One Scandalous Kiss by Christy Carlyle Page B

the middle of their pristine drawing room.
    “I’ll leave you two ladies to carry on with your visit.” Lord Clayborne stood and patted his waistcoat before spearing his daughter with a final glance. “And do come and speak to me after Miss Wright departs, Katherine.”
    “Of course, Papa.” Kitty watched the doorway for several beats after her father strode away before finally easing back into her chair and exhaling a long breath.
    “Looks like I’ve frightened him off. Now we can breathe.”
    She’d had her fair share of disagreements with her father, but Jess didn’t think they’d ever generated the sort of palpable tension she’d just seen flare between Kitty and Lord Clayborne.
    When she met Kitty’s gaze, she felt a new understanding for the young woman, and a bit of sympathy she suspected Kitty would loathe.
    “Thank you for seeing me, Lady Katherine.”
    She shot one slim finger in the air. “Kitty, please. My father’s the one obsessed with titles, not me.”
    “Kitty, then.” Jess no longer felt animosity toward Kitty. She attempted to convey warmth in her gaze, and Kitty’s mouth slid up into a tremulous almost-grin, as if she wasn’t trustful of kindness. “I’ve come to return your check to you.”
    Kitty began shaking her head so emphatically the pearls around her neck clicked as they slid against the beading on her gown.
    Jess pressed on to get past the most difficult part.
    “I’ve lost my shop, and I’ll be leaving London.”
    “Lost your shop?”
    Tears, little pinpricks of moisture at the corners of her eyes, welled up, and Jess sniffed them away.
    “Because of . . . what happened at the gallery.” She’d apparently caught a bit of Alice’s timidity and couldn’t bring herself to say the word, despite the fact she’d just shouted it several times in her favorite coffeehouse.
    “You lost your shop because you kissed a man?”
    It did sound implausible in Kitty’s incredulous tone. And yet Jess felt the truth of it, the grief of it fresh and heavy, like a substance she carried with her, weighing her down.
    “Well, then you can’t give back the check. You’ll need those funds now more than ever.”
    “No.” Jess thrust the check toward her, willing to leave it lying in the middle of the Adderlys’ beautiful Aubusson carpet if need be.
    When Kitty hesitated to reach for the slip of paper, Jess leaned forward, lifting it up like an offering, flat in the palm of her hand. Other than the summer she’d caught the chicken pox, she’d never been more eager to be rid of anything in her life.
    “Please, Kitty.”
    The plea seemed to strike a chord. Kitty’s eyes softened and she finally lifted her hand to retrieve the check.
    “What will you do now?”
    Jess sighed, relief lightening her, before focusing on Kitty’s question. There was genuine concern in her tone, but Jess was reluctant to reveal the identity of her new employer.
    “I’ve accepted employment with a noblewoman.”
    “Goodness. You do rebound quickly.” Kitty looked truly impressed and Jess sat a little straighter in her chair.
    “I’m made of stern stuff, or so my mother used to say.”
    Kitty scrutinized Jess, assessing her much as Lord Clayborne had moments before.
    “So it seems. Well, good luck to you. We’ll miss you at the meetings.”
    Jess doubted Kitty would attend any more meetings than she had before their strange bargain, but she nodded and thanked her for her well wishes.
    As she stood to depart, she gripped the chair’s arm, momentarily dizzy. Returning the check to Kitty was the last item ticked off her list before departing for Wiltshire and a different sort of life. The prospect of leaving London, the Women’s Union, and even Kitty, whom she barely knew, seemed daunting, heart-wrenching, despite her boast about being strong.
    If Kitty noticed her distress, she didn’t let it show. She merely led Jess to the front door, where a maid appeared to help her into her coat.
    The maid