Sally James by At the Earls Command

Author:At the Earls Command [Command, At the Earls]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

When Darcy said they must stop for the night in Huntingdon all her fears surged back.

'There's no sense in pushing too far,' he said, stifling a yawn. 'We can dine, go to bed early, and set off at first light tomorrow.'

'Can't we press on further? He might catch us up.'

'He won't know where we are, and don't worry, he cannot harm you,' Darcy said, laying a comforting hand on her arm.

How could he know what Adam Rhydd might do, she thought, and what protection would he be against an enraged, determined Earl of Malvern, whatever the rights and wrongs of the affair?

She had few illusions about the relative willpower and determination of the two men. She knew instinctively that Darcy would be no match for Adam in any direct encounter, but she was so stiff from the long hours in the chaise that despite her fears that they were still too close to London she agreed. It would be bliss to eat a good meal, and possibly even command a tub of hot water and soak some of the stiffness out of her limbs.

Darcy obtained two bedrooms connected by a private sitting room. 'Told them I was your cousin, which is near enough,' he said, grinning, as the maid who had shown them upstairs left the sitting room. 'No need to set tongues wagging unnecessarily.'

Kate nodded heedless agreement. She sat warming herself by the fire while the maid brought a large tray and set the table, and then, despite her previous hunger, ate only a few spoonfuls of chicken soup and picked listlessly at the slices of beef Darcy carved for her, pushing her plate away after a few minutes.

'Don't worry, you'll feel more the thing the further away from London we get,' Darcy reassured her, his own appetite unimpaired. 'Some more of this claret? It's dashed good for a country inn. I’ll order another bottle.'

'No, thank you,' Kate replied. The one glass she had drunk was making her feel decidedly sleepy. Darcy refilled his own glass and rang for the landlord, who promptly delivered a second bottle of claret and a decanter of port.

Kate refused helpings of apple pie, syllabub, and stewed fruit, but she did take an apple and sit peeling it while Darcy ate a large helping of pie.

The table had been cleared, and the landlord had been to ask whether they would like more port, or perhaps some of the best brandy, when Kate stood up.

'I'm going to bed now, Darcy. Good night,' she said and moved towards the bedroom door.

'No, Kate, wait. I've thought of something.'

'What?'

'You could marry me,' he said, standing up close beside her, one hand grasping her arm.

'Marry? Marry you?' she exclaimed, startled, and trying to free her arm.

'There's no need to look so astonished,' he said crossly. 'You must have seen how I feel about you, Kate. You are so lovely and adorable, and I wanted to ask you almost as soon as I saw you. I wouldn't have said anything so soon, but it does offer us a way out.

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