Gallant Waif by Anne Gracie

Author:Anne Gracie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-11-22T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Next morning Kate rose early and went down to the kitchen to prepare breakfast as usual. She had come to several firm decisions in the night. She had allowed herself too much freedom with Jack—she was only his housekeeper. She should not have tried to interfere with his life, no matter how good her intentions. She should never have allowed herself to feel any emotion for him—it was inevitable that she would get hurt. She’d been living in a dream world and it had to stop.

She was never going to let anyone—not Jack Carstairs, not anyone—affect her emotions like that again. She would control it all much better in future, rebuild the walls of ice she had made around her heart in Lisbon. She had allowed Jack Carstairs to melt them. This time, she would build them stronger. She had already started the process during the long, sleepless night which had just passed. She could feel the chill of it surrounding her already. Inches thick. It might be cold, but it was also painless.

Kate put the coffee on, then stiffened as she heard unmistakable uneven footsteps coming towards the kitchen door. The door opened. There was a long silence. She could feel his eyes boring into her. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face him.

“I owe you an apology, Miss Farleigh,” said Jack. “I had no business saying those things to you. I did not mean them and I regret them very deeply. I also forced myself upon you in the most disgraceful manner. It was unforgivable.” Kate blinked. Damn him, damn him, damn him! He was utterly sincere. She felt a distant sensation of ice melting all around her. Oh, damn him!

He continued, “I do not ask you to forgive me, but I do hope you will at least accept my humble apologies. I assure you, nothing of that kind will happen again.”

Kate had a lump in her throat. “Mr Carstairs, it was not entirely your fault. It…it is no business of mine whether you choose to spend your evenings drinking or not.” Her voice grew huskier than ever. “My interference was unwarranted, so whatever you may have said or done I have only myself to blame.”

Oh, Lord, she thought, why did I do that? She’d had no intention of apologising. It shouldn’t matter to her what he thought, said or did. So what was she doing? More apologising, apparently. “I also said some terrible things to you and I did not mean them…or, at least, I should not have…”

She floundered to a halt. She could feel his warm gaze resting on her. A long, tense moment passed, then the coffee boiled over.

“The coffee! Oh, goodness!” exclaimed Kate, and rushed to rescue it. “Ouch!” She gasped and flinched, having incautiously grabbed the hot cast-iron handle and burnt her hand. She stepped back from the stove, sucking her hand.

“Let me see.”

“It’s nothing,” she said dismissively, cradling her hand protectively nevertheless.

“Here,” he said authoritatively. “Show it to me.” He gently took her hand in his and bent over it, examining the burn carefully.

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