As they exchanged their vows, Anne hesitated at the word obey, causing the vicar to repeat the words as if she’d forgotten.
Colin stifled a chuckle, knowing full well her memory had not failed. He pulled the ring from his pocket and slipped it onto Anne’s finger. He’d arranged for a jeweler to bring a selection from London. He’d selected a single Ceylon sapphire—the color of Anne’s eyes—set in the center of a pearl cluster. Two pear-shaped rubies, which reminded him of Anne’s red hair and fiery spirit, sat amid the pearls and flanked the sapphire. The ring blended beauty with a quiet whimsy, as if designed specifically for Anne. From the upturn of her mouth as he slipped it on her finger, the ring pleased her.
When the ceremony ended and he led Anne from the ballroom, a deliciously wicked idea popped into his mind. With a gentle tug of her hand, he pulled her toward the very service closet that had precipitated the events of the day.
Perhaps he moved a little too quickly, because she sounded breathless when she asked, “What are you doing? Aren’t we going to wait for everyone to wish us joy?”
“In a moment. But first...” He opened the closet, gave her a nudge inside, stepped in, and closed the door behind him. Within the small space, he didn’t have to reach far to find her and pull her into his arms. “I want to enjoy our first kiss as husband and wife away from prying eyes, and I simply cannot wait.”
He pressed his lips to hers. The kiss shouldn’t have been different, but somehow it was. No longer forbiddenor scandalous, it was simply something he didn’t want to share in front of others. She was his, and he wanted her all to himself. Indulgent and satisfying, the kiss drove all sense of time from his mind.
Anne grasped his shoulders, then moved one hand to run through his hair. As her fingernails scraped against his scalp, he moaned with pleasure. Who would have guessed his wife would set him on fire? His wife. No need for propriety and restraint. He slid one hand up from her waist to rest under her breast, and her heart beat against his palm like an untamed horse, too full of spirit to stand still. Carefully, so he wouldn’t frighten her, he thumbed her nipple, pleased when even through the fabric of her gown and undergarments, it hardened under his touch.
Voices, distant and muffled, drifted from outside, but too lost in the sensation of Anne in his arms, he ignored them.
Light spilled into the sacred sanctuary, and a decidedly amused voice said, “Well, at least you’re married this time.”
Anne jumped away from him, but he pulled her back against his side and blinked into the face of Andrew Weatherby once again—and grinned. “We were recapturing a memory.”
Anne stared at Colin.Did he make a joke? With her head still spinning from the kiss and—goodness—how Colin had brushed against her breast, Anne wasn’t entirely sure. It certainly seemed like a joke.
She gazed up into the...smiling?face ofher husband. Goodness, they reallyweremarried.
Which, from the expressions on everyone’s faces, was her salvation.
When they stepped from the confines of the closet into the hall where their guests waited, heat seared Anne’s cheeks. What must everyone think?
Although Andrew did not appear nonplussed over her and Colin’s display of affection, Lord Stratford’s brows drew down intoa sharp V. She felt exposed as if she’d stood naked before the entire assembly.
Mr. Beckham grinned more broadly than Colin. “Couldn’t wait until tonight, Manning?”
Anne cast her gaze toward Colin. Weren’t those almost his exact words?I simply cannot wait.Colin wanted her. Desired her. Pride, delicate but undeniable, unfurled in her chest.
Charlotte smacked her husband on the arm with her fan and inclined her head toward Lord Stratford.
“Oh. I beg your pardon, my lord. I meant no offense.” With the grin still covering Mr. Beckham’s face, he added, “But as I understand it, Manning still needs an heir. Better to start sooner rather than later.”
Of course. How could she forget? He needed an heir. No doubt as soon as possible because of her increasing age.
How silly of her to believe it was anything more.
A delicate cough drew Anne’s attention to Honoria and away from her self-deprecating thoughts. “Yes. Well. After we wish Colin and Anne joy, shall we gather in the dining room for breakfast?”
Honoria took Anne’s hands in hers. “Welcome to the family, Lady Manning.”
Lady Manning.
Yes. She would focus on the positive.
“I’m a viscountess!”
Burwood chuckled as he bussed her cheek. “Don’t let it go to your head, Anne. Titles aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. They hold a lot of responsibility.”
Each person wished them well. Lady Stratford, her new mother-in-law, promised to share secrets about Colin when he was a boy.
Burwood’s Aunt Kitty cackled as Colin kissed her cheek. “I hope you know what you’re in for, young man.”
Anne was still frowning from the countess’s comment when Charlotte stepped in front of her.
