the mood to be sporting. “I was hurt, Griff. Hurt to wake up and find you gone.” Not to mention disappointed and saddened.
“Kathryn—”
“Not from the bed. That I understood. But from the cottage. I woke up and imagined us taking a walk along the shore.”
“Nothing good would have come from my staying.”
“Nothing good came from your leaving.”
Turning back toward the garden, he once more crossed his forearms on the stone. “A great deal of good came from my leaving. You just don’t realize how much.”
“Then, tell me.”
“You’re being difficult, Lady Kathryn. I already told you.”
“So you left without bothering to wake me in order to protect my reputation when no one was about to declare my reputation sullied.”
“Someone would have whispered it. A footman striving to impress a chambermaid. A coachman wanting more pay.”
“I was alone in the cottage with a man. By itself that was enough for scandal. Anything else would have been speculation.”
“I have known speculation to ruin lives.”
She slammed her eyes closed. People had speculated that he and his brother were complicit in their father’s conspiracy. While tonight it seemed that he’d been welcomed back into the fold, it was only into this tiny pleat. And even then, she noted it didn’t seem to be an entirely comfortable fit for all involved.
After moving up to the wall, she set her own forearms atop it, felt the grit beneath her silken skin and suspected his was too tough to be bothered by it. Although at one time, it probably hadn’t been. “Why do you suppose it is that women are expected to remain pure while men are not?”
His response was only silence.
“Lady Wilhelmina speculates that it’s because men make the rules. Although, I think it’s women who made this particular one, out of fear that without it they would succumb to the lure of pleasure.”
He didn’t say anything. Perhaps he didn’t want to get into a debate regarding how it was that Society had evolved in such a way that different rules applied to men than to women. But then, it wasn’t her reason for coming out here to confront him. “Once again, Griff, I felt ill-used. Even though it was the most glorious ill-using I shall ever experience.”
He released a long-suffering sigh. “Kathryn—”
“Your leaving made what had passed between us seem tawdry, as though you were ashamed of having been with me.”
“God, no.” Turning, he cradled her face as though it were a fledging bird that had fallen from its nest and he wanted to see it safely placed back where it belonged. “But I knew I’d taken actions I shouldn’t have . . . I”—he moved his hands away from her and held them up before her—“I should never have touched you. You know what these have done. They should never be anywhere near you.”
“What poppycock.” Taking one, she pressed a kiss to his scarred palm. “They saved your brother. They saved me.”
They studied each other as though in no rush to carry on with their lives, until he finally said, “I should have woken you. I should have told you I was leaving, but I thought it would make it harder to go, to return to London without you.”
“So you took the easy way.”
“Leaving you has never been easy, Kathryn.” He released a harsh laugh. “Nothing about you has ever been easy.”
She should not have been so pleased by that confession.
“Kathryn?”
The deep voice in the darkness startled her, but when she glanced over her shoulder, she discovered the Duke of Kingsland wasn’t as near as she’d feared, certainly not near enough to have heard their conversation. She didn’t think. Desperately hoped not.
She’d felt Griff stiffen, preparing himself to come to her defense if needed. Releasing his hand, she pivoted to face Kingsland. “Your Grace.”
“I thought it time we took our leave.”
“Did you beat Thornley?”
“Of course. I am not known to lose at anything.”
“Doesn’t that grow boring?” Griff asked. “Always winning? I’ve found the occasional loss makes the next win all the sweeter.”
“An interesting hypothesis. However, not one I care to test.” He extended his arm. “Kathryn?”
She turned to Griff. “I’m glad to know you’re doing well. I wish you the best with your club.” Then she walked up to Kingsland and wound her arm around his. “Shall we?”
He escorted her inside, and they gave their farewells to everyone. When she reached Althea, she hugged her tightly. “Thank you so much for including us in your family gathering.”
“You’re the sister I never had.”
From there, she followed