With Lady Marshfield’s face glowing like a noonday sunbeam, Julia couldn’t gainsay her, but her son had said nothing of the sort.
A part of her, and not a small part at that, hoped later when they were alone, Jasper would tell her this wasn’t merely to save her from jail but because he had feelings for her.
She glanced at him, and he was looking at her mouth.
Feelings beyond the mutual attraction they shared. For strong as that was, she had no way of knowing whether he might feel similar desire with every female he’d ever wanted to tup.
Lady Marshfield rose to her feet. “We must have a celebratory dinner.”
Jasper laughed, sounding far more relaxed than Julia felt. He released her as his mother came forward to grasp his hands.
“Wearehaving a celebratory dinner,” he reminded her, letting his mother kiss both his cheeks. “In just a few days, the Twelfth Night feast.”
“Of course,” the dowager countess agreed. “We’ll announce your engagement then.”
Turning, she put her hands out to take hold of Julia’s.
“I’m pleased to welcome you to the family, my dear.”
“Thank you, my lady.”
“Let’s go upstairs and sort through the outrageous gowns you’re wearing. We’ll find something special for the party.”
“All right.” Julia looked back at Jasper before she was pulled from the room by her future mother-in-law.
He nodded encouragingly, even kindly. Her stomach did an odd little flip of excitement.
Her husband, the Earl of Marshfield.
Then, with amusement in his eyes, he winked saucily at her before he turned and sauntered out the way they’d come.
Her husband, the rake of Marshfield.
***
JASPER HADN’T EXPECTEDJulia to be able to wait so long, not believing she had the patience. Finally, after they retired and he’d been having another go at reading the naughty bits ofTom Jonesfor a good half hour, he heard her tap at his door.
“Come in,” he said, at the same time snapping closed the book.
As expected, Julia entered. But she wasn’t wearing a silky, inviting dressing gown he could easily remove. Rather, she was fully dressed in the stiff silver and black dress she’d worn for dinner, with her hair still up, and walking rigidly like she had a stick wedged in her pretty—
“I thought you might come tomyroom,” she said, stopping a few feet from the bed.
In truth, he’d considered it but hadn’t wanted to scare her off or give her the impression he would expect to have immediate access to her person now they were engaged.
They were engaged!That thought didn’t elicit an ounce of fear or trepidation. In fact, he’d felt happy ever since he had the inspiration while speaking to the Bow Street clods and then declared it to be so.
“I didn’t want to force myself upon you.” Jasper rose from his chair by the fire. Unlike her, he had undressed and wore only his banyan. “I imagined you would want to talk, but I thought we would find a private place to do so in the morning.”
He hadn’t thought any such thing, but it sounded sensible.
Julia merely nodded. He was dying to know if she was as pleased about the arrangement as he was, even though he knew his own emotions were out of character and somewhat irrational. And he knew it wasn’t merely because, after their wedding day, he would have that unfettered access he was trying purposefully to deny.
He and Julia could make the two backed beast any damn time they pleased.
“You’re grinning,” she said.
“Am I?”
