Now that she was dressed, Annie sat her on a bench before the full-sized looking glass. “The pearls?” She referred to Willa’s pearl-tipped hairpins.
“Yes, I believe so.”
Annie fetched them and put them in Willa’s hand so she could hold them while the maid went to work.
Thinking about how tall Matt was, Willa said, “I want my hair as high on my head as you can build it. Is there a comb or something we can use?”
“Let me try this.” Annie wrapped a curl around her finger and pinned it into place with the plain pins from Willa’s other hand. The maid took on the concentration of an artist sizing up her masterpiece. She built several curls on top of each other before adding the pearls. “I like this. You look like a goddess with your hair up. When the duke sees you, he will be smitten.”
The last thing Annie added was a lace veil that trailed over Willa’s shoulders and down her back.
When Annie was done, she motioned for Willa to rise. “You are the loveliest you have ever looked, miss.” She reached down and pulled on the dress hem. “Everyone will be stunned to speechlessness when they see you. Especially the duke.”
Willa couldn’t imagine Matt speechless, but the idea pleased her.
Caught up in her own thoughts, Annie continued, “You and the duke will be very happy. I feel it in my bones. My nan was one who had the sight and I have a bit of her gift. Thinking of the two of you together, I receive the tingles.”
“The tingles?”
“Yes, it is when there are little shoots of awareness all over me. I have the tingles when I think of the two of you together.”
Willa laughed, enjoying the prediction.
A soft knock on the door interrupted them. Her mother entered without waiting for permission. She was dressed for the wedding in a deep purple gown. Her hair had been curled, and Willa thought she looked very handsome.
“Mother, what do you think?” Willa twirled.
“Very nice. Are you ready?”
“I have my gloves, and what is the weather? Can I wear a light shawl, or should I take something heavier?”
“It promises to be a perfect September day. The light shawl should suffice.”
Annie went to the wardrobe and pulled out a cream paisley shawl and a yellow one made of lace. Willa chose the paisley. She did not like wearing lace on lace. She reached for the gloves Annie had laid out.
Her mother walked around the room as if nervous. She paused by the bed. “Annie, we wish a moment of privacy.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Annie ducked her head and left, closing the door behind her.
Sitting on the bed, her mother patted a space beside her. “Your father wondered if I’d had a conversation with you... about the marriage bed. He wants to be certain you know what to expect.”
Finally. Heat rushed to Willa’s cheeks, but she’d been waiting for this discussion. She and Cassandra had always speculated. Leonie had never wished to take part in such discussions. She had claimed to be too shy. But Willa was curious. Cassandra had promised her she would like it. Willa sat on the edge of the bed, ready to hear if her suspicions were correct.
Her mother drew a deep breath as if bracing herself. “Young women seem to know so much these days. I’m not certain what I need to tell you. What is it you know?”
“I know my husband expects me to share his bed.”
“Yes, he will do that... for a while. Anything else?” Her tone was brusque. She didn’t act as if she was particularly anxious for questions.
And yet, if Willa did not ask now, she might come off as silly or foolish to Matt. “I have a hazy idea. He’ll want tojoinwith me.” The word had been another line from one of Matt’s poems—On a bed of roses, we joined, finding our peace in each other.
“Do you know what that entails?”
“I’ve seen animals, Mother.” She’d also caught an eyeful of behavior from time to time on the street that proper young women should not have noticed. “But is there something in particular of which I should be aware?”
Her mother’s gaze drifted from Willa as if she wished she was somewhere else, and then her expression hardened. She faced her daughter. “It isn’t complicated. Your husband will instruct you. It will hurt.”
“Why will it hurt? I’ve never heard anyone complain of it.”
