Page 8 of Gone With the Rogue
Lady Kitson looked away from him again and brushed her mussed hair, securing an errant strand behind her ear. The innocent gesture stirred his lower body again. The hunger inside him was as real as the early twilight and humid air. And it was more than just the long absence of a willing woman in his bed. He and Lady Kitson sensed the mutual attraction and the possibilities it would bring. He kept wanting to feel the warmth of her in his arms and the taste of her kisses lingering on his lips.
Garrett had enjoyed the companionship and pleasure of beautiful, desirable women on his travels, but his time with them was always brief. It never includedleisurely strolls, inquisitive questions, or long-lingering looks. Certainly not the kind he and Lady Kitson were exchanging. In each country he visited, his main focus was always to secure cargo. He scoured markets, streets, and shops where everything from ordinary clay cups to exotic orchids were on display and could be bought, sold, or bartered. From the time he dropped anchor until he set sail again he was making agreements to fill his ships with things people wanted.
Now it was time to have somethinghewanted—the house on Poppinbrook Street. And to see Lady Kitson again.
“Perhaps I could—”
“Lady Kitson!”
At the sound of a feminine voice, Garrett turned and saw a petite young woman in a dark gray dress waving frantically at them.
“Thank heavens Miss Periwinkle remembered to bring my bonnet.” Lady Kitson acknowledged her and then turned to Garrett.
A strange sensation rippled through his chest and changed the rhythm of his heart. A masculine possessiveness rose inside him. He wasn’t ready to part her company.
“Thank you for your help, Mr. Stockton. I trust I can count on you to remain a gentleman about this incident and keepmysecret.”
“It’soursecret, my lady, and it is safe with me.”
She seemed to adjust her shoulders slightly in frustration because he hadn’t said exactly what she wanted, but then she lifted her chin in acceptance. “Since you have traveled the world, I assume you have knowledge of a great number of subjects. I have a question for you, Mr. Stockton. If you don’t mind?”
That intrigued him. “You can ask me anything, Lady Kitson.”
She held her hands together tightly in front of her. “If you wanted to hide something in your house that you didn’t want anyone else to see, something important. Where would you put it?”
Garrett’s gaze held fast to hers. What did she have that was important enough to hide? Jewels? Money? “That depends. How big is this something I would want to conceal?”
She’d tried to sound casual, but the way her eyes narrowed when she glanced away from him showed that she was serious about this. Garrett wondered what she was up to.
Giving her full attention back to him, she answered, “Rather small, I should think. Letters, documents. That sort of thing.”
That made him even more curious. What kind of documents could a duke’s daughter-in-law want hidden? Property she didn’t want him to know she had seemed the most reasonable thing.
“I’d probably put them in a leather pouch and bind it tightly to keep out moisture. A good place to stash something small is in a secret compartment under the floor. Cover it with a rug and then place a large piece of furniture on top of it. Another good place would be behind a wall of books on a high shelf, or if there are a lot of books in the room you could even cut out the pages and hide the items inside a very dull volume on the chemical sciences.”
Her quizzical gaze connected with his again. “Yes, all of these sound very clever. What about a false-bottomed or secret drawer in a desk?”
“That would work.” He nodded. “But it wouldprobably be the first place someone would look. If you are going to hide something, you need to make it difficult to get to. Usually, people who are looking for an object have very little time. The harder you make it for them, the better.”
“Yes. I see what you mean. Thank you for sharing your insights on this with me.”
Lady Kitson smiled at him and Garrett’s stomach tightened. “Do you need my help with something, Lady Kitson?”
Her lashes fluttered and she took in a deep breath before she spoke. “No, not at all.”
Garrett knew she wasn’t as convinced she didn’t need him as she indicated. He didn’t want to pressure her, but asked again, “Are you sure?”
“Yes, of course,” she responded more confidently. “I was just wondering for no particular reason. Now I really must bid you good day, sir.”
He bowed.
Garrett watched Lady Kitson hurry toward the governess. She stopped and quickly donned a wide-brimmed straw hat, taking time to shove wayward strands of her hair beneath it before making a hasty bow with the ribbons under her chin. She then turned and looked back at him, causing another surge of wanting to tighten in his lower body. He hadn’t expected her to give him any more consideration but was glad she had. He tipped his hat to her and turned away.
He didn’t imagine the way she looked at him. She was as attracted to him as he was to her. Though her words didn’t bear that out, he’d felt it as surely as he could feel the wind in his hair when a storm was brewing at sea. Yet she’d made no indication she’d welcome his attentions.
He couldn’t blame her for being cautious about him. Probably none of the things she’d heard about him would woo a sensible lady. Why would a jewel like her want to get involved with a man who was known for being gone a year at a stretch, or sometimes longer? She had a son and would be looking for stability in a man.
Garrett felt the tug of desire again. His body was eager, but his mind ruled. He didn’t want just any woman. He wanted one who was brave enough to climb a tree and turn down his attentions when he knew she wanted them.
