Her breath caught as the sneer of Cyprian Wythe made her shrink backward. The other unfamiliar man glared, but lacked the same poison in his eyes.
Cyprian looked up and down the dark hall before nailing his gaze upon her. His voice grated against her like a fork on a metal charger. “What are you doing here young miss? Come looking for company? Were the patriots too much for you?”
Her heart beat so quick it held her response captive. She tried to force a smile on her lips, but the heaviness around her consumed every muscle.
Turning to his companion, Cyprian motioned to her. “Mr. Cooper, this is Miss Campbell, the young lady I was telling you ab
out. She, too, is a Tory. Since there are so few of us, we must band together.”
As if Cyprian had said nothing, Andrew stepped up and made a quick bow. “Good evening, Miss Campbell, ‘tis a pleasure to meet you.” He stood straight and darted a quick look to Cyprian, his expression hard. “You must forgive me. Though you, gentle lady, are welcome in my home, this Tory is not. Thus, I’m escorting him from this gathering. Please excuse us.”
Cyprian leaned toward her, his breath stale. “Whose side are you on?” The frightening hatred that oozed from his black eyes pushed her backward until her shoulders pressed against the wall. He tossed a quick glare to Andrew before they walked toward the large front door at the end of the hall.
Kitty pressed a hand to her throat, trying to catch her breath when another set of footfalls neared and several voices echoed in the hall, but all she heard were the bold words whirling in her mind. Whose side are you on?
“’Tis almost as if you’re searching for trouble.” Nathaniel’s rich timbre jerked her from Cyprian’s ominous query. She pushed off the wall and brushed her hands against her skirts, hoping the action would soothe her ruffled nerves.
She shrugged and smiled. “Would you believe me if I said I wasn’t?”
Nathaniel’s eyes brightened in jest. “Nay, I would not.” He looked behind him toward the two he’d just passed and his expression turned dark. “Was he bothering you again?” He stepped nearer, the dim light of the hall casting perfect shadows across his face.
Kitty raised her chin slightly and looked away. “Nay. That other gentleman, Mr. Cooper, said he was escorting him out.”
She looked back at Nathaniel and nearly lost her breath when her gaze collided with his. The caring in Nathaniel’s eyes, the way his tenderness encircled her, seemed to lift her from the floor. His jaw lowered slightly and he tipped a single brow upward as a smile teased one side of his mouth. Her heart thudded against her ribs. Should she tell him what she had heard between the two men? Blinking, she made a quick shake of her head and smiled to hide the surge of questions. Of course she shouldn’t mention it, ‘twould be folly, surely. None of this was her affair and it was best left alone.
Nathaniel lifted his head with a glint of warmth in his face and gestured for her to enter the library. She struggled to keep the heat from her cheeks when his hand rested against the small of her back.
Once inside, she scanned the welcoming room. A large fire crackled in the fireplace in the center of the library’s far wall and illuminated the modest rows of books surrounding them. Two large chairs and a settee lounged comfortably in front of the hearth as if soaking up the warmth from the flames.
Nathaniel stood in front of her, thankfully keeping a healthy distance. If he came too close she might be tempted to let her gaze memorize his rugged features, as though she didn’t already know them by heart.
He planted his feet beside the nearest chair and folded his arms, staring at her with those all-searching eyes.
Her stays tightened the longer he stared and she wriggled to ease the discomfort. Would he not speak? She tried offering a gentle smile to coax some kind of response from him, but the glowering look remained. Why was he so quiet? She had been belittled by him. Shouldn’t she be the glaring party?
The silence grew so loud Kitty could endure it no longer. She shifted her feet. Fiddling with the embroidered rose on the bottom of her stomacher, she chanced a look at him again. Her pulse jumped. Why did he look at her as if he peeked into the locked rooms of her heart? Kitty looked back at the flames, reminding herself that Nathaniel’s allure affected all women.
“What made you come back?”
Kitty jerked at his sudden question. She sputtered for a moment then laughed. “What made me come back? What do you mean?”
He shrugged with one shoulder, never moving his gaze away from her. “At Eliza’s and Thomas’s wedding last year you were convinced that returning to Boston and living with your aunt was the best course to take. But it appears you have changed your mind. So, what made you come back?”
“Is that why you followed me? To ask me that?” Her face burned, but she feigned composure and looked at him with as much ease as she could marshal. “Boston is too dangerous, you know that.”
“’Tis true, I am well aware of what Boston and its residents suffer. But I cannot believe that was the only reason you returned.”
Training her mouth to reveal nothing more than a slight grin, she strained to keep her pulse quiet. She stepped toward the fire, resting her hand atop the chair, acting more casual than she felt. “If there were any other reason, do you think that I would share such information with you? Surely, Nathaniel, I cannot share all my secrets.”
“Secrets? Well, now I am curious.”
Kitty rubbed the lace on her gloves and emitted a warm, genuine laugh that eased the strain in her voice. She offered an impish smile. “I came back for several reasons, if you must know. As I mentioned, ‘twas for matters of safety that Henry Donaldson insisted I return as well as—”
“Donaldson?”
Kitty peered over her shoulder, hiding the grin that surged at the undeniable question in Nathaniel’s eyes. Could he be... nay, not possible. She kept her focus. “Aye, Henry Donaldson. You remember him, do you not?”
“Aye, of course. I just... I just hadn’t known he was still... around. He was always a good friend and I admire him, despite his poor choice of allegiances.” Nathaniel’s interested expression stayed lifted, but the light in his eyes went flat. “Are you... have you been seeing much of him of late?”