Eight Maids a Milking: A Regency Historical Romance Holiday Tale (The Twelve Days of Christmas Book 5) by Emily E K Murdoch

Author:Emily E K Murdoch [Murdoch, Emily E K]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Historical
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2022-11-03T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Katarina was shaking, and she did not know why.

The very first moment she had seen Isaac Emmett she had known he would be a special part of her life. Knew she needed him, needed him in a way that was entirely new.

Katarina did not take her eyes from Isaac as the last milkmaid left the cowshed, and he did not look away from her.

What was it in his eyes? She could barely tell. Part fury, though she knew not why; part desire, which she hoped was not her imagination; part confusion as to why she had ordered away the milkmaids.

Katarina barely knew herself. Except that she had to be alone with him. She had to speak to him openly in the way they had the other day. When she had barely been able to hear her own words over the frantic beating of her heart.

The door closed heavily behind her.

“Well,” said Isaac expressively, widening his arms. “Now we are alone—is that what you wanted?”

“Yes,” Katarina said simply.

The man sighed heavily. “May I speak plainly, Miss Katarina?”

“Only if you call me Kat again.”

A wry smile crept across Isaac’s face. “My dear, if I could call you all the things I wanted…”

His voice trailed away, but there was no fury within it now. Katarina moved toward him and was heartened that he did not pull away.

Seating herself beside him, highly conscious of the heat she could feel in his arms as hers brushed up against his own, Katarina tried to slow her breathing.

She was just having a conversation. That was all. The family, all of them, were occupied with the ball and would not be looking for her for many hours. They would assume, wouldn’t they, that she was dancing elsewhere, or eating from the buffet in the dining room, or adjusting her gown.

She had all night. All night with Isaac.

A shiver rushed through her before Katarina could stop it.

“What’s on that mind of yours?”

Katarina smiled ruefully. “I am not sure I should tell you.”

Isaac chuckled at her words. “And even worse, I did not call you Kat. You will have to ignore my request altogether.”

She laughed, feeling the joy in him as he moved closer to her. Katarina could not remember ever sitting this close to a gentleman she was not related to. Luke did not count.

“Even if you do not think you should share them, Kat,” came Isaac’s soft words, “What are you thinking?”

Katarina sighed. It would be so easy to lie; if anyone else had asked, she probably would have done. But lying to Isaac felt wrong in a way that nothing else did.

“Thinking of you,” she said, a little wistfully. “At least—thinking about you and Luke.”

Isaac shook his head. “Two very different men.”

“That’s just it,” said Katarina quietly. “Yes, you are different I suppose, in some ways. Luke has a title, wealth, all that nonsense—but I feel equally as comfortable in each of your presences. And he doesn’t make me feel…feel warm.”

Her cheeks flushed slightly as she spoke, but she told herself that was natural.

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