Page 20 of Enticed By an Earl
“I do not know where to go,” he said in answer to Lord Deveraux telling him to go with him. It was the truth in more ways than Kit wanted to think about.
“The only place you need to worry about going for now is away from here,” Lord Deveraux said, gesturing for Kit to pick up his pace.
When Lord Deveraux glanced behind them, Kit did the same. He wished he hadn’t. His two pursuers had picked up their pace and were gaining ground as they followed. They still maintained an air of feigned disinterest, nodding tosome of the ladies who were out walking with the children they had charge of, as if they were simply on a stroll themselves, but Kit was not fooled by their pretend casualness.
“You say they have been following you since you left your house earlier?” Lord Deveraux asked, glancing around, then taking the path that would lead them toward Mayfair.
“Yes,” Kit answered, his mouth going dry with fear. “They are partially the reason I chose Hyde Park for my walk. I trusted they would not attack me if I was in the open and surrounded by people.”
Lord Deveraux grunted. “A wise decision.”
He said nothing more. Kit wondered if he was sympathetic to the danger pursuing him or if he believed whatever attack seemed imminent was justified, considering who he was and what he’d done.
But no, Lord Deveraux would not whisk him along so protectively nor scan the crowds near the edge of the park so diligently if he believed Kit deserved whatever he got.
“It will be easier to lose them among the buildings on the other side of the road,” Lord Deveraux said, almost as if he were thinking aloud, as the two of them reached an intersection with a great deal of traffic. “You must be ready to run and do whatever I say as soon as I say it.”
A shiver of longing and excitement whipped through Kit. Doing whatever Lord Deveraux said felt as if it could be his life’s purpose. All he could manage was a nod, though, when Lord Deveraux glanced to him.
They both glanced back once more to find their pursuers still approaching. The two men appeared to have been slowed down by a small tussle with a boy and his dog, but they were moving steadily forward.
“Come,” Lord Deveraux said sharply as soon as there was a break in the seemingly endless stream of carriages driving too fast along Park Lane.
Stomach fluttering, Kit leapt into action, striding quickly across the street at Lord Deveraux’s side.
They did not slow down their pace when they reached the other side of the street. In fact, Lord Deveraux broke into a fast stride that required Kit to jog on his shorter legs to keep up with the man. Their speed gained them a few curious looks from other pedestrians, but Kit hardly cared anymore. He would make a fool of himself as long as it meant he could be safe.
Safe with Lord Deveraux.
Lord Deveraux seemed to know what he was doing, though he looked around on high alert as they walked. Kit watched him, every last ounce of his faith invested in the man. When Lord Deveraux’s expression turned from calculating to inspired, Kit’s heart nearly skipped a beat.
“This way,” Lord Deveraux said, veering to the side.
Kit had to dodge a pair of ladies heading to the park for a walk, but he managed to keep up with Lord Deveraux. He somehow managed not to yelp in surprise as Lord Deveraux grabbed his wrist as they approached a narrow alley between two buildings and tugged him off the path and into the relative darkness.
“Keep as quiet and still as possible,” Lord Deveraux charged him as he pulled Kit halfway up the alley.
Kit did not think he could make a sound if he tried.
Halfway along the alley they came to a recessed doorway. Lord Deveraux stepped immediately into the relative shelter it provided, tugging Kit with him. He maneuvered Kit so that his back was pressed against the cold stone of the shallow cavern containing the door, then pressed himself up against Kit to hide him entirely.
Instantly, Kit was surrounded by Lord Deveraux’s scent and warmth. It was heavenly, despite the hell he was going through. Lord Deveraux smelled of leather and spice andsomething clean with a hint of sweat underneath it all from their flight. His body was large and solid. He might have been pressing into Kit as a way to completely shelter him, but Kit’s mind immediately flew to different fantasies entirely.
He closed his eyes but was stopped from losing himself in blissful imagination when a call of, “I know I saw them come down this way,” echoed from the end of the alley.
“It’s empty,” a second voice said. “You were seeing things.”
“Where did they go, then?” the first man asked. “They didn’t vanish into the ether.”
“They must have gone into one of the houses,” the second man said. “We have to keep looking.”
The voices said nothing else. Kit could only hope that his pursuers had moved on. He could not make out his and Lord Deveraux’s positions relative to the alley exactly, but he wagered that the recess they found themselves in was deep enough and concealed enough to hide them entirely.
Even though the threat of danger was past, Lord Deveraux kept Kit wedged into the corner of the recess. “Now, my sweet,” he said, leaning back enough to look down at Kit. “Would you care to tell me why you were at my mother’s ball the other night in the guise of Miss Kitty Dryden?”
“I—” Kit’s first instinct was to deny everything. No good at all could come of confessing his wickedness to Lord Deveraux.
At the same time, something deep and urgent within Kit begged him to tell his champion everything. Lord Deveraux might be disgusted by him, but he might also understand. It was a wild hope, entirely unreasonable, but it took hold and grew. The two of them were still together as they were, their bodies almost flush against each other. If Lord Deveraux believed him to be an abomination, he would have pushed him aside and been done with him long before then.
