The Scarlet Kimono (Choc Lit) Read Online Free PDF Page B

dancers and she looked up to find him taking a seat beside her. He was dressed in a green velvet doublet that went well with his fair hair. His beard had been trimmed into pointy perfection for the occasion and his moustache was equally neat. Hannah tore her gaze away as she remembered her sister’s words. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him why he wasn’t with Kate, but he spoke first.
    ‘Aren’t you dancing?’ His eyes sparkled even more than usual and he seemed very merry.
    ‘No, I … that is, I’m resting for a while.’ She felt her cheeks redden under his scrutiny.
    ‘Well, we can’t have that. Will you take a turn with me?’
    Hannah gasped. ‘With you?’ she exclaimed, hardly daring to believe her luck.
    He smiled. ‘Yes, who else? So what do you say?’ He stood up and held out his hand.
    Hannah stared at it for a moment before rising as if in a trance. She put her hand in his, which was large and warm to the touch, and stammered, ‘I, I don’t know,’ but he didn’t wait for the rest of her reply and walked onto the floor, pulling her with him towards the lines forming for the next dance, which was Strip the Willow . They faced each other, men on one side, women on the other, and as they were the first couple they linked arms and began to spin. Hannah counted silently to sixteen in her head, then headed down the line, alternately swinging someone else’s partner and Rydon. At the bottom of the set she joined arms with him again and spun for a count of eight, before it was Rydon’s turn to ‘strip’ his way back to the top.
    It was heaven to dance with him, to watch his face and his smiling eyes each time they linked up. They were grey, she decided, not blue as she had previously thought. Or perhaps silver shot through with blue sparks. Hannah gave herself up to the enjoyment of it all and ignored the sour look she caught from Kate at one point. Her sister whispered something to Eliza, who was seated next to her friend as usual, and Hannah saw Eliza frown and nod. Well, let them talk , she thought. Rydon had asked her, not Kate, and joy made her face split into a huge grin and gave her feet added impetus. She wished the dance would last forever.
    When it was finished, he fetched them both a drink, and handed her the glass with a wink. ‘You’re old enough to drink sack, I take it?’ he teased.
    Hannah stammered an incoherent response and was relieved when he began to speak of other matters. When she had recovered her composure, she begged him to tell her of his recent journey to foreign lands and he obliged with several hair-raising tales. He told of waves higher than houses, enormous sea creatures and hostile natives in strange lands. ‘I’m not frightening you, am I?’ he asked after a while, his eyes still sparkling.
    ‘No, not at all. It all sounds wonderfully exciting.’ She beamed at him and hung on his every word.
    ‘Perhaps after the event.’ He made a wry face.
    ‘I hear you are going to the Far East next.’ The strong wine gave Hannah the courage to flirt a little with her eyes, the way she’d seen Kate do, although it didn’t seem to have much effect on him unfortunately. He continued to smile blandly as before, his eyes a little glazed now.
    ‘You heard about that, did you?’
    ‘Father and Jacob were discussing it last night at supper.’
    ‘Yes, your brother and I are going on a long voyage to try and reach the Japans.’ He frowned a little, but continued. ‘Damned Portuguese discovered those islands some years ago and we want to trade with the natives too. Could be extremely profitable. Your father’s giving us his backing. We leave soon, it’s all been arranged.’
    ‘So I hear.’ Hannah had, in fact, spent quite a lot of time thinking about it during the past few days. It had been impossible not to.
    ‘Can you keep a secret?’ he whispered and leaned close to her ear. Hannah nodded enthusiastically. His nearness made a delicious shiver run through