Jack rocked back on his heels as the current dance came to an end and smiled down at her. “Would you care to join me in the next set, lass?”
“No, thank you.”
“I like that you are unpredictable, my love. I do.”
Kitty giggled and batted her lashes up at him. “Well, my lord, I can’t have you thinking you might just have your way with me anytime you like.”
“My love, I would gratefully have my way with you anytime you like.” He waggled his brows suggestively, sending a quiver of anticipation through Kitty that shot all the way to her toes. How long would it take before Jack accepted her offer? Before she might wrap her entire body around his and absorb him into her?
If anticipation only made an experience more poignant, their lovemaking, when it came, would be an experience to rival the glory of the heavens.
“Have I told you how lovely you look tonight?” Jack whispered in her ear as he led her on to the dance floor and guided her through the sweeping steps of the Racket, a popular variation of the two-step.
“I am discovering my own wardrobe is not nearly as lovely as Evie’s,” she said evasively, though she was thrilled by the admiring warmth in his eyes. The gown was lovely, a new one Eve insisted she wear from the wardrobe she had recently ordered. Eve referred to it as her ‘widowed no more’ wardrobe, and where she had been consigned to dark colors for so long, her new gowns were all a bright reflection of her happiness. She said if she ever wore black again it would be only because she looked good it. She did, of course, as did Kitty, since black set off their fair skin and pale hair to its best advantage.
This evening, the dress Kitty wore was a Worth gown with a simple butter cream duchesse bodice and satin overskirt, edged in a long, silken fringe with a faille underskirt, and colorfully embroidered in a spring garden motif with all the colors it offered. There was a bit of the same embroidery sparsely covering the bodice, with its deep neckline and tiny silk and Chantilly lace sleeves that hung just on the very edge of her shoulders, giving the impression that they might fall off at any moment.
Kitty had also borrowed a lovely jade jewelry set that included a necklace, dangling earrings, and a bracelet that encircled her wrist over her long ivory gloves. Even her little slippers were the same embroidered butter cream. It was as lovely an ensemble as Kitty had ever worn, but she knew she had never felt as beautiful in her life as she did when Jack whispered in her ear how the jade brought her green eyes to life, giving him all sorts of mad thoughts.
“That’s only because green is the color of money, you know,” she teased, to cover up the shiver of excitement that tore through her. It would never do for him to become aware of what he could do to her! The mere sight of him in his evening clothes when she had come down the stairs earlier had almost been enough to make her knees buckle.
“Only in America, my love!” he chided, appreciating her humor, but disappointed she would dismiss his compliments with such a blasé attitude.
After nearly thirty minutes in the set, the music came to an end and Kitty dropped a curtsey with a grin, taking Jack’s offered arm to lead her from the dance floor. Their way was blocked by an older gentleman who bowed low before her. “Ah, Lady Glenrothes,” he smiled with a touch of malicious condescension, “and Lord Haddington! Dancing together, eh? I was wondering if I might…”
“I’m sorry, who are you?” Kitty cut in rudely, instantly disliking his snide reference to the fictional affair between Eve and Jack.
“Of course you remember me, my lady,” he insisted with a sniveling reptilian laugh.
“No, I don’t, because I am not Lady Glenrothes.” She poked him in the chest in a fashion that was becoming her habit when upset. “Oh, wait, I recognize you now. You’re that Wallis fellow from the park last week, aren’t you? I’ve heard about you, you know, and I have to say I don’t appreciate you trying to resurrect that silly gossip from the other night, either. I am Mrs. Hayes, the countess’ sister, from New York.”
“Of course you are,” was the man’s spiteful response.
Haddington attempted to step in to her rescue but Kitty put a hand on his chest to stall him. “I am Mrs. Hayes.” She glared at the little man, hands on her hips and ready to do battle. “The countess is over there,” her finger shot across the room in a manner very unbecoming of a lady, “as if you were too blind to see. See her? With her husband? Look!”
“Well, uh, Mrs. Hayes,” Wallis shuffled his feet uneasily in the face of her unexpected rebuttal, but determined to go on, “it is very difficult for anyone to tell you apart. Even now you could be the countess playing a rouse on Glenrothes.”
“Believe me, you little toad, Glenrothes can easily tell us apart. Even if he couldn’t, who are you to come over here and make your nasty little insinuations? You think others might think you know which of us is the countess? Does it give you a thrill to raise doubt? To raise a little scandal to hurt my sister and her reputation?” Kitty poked him hard in the chest again, not caring that a crowd of onlookers was gathering about to witness the spectacle she was creating. “You know what I have no doubt about, toad? I have no doubt if a woman were lucky enough to have a husband at home who looked like that,” her finger drove across the room again, “who cared for her like that, she would never be idiot enough to risk losing him! Would any lady here disagree, do you think?” she practically shouted in his face. She glanced around and the sea of startled faces around her seeing, to her satisfaction, a number of female heads shaking in the negative.
Jack was at her shoulder nearly choking on his own laughter.
The man was simply too flabbergasted to respond, but if there was one thing in the world Kitty hated, it was those people who felt that they had to ruin the lives of others with their petty words. Who enjoyed bringing pain down upon others. Did this man not realize what damage he could do to her sister? Most likely he didn’t care, but Kitty did and it raised every bit of temper she’d ever felt in her life to meet anyone who so openly thrilled in spouting such bile. She couldn’t remember ever being so angry.
“Kitty,” Jack said gently, pulling on her arm though his grin gave no doubt of his enjoyment of her scene. What a brash beauty she was! “Come away now.”
Kitty shook her head. “No, Jack, don’t you see what this man is trying to do? And he enjoys it!”
“Kitty, eh? And you call Haddington by his given name, Mrs. Hayes?” the unrelenting little toad made the mistake of asking, with a bit of a lecherous sneer and a suggestive waggle of his brows. “Just how close are you two anyway?”
And Kitty doubled up her fist and socked him in the nose.
“Kitty Preston, what were you thinking?” Eve couldn’t help but ask, when the two couples were back on the sidewalk, heading home a few moments later. They had left Moira under Abby’s chaperonage in their haste to depart the scene of Kitty’s social faux pas. Eve and Kitty walked briskly, with their arms linked, while the two men flanked them. “You struck Lord Wallis square in the nose!”
“Is he someone important?” she asked with sudden concern, thinking she might have just struck the Lord Mayor himself or another equally important person. “Jack said the other day he was not.”
“Only to himself,” Francis assured her. “Wallis is the biggest gossip in town and I’m sure it was he who made such a fuss with the rumors a few days ago. Odious gent. My guess, he hadn’t seen Eve and I were in attendance when he stopped you and Jack.”
“I can’t believe you hit him!” Eve stared in awe at her sister. “I’ve always wanted to, you know. He is a toad, just as you said.”
“Well, he deserved it, trying to brew up trouble like that!” Kitty insisted, then gave Eve a shaky smile. “I can’t believe that I did it either. We’ve come a long way, eh Evie?”
“We have.” Eve shot her a smile and squeezed her arm affectionately. “Ten years ago that would have been me, while you watched, completely appalled.” She leaned across her sister to inform Jack, “Kitty was alw
ays the proper one, did you know?”
“She’s told me the same before but, no, I have a hard time believing it, given what I’ve just witnessed.” In truth, he couldn’t picture it at all.
“Kitty was mother’s little protégé, on her way to becoming the next grande dame of New York. She was meticulously well-behaved and proper.” The corner of Eve’s mouth rose in a half grin as she cocked her head, considering her sister. “She knew exactly what to say and how to behave in any situation. The Kitty of those days would never even think of saying what was said tonight, much less express those thoughts so vocally…and with such physical punctuation. She was flawless.”
“She still is,” Jack put in, and smiled down at Kitty’s surprised face. “I’m proud of you, lass. Wallis has needed to be taken down a notch for years and you did that to perfection tonight. I am privileged to have had such an excellent seat to watch his carnage from.” He raised her hand and kissed it affectionately.
“Really?” Kitty asked with a shaky smile. “Because, now that it’s all over, I am completely appalled by my behavior!”
“There’s my Kat,” Eve grinned.
“It felt good though,” Kitty admitted, still feeling a bit wobbly. “The chastising, not the hitting of course. My hand is killing me! How is it you men can hit someone and look like you didn’t feel a thing?” she wondered, as Jack and Francis shared a pity-filled glance over the ladies’ heads that Kitty should be so familiar with a man’s aggressive blow. She went on as if she hadn’t a care, however. “I think I might need some camphor oil or ice to put on this before it swells.”
“I’m sure Sung Li will know just the thing for you, Kat,” Eve assured her softly.
“Of course, he will.” She raised her head to find them all looking at her. “What?”
They all shook their heads in denial.
They arrived back at Glenrothes townhouse moments later. Following Eve and Francis up the steps and into the house, Kitty and Jack lingered in the foyer, her hand tucked firmly in his. “My little incident cut the evening much too short and it’s early yet. Would you like to come in, Jack?” she asked.
“I don’t know if I should.” Hobbes slid discreetly out of the hall as Jack questioned his own sanity for remaining in her company for too long in one stretch.
“Why ever not?”
“Because I am mightily tempted to do things I know I should not,” he confessed in his baritone brogue. It seemed he could only take so much temptation before his senses and control abandoned him. “Though having you stand before me in the candle light is as much of a temptation. You’re such a bonny lass,” he whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I long for the day I can take you in my arms and make such love to you as you have never imagined.”
“Are you accepting my proposal then, Jack? Have we a bargain?” she asked, her voice trembling as the images that had plagued her in recent days took up residence in her vivid imagination once more following his confession.
“We do,” he murmured against her ear, as his arms slid around her waist. “My love, my bonny lass,” he groaned, as her arms rose to slide up his chest, over his broad shoulders and into his hair. “You have me groveling at your feet for your affections. The anticipation is nigh unbearable. A kiss, darlin’? That would not be so wrong. Might I steal a kiss?”
Kitty capitulated with a low moan as his lips descended upon hers, sucking her lower lip lightly then boldly urging her mouth open and delving inside with a sweep of his tongue that teased her lips before delving more deeply. He groaned deep in his chest, releasing an answering moan from her as desire rushed through her veins.
“Oh, Jack,” she sighed and tugged on his hair, begging for more. He obliged. His hand brushed the tiny sleeve of her gown off her shoulder, pressing kisses down her throat before nipping at her exposed shoulder and sucking on the flesh there. “I have wanted to do that all night.”
“You have?”
“Damned little sleeves were driving me mad,” he confessed. Kitty swallowed a giggle as his mouth returned to hers.
Oh! his marvelous lips! she thought vaguely as he continued to plunder her mouth, rousing them both to a state of frenzied lust. He crushed her against him and took what he wanted, turning her to press her up against the wall.
Weeks, months, years! He had wanted this woman before he had even known her! Jack pulled her against him, mating her curves against his hard planes as if they were two parts of the whole. A perfect fit. One hand reached down to cup her bottom, pressing her against his arousal so she might know how she affected him.
He could feel his control slipping just as an agonized scream drove them apart.
“Kat!” Eve screamed painfully from the family parlor at the rear of the house.
“What’s going on?” she gasped to Jack as they dashed through the hall to the back of the house. Kitty stopped at the door to catch her breath before, with a feeling of dread, she went in to find Eve sobbing convulsively in Francis’ arms. “Francis?” she asked, her voice thready with fear. “What is it?”
He pointed to an opened telegram on the table and said only, “I’m so sorry, Kitty.” He turned back to his wife’s needy embrace.
Wooden feet carried Kitty a step but no farther as she stared at the paper, willing it to come to her. She couldn’t move, but then it did come to her, as Jack moved the rest of the way to retrieve it for her. He held it out to her and she took it in her shaking hands.
It was from her mother.
It read:
Your father has died STOP Please come home as soon as possible STOP I cannot believe I have to go through this alone STOP Wire when you have your travel plans END
Kitty read it again but the words remained the same. Her father was dead? Impossible! Nothing could stop Lelan Preston! Not even death! He was everything that was life. He was her hero, her… her… Da.
A sob heaved its way through her body as the telegram slipped from her numbed fingers. She swallowed it back but another followed quickly behind it.
Jack, having read the missive quickly with Kitty, watched the tears pour unabated from her glassy green eyes. He was certain she didn’t even know they were flowing but when that first sob tore through her it felt as if it were being rent from his own chest. He could not stop himself from taking her in his arms. She clung to him like a baby kitten, curling her nails into his coat and chest as the sobs melted into one another until she was shuddering and gasping, trying to catch a breath.
The anguish Kitty was experiencing was beyond his skills in comforting. He could comfort a little girl who had fallen down, or a sister rejected by her first crush, but this was beyond his experience. Not knowing what else to do, Jack held her to him as tightly as he could and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, murmuring assurances that everything would be all right, though he didn’t know if it were true or not. All he knew was his heart was breaking at the sight of her pain and he would give anything to be able to take it away for even a moment. He was hopeless in the face of it, and terrified by what it might mean.
“Kat?” he heard Eve’s choked voice, and turned as Kitty’s head rose from his chest to stare at her sister.
“Oh, Evie!” and the women flew into each other’s arms, sobbing again as they each comforted the other in their loss.
The sight of them sobbing together left Jack more ill at ease than he had ever been. He might know how to comfort a woman to some extent, but not how to stand by while they poured out their pain to one another. Thank God, MacKintosh was there to show him the way. “Come, my friend, let’s let the ladies have their privacy, shall we?”
That night, as Jack drank his weight in whiskey with his oldest friend, he feared that his life was never going to be the same.
Chapter 22
Look not mournfully into the past. It comes not back again.
Wisely improve the present. It is thine.
Go forth to meet the shadowy future, without fear.
- He
nry Wadsworth Longfellow
Somewhere on the Atlantic Ocean
Aboard the White Star Line steamship SS Teutonic
Early June 1892
“I still can’t believe you decided to come along, Jack,” Kitty commented absently as they reclined in a pair of lounge chairs on the upper deck of the SS Teutonic, the luxury ocean liner taking them to New York.
“Well, it will be much harder for my creditors to harass me in America,” he shrugged with mock indifference.
A ghost of a smile tugged on the corner of Kitty’s lips before it faded away with a heavy sigh that clenched Jack’s heart once again in a vise of sympathy.
It was the fifth day of their ocean voyage and the first when Kitty had left the solitude of her stateroom to join him on deck. It had been well over a week already since the night of the ball, as he preferred to think of it, hesitant to linger on a tragedy causing Kitty such anguish. After days of planning and packing, their party of family, nursemaids and majordomos had taken a private train to Liverpool where they boarded the Teutonic, the only ship available leaving in a timely fashion to New York, without stops in other ports along the way.
Their first class berth, Jack thought, was awe-inspiring in its opulence. Surely few people lived as well in their own homes as they did on this ship. Each surface was a study in wealth and extravagance, and the service and meals were better than Jack had experienced in years.
Yet Kitty remained unimpressed and withdrawn, speaking only occasionally to Evie and rarely to him. He understood mourning, or so he thought, but her reaction was beyond his comprehension. Perhaps because the only person he had ever been close to who had died had been his own mother, and that had happened early in his childhood, leaving no impression greater than a sense of loss.
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