“It is.” Tears of joy dampened her eyes as she spoke. She raised his hand to her lips and pressed a reverent kiss to his knuckles. “I am yours.”
“Then marry me. Be my wife, my marchioness. Allow me to guide you, to cherish your bright disposition, and to adore you.”
“I have a better idea.” When concern stole into his gaze she hastened to say, “Let us guide, cherish, and adore each other.”
A flare of intensity turning his eyes a bright shade of blue was her only warning before she was swept into his arms. His mouth found hers, and he kissed her with such searing passion she felt herself scorched. It was as if a lifelong attempt at restraint had been undone within a heartbeat. Gone was the gentleman he’d been as long as she’d known him, replaced by a would-be scoundrel intent on branding her with his kiss.
Athena gasped as she wound her arms around his neck and welcomed the deep caress. She’d never been subjected to such intense passion before, had never believed herself capable of instilling such powerful feeling in any man. She realized now that all it took was the right man. Robert. As unexpected and unlikely, he was her perfect match. And he loved her. Fiercely, if the ardor with which he kissed her was any indication.
His mouth stole over her cheek, then down the side of her neck. “My God. I am the luckiest man alive.”
She chuckled slightly in response. “I’m not sure other men would agree. From what I gather, I am an acquired taste.”
He raised his head, the look in his eyes so stormy she scarcely knew what to make of it. His hand cupped her cheek and then he told her sternly, “They’re fools. All of them. As far as I am concerned, I’ve snatched up the only diamond the world has to offer.”
Speechless, she welcomed the next kiss he gave her. It was more languid than the first – a promise made with the slow press of his lips against hers. “I love you. Don’t ever doubt that.”
“I won’t.”
He pulled her into a tight embrace and simply held her a moment. When he released her again, he looked calmer than she’d seen him since she’d stormed into his home and demanded he hear her out.
“Are you ready to announce our engagement?” he asked.
She nodded. “The sooner the better, so we can get on with planning the wedding.”
With a grin, he swept her back into his arms and kissed her again.
#
NEW YEAR’S EVE CAMEand went in a blur of wedding preparations. As soon as everyone knew Athena and Robert intended to marry, Athena had no time to herself whatsoever. Every second of every day was filled with visits to various shops: florists, milliners, confectioners, modistes, haberdashers, and even goldsmiths. Never in her life had she imagined how much work went into becoming a wife. According to her mother, her sister, and her three sisters-in-law, she needed monogrammed bed sheets and towels, new day dresses and evening gowns. When Athena protested, they told her the clothes she currently owned wouldn’t do.
“You shall be a married woman,” Sarah said, “and as such, you will be permitted to wear brighter colors.”
Athena could only sigh while the whirlwind continued around her. There were silk chemises and velvet robes, embroidered stockings trimmed with Belgian lace and ribbon, stays crafted from slippery satin, and they’d not even started discussing her wedding gown. It was exhausting.
Drumming her fingers against a bolt of fabric while her mother informed the third dressmaker they’d seen in the space of a week of a riding habit that simply had to be ready within the next fortnight, Athena decided she’d had enough. This wasn’t her, and she was fairly certain Robert wouldn’t give two figs about seeing her trussed up in some feminine concoction fit for a courtesan. But she believed there might be something else he’d like.
So she stood and went to join her mother. She waited patiently for her to finish the description of all the frog closures she wanted to line the front of Athena’s jacket, how they had to match the trim and the black feather in the ridiculous hat she wanted to order, before telling the modiste, “Since my mother insists upon this order, you must make it, even if I have no intention of ever putting it on.”
“Athena,” her mother hissed.
“I do not ride sidesaddle, Mama, and what you’re describing would be incredibly impractical for anything else.”
“But—”
“All I want is a shirt.”
“A shirt?” her mother sputtered.
“Madame,” Athena said, addressing the modiste, “I have a penchant for wearing breeches. From what I have gathered, my future husband likes the way I look in them, so a shirt – something light and airy, cut in a masculine style but with a feminine touch meant to entice, would be splendid.”
The dressmaker gave her a sly smile. “A translucent white muslin shirt with stays to match would surely entice any man. Perhaps with a sleeveless gown worn over it. I trust your breeches are snug?”
“I have them on underneath my dress so I can easily show you,” Athena said with a grin while her mother groaned in horror. “If you think you can make a better pair, I’ll happily add it to my order.”
Two weeks later, Athena met Robert for a walk in the park. He’d visited Townsbridge House a number of times for dinner, but this was a chance for them to speak more freely, without her family hovering nearby. Instead, a maid followed at a respectable distance.
“I cannot wait for this precise hour the day after tomorrow,” she said, “because then you and I shall be married, and the hell I’ve been subjected to these past few weeks will be over.”
