Her hand flew to his shoulder.
“Stop,” she said quickly. “You have to.”
“We will not be noticed,” he said, continuing.
“We will if I scream the way I was about to,” she explained. “Come, we ought to… I should return the favor at least.”
He sighed, not wanting it to end but knowing it had to. He pulled back, quickly wiping his chin and pulling her to her feet. He replaced her corset, wishing he had been able to discard it entirely, and adjusted her gown so that she appeared untouched.Her hair was tousled, but there was little that he could do about that. He fixed his own disheveled appearance, and they made their way back.
They managed to reach the carriage unseen, at least.
“I meant what I said,” she whispered as they rode home.
“I know you did, but we have more than enough time for that.”
She leaned against him, satisfied with the response, but Spencer could not help but wonder if it was true.
CHAPTER 18
Anna did not think that she would ever enjoy the way that Spencer had. Still less that she would enjoy his attentions so much.
It had been an intense afternoon, with her feeling pleased about the auction and nervous around her father and terrified of the man who wanted his way with her. She hated the way he had towered over her, as if she were some common wanton that would give in to him.
There was only one man that she would ever have behaved in such a way with, and it pained her to make him stop, but they were taking too much of a risk. They had to protect their family name.
“Are you well?” he asked as they returned home.
“Yes, quite,” she replied, still rather breathless. “I was not expecting all of that, but I am rather pleased that it happened.Well, not the gentleman who accosted me. Spencer, you should know that I–”
He silenced her stream of thought by pressing a finger to her lips. She obeyed at once, laughing softly at how out of sorts she felt.
“Your father will not be a burden to you anymore. I have made it clear to him that he is to respect you, and that he is not to have such awful behavior in public.”
“Yes, we cannot have any… bad behavior.”
He chuckled.
“As for that other man, I never believed a word of it. You told me that you have only been loyal to me, and I have taken you at your word. I would have known if you had not.”
Anna raised an eyebrow, but before she could ask how he could possibly have known, they arrived home. He helped her out of the carriage, and she took his arm as they made their way inside.
“Be sure to dress nicely for dinner,” he instructed. “I will meet you here.”
Anna felt what could only have been described as giddiness as she was dressed for dinner that night. She wished to be at her most feminine and to wear something he would approveof, something as lovely as any debutante would wear during courtship.
When she descended the staircase, she was wearing a pale pink satin gown, her hair pinned in ringlets.
All the better for him to unravel.
She shivered at the thought of it and tried helplessly to push it aside. She had already acted in an improper manner, and it was to be a nice dinner. She had to be respectable, even if the thought of her husband made it impossible to do so.
When she arrived at the dining room, however, there was nothing prepared. The table was empty of food, and the dining room was empty of staff. Her breath caught in her throat, wondering if it had been a trick, when she felt a comforting hand on her side.
“Not here,” he whispered. “Come.”
He led her instead to the parlor room, where she was met with a lit fire and a meal prepared for them on the table. Outside, it had begun to snow, and Spencer took a seat on a rug by the fire and patted the floor beside him, gesturing for her to join him.
“This is rather nice,” she smiled, taking a seat beside him. “A picnic?”
