Dark Duke by Sabrina York Page A

realization that soon—soon—he would have the house, and Kaitlin, all to
himself.
    Still, their leave-taking was surprisingly difficult.
    They all assembled in the front courtyard that morning.
    Sean and Dennis were sullen, but both Ned and Malcolm took
it like men, shaking Edward’s hand and saying their farewells as though they
were heading for the gibbet. Hamish and Tay simply wept.
    It was Violet who nearly did him in. She enfolded him in an
effusive hug and held him for a very long time. “I shall miss you, Edward,” she
said, going up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. He’d never had anyone to miss
him before, so he wasn’t quite sure how to respond. Thank God his father had
drilled politesse into him since birth.
    He kissed her gloved fingers and murmured, “I shall miss you
as well.” And oddly enough, he meant it.
    She hugged Kaitlin too, with equal fervor. He noticed
Kaitlin got two kisses. One on each cheek. “Do be good,” Violet said.
    “Of course.”
    Then Malcolm tried to give Kaitlin a kiss, and it wasn’t on
the cheek.
    She stomped on his foot.
    “Come along now,” Hortense warbled, herding them toward the
carriages. Edward had procured three for them, two comfortable traveling
coaches and one for the servants and baggage. He had also arranged for
accommodations at decent inns along the way, paying for their keep and meals in
advance.
    Not that he was worried about them.
    But traveling could be dangerous.
    It took a while for everyone to get settled—Tay kept trying
to escape. But finally they were all ensconced. The driver of the first
carriage cracked his whip and they were off.
    Edward and Kaitlin stood on the steps of Wyeth House and
waved as they trundled down the drive calling their goodbyes, still waving long
after the last coach disappeared from sight.
    She sighed. “I shall miss Violet.”
    “As shall I.”
    “I’m sure they’ll be back soon.”
    “I’m sure they shall.” Far too soon. He glanced at her.
“I’ve missed you.”
    Her smile was charming. And a little naughty. It sent a
thrill skating through him. “They will be back soon,” she repeated. “We
shouldn’t waste any time.”
    He threw back his head and laughed. God, he adored her. He
wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her, right here on the street. But he
couldn’t do that. She was only a companion, but he still had a care for
propriety. “Let’s go inside.”
    “Yes. Some light…reading, perhaps?”
    He grinned. “Lead on, Macduff.”

Chapter Nine
     
    They crossed the foyer and when Kaitlin would have headed up
the stairs, Edward stopped her. “In the library, I think.”
    “The library?” Her heart stuttered. That was not what she’d
had in mind. She’d been dreaming about frolicking with him in her bed. His,
perhaps. In the past few days, she’d done a lot of reading…about frolicking.
She had, in fact, found a cache of books by Lord Hedon in the upstairs study.
She had devoured them. And while they were all exceedingly similar, and
somewhat predictable—about a girl who couldn’t behave and a lord to punish
her—they had left her…restless.
    “Mmm hmm.” His glance was wicked. “Run upstairs and fetch
that book. I need to have a chat with Transom.”
    She put out a lip.
    He smacked her behind, but only lightly. Just enough to
capture her attention. “Come along, darling. Don’t be difficult. I’ve been
thinking about this for days.”
    “Oh, all right.” She did as he asked, fairly sprinting up
the stairs to her room to find the book he had in mind, and then sprinting back
down. Still, by the time she returned, Transom had delivered a tray to the
library piled with all manner of delights.
    “Are you hungry, Edward?” she asked, nodding at the feast.
It looked like enough for an army.
    He chuckled. “That’s for later. I figured we might need
sustenance. And I did not want to be disturbed.”
    The way he said it, the look he shot her, sent rivulets of
anticipation down