The contents of her father’s letter had Serena reeling and dashing out of her room in search of Kit, with a speed surprising for someone who had a few moments before been in the throes of misery and despair. Kit had just finished reading his own letter from Sir Henry and awaited the outburst he felt sure would come at any moment. He did not have long to wait. Knowing exactly what Serena’s reaction would be when she read her father’s letter, he was not disappointed. If he’d wanted anything to draw her out of her melancholia, this was it.
Whereas Serena had left him just a short time before in unhappy mood, she now burst into the room and faced him like a termagant, going to stand directly in front of him and waving the letter beneath his nose like a weapon of destruction. Kit saw rebellion in her eyes as she prepared to launch her attack—eyes which such a short time ago had been moist with tears. The mouth, which had been soft, sensitive and quivering, was now set in a hard line.
With a raised dark eyebrow and an amused light in his eyes, Kit looked at her hostile face. ‘What the devil are you looking at me like that for? Dear Lord, Serena, must you glare at me like some infernal, threatening thundercloud?’
‘Have you read what my father has written?’
‘Of couse,’ he replied calmly.
‘Then would you be so kind as to tell me what you put in your letter to him that he should berate me so severely?’
Kit shrugged. ‘Nothing untoward, I assure you.’
‘My father has appointed you as my guardian, since I took it upon myself to run away from Uncle William. He is extremely angry by my behaviour and, according to him, in your letter you told him that, on the strength of your friendship, you are willing, along with Lady Mary, to undertake my welfare.’
‘That is correct. But I did impress that it would only apply if, for some reason, he did not wish you to journey to him in Flanders.’
Serena glared at him incredulously. ‘How dare you! You had no right.’
‘Considering the circumstances, I had every right—and your father clearly agrees.’
‘And did he tell you that he has strictly forbidden me to go to him?’
‘He did. But, considering he has taken his bride on honeymoon to Rome on a visit to your brother, there hardly seems much point,’ Kit murmured, his voice soft and deeply laced with humour, which provoked Serena to further anger.
‘Then let me tell you that I shall go. I shall go to Italy myself, if necessary, and you will not stop me.’
‘Calm down. You are beside yourself.’
She responded with derisive sarcasm, ‘Aye, my lord, I’ll calm myself. Just as soon as you relinquish your stance as my guardian.’
‘I’m sorry, Serena, but I can’t allow you to roam at will until your father returns from his honeymoon.’
Serena had great difficulty in refraining from stamping her foot in angry frustration. ‘Don’t taunt me with it, you—you churlish oaf. Isn’t it enough knowing he has married his paramour without you thrusting his honeymoon down my throat, too? You can’t keep me here in Scotland.’
Kit brought his face closer to hers. ‘Believe me, Serena, if it were possible I would have you shipped to Flanders on the next available vessel and let your father deal with you. Little wonder he married—having suffered enough of your infernal carping and bleating over the years.’
‘Oh!’ Serena gasped, glaring with indignation at the hard light in Kit’s eyes. ‘You monster. You cannot force me to remain here.’
‘Yes, I can.’
‘I insist on leaving.’
Kit’s black eyes seized hers in an unrelenting gaze. ‘You may insist all you like, but I will not stir. For the time being, you will accept the hospitality of this house and be grateful.’
‘Grateful? When you keep me here by force? Ha!’ Serena exclaimed with heavy sarcasm. ‘Your generosity overwhelms me.’
‘I apologise if you think I am forcing you to stay here.’
‘If you wish to make amends, you will allow me to leave.’
‘I always knew you were a courageous wench, and that you would bravely sally forth and to hell with the consequences, but I have every reason to believe your wits have deserted you.’ Kit stepped back, settling his gaze on her flaming cheeks and rapidly heaving bosom. ‘Be reasonable, Serena,’ he cajoled on a gentler note. ‘Your father is in Italy.’
‘Then that is where I shall go, or take lodgings close to James until he returns.’
‘No.’
His blunt answer brought a scowl to her face. ‘And what will you do with me when you go to London?’
‘You will remain here with my mother and Melissa.’
‘Then you would do well to remember that I ran away from my uncle. I could just as easily run away from you, too.’
‘At your peril, madam.’
‘You cannot force me.’
‘Can I not?’ Kit looked at Serena with that faint amusement she had come to detest. It was the same amused but quelling look he would give a troublesome child. ‘Try me. You may not like my form of persuasion, which might be construed as harsh, but while you reside in this house you will do as I say.’
‘You beast. I have no wish to reside in this house—or any other house with you. I shall leave.’
‘Do so. But you would not care for the humiliation of being brought back. Your father has placed you under my care—and my mother’s. I advise you to remember that.’ Seeing the dejection on her lovely face, Kit sighed. ‘By my faith, Serena, please be sensible.’
‘Faith!’ she cried in frustration. ‘What faith? You are naught but a heretic.’
Kit laughed infuriatingly. ‘And you, my little pious one, are the peskiest wench it has ever been my misfortune to meet, with a tongue comparable to a nest of wasps.’
‘Then take care you don’t get stung,’ Serena replied in spitting tones, turning from him, intending to leave, but he was behind her, placing his hand on her shoulder to halt her flight.
‘What a proud, foolish woman you are,’ he murmured softly. ‘Stay a moment, Serena.’
‘Why? So you can make a mockery of me, Lord Brodie?’ she seethed, feeling the heat of his body and his hot breath on her cheek, becoming desperately afraid that he would succeed in breaking down the barrier she had so skilfully raised between them. Her knowledge of this man had taught her that however strong her will, he had the infuriating ability to shatter it beneath the onslaught of his fervour. ‘Will you do me a great favour?’
‘Of course. You only have to ask. What is it?’
‘Go away—and stay away. Leave me alone.’
‘I will do anything you ask,’ Kit amended calmly, quietly, the fragrance of her silken tresses filling his mind, ‘but that.’
Serena felt him move closer still and, despite her anger, there was nothing she could do to still the chaotic pounding of her heart. Her worries burgeoned when he gently drew her hair aside and dropped a warm kiss on her neck. She gasped at the feel of his lips on her flesh and the pleasurable sensations his kiss stirred.
‘Your father may have appointed me your guardian, but we could discuss the terms of my appointment,’ he murmured huskily.
‘Never,’ Serena answered, trying her utmost to retain her composure.
Kit smiled, recognising in her answer the same kind of hostility when he had tried to negotiate with men in unfortunate circumstances. Exactly like those men Serena felt powerless, and in her pride felt the need to retaliate by making things as difficult as possible for him. ‘There’s no reason why matters should not be amicable between us, Serena. I feel there is a way we could make life more endurable—and pleasant.’
Serena turned and looked at him warily. ‘Really! How?’
‘Like this,’ he murmured, pulling her close, his arms slipping easily about her and crushing her to him. Bending his dark head, he captured her mouth in a soft, compelling kiss, warming and penetrating to the depths of her being. His mouth forced her lips apart, his tongue teasing.
Serena tried to turn her head, afraid that her will and her anger would crumble beneath his onslaught, but he held her in a gentle, but unyielding, grip, his hands boldly passing over her waist, her hips, possessively. For a moment her body responded eagerly, then mingled anger at his impertinence and horror at her own swift reaction caused her to stiffen in his arms.
Kit dragged his lips from hers and looked down at her, noting the telltale flush on her cheeks. Serena could only stare at him as she listened to the chaotic pounding of her heart.
‘Please, don’t,’ she begged in a trembling voice, turning from him quickly, unable to look at him lest he saw the softening in her eyes. ‘I—I don’t think I like your terms.’
Arching a lazy black eyebrow and smiling crookedly, Kit reached out and placed his fingers gently beneath her chin, forcing her to look at him. ‘You don’t? You gave a fair imitation of it.’
The amusement in his voice made Serena’s blood boil. ‘How dare you kiss me in so casual, so cavalier a fashion—as if you own me. I would thank you not to repeat the offence,’ she retorted angrily.
A wayward smile curved Kit’s lips, as he knew perfectly well that she was on the point of losing her resolve. ‘Very well. I realise I must take my new responsibilities seriously, so I shall try to restrain myself until a future date. But you will not always be hostile towards me, Serena. When I want something, I do not give up until I have it. The day will come when I will make you mine in every sense.’
Meeting his eyes Serena realised he meant every word he said and that he would have no pity on her. She could only wonder at his mood as she struggled to maintain her anger. ‘And you, sir, are quite detestable and more conceited than I thought if you consider you have any claim on me.’ She glared up at the sparkling black eyes, but the heated words she was ready to utter were silenced by the interruption of Melissa’s feminine voice coming to them from the hall.
‘Please excuse me,’ Serena ground out. ‘I have to change for supper.’ With an imperious move she swept out of the room, her head held high.
Still smiling, Kit watched her go, feeling nothing but admiration for her. The idea of making this woman his wife settled comfortably on his mind. Serena was a rarity indeed. Light and dark, tender and bold, fire and water. What more could a man want? Life would never be dull married to her.
Serena tried to remove all traces of bad temper and smooth the lines of worry from her face for her meeting with Sir Ludovick. Moved to defy Kit, and by some feminine impulse to flirt with danger, she dressed in her finest gown, which set off her figure to perfection, and showed more of her décolletage than was seemly. She intended dealing Kit blow for blow for arrogantly assuming that he had every right to take charge of her life and order her about as he saw fit.
She went down to the dining parlour with Melissa, who was well acquainted with their guest. Kit and Sir Ludovick stood before the fireplace, with Lady Mary sitting close by on a sofa.
Serena swept into the room, looking regal in her deep rose-coloured gown, the sleeves slashed with ribbons of a paler hue, and the cuffs edged with fine lace. The firm stomacher displayed the slender curve of her waist, and the voluminous skirts had been drawn over a fathingale. She scorned the wearing of a ruff, having adorned her neck instead with a single strand of creamy pearls. Her hair was drawn from her face by a simple broad band of ribbon over the top of her head, and allowed to hang free in heavy waves down the length of her curving spine.
Kit’s gaze studied her closely and he nodded ever so slightly, happy to see she had regained her composure. But then she was as fickle and changeable as a chameleon, which had the ability to change its colour at will. He really should not have expected anything else from the minx. It didn’t take him long to realise that she was going out of her way to avoid looking at him, and a small, lazy smile crept across his handsome face.
Ludovick, splendidly garbed in sapphire blue doublet and puffed trunk hose, stepped forward to greet them—Melissa first, who bobbed a little curtsy and told him how delighted she was to see him again.
‘My dear Melissa,’ he declared. ‘You grow fairer each time I see you. It’s difficult to believe you are sister to this reprobate,’ he said in light-hearted reference to Kit. ‘I hear from Lady Mary that a certain event might be taking place in the near future,’ he murmured with a conspiratorial lowering of an eyelid, ‘that a certain gentleman from Perth has become quite smitten by you.’
‘And you, sir,’ Melissa accused with a smile and a twinkle in her dark eyes, ‘are as big a tease as you ever were. You ply your tongue with the skill of an accomplished flatterer—but I have no mind to become one of your conquests. No doubt you will bestow similar prose on Serena,’ she laughed, taking Serena’s hand and drawing her forward.
Ludovick grinned broadly, turning his full attention on Serena. ‘My dear, Mistress Carberry—Serena, if I may be so bold,’ he enthused, placing a hand to his chest and making a gallant bow. ‘I can’t tell you how astounded I was to learn you had taken flight with Kit. You must have been quite desperate.’
‘I was,’ she laughed, watching Kit out of the corner of her eye.
‘He has been taking care of you, I hope?’
‘Of course,’ she replied pleasantly, admiring Sir Ludovick’s fine attire and going out of her way to ignore Kit. ‘But let me assure you that I am quite capable of taking care of myself.’
‘Aye, I’m sure you are. And I see you are just as lovely as I remember,’ Ludovick complimented, making small effort to subdue the delight that shone in his eyes as he appraised her.
‘And Melissa was right when she told you you are an accomplished flatterer,’ Serena laughed. ‘Are you to stay long in Edinburgh?’
‘Long enough to become better acquainted with you, Serena. I’m in no hurry to leave for Argyllshire. I could not believe my good fortune when I realised I would have the pleasure of seeing you in Edinburgh. Do you like Scotland?’
‘Well enough—at least what I’ve seen of it. I would fare better if I understood the dialect. Not all Scots are as easy to understand as yourself.’
‘Since the Scots are renowned for their cursing, most of it would be unrepeatable if you could,’ he laughed jovially. ‘Whilst I am in Edinburgh I shall act as your translator, allowing only what I think is suitable to pass your delicate ears.’
Serena smiled, casting a surreptitious glance at Kit, a glance which told him she would give him neither rest nor respite in the desire for revenge which had taken hold of her. He was observing her gracious greeting of his friend with narrowed eyes, always wary where she was concerned, never knowing what she would do next, but she had worn so many different guises this day that he could be forgiven for thinking they had a changeling in their midst.
Sensing Kit was a little put out by Sir Ludovick’s close attention pierced Serena’s pleasure. Tweaking his nose a little further, she slid her gaze away from his and curved her lips in her prettiest smile.
‘You honour me, Sir Ludovick.’
Supper was announced and Serena placed her hand on Ludovick’s proffered arm, allowing him to escort her the short distance to the table. Following with his mother and Melissa, Kit felt a strong thud of discomfort as he admired the gentle sway of Serena’s hips as she walked ahead of him, certain there was added movement because she knew he was watching her and wished to goad him further. With narrowed eyes he watched Ludovick’s familiarity towards her, observing how his hands brushed the incredibly narrow curve of her waist as he pulled out her chair. Kit’s frown deepened when Serena tilted her head to smile her thanks, testing Kit’s restraint beyond the limits of endurance.
Supper passed pleasantly enough, with Serena languishing in the attention of her admirer, and frequently meeting the dark, challenging eyes of her tormentor, who watched her from across the table with unswerving tenacity. She feigned a smile that would have torn asunder any man’s defences who was off his guard, but Kit was not deceived by her mellowing mood.
Serena flattered Ludovick, listening to him with rapt attention, and she was joined by Melissa in encouraging him to speak of life at court. Throughout supper Serena’s smile remained beguiling, and her soft, sweet perfume teased Kit’s senses—along with the creamy, tantalising swell of her breasts, which he was uncomfortably aware of each time she leaned his way. Afterwards they gathered round the fire, Lady Mary sitting a little away from them as she engaged her time embroidering a small sampler, the candles on the table illuminating her work.
Kit’s irritation mounted and he scowled as he watched Ludovick playing the doting swain to the woman he had claimed for himself. It was clear to him that his friend had singled Serena out as the supreme target of the hunt and, reading the maid’s response to Ludovick’s flattery—how she seemed to hang with breathless expectancy on his every word and laugh at all the right moments—the tournament would be easily won.
During a moment when they found themselves out of earshot of the others, Kit was about to caution Serena, to rebuke her, but decided against it, not wishing to add tinder to any mischievous intent that lurked behind those brilliant green eyes staring innocently into his.
Over the days that followed Ludovick was frequently at the house. Kit’s restlessness became a torment when he saw Serena being wooed by another man—a right he felt a desperate urge to reserve for himself alone. His thoughts wandered like a homeless bird that could find no place to roost. Every time his friend approached her, jealousy would raise its ugly head and go searing through him. It was a dilemma. And yet how could he put himself forward as a suitor when she saw him as a villain and her tormentor, with nothing to offer her at the moment but himself?
Lady Mary watched what was happening with a keen, quizzical eye. Highly sensitive to her son’s moods, and after observing Kit and Serena closely since the arrival of Ludovick and Sir Henry’s letters, it was evident that things were very wrong between them. On a day when Kit and Ludovick had taken themselves off for a day’s hunting, she spoke to Serena as they strolled around the garden.
‘Forgive me if I speak out of turn, Serena, and it is certainly not my intent to embarrass you but, since the arrival of your father’s letter, I have noticed that matters are strained between you and Kit. Is it because you resent his interference in your affairs?’
Serena was a little taken aback by the question, and also ashamed that Lady Mary felt she had the need to broach so delicate a subject. ‘He—he does tend to take a great deal upon himself where I am concerned, Lady Mary,’ she replied hesitantly.
‘That’s because he’s concerned for your welfare, not because he harbours any cruel intent. Faults he has, but cruelty is not one of them.’ Lady Mary smiled. ‘Kit is hasty sometimes, and as obstinate and stubborn as all the mules in Spain put together, but he has a soft heart beneath that fearsome manner of his. Don’t be too hard on him. I know your heart was set on going to your father but, all things considered, it is best that you remain with us here in Scotland—for the time being, at least.’
‘I’m beginning to realise that now. I’m sorry if I’ve seemed ungrateful. You have been so gracious and kind and I have no wish to cause offence. But you are right, of course. My father’s letter came as a shock to me. Not only because of his refusal to let me go to him, but also when I learned of his marriage—without a word to me.’
‘Kit told me about that, and I can understand your disappointment. But your father must be allowed to live his own life, Serena. And if he has found happiness, then be happy for him.’
‘Yes. I am coming round to it.’
‘Good.’ Lady Mary smiled, linking her arm companionably through hers. ‘And please go easy on my son. You may not have noticed in your preoccupation with dear Ludovick, but of late Kit has been going around with a face like a thundercloud.’ Her eyes were soft when she looked at Serena’s troubled features, having some inkling of this young woman’s secret feelings. ‘Don’t you think you’ve punished him enough? End his misery, Serena.’
Overcome with mortification, Serena halted and looked at Lady Mary. ‘Oh, Lady Mary—I hope you don’t think—’
‘What?’ She laughed. ‘That you’re trying to make Kit jealous with Ludovick? My dear Serena, when a woman goes out of her way to make a man jealous by playing him off against another, it can only be because she cares for him. And it is a rarity for a man to be immune from jealousy when he cares deeply for a woman.’
To cover Serena’s confusion they carried on walking a little way in silence, but then Lady Mary said at length, choosing her words with care in an effort not to seem as though she was prying, ‘You do seem to get on well with Ludovick—but do you really prefer him above Kit?’
The conversation was becoming difficult for Serena, and she carefully fudged the question, feeling unable to answer it. It was an inquiry tactfully phrased by Lady Mary, but still a request for an explanation. ‘Sir Ludovick is a friend, Lady Mary. Our relationship will never be anything more than that,’ she told her in complete honesty.
‘Then don’t you think—in the light of Ludovick’s growing affection for you—that you should dissuade him from any further involvement?’ Lady Mary said gently.
Guilt suddenly assailed Serena, for Lady Mary had voiced what she intended to do. Although she was reluctant to admit how deeply she had come to care for Kit, she did realise that she had allowed her friendship with Sir Ludovick to go too far. The situation worried her and she felt regret at having encouraged Kit’s friend, her sole reason for playing on his attention being to tweak Kit’s nose a little. She now realised she had been foolish and must step back, to allow Sir Ludovick’s ardour to cool before it all got out of hand and he declared himself.
She had searched for a way to sever any romantic ideas that might be forming in Sir Ludovick’s mind, but it was difficult finding the right words to say that would let him down gently without spoiling their friendship. Having encouraged his attentions, the dilemma she now faced was of her making entirely.
‘No matter how it looks, it was never my intention to become romantically involved with Sir Ludovick. He has been very kind.’
‘So has Kit.’
Serena flushed, averting her eyes, unable to meet that probing, gentle gaze. ‘I know,’ she murmured quietly, suddenly ashamed that Lady Mary was aware of her ploy to repay Kit for trying to assert his authority over her by giving Sir Ludovick her undivided attention whenever he called. She now realised how very childish and silly it all was.
‘I know I shouldn’t be discussing this, Serena, that it’s a private matter between you and Kit, but you must understand my concern in the light of that awful conspiracy and not knowing what will happen to him when he returns to London to stand trial. What if those trying him don’t believe him? I am so afraid.’
Serena was unprepared for the agony that tore through her when Lady Mary quietly uttered those words. Until now she had deliberately shied away from the thought. Lady Mary’s voice was so distressed that, thoroughly alarmed, Serena halted and looked at her, not fully realising until just then how much this gracious woman was silently suffering for her son. The smile had faded from her face, which suddenly looked drawn. There were lines of worry on her forehead and her eyes were deeply troubled. Reaching out, Serena took her hand in an effort to comfort her.
‘But they must believe him. They have to. They have not the least shadow of proof that Kit was involved in the conspiracy. All they have is mere slander uttered by Thomas Blackwell, a man so cruel and so wretched that he should be beneath contempt. The king has promised Kit a fair trial. He will be pardoned.’ Serena swallowed, trying to believe the conviction of her own words. ‘He has to be,’ she whispered fiercely.
‘Pilot could find no basis for the charges against Christ—but he still crucified him,’ said Lady Mary quietly. She sighed deeply, discerning Serena’s own anguish and looked with deep concern into her pain-filled eyes. ‘You do care for Kit, don’t you, Serena?’
‘Yes,’ Serena admitted softly, unable to speak anything but the truth. ‘I have come to care for him a great deal. Looking back, I had every reason in the world to hate him for forcing me to abandon my decision to go to my father in Flanders, and in my anger I could not see that he was offering me a measure of security I would lack on my own. I cannot deny that wars have been waged between us during the time we have been alone together, and complaints aired with so much aggression that I did not pause for one moment to question my emotions—not until we reached Addlington Hall and idleness forced me to search my heart.’
‘If you love him enough to accept everything that’s happened, and live only for the moment, then you must be by his side when he goes to London. I intend accompanying him myself. He’s going to need all the support he can get if he’s to survive this.’
Serena made a point of speaking to Sir Ludovick the following day when they were returning from one of their rides through Holyrood Park. They were discussing Kit and his forthcoming journey to London, and Ludovick had just expressed his regret that he would not be returning with him to add his support.
‘With his property confiscated and title stripped from him, there’s little wonder Kit is so concerned about his future. At present no one has been named to replace him and Thurlow remains empty. I believe that may have something to do with the king himself. Because of Kit’s loyalty and the bond of friendship that existed between them before the abortive plot, I feel King James is reluctant to have him hounded to Scotland.’
‘What was the king’s reaction when he was told of Kit’s suspected involvment?’
‘He was deeply shocked when it was brought to his attention by Salisbury that Kit might have colluded with the conspirators—that he might even have been one of them himself. Because of the severity of the crime, the king had no alternative but to agree to his arrest.’
‘Thank goodness he escaped.’
‘Aye. Being a man with a skill learned on the battlefields on the continent—and knowing he was innocent—Kit did not care to sustain the attentions of His Majesty’s torturers and the hangman’s rope. But one thing I am certain of is that his allegiance to King James has never wavered. The loss of his honour, his estates and title he will find hard to bear, but that the king should believe him guilty of betraying his trust is the greatest. It has injured him deeply. He burns with vengeance and will not rest until his name has been cleared.’
‘What do you think his chances are?’
Sharing Serena’s fears for Kit with equal pain, Ludovick’s face became set in worried lines. ‘If Kit can prove that for malicious reasons of his own Blackwell set out to discredit him, then I see no reason why the king will not show clemency. Besides, he earned considerable merit in his duties towards His Majesty when he was in Scotland.’
Serena glanced across at him, seeing the weak sunlight playing on his flaxen hair, hating herself for what she was about to tell him. ‘When Kit leaves for London, Ludovick, it is my intention to go with him.’
His astonishment obvious, Ludovick stared at her, fingering his beard thoughtfully, his blue eyes suddenly wary. ‘Has Kit asked you?’
‘No. He’s no notion of what I intend.’
‘But, Serena—I had hoped to speak to you, to—’
‘No, Ludovick,’ she interrupted quickly, sensing what he was about to say and wanting to save him from any embarrassment. ‘Please don’t go on. I know what you want to say, but I must tell you that—’
‘You have decided against me,’ Ludovick stated bluntly.
He looked at her with an expression of such mortification and incredulity that Serena had to look away, moved by a terrible feeling of remorse. ‘No, not at all. I am flattered by your attention and admire and value your friendship greatly—but my interest lies elsewhere,’ she told him quietly.
‘You are in love with Kit,’ he stated.
She nodded. ‘Yes.’
Utterly deflated, a long, heavy sigh escaped Ludovick’s lips and he seemed to slouch in the saddle. ‘I should have seen it. It was foolish of me to pretend, or to try to believe the impossible. I should have known that the many days you spent alone together could not fail to draw you close. I have never underestimated Kit’s magnetism for gaining the attentions of the opposite sex, or his own attraction where they are concerned, so I should not be surprised that this has happened.’
‘I am only sorry for my delay in telling you. I should have spoken before, I know—but I wanted to avoid causing you pain.’
‘And you and Kit have not exactly been seeing eye to eye since my arrival in Edinburgh, have you, Serena?’ he said, voicing his musings softly, meaningfully.
‘You are very perceptive, Ludovick,’ she smiled.
‘I would have to be blind not to notice.’
‘In case you are wondering, that has more to do with the contents of my father’s letter making Kit my guardian than any grouch where you are concerned.’
‘Then what is there left for me to say?’ said Ludovick, deeply wounded by Serena’s declaration, but he had no intention of letting it affect his much-valued friendship with Kit—or Serena, for that matter, a woman he held in such high regard that he had considered asking her to be his wife.
‘I wish you both every happiness—and I’m glad you’re to go with him to London. With so much beauty set before him, the king will be dazzled and charmed into offering Kit clemency,’ he smiled, the familiar roguish gleam back in his eyes, which gladdened Serena’s heart and brought a light-heartedness back to the conversation.
‘Now there I shall have to disagree with you,’ she laughed. ‘The only response His Majesty will have to my appearance in London will be to have me clapped in irons for my father’s involvement in the plot. I fear I am the one who will be in need of saving, not Kit. So what now, Ludovick? Will you stay in Edinburgh?’
‘No. My mission is done. I’m away home to Argyll. Besides…’ he grinned, his eyes twinkling merrily, ‘…if I steal any more of your time, Kit will have me dangling on the end of his dirk like so much raw meat.’
Alone, Serena quietly reviewed the past weeks she had come to know Kit, dissecting each moment they had shared with meticulous deliberation in an attempt to put some semblance of order to her emotions. It was no use hiding from the fact that they had been violently attracted to each other from the beginning, despite her show of outrage at his persistence to chafe and vex her at every turn.
Kit had the infuriating ability to pluck at the worst of her nature, to see what no man had ever seen before, to exasperate her beyond words and drive her to passionate fury. But, she thought, on a warm tide of feelings, he also had the ability to tease, to cajole, to delight her senses in a way no other man had succeeded in doing before. He had created yearnings inside her she was a stranger to, yearnings she wanted to satisfy, and only Kit could do that.
He had a mastery over her and he knew it, and he had made it plain that he wanted her as a man wants a woman. But she had refused to yield, crushing the yearnings felt by them both, and now, in this weakening of her will, her longings would not be still and she wanted to discover the mystery of this man who had succeeded in bringing her to a state of submission. How could she even think of breaking away from him and leaving him forever?