A Stranger at Castonbury - By Amanda McCabe Page 0,61

and lunged forward again and again, deeper, harder. The scent and burning heat of him surrounded her and she moved with him, seeking her own pleasure. Their bodies and their breath were like one in that single perfect moment.

The sparkling, tingling pressure built and built deep inside of her, growing and expanding like the night sky until it exploded.

‘Jamie, mi corazón!’ she cried, holding on to him as if he was the only thing left in a drowning world.

He threw his head back, his whole body taut above her as he came. ‘Catalina,’ he shouted, and then slowly collapsed beside her on the blankets, his shoulders shaking. His breath seemed harsh in the sudden silence, and Catalina feared she couldn’t catch her own. She closed her eyes to try to hold on to that moment as long as she could.

‘Catalina,’ he whispered, and she felt him move to rest his head on her midriff, just below her bare breasts. His hair brushed softly against her skin, and she reached down to thread her fingers through it.

A strange kind of peace flowed through Catalina as she lay there wrapped in Jamie’s arms, and at first she didn’t know what that feeling was. She hadn’t known such an instant of warmth and perfect contentment in a long time, as if that was exactly where she was meant to be. She felt Jamie press a soft kiss against her skin and she smiled.

Soon, much too soon, this rainy afternoon would be over and she would have to face the truth of the past and of their situation now. But right now she was with him as she had never thought to be again, and it was precious.

Chapter Fourteen

‘Do stand still for a moment, Lydia, or your hem will be uneven,’ Catalina said, but she couldn’t help but laugh. Lydia’s enthusiasm was infectious, and she made even the greyish day outside seem brighter.

As did memories of two nights ago, when she had slept for a time in Jamie’s arms. She knew it had been a mistake, that she should forget about it now, but still she smiled at the wondrous feelings that lingered. The magic between her and Jamie was still there, no matter what. That gave her something to secretly remember and cherish.

‘I am trying to be still, Mrs Moreno, truly,’ Lydia said as Catalina put the final stitches in the hem of her costume. ‘I am just very excited about the play tonight! What if I forget my lines?’

‘You won’t. Haven’t you been practising all day?’

‘I just want it all to be perfect.’ Lydia bit her lip. ‘Do you think Mr Hale will be there?’

Catalina heard the note of hope and fear in Lydia’s voice, the note that said this was really what she had been fidgeting about. Seeing the handsome curate again. She sat back on her heels and looked up at Lydia. The girl’s cheeks turned pink and she looked away to fuss with her costume skirt.

Oh, dear, Catalina thought. Her charge was infatuated with Mr Hale. He seemed a very respectable young man, and she had seen at the Assembly Rooms that he admired Lydia as well. But Lydia’s guardian seemed to have his own hopes that she would marry the duke. It had always been an unlikely prospect with Jamie, but the step down from a duke to a curate didn’t seem like one her family would likely countenance.

And Catalina couldn’t bear to see the sweet girl hurt.

‘There will be many people there, I’m sure,’ Catalina said carefully. ‘They are all sure to admire your performance. But don’t forget the wedding will be over in a few days and we’ll be going back to London.’

And she would not see Jamie again. A spasm of pain rippled over Catalina at the thought, but she pushed it away to keep her smile cool and unwavering. She stood up and busied herself gathering up the thread and pins.

‘Oh, yes,’ Lydia said quietly. ‘I had almost forgot we will have to leave.’

‘You are enjoying yourself here at Castonbury?’

‘So very much! I was silly to be so nervous about coming here. I love the country so much more than Town. Everyone is so kind, no one stares or laughs....’

Catalina glanced over to see that Lydia was staring out of the window. A stage was being erected in the gardens for that evening’s theatricals and garden party, and Mr Hale had just joined the men who were working on its construction. The