The thought had not even occurred to Katherine but imagining herself in a romantic, darkly lit garden with the same man that she had kissed the other night, it was possible. Knowing how much his light kiss had affected her, how his deeper kisses had brought her to a place where thoughts and logic no longer mattered; it was frightening to admit that Robin might be justified in worrying. Given the right circumstances she might be tempted to kiss him again. “You're right,” she agreed reluctantly. “You go instead, just don't say anything to him except to leave us alone. Otherwise he might guess that it's not me.”
With a short nod Robin agreed. Picking up another letter from Katherine's dresser she sniffed the envelope before setting it back down. This one had been left out in the open. The strong smell of their mother's syrups filled the air and Robin nearly gagged on the scent. “What does she have to say? We left only three days ago.”
Katherine ripped open her mother’s letter and read it aloud. It was rather short compared to the lengthy missives that their mother was usually prone to write.
Dear daughters.
I hope that your search for finding suitable husbands is proving fruitful. I urge both of you to follow all of Mrs. Brentley's advice. As your father has taken ill it has become imperative that Katherine in particular is able to make a good match, as we discussed before your leaving. I will keep both of you updated on his progress.
With love, Mrs. Wellings.
Refolding the letter Katherine sighed loudly. “Do you think that he is as ill as mother thinks?” Robin asked from behind her.
“It's hard to say,” Katherine answered quietly. Their mother was known for being quite dramatic so there was no way of telling just how ill he was. Dabbing the tip of her quill into the ink well Katherine began scrawling out a quick note to her father and wishing him a safe recovery.
The hours leading up to the Buckman's dance were nerve wracking for Katherine. She kept expecting to find another note or worse for him to show up from out of nowhere, telling Mrs. Brentley everything that her young charge had done.
Robin received a note of her own just hours before the party. Winnie had run into Victor lurking outside their house. He had asked her to deliver it to Robin in secret, which confirmed their suspicions that Mrs. Brentley was not about to let a man like Victor into her house. After reading it Katherine and Winnie had asked Robin what he had written. She only told them that the note was far too private to share. However she did confirm that he would be seeing them at the Buckman's dance that evening.
Katherine was happy to discover that it was to be a much smaller affair than the Emerson's dance, which had been an open invitation to any member of Parliament and their family members and friends. The Buckman's had been more selective with whom they invited and Katherine was surprised to hear that Victor and his friends had made the list.
“Men as rich as Victor are hard to say no to,” had been Robin's reasoning.
Mrs. Brentley made sure that they arrived at exactly one half hour late, ensuring that the dance would have already begun in earnest. Katherine and Robin were asked to dance by many of the same men that they had met the other night. They again thanked each man for his attentions and superb dancing, despite the fact that nearly all of the men had been written off by both of them.
After four dances apiece, with well meaning young men, their chaperone seemed to relax enough that Robin had her chance of slipping out into the gardens to find her sister's mysterious man. She left the red rose that had been pinned into her hair on a banister leading outside and tried to pretend that she was Katherine, even walking slower than was normal for her.
The back garden's fountain was large, but because it was hidden amongst several hedges and trees, it was difficult to get to, making it the perfect place to be meet up with someone before finding dark corners to hide in. Robin tried not to pace back and forth as she thought about what exactly she would say to the man when he arrived. If it were her, she could have been rude and told him to leave her alone. But she knew that Katherine never would be, so to convince him she would have to think of something else. There were already too many things that could mess up her plans without Katherine's one kiss getting in their way.
Robin had been hiding behind a hedge, trying to get a good view of him when she realized that he would not appear until she was in plain sight. To test her theory she stepped out from her hiding spot and into the open. Almost instantly she was greeted with his arrival from behind a similar hedge on the opposite side of the fountain.
In a few quick strides, she bridged the gap between them and pulled him into one of the corners where they were less likely to be seen. Trying to remember the words that she had prepared, she looked up into his face, still mostly shadowed beneath his hat.
From her sister's brief description, Robin could tell that he wore the same hat and coat that he had the night that they had kissed. Likely it was so that he could be more easily recognized by her. He looked quite young and while she could not see his features, there was a confidence in his stance. It assured her that beneath the shadows of his hat was a handsome face. The mystery hovering around him was palpable and Robin knew then that she would have kissed the stranger too, had she been given the chance, and instantly forgave Katherine for having done so.
“Where is she?” the husky voice ordered, breaking into Robin's thoughts.
“What do you mean? I'm right here,” Robin said brushing back a strand of hair, as she had seen Katherine do when she became nervous.
“You aren't the one that I kissed,” he told her, looking over her shoulder for a glimpse of Katherine. “Why didn't your sister come?”
Robin reeled at the revelation. Their own parents could barely tell them apart before either of the girls spoke up. There was no way that he could so easily know that it was not her. Robin had even worn the same lavender perfume as her sister, in case he'd noticed the scent that night.
“Tell her to come here, alone,” the voice insisted as he began to walk away, dismissing Robin without a second glance.
Admittedly it hurt her pride. “Why should I? You've already done quite enough with her,” Robin snapped, annoyed that she had not been able to trick him so easily and slightly rejected that he had not tried to kiss her as well.
“If she does not come here alone then I will be compelled to relay my information to your sponsor, Mrs. Brentley, as we are well acquainted,” he said threateningly. “I doubt she would look kindly on one of her charges being caught alone, late at night, kissing a stranger.”
“You wouldn't dare,” Robin hissed into the dark.
“The scandal it would cause me, would be far less severe than the scandal it could cause her, and you,” the man said before turning and walking away from her. “Make sure she comes alone,” he reminded her before disappearing into the dark again as if he were made of shadows.
Running back into the house Robin had to wait precious minutes while Katherine finished another dance with Oliver Buckman who seemed unwilling to let her sister out of his sight. Once they had finished, Katherine ran over to the garden doors and helped her replace the red rose into her hair.
“How did it go?” Katherine asked after seeing her sister's pale face and shaking hands.
“He knew I wasn't you.” Robin whispered with a touch of fear adding an edge to her voice.
It was on Katherine's tongue to ask how he had known, but Robin hurried her towards the path leading to the fountain looking more frightened than Katherine remembered ever seeing her bold sister. “You'd better hurry; he could try to come in here at any moment,” was all she said before turning around and joining back into the party.
It was too early in the dance for many couples to have ventured outside looking for fresh air and the back porch was cleared of other prying eyes. Not that many of the couples who met outside were aware of what else was going on around them.
Katherine wandered the same path that her sister had taken towards the distant fountain.
When she reached the small clearing she waited, looking around for any sight of the man she had met before. She decided to sit at one of the stone benches that ran along the hedges as they were more hidden than the center fountain.
Katherine picked up a nearby flower, playing idly with its petals as she waited, she was nervous that he had not come out yet, wondering if even now he was searching out Mrs. Brentley inside. After a couple more minutes of silence she looked at the shadows around her more closely, trying to see through the darkness where he might be hiding.
Suddenly behind her, Katherine could sense him standing there, without needing to turn around and look. “Hello,” she whispered, unsure of what she should say in such a circumstance. She had suddenly become horribly shy, and felt a few of the petals drift from her fingers onto the mossy ground beneath her feet.
Garret took the seat beside her and stared intently at her face. He had seen her sister's features through the dim moon light and had seen the beauty of her face. Identical twins he had been told, but watching Katherine's face a moment ago had been different. Without being near her, he had known deep inside that it was the woman he had kissed. He had watched as she tilted her head to the side, catching patches of the moonlight on her eyes and lips, illuminating the soft blue color of her eyes.
He knew that he shouldn't have, but Garrett had indulged himself in just standing there, watching her, as she waited for him to arrive. The same fascination and obsession that he had felt over the last few days was multiplied, with each soft petal of the wildflower that she had plucked away. The stem still hung loosely from her fingertips.
She caused him to feel things that he had not felt for a very long time. Protecting her from anything she feared, seemed to be his top emotion at present, followed swiftly by his more carnal feelings. He wanted to take her again in his arms and kiss again. Lay her back against the cold stone and taste her mouth, cheeks and the soft rise of her breasts until he could hear her moan once more beneath the pressure of his tongue.
“How did you know that it wasn't me?” she asked quietly, once she had picked which of the many questions to ask first.
“She didn't walk the same way that you do,” he whispered, closer to her ear than was prudent. “I couldn't smell honey and tea when she came near me. And when she touched me, I felt nothing,” he added as his finger ran along the stem of the flower until the heat of his touch brushed up against her.
She dropped the stem instantly and drew her hand back to the comfort of her own lap. After a long quiet silence she lifted her eyes up to his. “Why did you ask to see me again?”
Garrett wondered how much he could reveal to her without frightening her away. I came to ask you to marry me, seemed too sudden and absurd, but he knew that his thoughts were tending in that direction. Especially after seeing this shy and self conscious side of her, he wanted her all to himself. On the other hand to tell her that he only wanted another moment like the one they had shared before, would sound callus and insincere.
“I wanted to see you,” he admitted and watched her face closely as she pulled a stray hair back behind her ear, causing him to smile.
“Can I see you?” Katherine asked, pointing at his top hat that kept his face hidden mostly in the shadows. Slowly, Garrett removed the item, letting her look on his face for the first time. She gazed at the hazel green eyes and short cropped blond hair as if she were memorizing the look of him. “I knew you would be handsome,” she admitted before quickly looking away again.
“May I ask for a favor as well?” Garrett asked and he enjoyed watching a frown gather at her brows, knitting them together in a cute, thoughtful pout. She nodded her head. “Why did you kiss me that night, after I had let you go?”
Her blush deepened as she admitted, “I don't know. I'm not usually very impulsive. It just felt right I suppose. I never thought I'd see you again, so it seemed that it was a chance worth taking.”
Garrett loved each shy and uncertain movement she made. It was hard to believe she had been capable of something as bold as kissing a complete stranger. The two images of her clashed in his mind, he wondered which she truly was, until he realized that the same war was still waging inside of her, over which of her impulses she should follow.
One of her hands had picked another small flower from beneath the bench, and she focused her attention on each petal, trying to appear calm even though her fingers shook.
He was even more handsome than she had thought he would be. The smooth lines of his jaw made her want to run her fingers along the stubble-free edge. Her fingers nearly shook from that craving. The night they had kissed, she had allowed her fingers to trace over that jaw, to grasp tightly to his shoulders, holding him closer to her.
Katherine blushed at just how bold she had been in the dark. She couldn't even imagine doing the same things beneath the sky tonight when it was so brightly lit by the moon, let alone in broad day light.
The one thing that calmed her was that at least he appeared to be a kind man. He didn't tease her or make fun of her and he had been able to tell her and Robin apart. She tried not to feel too pleased by that revelation but it was wonderful to consider that someone thought of her as an individual instead of one half of a set of twins.
In fact, Katherine felt that he was the kind of man that she could trust and despite being nervous she was beginning to feel comfortable as she sat next to him.
“You won't tell anyone what happened, will you?” Katherine asked. He seemed too kind right now for her to imagine that he would ever want to harm her future. Especially over one small mistake, but when she turned back to him a mischievous smile had spread across his face.
“I won't tell anyone, if you kiss me again.”
Her eyes widened as she realized why he had really asked her to meet him again. He was more like a cat playing with a mouse, releasing it only to then take it back again. He was playing with her the same way now, because he was not yet done with her.
Katherine looked horrified as she shifted further down the bench and away from him. “I can't,” she told him and held up her hands, hoping to keep the temptation away from her because the truth was that she did feel a bit tempted already.
He seemed surprised by her rejection and frowned. “You're already engaged to someone else?”
“No.”
“Then you intend to be engaged soon?”
“No.”
He looked relieved as he captured one of her hands and played with the inside of her palm, spreading her hand out so that he could run his fingers along the tips of her smaller, more delicate ones. “Then I see no reason why you can't do whatever you want.”
The sensations that he caused left Katherine feeling heavy and weightless at the same time. She couldn't seem to concentrate as he tried to ask her more questions, while she feebly fought to pull her hand out of his. “I can't really discuss this,” she told him and tried to pull harder to free her hand but he kept it firmly within the grip of his own as he teased them lightly.
“Katherine,” he said slowly, seeming to pick his words carefully. “There is something between us, something unique.” Her fingers were brought closer to his mouth and she felt his warm breath cascade across the sensitive palm. “It is rare that two people have as strong of a connection as we do.”
He watched as her voice caught in her throat and her body seemed to tense as he held her fingers closer to his lips. He placed the first light kiss on the pad of one of her fingertips before opening his mouth and licking at the delicate spot.
The low moan came from deep inside her body and he drew her finger into his mouth until he had sucked on it for a moment. Her eyes fluttered briefly before closing completely and her moan became louder as he licked another finger, all fight leaving her body as she began to succumb to his seductions.
“That's why I had to find you,” he explained to her. “I needed to show you that what we had that night, and what we have now, is very special.” Her eyes finally opened as he
withdrew her hand from his lips and returned it back to rest on her thigh where her fingertips twitched with abandonment. “We can't leave our needs unfulfilled.”
His husky voice brought her out of the dreamlike state. “I am not going to have an affair with you,” she told him primly.
He stared at her and then burst out laughing. “I don't want an affair with you,” he assured her. “I would like to see you again, in the sunlight even, visit you at dances, take you for late night walks.” When she didn't seem to fully understand what he was saying, he clarified. “I would like to have the chance to court you.”
She considered his request before asking, “Are you titled?” Katherine knew that she would not be the first woman to reject a man for not having a higher status. Her mother would never approve of her marrying a man simply because she enjoyed kissing him. Even to her that reasoning sounded shallow.
His face changed again. This time he seemed cautious. “Is that what you are looking for in a husband?”
“Yes,” she answered simply, hoping that all of this would end there. If he wasn't titled then there was no point in dragging things on until she felt even worse about leaving him behind. As much as she had enjoying his company and as much as she had enjoyed kissing him there was no future between them. Brushing the last of the petals from her gown Katherine stood to leave.
His hand grasped her elbow, he stopped her retreat and smiled up at her from the bench. “I never told you that I wasn't,” he pointed out with a smile.
Katherine had heard of couples who played little mind games with each other. She had never seen the fun in it before, and was even less enticed by it now that she believed that he was toying with her. Annoyed with the situation, and worried that her absence might be noticed soon, she allowed herself to get angry.
“A duke or a lord would never have accosted a young woman in an alleyway,” she assured him, pulling her arm from his hold. “So clearly you are not one.” She started to storm back up the path to the party in the hopes that he would leave her alone.
A Taste of Honey Page 8
