Free Sally James by At the Earls Command Page B

he did recognize you and follow you. And he might not have done as he wasn't in the least expecting to see you.'
    'Are you sure?' Kate asked, hurrying along at Martin's side, stumbling occasionally on the unevennesses of the path, and thankful that his grasp kept her upright.
    'Of course we can. Many of these paths are quite dark, and we can soon twist about so that he will lose us. Or we can hide in one of the little pavilions until he has given up searching, and then find Chloe and Luke when it is time to go back home.'
    He swung her round into an even narrower, unlit path, and soon she lost all sense of direction. She was breathless when a small structure loomed up out of the darkness at the end of one of the paths. When Martin guided her to the seat inside it, she sank down with a sigh.
    'How did you know this was here?' she asked with a slightly nervous laugh. 'And is it safe?'
    'Safe from your Adam,' he replied.
    Kate was beginning to distinguish the lighter area where the pavilion's open side was, and several tall trees silhouetted against the faint glow from the lanterns. The noise of the revelry seemed far away, but they could not have come a great distance.
    'Chloe and Luke will become anxious,' she murmured after a few moments when the silence between them had lengthened into an uncomfortable pause.
    'They'll be happy enough, I doubt if they'll give a thought to us,' Martin replied. He stumbled over his words slightly, his voice seeming hoarse as he spoke. Kate wished she was back in the comparative safety of the booth.
    'We'd better go,' she said suddenly. 'Adam will surely not be searching for me, and the Gardens are so big it's unlikely we will meet again by chance. I was foolishly afraid of him. I have my aunt's permission to be here.'
    She stood up, forgetting that Martin had not removed his arm, and stumbled against him as he remained seated.
    'Kate, don't be in such haste to escape,' he muttered thickly. To her horror she found herself being pulled down onto his knees. His arms were clamped about her, imprisoning hers so that she was unable to regain her balance or struggle free of his grasp.
     

Chapter Seven
     
    'Martin! Stop it!' she exclaimed breathlessly, but his grip tightened.
    'You're such a tempting morsel, little Kate,' he said. 'Come now, be kind to me. Luke has my little sister, and you can be sure they are making the most of this opportunity of being together. Why shouldn't we as well?'
    Kate, attempting to wriggle away from his embrace, found herself pulled even closer to him. His mouth, his lips soft and full, landed with a smack on her cheek. She gasped with a mixture of shock, fear and disgust, and redoubled her efforts to free herself.
    'Kate, I won't hurt you,' he assured her plaintively, and this time his mouth found hers just as she opened it to scream for help. To her horror and disgust he forced his tongue between her lips so that she feared she would choke as it invaded her mouth.
    Desperate, revolted by the slack wetness of his lips and his probing tongue, Kate bit hard. With a gasp of shock and pain Martin thrust her away from him and sprang to his feet.
    'Why, you little prude!' he exclaimed. Before Kate, thrown off balance once more by his sudden movement, could regain her feet he seized her roughly and was twisting her arms behind her back.
    'Let me go!' she panted, but he was much too strong for her. He soon captured both her hands in one of his, using the other to force her face towards him.
    'I'll teach you to be so vicious!' he said hoarsely, pulling her so fiercely against him that the breath was knocked out of her. 'You lead a man on with smiles and tempting looks, then try to pretend you're as innocent as a newborn babe! Or do you prefer to be treated roughly? Is that it?'
    His mouth came down on hers so that she could not scream. Writhing to fight off his loathsome embrace, Kate was consumed with fury. It gave her the strength to kick at his ankles, and as he gasped in