The Rebel Bride by Catherine Coulter

“Perhaps I was mocking your father, just a bit, but never you, Katharine, never you.”

“I should cosh you were you ever to try it.”

“Ah, then you tempt me to be outrageous just to see what you would do.”

She just shook her head, her dimples still in full force. She continued with undisguised wonder in her voice. “And dinner tomorrow evening— Cook will be in such a flutter of nerves. I shall probably have to spend the greater part of my day tomorrow polishing silver so our noble neighbor will not be disgusted.”

“I trust you will do a good job, for I will have you know that I am very aware of what is owed to me and won’t lower myself to eat if the silver does not sparkle.”

“You are quite horrid, and I haven’t laughed so much in a very long time. I thank you, my lord.”

He grinned at her, trying not to look at her mouth, trying not to imagine what she would taste like, how she would feel to his tongue, how she would shiver when he kissed her and began to caress her. Good God, he had to stop this or he would drive himself mad.

Quite at her ease now, she said, “Have your guests left?”

“Yes, Hugh and Sir Percy departed just after lunch to return to London.”

“Why did you not go with them?” she asked, utterly without guile.

Julien was jolted for a moment, for he hadn’t expected her to be so completely ignorant of the intent of his visit. He pulled himself together and managed to say smoothly enough, “I do have quite an estate here, and there are matters which require my attention.”

He added in an easy voice, “It is also possible that I wish to further my acquaintance with Katharine Brandon. You know her, that pert chit who thinks she’s such a great and skilled angler?”

“That she is, my lord. Still, I can’t imagine why you’d want to waste your time with her. That girl is nothing but a graceless provincial, quite unworthy of the attention of the great earl of March.”

“Don’t ever say that again.” His voice was so harsh that she jumped. She couldn’t imagine why he was so incensed by the simple truth. With disarming candor, she said, “One should never be blind to what one really is. I don’t see why it should anger you, my lord. After all, it is I who am the subject of my own stricture, not you.”

Julien found that he was losing rather than gaining headway. She relieved him of the burden of finding suitable words to express his feelings by smoothly changing the topic.

“Harry will be sorry to have missed you. He thought you a great gun, you know. Well, perhaps not all that great, and now we’re getting into that infamous area again. He did think you might be arrogant and conceited, but, of course, he didn’t have the benefit of fishing with you.” She chuckled. “Harry was afraid that you would expose me and thus kindle Father’s wrath. And I must say, I did find myself rather on tenterhooks when Father asked me where I had met you. Thank you, my lord, for your kindness.”

She smiled, reaching out her hand to lay it lightly on his arm.

Julien took her hand in his and pressed her fingers. He looked into those incredible green eyes, and saw only openness and, yes, trust. She didn’t yet understand, nor did it appear to him that she felt anything for him but friendship. It rankled a bit. For all her independent ways, for all her outrageous hoydenish behavior, she was innocent of the ways of the world and even more innocent of the ways of men. He curbed his impatience, realizing that he would have to give her time.

He rose and helped Kate to stand. “I must be going now. I’ve kept you overlong as it is.”

“Well, you haven’t really, but perhaps it is best if you leave. I never know how Sir Oliver will react.” He said nothing to that, afraid that if he did, it would come out harsh and angry and serve only to upset her. He was extraordinarily pleased when she looked up at him, all her disappointment in her eyes, just like a child who was going to lose a coveted treat.