Anne collapsed on top of him, leaving him little time or energy to ponder it further. Instead, he pulled her to his side and cradled her head on his chest, incredibly content and happy for the first time in ages.
CHAPTER 21
Snuggled next to Colin, Anne felt safe and very, very satisfied. If this was what married life held in store, she would enjoy it immensely, even marriage to the grump.
Colin pulled the counterpane over them both and kissed the top of her head. “Get some actual rest. We wouldn’t want to be proven liars now, would we?”
She grinned and wiggled closer, pleased when his arms wrapped tighter around her. Grump though he may be, he was her grump. She might even forgive him for calling her a nuisance. Eventually.
With delicious ideas both from Alice’s book and ways to get Colin to smile, she drifted off into a pleasant slumber.
At least until someone rudely shook her awake. “Anne. Anne. It’s time to wake up.”
Forcing her bleary eyes open, she blinked Colin’s face into focus. “What? I just fell asleep.”
A slow smile crossed his lips—which she wanted to kiss. “You’ve been sleeping for four hours. People will believe I’ve murdered you.” His smile widened. “Or more likely that you’ve murdered me.”
Gently, he slipped his arm from underneath her body. “My armis asleep as well. Put on your dressing gown, and I’ll draw you a bath. Burwood recently had this room plumbed.”
When he rolled out of bed, Anne admired his backside—firm and nicely rounded. She’d been in such a state earlier, she’d not had ample opportunity to really look at him in his state of undress.
Her husband was exceptionally well-formed for a man his age. Which speaking of.
“Colin?”
With one arm in his dressing gown, he paused and turned. “Yes, Nymph?”
“How old are you?”
“I’ll be thirty-eight next month. Why?” He cocked an eyebrow and slid a seductive gaze over her exposed torso. “It’s a little late to decide I’m too old.”
“I was simply thinking you look quite fit for a man in his old age.”
“Old age!” The dressing gown tossed to the side, he pounced back onto the bed next to her. “If you weren’t so tender, I’d show you who is in their dotage.” Instead, he kissed her soundly and drove all thoughts of insulting him from her mind.
Long minutes later, he rose again, and no longer distracted, retrieved her dressing gown from her room before drawing a bath.
The bath was luxurious, and Colin insisted on washing her back—among other things. Anne blamed her red face on the water, which was actually the perfect temperature, quite sure by his soft laugh Colin believed none of it.
Before Colin shooed her into her room to call her maid and dress, he kissed her once more. “I would suggest we allow my sister to believe we’re waiting for tonight to consummate our marriage, but since you wouldn’t sneak off quietly as I’d hoped, I’m sure we’ve dispelled that notion.”
Her face heated again. “Will everyone know?”
He chuckled and patted her backside. “No doubt, but it would have been no different in the morning had we waited. It’s one of the disadvantages of not leaving for our own home after thewedding breakfast.”
“One? What else should we worry about?”
He cocked his head and studied her. “A house full of people. Although I might suggest we leave for Blackthorne Manor soon, if that is agreeable with you. I think the other guests are eager to return to their own homes as well. They’ve already been detained longer than planned. This has been a most eventful house party.”
Indeed.And as Colin’s laughter echoed behind her, she didn’t even mind she’d more than likely said that aloud.
Unlike most balls, Honoria had decided to serve supper first instead of midway through the evening, allowing the night to end sooner than the usual wee hours of the morning, no doubt out of consideration for the bride and groom.
When Colin led her into the dining room, rather than people staring and whispering behind gloved hands and fans, everyone seemed to avert their gazes, and the tightness in her chest eased.
Savory aromas of roast goose and herbed vegetables filled the dining hall and smelled almost as good as Colin. Amid the tinkling of silverware against the Sévres china, guests chatted pleasantly about the beautiful ceremony. No one even enquired whether Anne enjoyed herrest.All appeared absolutely normal, as if husbands and wives shared such intimate moments every day.
Perhaps they did. She giggled a little at the idea. Now anexperiencedwoman, she glanced at Honoria and Burwood, Juliana and Mr. Pratt, Charlotte and Mr. Beckham, and it dawned on her what Charlotte meant by marriage being enjoyable. That certainly proved to be true. And hopefully Charlotte was also right about Anne’s and Colin’s differences balancing them out rather than tearing them apart.
