Page 25 of Enticed By an Earl
“I do believe that you and Mrs. Torrance will keep me safe, or at least endeavor to,” Kit said, turning slightly to Dev with an apologetic look. “But I am not certain living only in these rooms, as nice and as generous as they are, is much of a life.”
“You misunderstand me,” Dev said, his smile and amusement growing. “I believe you have a chance to live precisely the sort of life you would wish for and to live it as openly as you dare.”
Kit frowned. Dev wondered if he had begun piecing things together yet.
“Or should I say that Miss Kitty Dryden might have precisely the sort of life she wishes to live,” Dev continued. He lifted his brow in a mischievous expression.
Kit blinked, then his jaw dropped. “You are not suggesting that I attempt to live as…as Kitty, are you?”
“That is exactly what I am suggesting,” Dev said with a shrug.
“That is madness,” Kit argued, shifting even more to face Dev. Their knees bumped, and Dev felt a jolt of excitement reverberate through him. “I risked more than enough attending your mother’s ball as Kitty. I cannot live that way for any greater length of time, and I most certainly cannot consider any sort of public life as that person.”
“Why not?” Dev asked with a one-shoulder shrug. “You are astoundingly convincing as a woman. You have all the mannerisms and softness of a woman. The way you modulated your voice and whatever you did to powder your face and soften your features were so convincing that I did not realize who you were.”
“Others did realize, though,” Kit insisted, raising his voice a bit.
Dev tensed with protectiveness. “Who? Who noticed? Did they harm you in any way?” He reached out a hand and rested it on Kit’s knee without thinking.
Kit glanced down at Dev’s hand. A shiver seemed to pass through him. He blew out a breath and relaxed a bit before looking up at Dev once more.
“Lady Everly knew it was me in that dress,” he said gloomily. “My disguise was not as convincing as all that.”
Dev frowned. “Lady Everly is a friend of yours, is she not?”
“She is,” Kit answered. “She was my grandmother’s friend and has known me all my life.”
“That is why she recognized you,” Dev said, confident in that assessment. “It is only natural that a perceptive woman who has known you since you were in leading strings would see through whatever adornment you gave yourself. Does she know that you wish to live your life entirely differently?”
Dev knew the answer before Kit spoke a word by thesheepish way he bit his lip. “She does,” he admitted. “In fact, quite often when I join her and my friends Georgiana and Alice for tea at her house, I powder and paint my face to feel more like myself.”
“There you have it,” Dev smiled. “She knew you because sheknowsyou. I can assure you that no one else will be the wiser.”
Kit held his breath for a moment, a far-away look in his eyes. Dev could tell that his arguments had been persuasive, and he was certain Kit would eventually agree to begin an entirely new life.
He had one final sweetener to offer up to the idea as well.
“I should very much like to get to know Miss Kitty Dryden better,” he said, lowering his voice and reaching for Kit’s knee once more. It was a bold, potentially shameless move, but it felt right to be as open as possible in the moment. “I was completely charmed by her during our dance.”
Kit glanced from Dev’s hand on his knee up into Dev’s eyes with a disbelieving look. “You…want to know Kitty?”
“I want to knowyou,” Dev said. “You are one of the most intriguing people I have ever met, either as Kit, Lord Castleton, or Miss Kitty Dryden. I find you to be charming and intelligent, and as now seems to be the time when we are speaking the whole truth without holding back, I will say that I find you beautiful in whatever form you should choose to present yourself.”
“Oh,” Kit said, suddenly breathless.
“I am a rake and a bounder, Miss Dryden,” he said, sliding his hand further up Kit’s leg, then diverting to take his hand instead of attempting to fondle other things. He brought Kit’s hand to his lips, then said, “Your virtue might not be safe with me. But if that is a risk you are willing to take, or ifyou do not care as much for your virtue as you should, then I think we could be each other’s perfect companions.”
Kit’s face flushed so beautifully that it was all Dev could do not to lean in and capture his sweet lips in a sensual kiss. Perhaps it was the aura of the room they sat in, but fiery desire raced through Dev and the impulse to strip Kit of his clothing and show him just how much he desired a man’s body as well as a woman’s was difficult to suppress.
Kit brought him back down to earth a bit by asking, “You would really allow me to attempt a life as Kitty while under your roof and in your care?” He was breathless, and excitement glimmered in his eyes.
“Upon my honor, I would,” Dev said.
“And…and you would continue to be my friend and support me, no matter what might happen?” Kit asked.
“I would,” Dev said, closing both his hands around Kit’s. “I can see that you are unhappy as you are, and I can also see that you wish to be something, someone, else. Yes, it is a colossal risk, but I am willing to take that risk with you, if this is something you feel you must do.”
Kit’s eyes suddenly went glassy, and when he blinked, tears raced down his cheeks. “No one has ever offered me anything like this before. I am not certain I know what to do with it. And I am endlessly tired of behaving like a watering pot.” He huffed a tight, almost manic laugh and wiped at his face.
