“And neither Sir Hubert nor Tristram is my relative,” I added. “My mother was married to Sir Hubert many husbands ago, which made Tristram and me almost related once, that’s all.”

“I see.” There was a long pause while Darcy poured us another glass of wine. “So are you seeing much of that blighter Hautbois?”

“Darcy, I do believe you’re jealous.”

“Just keeping a protective eye on you, that’s all.”

I decided to strike back. “So I gather you were at a party with Belinda last night.”

“Belinda? Yes, she was at the party. What a grand girl she is—heaps of fun. Not an inhibition in sight.”

“She told me you might be too wild for me.” I paused. “I wondered how she knew that.”

“Did you, now? That would be telling.”

He grinned at my obvious discomfort, then he leaned closer to me. “Are you going to let me kiss you tonight? Even though I’m wild?”

“You did promise to behave like a gentleman, remember.”

“So I did. Here, let me fill that wineglass for you.”

“Are you attempting to get me drunk so that you can have your way with me?” I asked, my own inhibitions miraculously melting with the first glasses of wine.

“I don’t believe in that approach myself. I like my women to be fully aware of what they are doing so that they get the maximum enjoyment from it.” His eyes, over his raised wineglass, were flirting with me. I was very conscious of those melting inhibitions.

I made an attempt to stand up. “It’s getting rather cold out here, isn’t it? Don’t you think we should go inside?”

“Good idea.” He picked up our glasses and the wine bottle, which was now miraculously empty, and went ahead of me into the house. I followed with the remains of the food. I was just setting it down in the kitchen when his arms came around my waist.

“Darcy!”

“I always think it’s better to take ’em by surprise,” he whispered, and started kissing the side of my neck in a way that made me go weak at the knees. I turned to face him and his lips moved to meet mine. I had been kissed plenty of times before, behind the potted palms at deb balls, in the backseats of taxies on the way home. There had even been a bit of groping thrown in, but nothing had made me feel like this. My arms came around his neck and I was kissing him back. Somehow my body seemed to know how to respond. I felt giddy with desire.

“Ow,” I said as I was somehow backed into a cooker knob.

“Kitchens are damned uncomfortable places, aren’t they?” He was laughing. “Come on, let’s go and take in the sunset from upstairs. It’s the most glorious view across the Thames.”