Honoria, bless her, apologized that there would be no gooseberry pie for dessert. “Anne, if I had known you were partial to gooseberries, I would have requested Cook to procure some. As it is, I don’t care for them myself.”
“Perhaps it is your only fault, my dear,” their father said. “But I’m pleased the family will acquire one member who appreciates them.” He gave a sharp nod and returned to his meal.
“Well done, Anne,” Colin whispered. “You and my father have found common ground.”
A sly smile spread across her—very kissable—lips. “Not really. I lied about liking them.”
Colin barked a laugh, drawing everyone’s attention. Ignoring them, he smiled at his bride-to-be. “Which means you and I have found common ground. Like my sister, I detest them.”
With renewed hope, Colin enjoyed the rest of the meal, especially the chocolate-covered marzipan, which was both his sister’s and his favorite. And from the way Anne’s eyes closed as the piece of candy melted in her mouth, it was hers as well.
She gave a little moan of delight, and a look of rapture claimed her.
Colin couldn’t take his eyes off her.
He could barely concentrate as his mind drifted to their upcoming wedding night, and he prayed he would see that expression again.
The night before her wedding,Anne lay awake and envisioned every little detail. As she had told Colin, her gown was lovely, and Mrs. Merrick admitted she had outdone herself. Honoria finished last-minute details in the ballroom, where the ceremony would be held, with a ball following in the evening.
Alice had cornered her before she went to bed and placedthe bookin her hands. “This served me well when your brother and I were married.”
Having already stolen peeks at the scandalous book, Anne made a face. “I don’t want to picture Andrew doing any of those things.”
Alice’s blond brows lifted. “Anne, you didn’t.”
“Only a peek. Or two.” She clutched the book to her chest. “But thank you. Mama was in earlier, and she only said everything that would happen was natural, and that I should simplyrelax and enjoy it.”
Alice laughed. “It’s good advice, and better than what some women receive from their mothers.” She kissed Anne on the forehead. “Andrew and I hope you will be very happy with Lord Manning.”
With that, she left, leaving Anne to ponder her future. Everything had happened so quickly. As much as she enjoyed Colin’s kisses and looked forward to their physical coupling, she wanted more—something deeper that transcended mere physical pleasure. Was it wrong to long for a love match?
Not wishing to dwell on what she didn’t have—because that only brought an uncomfortable ache in her heart—she turned her thoughts back to what she did have. What Colin offered her.
Somewhere between imagining Colin locking her in one of the embraces pictured in the book or him locking her in an attic room of his dark, dangerous castle, sleep crept in.
“Wake up, miss.” Her maid’s cheery voice and the rustle of curtains being drawn back pulled her from slumber.
Anne shielded her eyes to prepare for the blinding onslaught of sun streaming in from the window only to find the room gray and gloomy. She rubbed her eyes and turned to Joan. “What time is it? The sun’s not even up.”
“It’s after seven, miss.”
As Anne gained consciousness, she turned toward the pelting of rain against the window. A flash of light lit the room for a moment, and the crack of thunder followed.
A storm on her wedding day.Perfect. She huffed and threw her legs over the side of the bed. The brief, discouraging thought fled as quickly as it had popped into her mind. At least they wouldn’t have to travel outside to a church for the ceremony.
Joan had brought her a tray with tea and some toast. “Her Grace thought you might like to remain in your room so Lord Manning doesn’t see you before the wedding.”
After throwing on a dressing gown, Anne took a seat at the small table in her room. “That’s a silly superstition.” Still, one couldn’t be too careful, she supposed.
She had little appetite, but she sipped her tea and nibbled her toast in silence as footmen brought up buckets of hot water andfilled a tub for her bath. Another flash of lightning and boom of thunder caused one footman to slosh water onto the floor.
Was the weather a harbinger of things to come? She never liked dwelling on negative possibilities, but with each tick of the clock it became increasingly difficult not to imagine she was making a horrible mistake.
Finally bathed and dressed, she sat before the dressing table as Joan brushed and fashioned her hair in an elaborate design. Done tucking tiny seed pearls into Anne’s curls, Joan stood back, hands on hips, and assessed her. “You look beautiful, miss. Lord Manning is a lucky man.”
She met her maid’s gaze in the mirror and grinned. “He is, isn’t he?”
And just like that, her mood shifted back to normal. Even the driving rain no longer dimmed her sunny optimism. Not only would her marriage succeed, but Lord Grumpy-Trousers would come to appreciate her, even love her.
