasions, it was never by design but by happenstance. Hattie was always careful not to spend too much time speaking to him. She loved hugging the secret to her bosom.

      ‘We’re far too well known,’ she said firmly. ‘I shudder to think what would happen if knowledge of this became common currency. It would ruin Livvy’s chances. I couldn’t do that.’

      ‘Have you thought about taking a trip?’ He moved closer. A faint breeze tousled his hair, giving him a rakish air. ‘We could travel to the Continent. There is no trouble with travelling now that the war is truly over. You could see the places you always wanted to—Rome, Vienna, even Paris.’

      Her heart turned over. He wanted to go travelling with her. A brief vision danced before her eyes. She could visit all those places that she had read about, but it would be better because he would by her side, sharing the experience. It would mean what was between them was more than a summer’s romance.

      He was fast becoming as necessary as breathing.

      How had it happened? She cared about him. More than cared for him, she carried him in her heart. Loved him. That was not supposed to happen. Everything she’d done had been based on keeping her heart safe and enjoying the physical passion. She knew it was a summer’s affair, nothing more, something that would fade when the autumn winds came, but somehow her heart had forgotten that important fact.

      The feeling nearly took her breath away, only to be immediately replaced with despondency. He had never offered for ever. He’d been clear about that at the start. He was everything that she thought she’d despise—a man who used charm and who could not be counted on. He was not the sort of man to love.

      She knew how destructive one-sided love had been to her once. She turned her face from his and attempted to control her emotions.

      ‘Hattie, are you all right?’ His voice penetrated through her confusion. ‘I’d expected you to smother my face with kisses. A trip to Europe this autumn. If you insist, we can take Mrs Hampstead as cover and pretend to accidentally meet.’

      ‘Perfectly. I just remembered that Stephanie wanted help with the flowers this evening. She is giving a small dinner party before the Dents’ musicale. I forgot to say no.’

      ‘She makes too many demands of you,’ he said flatly. ‘You need to learn to refuse her sometimes.’

      She shook her head. ‘I could never do that. After my husband died, she was so good to me.’

      ‘So good to you that you couldn’t admit what had really happened to you.’

      ‘It had nothing to do with her.’ Hattie examined the grass. ‘I promised her that I’d stay. She is expecting. She needs me. I don’t know what I would have done without her after Charles died. I owe her this much. Perhaps it is best if we cut this ride short.’

      She bent down to pick up her hat and gloves. Why when everything seemed fine, did he offer her something that she was scared about accepting? A trip with her to the Continent meant nothing to his ultimate future, but he was asking her to change her whole life, to give everything up and she wasn’t ready for that.

      He laced his fingers with hers, kept her there. ‘You are saying that you don’t want to travel. You fear it, just as you feared that stone wall. You cleared that wall without a problem, Harriet.’

      ‘Some day I will … travel. I have it all planned out.’ She took her hand from his. ‘Like you, I don’t go back on my promises.’

      ‘That

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