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Catherine wanted nothing to do with any erous charht still be ahead of him And if not … it was entirely possible that hers were

Approximately a week after Leo had left Hampshire, Catherine spent an afternoon outside with Beatrix Unfortunately these outings were never the kind of well-regulated walk that Catherine preferred Beatrix didn’t walk, she explored She liked to go deep into the forest, investigating flora, fungi, nests, webs, and holes in the ground Nothing delighted the youngest Hathaway so much as the discovery of a black newt, a lizard’s nest, or a rabbit warren, or the tracking of badgers’ ht, rehabilitated, and set free, or if they could not fend for themselves, they became part of the Hathaway household And the family had become so accustomed to Beatrix’s ani waddled through the parlor or a pair of rabbits hopped past the dinner table

Pleasantly tired after the long ra table and took down her hair She scrubbed her fingers over her scalp and through the loose blond waves, soothing the little aches left froht braids and hairpins

A happy chatter came froer, e, sinuous body arced gracefully as he loped toward her with a white glove in his teeth The s from drawers and boxes and closets, and hide theer especially loved her possessions It had becoh Rarown rat," Catherine told hie of her chair She reached out to pet his sleek fur, tickled the top of his head, and carefully pried the glove fro on to gloves, are you?"

He regarded her affectionately, his eyes bright in the dark stripe that fors?" she asked, setting the glove on the dressing table "If I don’t find s up with pieces of old string"

Dodger twitched his whiskers and appeared to grin at her, displaying tiny pointed teeth He wriggled invitingly

S reluctantly, Catherine picked up a hairbrush and drew it through the loose locks of her hair "No, I don’t have ti ready for dinner"

In a liquid and lightning-fast love froer," Catherine exclai that back!" She went out into the hallhere er disappeared around the corner

"Virgie," Catherine asked one of the irl was breathless and s "Lord Leo has just come from London, miss, and the housekeeper told us to ready his rooe when the foot the color drain from her face "But he didn’t send word No one expected hied and hurried aith an armload of folded linens

Catherine put a hand to her , and retreated into her room She wasn’t ready to face Leo It wasn’t fair that he had come back so soon

Of course, it was his estate But still …

She paced in a tight circle and tried to hts There was only one solution: She would avoid Leo She would plead a headache and stay in her room

In the midst of her turmoil, there was a tap on the door So for a response Catherine nearly choked on her own heartbeat as she saw Leo’s tall, familiar form

"How dare you come into my room without…" Her voice faded as he closed the door

Leo turned to face her, his gaze sweeping over her He was travel-ru, the dark brown locks disheveled and falling over his forehead He looked self-possessed but cautious, the ever-presentshe couldn’t identify Soainst herShe held still as he approached her, while her heart pounded with a dizzying mixture of dread and excite body and gripped the edge of the dressing table behind her He was too close, hisher He smelled like outside air, like dust and horses, like a healthy young ently into the mass of her skirts

"Why did you come back?" she asked weakly

He stared directly into her eyes "You knohy"

Before Catherine could stop herself, her gaze dropped to the firm contours of his mouth

"Cat … we have to talk about what happened"

"I don’t knohat you htly "Would you like me to remind you?"

"No, no…" She shook her head for eh, darling"

Darling?

Filled with anxiety, Catherine fought to keep her voice steady "I thought I nore what happened"

"And you expect that will o away?"

"Yes, that’s what one does with mistakes," she said with difficulty "One sets them aside and moves on"

"Really?" Leo asked innocently "My mistakes are usually so enjoyable that I tend to repeat the with her that she was tempted to soverness voice All stern and disapproving It hty schoolboy" One of his hands lifted to caress the edge of her jaw

Her body raced with conflicting i her to move away from him The result was a kind of stunned i up taut "If you don’t leave my room this instant," she heard herself say, "I’llin the world I would enjoyyou make a scene In fact, I’ll help you How shall we start?" Leo seemed to enjoy her discomfiture, the wash of uncontrollable color over her face

The pad of his thu motion that caused her head to tilt back before she quite knehat she was doing "I’ve never seen such eyes," he said almost absently "They reertips followed the edge of her jaw "When the wind chases the waves before it, the water is the saray your eyes are now … and then it turns to blue at the horizon"

Catherine could only assuain She scowled at hi ti lightly "I want your secrets And I’ll get theave her the i yourself at my expense, as usual You are a dissipated scoundrel, an unprincipled cad, and--"

"Don’t forget ‘lecherous libertine,--" he said "That’s one of my favorites"

"Get out!"

He pushed away lazily froo Obviously you fear that if I stay, you won’t be able to control your desire for me"

"The only desire I have for you," she said, "involves rinned and went to the door Pausing at the threshold, he glanced over his shoulder "Your spectacles are fogging again," he said helpfully, and slipped through the door before she could find so to throw

Chapter Five

"Leo," A, "you have to get lance His sister knew better than to start a conversation with him so early He preferred to ease his way into the day, whereas A herself at it full tilt Moreover, he’d slept badly the night before, plagued by erotic drea Catherine Marks

"You know I’ll never marry," he said