"There you are!" She scooped up the furry bundle and scratched behind its ears. The kitten immediately set up a loud purr. "Did you perhaps see my shoe in your travels, you little devil?" she murmured to the furball. "I believe it's stuck somewhere in those bushes." She turned to Austin. "Would you mind terribly taking a look?"

He stared at her, trying to hide his astonishment. If anyone had told him that his quest for solitude would turn into a rescue mission for a madwoman's slipper, he would not have believed it. A madwoman who had asked him to fetch her shoe as if he were a lowly footman. He should be outraged. And as soon as this inexplicable urge to laugh left him, he was sure he would be. Crouching down, he peered into the hedge from which Miss Matthews had sprung.

Spying the missing shoe, he plucked it from the bushes, stood, then handed it to her. "Here you are."

"Thank you, sir."

Raising her skirts several inches, she slid her stockinged foot into the slipper. She had lovely, slim ankles and surprisingly small feet for a woman whom he judged stood about five feet seven. Taller than fashion dictated, but a very nice height, he decided. His gaze roamed upward to her face. Her head would nestle perfectly on his shoulder, and he'd have easy access to that incredibly lush mouth-

Heat rushed through him. Bloody hell, had he taken leave of his senses? One peek at her ankle and he'd lost his mind. He forced his gaze away from her lips and settled it on the contented kitten nestled in the crook of her arm. The animal opened its tiny mouth in a huge yawn.

"It appears Gadzooks is ready for a nap," he said.

"Gadzooks?"

"Yes. One of the tabbies gave birth ten weeks ago. When Mortlin, the groom, found the brood living in the stables, he said 'Gadzooks, look at all those kittens!'" Despite himself, a smile tugged at his lips. "Actually, we should consider ourselves fortunate. The last litter was born in Mortlin's bed and the names he christened the beasts were much more, er, colorful."