Free A Gentleman and a Scoundrel (The Regency Gentlemen Series) by Norma Darcy Page A

down to me,” he said holding out his arms. “I promise I shan’t let you fall.”
    Louisa looked around for a means of escape and saw none but the gentleman smiling gently up at her. The warm breeze tugged at his shirt, laying the material flat against the muscles of his arms, ruffling the hair on his head, pulling at the rose he had hooked through the top button-hole of his waistcoat.
    “Louisa,” he said. “Will you not trust me?”
    She looked down at him and saw a mixture of humour and entreaty and frank admiration in his gaze. Throwing caution to the wind she eased herself forward, the bark grazing the backs of her thighs as she slid off the branch. His hands grasped her waist and he lightly swung her down until her feet almost touched the ground. Almost. He held her a moment, her toes in mid air, her breast against his, her heart hammering so hard she thought that he must feel it through their clothes. Her gaze seemed caught in his. She could not free it no matter how hard she tried to pull it away.
    “Louisa,” he whispered. “Have you any notion how beautiful you are?”
    She blushed in riotous confusion. The kitten mewled from his nest in Mr Ashworth’s coat.
    “The kitten, sir, I think he must be hungry.”
    “I am sure he is,” Nicholas murmured.
    “I should return him to his mother.”
    “All in good time.”
    “Your poor coat, sir, I fear it is ruined.”
    “And yet, strangely I do not care. What else will you think of, I wonder, to stall the inevitable?”
    “I think you should let me go, sir.”
    “And why would I do a silly thing like that?”
    “Because it is improper to hold me so.”
    “Even though you like it?” he asked.
    “What makes you think that I like it?” she returned loftily, her eyes almost meeting his.
    “Because you are trembling. And I think that if I kissed you…”
    She swallowed hard, her eyes shyly meeting his. “And are you going to kiss me?”
    “I was going to kiss you the minute I saw you stuck up that tree,” he replied and did so. He kissed her gently and almost as soon pulled his mouth away and Louisa was prey to a stab of disappointment. His arms held her close then and he placed his chin atop her head. Perhaps he would kiss her properly once they were married. She sighed contentedly and laid her cheek against his shoulder.
    “Whenever you are with me everything seems so simple,” she said into his cravat. “It is when I am alone that I begin to have doubts. I don’t mean to but I just can’t help it.”
    “Doubts about what?”
    “You. Me. Malvern. Everything.”
    “ Malvern ?” Nicholas ejaculated, pulling away slightly. “What on earth has he to say to this?”
    “A great deal,” she responded, laying her hands against his chest. “My whole family wants me to wed him. His family too. It is expected of me.”
    “I don’t give a stuff for that…” he said crossly. “You don’t, do you?”
    “I don’t know.”
    He took her by the shoulders and looked intently into her face. “Do you love me, Louisa?”
    “Oh yes! At least I think I do,” she added thoughtfully in less than flattering accents, “but Mama says I am too young to think of love affairs. She wants me to make a good match first and then says I am to have affairs when I am older.”
    Nicholas shuddered visibly at the thought. “You shall not. I won’t let you.”
    “But it wouldn’t be so very bad, I suppose. Malvern is quite a good match besides being rather handsome and such a kind, considerate man―”
    “Malvern isn’t just a good match,” he said grimly. “He’s the best match. They don’t call him the Nonpareil for nothing. Short of Prinny himself, you could not do better for yourself. And what am I? A poor country bumpkin who has acquired nothing but a little town bronze.”
    “Oh no, Nicholas, you are a gentleman .”
    He flung away from her. “A gentleman.” He laughed scornfully. “How can I compete with him? I have no title, no estate; I do not