A warm chuckle filled the air. “By all means.”
Delighted to have his permission, she opened the lap desk and pulled out a thick stack of pages. This wasn’t just the ending he’d most recently been working on. It was the part of the book he’d written in its entirety – the first third of the novel. And since it was to be the beginning, she decided to tuck away his attempt at the ending and start the proof-read she’d promised.
“Do you have a pencil I can use?” she asked a bit later. He handed one to her, saying nothing as she proceeded to cross out a couple of unnecessary words. She continued, jotting down the occasional comment as she read. “Miss Foley’s eyes were likened to a clear summer sky a bit earlier, but they’re now described as green.”
“Really?” Anthony leaned closer as though to get a better look at his mistake. “Not sure how that happened. They’re supposed to be blue.”
She made a note of that in the margin and moved on. The carriage bumped along the dirt road, jostling her and making it difficult for her to keep her hand steady.
“Here.” Anthony placed the lap desk in her lap. “A solid surface might help.”
She lifted her gaze toward his and smiled in response to the thoughtful gesture. “Thank you.”
He answered her with a kiss to her cheek before leaning back and letting her resume her edits. The next hour or more was passed in silence, making it easy for Ada to fully immerse herself in the story. She caught herself laughing from time to time in response to Anthony’s dry wit. At other instances, the writing made her worry on the hero and heroine’s behalves.
“This is excellent,” she murmured when she reached the end of chapter five and decided to take a break. “It’s wonderfully engaging. So much better than your initial attempt.”
His brows dipped with a hint of uncertainty. “Do you honestly think so?”
“Absolutely.” She returned the manuscript to the safety of the lap desk’s interior, along with the pencil, and placed it on the opposite bench. “If the rest of the book is as good as this, readers will gobble it up from start to finish.”
Wonder filled his gaze. The look he gave her was so full of happiness Ada’s heart leapt with infinite joy. “I for one am extremely glad we met.”
“Me too,” she told him, weaving her fingers together with his. She raised their joined hands and pressed a series of kisses to each of his knuckles. “You’re unassuming, fair, and incredibly dashing. My own prince charming in the flesh.”
“And you,” he said, his voice low and intimate, “are kind, selfless, and stunning. You’ll make an exemplary duchess.”
“I may stumble during a curtsey.”
“Thankfully, you needn’t worry about that unless we’re at court. It’s everyone else who must curtsey to you.”
“What if I trip while dancing?”
“You’ll only dance with me, unless you choose otherwise, and I shall be there to catch you.”
“And if I say the wrong thing or—”
“I refer you to what I said earlier. You’ll be a duchess, so to hell with what others might think.”
She laughed and shook her head, delighted as always by his playful humor. Leaning in, she kissed him boldly, without holding back. Her hands raked his hair and clutched at his shoulders, igniting a passion inside her that heated her blood. She gasped with the pleasure he wrought with no more than his mouth. It was inconceivable that such delight could be found in a kiss.
“What’s so funny?” Anthony asked against her lips when she laughed.
She shook her head, bumping her nose against his. “Just that I never imagined Elizabeth Bennett and Darcy behaving like this once the book ended, but I suppose they must have.”
He grinned. “I love that you are referring to them as though they are real people.”
“Well, they do exist, even if it’s only within the pages of a book.”
Drawing her closer, he kissed her again with increased fervor while she did her best not to swoon. Having dreamed of a romance like this for so long, she could hardly believe one was actually coming true for her. As it turned out, happy ever afters did happen outside of novels, and she was thrilled to have found hers, in the arms of her very own duke.
20
It would have pleased Anthony greatly if the wedding could have taken place immediately upon their return to London. But since he believed Ada would like for her sisters to be in attendance, and since they required time to plan for being away and to travel, he accepted the eventual delay.
Athena’s and Penelope’s birthday, falling right at the end of the bans being cried, posed an additional hindrance.
Ada hadn’t wanted to overshadow their celebration the following Saturday, so the date was finally set for the subsequent week. Five weeks after their return from Hitchin.
