Serena matched her horse’s speed with that of Kit’s, neither of them turning to see the red glow in the night sky. She glanced across at her companion, unable to see his features clearly, but she could make out the rigid outline of his jaw and the glitter of his dark eyes as he looked ahead.
‘Thank you for arriving when you did,’ she said when they slowed their horses. ‘It seems that Sir Thomas is determined to pursue me to the bitter end.’
‘You may be right, which is one reason why I should have killed him when I had the chance. Blackwell never forgives the slightest wound to his pride, and your determination not to submit to his desire will have dented it badly.’
‘He is the reason why I left Carberry Hall. I couldn’t bear to watch him dance attendance upon Dorothea.’
When Kit thought of Dorothea’s betrothal to Thomas Blackwell, his lips twisted with excruciating distaste. The very idea of the gentle Dorothea being initiated into the joys of love by Thomas he found obscene. There was also something repugnant about Lord Carberry, who was an avaricious man with the finely honed instincts of a horse trader.
‘It’s plain my betrothal to Dorothea has been blighted by the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot and my assumed involvement, so I’m not really surprised that Lord Carberry has withdrawn his favour,’ said Kit, quietly angry and infuriated by Lord Carberry’s casual dismissal of his suit. But despite Lord Carberry’s betrayal, he would not vent his spite.
‘Having chosen to overlook Blackwell’s disgraceful conduct in the Low Countries, he seems perfectly satisfied with him since he possesses all the prerequisites of title and wealth—while not forgetting that he is a devout Protestant. But I share your opinion of Blackwell, and my heart quakes at the thought of Dorothea being married to him.’
‘She was eager to do her father’s bidding and is not marrying him against her will—quite the opposite, in fact,’ Serena informed him. ‘Dorothea is quite enamoured and cannot wait for the wedding to take place. As for myself—well—I can only hope she survives the ordeal.’
Serena studied Kit’s chiselled profile etched against the black night, and if it were not so dark she would have seen there was an angry slant to his brow and a tight set to his lips. She wondered how he really felt about Dorothea marrying Sir Thomas, and how deeply he was hurting.
Absently Kit tried to recall Dorothea’s features, but the images were less distinct than the sweet sound of her voice and the gentleness of her nature. He became troubled—even more so when he realised that the thought of the young woman he should have married did not stir as powerful emotions either in his breast or in his loins as did the thought of the vibrant and beautiful Serena riding by his side.
‘How do you come to be in Ripley?’ Serena asked, breaking into his thoughts.
Kit glanced across at her, wondering how she would react if she knew where his thoughts had wandered, and he smiled speculatively to himself. ‘Not only did I return to confront Blackwell—I also came to see you. On my arrest I learnt that a warrant had been issued for your father’s arrest but that he had escaped.’
‘You were fortunate to escape yourself. Did you come to Warwickshire at once?’
‘No. I had need of a horse and some money so I went to Chelsea to see Ludovick. I hid there for a while before heading north. It gave me no pleasure running from the capital like some whipped cur, but the alternative was the Tower.’
‘You—you said you came to see me. Why?’ Serena asked. For some reason she could not explain she was exhilarated that he had cared enough to seek her out.
‘It was important for me to know what happened. Do you know how deep your father was involved with the conspiracy—how much he knew?’
‘Nothing. He had no knowledge of the inner workings of the plot. Catesby told him he needed horses to form a troop of horse for the Netherlands and he believed him—but he was uneasy.’
Kit nodded. ‘It’s as I thought—but I doubt he would be believed by the interrogators who are baying for blood.’
‘He knew that, which is why he escaped to Flanders.’
‘He was wise to do so. Have you heard from him?’
‘No. I don’t even know if he is safe. I can’t help worrying about him,’ Serena said, her voice heavy with concern.
‘That is natural. Plans for the intensive interrogation of the conspirators and their allies are being worked out by the government. Information is being sought fervently, and there is a degree of vindictiveness in the way they are going about it. They are making it an excuse to settle old scores with the recusant Catholics—which is precisely what Blackwell is guilty of where I am concerned.
‘Having accused me of being mixed up in the conspiracy, he has produced damning evidence to substantiate his accusation. Wives and other members of the conspirators’ families are in a perilous situation. Many have been taken to London and housed with the city aldermen where they await interrogation.’
Alarmed, Serena glanced across at him. ‘Do you think I am in danger of being arrested?’
Kit met her gaze. ‘It is highly probable. If so, your uncle’s protection will not save you.’
‘I think I am in greater danger from Sir Thomas than I am from the government,’ Serena said on a wry note. She frowned suddenly in puzzlement. They had reached a crossroads and it became evident to her that Kit intended taking the road north towards Coventry. ‘This is not the way we must take,’ she said, bringing her horse to an abrupt halt. ‘This is not the road south.’
Kit had ridden on a little way, but came back when he saw she had stopped. ‘I have no intention of going south,’ he told her bluntly.
Serena struggled to quell her disappointment. ‘Then we must part. I must go south. I have to.’
‘No. You, my dear Mistress Carberry, are coming north with me.’
Serena’s eyes flew to his in alarm. Instantly all her anxieties returned and the camaraderie of a moment before began to crumble. Her heart, which had been curiously touched by his earlier solicitude, hardened, and her face turned mutinous. Kit’s words were an order, and she bridled at his arrogant assumption that she would go with him without question. It broke the spell and whipped up her anger.
‘I shall do nothing of the kind,’ she snapped, her eyes as stormy as the sky overhead. ‘How dare you assume authority over me. I’ve told you I intend following my father to Flanders, and if you try stopping me I shall fight you tooth and nail.’
Kit grinned thinly, his eyes gleaming down into hers like pieces of flint. For the first time a spark of anger flared in their dark depths. ‘That sounds more like the Serena Carberry I remember,’ he commented coldly. ‘I am aware of what you would like to do to me—that you would take great delight in scratching my eyes out—but you can rant and rail all you like. You are too much of a frail and fragile female to substantiate your threats.’
‘Ha! Frailty, indeed,’ Serena scoffed in outrage. ‘Why, you—’
‘You are in grave danger and I have no intention of letting you remain here. When Blackwell comes to his senses he will follow you,’ Kit said harshly. ‘After using you most cruelly to his own ends he will have you arrested—and, believe me, it will be no picnic.’
Serena was so angry she almost flew at him. Remaining adamant, she dismounted, drawing her horse to the side of the road where she was insensible to the rain dripping from the trees on to the crown of her hat and settling in the brim. ‘I will not go with you.’
‘Yes, you will,’ Kit stated in a voice that brooked no argument, also dismounting and going to stand beside her. ‘You’re in trouble up to your pretty little neck. No display of outraged pride will get you out of it. Face it. Your father is accused of treason and has absconded. Like it or not, there is every possibility that you will be accused of collusion and harbouring a priest.’
Kit towered above Serena. When she looked up at him she felt the full weight of his lethal stare and thought she had never seen him look so tall or so formidable. She stared at him in amazement. ‘Are you referring to Andrew?’
‘Who else?’
‘But Andrew is in Italy.’
‘Try making your interrogators believe that. By all intents and purposes he is here in England with other priests in hiding.’
‘But he is not. You believe that, don’t you?’
‘What I believe is not important. It’s the law you have to convince, not me. Now come along. We must be well away from here by daybreak. I would be failing in my duty if I let you go after your father, who would have taken you with him if he’d wanted you to go. You’d be caught long before you reached the south coast.’
‘Duty!’ exclaimed Serena in spitting tones of venom. ‘It is not your duty to take me anywhere.’
‘I am making it my duty in the absence of your father. Believe me,’ he growled, ‘I want no encumbrances on my journey—nothing to get in my way until I’ve succeeded in my one objective, which is to clear my name of this dastardly accusation against me. But I’ve said you will go and go you will—like it or not and hate me for it.’
‘Do you expect me to meekly abide by your orders and do your bidding? You are either jesting or insane,’ Serena scoffed.
Kit raised his brow in an arrogant arch. ‘I assure you I am not jesting and I am quite sane. I am deadly serious, and despite my aggressive behaviour towards Blackwell I am not one to mistreat a lady. But if you are going to be troublesome and persist in this foolishness, I shall have no choice but to truss you up and take you with me by force—which will make the journey extremely uncomfortable for you—unless, of course, you abandon your foolish intent to go to Flanders and return to your uncle’s care and protection at Carberry Hall.’
‘And submit myself to the lechery of Thomas Blackwell? Never.’
‘Then what is to be?’ Kit asked, trying to maintain his calm, which was proving extremely difficult in the face of Serena’s anger. ‘Do you accept my proposal? The choice is yours.’
‘Choice? Proposal? Forgive me if I appear to have a queer misunderstanding of words, my lord, but it sounds decidedly like an order to me.’
Serena gave Kit a slanted glower, trying to dominate her fury. Kit was looking down at her in the dim light and his hard gaze neither flinched or wavered. Her eyes blazed defiance and she bestowed on him a look of such ire and burning intensity it should have reduced him to a cinder, but he merely smiled scornfully and infuriatingly into her snapping eyes and shrugged, turning towards his horse.
‘Be reasonable. Calm yourself and make up your mind. The hour grows late and it’s my intention to be well on my way before dawn. It may have slipped your mind, but I, too, have been accused of treason and have a care for my neck. I have no wish to be caught and hanged and my body cut to pieces and spiked on top of every gate in London before I’ve had a chance to clear my name and redeem my honour.’
‘Then leave me.’
Kit’s eyes narrowed dangerously and his face darkened with brooding anger at her continued defiance. When he spoke his voice had an edge of sarcasm. ‘Believe me, madam, I have no wish to saddle myself with a troublesome female. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to send you on your way—be it to Flanders or back to Carberry Hall, for that matter—but should you come to harm I shall have Sir Henry to answer to. Have you any idea where to look for him in Flanders?’ he asked.
Serena threw back her head defiantly. ‘Not exactly, but I will find him. I can ask. I have a tongue in my head.’
‘Aye—and were I a man of sense I would have you permanently clapped in a scold’s bridle to silence it,’ Kit growled.
Affronted by his remark, Serena glowered at him. ‘Oh, you beast.’
Seizing her arms and thrusting his face close to hers, Kit forced her to look at him. ‘To embark on so perilous a journey unprotected, you will fall prey to all manner of dangers from barbarians who set upon lone travellers. If you thought the treatment you received at the hands of Blackwell was harsh, then believe me you can expect far worse. Now get on your horse. We are wasting precious time arguing.’
Kit’s voice bore a tone of command that would tempt obedience from the most reluctant soldier, but from Serena it drew a further outburst of rage. With fists clenched by her sides, she glared at him. ‘You cannot force me to go with you.’
‘Try me,’ he growled. Suddenly he became alert, his eyes drawn to the road down which they had just ridden. Without a word he gathered the horses’ bridles and took her arm, dragging her unceremoniously away from the road and into the dark, enveloping wetness of the trees.
When Serena would have spoken he placed a finger firmly to her lips, urging her to be still and silent. Straining to listen, she heard the distant drumming of horses’ hooves fast approaching. The sound grew more distinct, and peering through the foliage they saw the dark shapes of several horsemen appear and pause at the crossroads, trying to still their restless mounts as they discussed which road to take. Voices became raised and words were whipped on the wind to where they stood, and Serena shuddered when she recognised that of her uncle.
‘To the south,’ he shouted. ‘They can’t be too far ahead. Sir Thomas told us they were heading to the coast.’
‘Aye,’ said another voice. ‘They’ll not escape. With your niece safely returned to you, milord, we’ll have Brodie dispatched to London where his neck will stretch for certain for this night’s work. Sir Thomas was lucky to escape with his life.’
Unconsciously Serena was holding her breath, her eyes wide as she watched the horsemen clatter past in their haste to catch the fleeing couple. Kit cursed softly under his breath and she turned, aware of him standing very close with his hand still gripping her arm.
‘As luck would have it, it would seem your uncle has discovered your disappearance sooner than you hoped. Clearly he went to Dunedin Hall and found Blackwell, who alerted him to your destination. So now what do you say, Mistress Carberry? I fear we are both caught in a trap that is not easily resolved. For obvious reasons you cannot travel south, and to return to Carberry Hall you will be subjecting yourself to the lecherous persecutions of Blackwell.’
‘And by your aggressive and arrogant manner,’ Serena flung at him scathingly, ‘you are beginning to resemble him in many ways. Your tricks and threats may be more subtle than his, but in the end they are the same.’
Kit’s stare was cold and uncompromising, and there was a hard edge to his voice when he spoke. ‘Accuse me so if it satisfies you,’ he said irritably, his lips curling over his white teeth, which gleamed in the darkness, ‘but I have never forced my attentions upon a woman when she has made it plain they are not welcome. I have always considered myself to be a gentleman in my dealings with the opposite sex.’
‘A sentiment held entirely by you,’ Serena mocked.
Kit’s jaw tightened and his features became even harder as he tried to restrain his anger. Never had he met a woman who set him on edge like she did. Her stubborn determination to be as awkward as she possibly could was beginning to aggravate him beyond words. The softer hues of Dorothea’s gentle nature and sweet face were far more favourable in his memory and easier to exist with than this tempestuous, venom-spitting female who would test the patience of a saint.
‘What is it to be?’ Kit damanded, his patience nearing breaking point. ‘Are you to come with me or return to Carberry Hall—which I shall only allow you to do after you have given me your word that that is where you will remain and that you will abandon your foolhardy intention of going to find your father?’
‘What choice do I have?’ Serena flared, snatching her arm from his grasp. Jerking Polly’s bridle from his other hand, she drew her out of the trees into the road. Everything was going wrong and she had the heartbreaking thought that in going north with Lord Brodie she might never see her father or her brothers again. Her throat constricted painfully and she felt the sudden need to cry. But pride forbade her and she swallowed down her tears, turning fiercely to face Lord Brodie when he came to stand beside her.
‘Is this all the thanks I get for offering you my protection?’ he asked crisply with an arrogant lift to his brow.
Serena’s eyes widened at his audacity. ‘Thanks? You expect me to thank you for preventing me from going to my father? Oh, no, sir. I think not. You’ll get no thanks from me.’
‘Do you give me your word you will not try and escape me?’ Kit asked firmly, approaching her as he would an untamed rabbit that threatened to bolt and scramble down the nearest hole at any minute. ‘Do we have a pact? The journey will be more bearable if you cooperate.’
‘Yes,’ she hissed, glowering at him, her eyes shooting green fire. ‘You have it—at least for the duration of the journey, when I shall then expect you to put me aboard the first available ship for Flanders. But I swear I will give you no peace. You’ll rue the day you forced my hand and issued orders to me.’
Kit raised a mocking brow, meeting her gaze squarely, cynically trying to ignore the protective need she roused in him, a chord no woman had ever touched before. ‘Madam! Is this a declaration of war?’
‘Yes,’ she flared, surreptitiously fixing her eyes on the man she had come to regard as her tormentor. ‘If you like.’
‘Then so be it. You have it.’
Hoisting herself into the saddle with an agility that both astounded and impressed Kit, Serena gritted her teeth and steeled herself for the ride ahead, refusing to betray her trepidation and unaware of the great distance she would have to travel alone with this bullying, arrogant man before they reached their destination.
Climbing on to his horse, with a frown Kit contemplated the vituperative minx he had saddled himself with—she had a waspish tongue that could flay the skin off a man’s back better than any cat. The state his life was in, he had no time for entanglements of any kind—and especially not with Serena Carberry, despite her winsome looks and soft, ripe body that would pleasure a man into eternity, a woman who would rejoice in his weakening and laugh in his face. But then Kit smiled into the dark, intent on teaching this tenacious wench a lesson about men she would not forget in a hurry during the time they would be together.
Touching their heels to their horses, they sped on. The wind had gathered in strength and the rain fell heavier than before, making riding extremely uncomfortable. Serena knew the area well, but as they rode farther north towards Coventry the territory became unfamiliar.
To add to her discomfort the icy rain was relentless and beginning to penetrate her sodden cloak. She was also extremely cold and her healthy young stomach was beginning to growl with hunger. Her hands and feet were numb and aching, and on top of all these discomforts her teeth were beginning to chatter. It was sheer will-power and stubborn pride not to show weakness to Kit that kept her astride her horse. But Kit could see Serena was suffering and that she would rather expire in the saddle than complain. He admired her stubborn courage.
To avoid drawing attention to themselves, they took a route away from the main thoroughfares. It was dawn when they reached the outskirts of Coventry and Kit called a halt to their flight. There were no other patrons at the inn they stopped at, which was mean and shabby and in dire need of a good scrubbing from top to bottom in Serena’s opinion, but it was warm and the food was good, and she attacked it with relish.
‘Am I allowed to ask where you are taking me?’ she asked Kit when they had eaten and sat facing each other beside the fire.
Having removed her boots, Serena sat with her stockinged feet outstretched to the heat of the fire, looking across at Kit petulantly. Everything about him stirred her resentment and she was determined to thwart him at every turn, for only by doing so would she be able to retain her sanity until it was time for them to part.
Steam rose from their sodden cloaks which were draped over an iron guard on either side of the huge fire to dry. Feeling the dampness beginning to leave her bones and a tiredness wrapping itself around her, Serena had not realised until then the depth of her fatigue. She would dearly like to close her eyes and sleep, but Kit’s gaze, which never flinched or wavered from her face, kept her alert.
Feeling relaxed after the meal they had shared—in silence, for Serena had not spoken one word to him since leaving Ripley—Kit relaxed into the corner of the settle. Idly he gazed at her with a good deal of pleasure, for in spite of her man’s garb she was a sight to heat any man’s blood. With her face flushed to a soft pink glow and her eyes two sleepy orbs of emerald green, she was all temptation and he felt the blood pump rapidly through his body. He acknowledged her question with a bland smile, his eyelids dipping languidly over his dark eyes as he continued to study her at length, musing in rueful reflection over their predicament.
‘I told you. We ride north.’
‘How far north?’ she pressed. ‘Nottingham? York?’
‘Much farther than that.’
Lifting her gaze, Serena stared at him in a rising panic. ‘You mean we are to leave England?’ she asked aghast, her eyes pleading to be told she was wrong. ‘Is it your intention for us to go to Scotland?’
‘Edinburgh is to be our destination, but I wish to stop in Northumberland first. If the going doesn’t change for the worse, we should be there in a few days.’
‘If we live that long,’ Serena jibed, her chin rising in a gesture of unswerving tenacity. ‘If we venture from the main routes, there is every danger that we will be set upon and murdered by highwaymen.’
‘And if we don’t stay out of sight there is every possibility that I shall be recognised. Besides, the main routes will be congested. The roads will be so churned up we will be up to our girths in mud, which will hamper our progress.’
‘Then why go all that way?’
‘As a precaution.’
‘You must have a lot of courage to take me there. I promise I will be no compliant captive.’
‘You are not my captive.’
‘Are telling me I am free to leave?’
‘At your peril, madam.’
‘Forgive me if I appear a little confused. On one hand I am not your captive—and yet on the other I am. It would seem we are in for a wonderful time,’ Serena responded, her tone heavy with sarcasm.
Kit’s handsome eyebrows gathered together with annoyance. ‘I certainly don’t call it wonderful being arrested, having my property taken from me and my betrothed’s father no longer considering me a suitable husband for his daughter.’
‘Then you should do something about it.’
‘I intend to.’
‘You cannot be in too much of a hurry if you are to hide away in Scotland—to take to the hills like a fox being chased by the pack.’
‘Northumberland, initially,’ Kit corrected.
‘What’s the difference?’ Serena snapped sullenly. ‘It might as well be the outer limits of Mongolia to me.’
‘And it is not in my nature to hide from anything or anyone. I am merely biding my time,’ Kit told her coldly. ‘When the time is right and things have cooled down, and with a little help from Ludovick, who will keep me informed as to what is happening in London, I shall return to England to clear my name.’
Serena glanced at him questioningly. ‘Sir Ludovick knows you are going to Scotland?’
‘Yes.’
‘I see,’ she said, sighing deeply. ‘So I have to endure weeks, if not months, in that godforsaken place until you think the time is right to return. If I request to join my father, what will you say?’
Kit’s stare became glacial, his tone harsh, annoyed with himself for allowing her irritating persistence on this matter to effectively get under his skin. ‘That it is impossible. To consider such a journey unprotected would place you in great peril.’
Kit sounded angry, but Serena detected a note of real concern underlying the rebuke and was confused by it. As she met his eyes, a wry smile curved her lips. ‘And there speaks a man who has travelled and seen much of the world. However, if things should change, is there no port or coastal village where I might obtain a passage on a vessel bound for the Low Countries?’
A corner of Kit’s lips lifted roguishly as he pinned his eyes to hers. ‘Northumberland can boast almost forty miles of wonderful coastline, with ports where vessels sail to all parts of the kingdom and the world. But we shall be away from the coastal areas and, with the onset of winter and the threat of snow, it will be a dangerous trek overland to Berwick or one of the other ports. Besides, the North Sea is a challenge to all seamen at this time of year.’ His eyes narrowed and his smile became provoking. ‘So you see, like it or not, we are stuck with each other.’ He frowned suddenly. ‘Have you really no idea where your father might have gone?’
Serena’s eyes clouded. ‘I know where he will most likely be, and I wish with all my heart that it were not so.’ She swallowed, looking down at her hands, knowing her father would have sought the comforts of Mrs Davis, and strongly suspecting her own discomforts would be much harder to bear than his. ‘Please don’t ask me,’ she said quietly.
Kit considered her, observing the despairing look that entered her eyes as she looked away, and he frowned, respecting her request not to pry. But what she left unsaid obviously troubled and pained her greatly.
‘I only hope we arrive at our destination before the snow sets in. It has often been known to last until May,’ he murmured casually, knowing what Serena’s reply would be—amused when it came in an explosion.
Her head snapped up and she stared at him aghast, stung once more into awareness and alarmed by his casual words. ‘May? You mean I will have to remain with you until May?’
To her consternation and irritation Kit laughed outright in the face of her anger, stretching out his long booted legs to the heat of the fire. ‘Maybe you will.’
‘Considering what has befallen you, my lord, you look disgustingly relaxed and at ease,’ she said waspishly, glowering across at him. ‘And where are we to stay when we reach Northumberland? Are we to be alone the whole time?’
‘That troubles you, does it?’ Kit asked calmly, his eyes probing hers, answering her question with another.
‘Of course it troubles me. I have no wish to be alone with you.’
‘Then let me set your mind at rest. My mother has land and property in the north. It is my intention to go there for a while.’
Serena felt a sudden stirring of interest, realising how little she knew about him. ‘Your mother is alive?’
He grinned. ‘Very much so.’
‘And she lives in Northumberland?’
‘No. At least, not all the time if it can be avoided. She hates the isolation of it. Since my father’s death she prefers to live in Edinburgh.’
‘When my uncle fails to find us, how do you know he will not direct his attention to the north?’
‘Lord Carberry knows very little about my mother’s estate in Northumberland, and besides,’ Kit murmured, a wicked gleam glimmering in his dark eyes and a cocksure grin lifting one corner of his lips, ‘he will need the instincts and the nose of a wolfhound to track us to where we are going.’
He fell silent, leaving Serena to wonder with considerable apprehension at this place of such isolation he was taking her to.
Gazing at the dancing flames licking feverishly at the logs, Kit was content to bask in the warmth, feeling comfortable with Serena’s company, despite her antagonism and shrewish tongue. He settled back, reluctant to resume their journey until the rain had abated.
As she too basked in the glowing heat, Serena availed herself of the chance to take account of her companion. Her gaze leisurely observed his lean yet muscular thighs, and she allowed it to wander upwards over his padded breeches to his narrow waist and powerful shoulders, her eyes settling on his dark features. He had nothing wanting in looks or bearing. Mentally she tried imagining what it would be like to be loved by such a man. Exquisite sensations sped through her veins at the mere thought, but she squashed the wayward feelings with a determined frown, knowing it would do her no good to let her mind go wandering along those lines.
Beneath lowered lashes she found herself meeting his gaze once more and flushed softly. The tug at his lips and the narrowing of his brooding dark eyes told her he had read her thoughts.
‘Please believe me when I tell you that I only have your welfare at heart,’ he said softly.
‘You have a strange way of showing it,’ she quipped.
‘Then I shall try harder, Serena,’ he murmured, ignoring the questioning lift of her brow at his use of her name. ‘We must both try to make the best of a situation not of our making.’
Serena was not so easily mollified. ‘You are wrong, sir—’
‘My name is Kit. If we are to share each other’s company for a length of time, I think we should dispense with the formalities.’
‘Then if we are to remain here for a while I would be obliged if you would be quiet and let me rest. I am heartily sick of arguing. My bones ache and I am extremely tired. And I have no wish to venture out until the rain has stopped.’
‘I too am wearied of argument,’ said Kit, rising to his feet to go and have a word with the landlord. He stretched and yawned, respecting Serena’s need to rest. ‘It was a cursed hard ride. You are right to close your eyes. I, too, have no wish to travel farther in this confounded rain.’
With her feet in the hearth, Serena settled back and closed her eyes to shut Kit out, but they flickered open when he rose, drawn to him by his sheer physical presence. For a moment she felt her resistance waver, but then she rebuked herself, bringing her mind to a grinding halt. For her peace of mind she must not let him get beneath her guard. On a sigh she closed her eyes and was soon drifting into the realms of sleep.
After a brief rest Kit thought it was time to leave. Serena was sound asleep, her feet drawn up onto the settle and her head resting on her arm. Her hair tumbled about her face and her eyes were closed, her gold-tipped lashes lying like soft shadows on her rose-red cheeks. Her sweet lips were parted as she breathed softly, her chest rising and falling evenly beneath her doublet, which hid the tempting roundness of her breasts. As Kit was about to wake her he lingered, looking down at her in wonder, savouring this moment of peace and reluctant to wake her, when she would once more become an injured, hissing cat.
Studying her carefully, Kit thought that in sleep she looked more like a child than a woman, harmless, innocent and uncommonly lovely. Although there were similarities between her and Dorothea, Dorothea’s qualities were of the pale kind, in sharp contrast to Serena, who was a vision of fire and beauty.
Serena felt a hand on her shoulder and someone gently shaking her awake. Opening her eyes, she looked up into the dark, brooding eyes of her captor.
‘Come,’ he said gently. ‘It’s noon and time we were on our way.’
Still extremely tired and aching in every limb, Serena forced herself to sit up and struggled into her boots. ‘Has it stopped raining?’ she mumbled tiredly, knotting her hair beneath her hat.
‘For now. We’ll find another inn before dark and bed down for the night.’
Before Serena could utter another sound, Kit had picked up her now dry cloak and placed it around her shoulders. Mutely she followed him outside, coming awake the moment she felt the cold, icy blast of wind on her cheeks. Taking a deep breath, she mounted Polly and followed Kit out of the inn yard, continuing to head north towards Northumberland.