Chapter 14
Speechless. For once in her life, Anne was at a loss for words—or should she say word?
All at once, the room—which was actually quite large—closed in on her, as if the grump’s masculine energy took up all the space.
She couldn’t breathe, and it reminded her of the storage closet.
Which caused her predicament to begin with.
The question dangled in the air between them. A simple yes or no was all it required.
But which should it be?
She weighed the arguments for each. In yes’s favor, it wasn’t as if she had numerous suitors vying for her hand. Like a mouse released from a trap, even Lord Fairchild had scurried away due to her age, and she certainly wasn’t getting any younger.
There were Lord Moody-Manning’s daughters, as he had said, and she liked them exceedingly well. Her heart went out to the motherless girls who needed a bit of fun and laughter in their lives. Something she could bring them. Solid yes.
Honoria would be her sister by marriage. Sweet, kind Honoria, who forgave her for her foolish belief that Burwood desired an attachment with her.
Traits of the man himself also placed several ticks in the yes column. Handsome, titled, as Alice had pointed out—although Anne still questioned the kind part—Lord Grumpy-Trousers was not merely her only suitor; he was a suitable suitor.
Suitable suitor. Why did they both start with suit? Words. Who could understand them?
He raised an eyebrow but remained silent.
Which reminded her she should balance the argument with the nos.
They barely tolerated each other, and she had dearly hoped for a love match. One for the no column.
Handsome though he might be, she had little in common with him.
It was as if he had a perpetual rain cloud stationed above his head, following him around, exacerbating his scowling visage and bad temper.
And she couldn’t forget his propensity for knocking her to the ground and into a lake.
Although truth be told, she’d managed the last on her own.
A decidedly solid mark for no.
But there had been another side to him when they were locked away together. A gentle, calming man who soothed her frayed nerves and kept her distracted as they waited.
Another mark in the yes column.
Above all else, that kiss. Definitely in the yes column.
“Miss Weatherby?” No irritation or impatience tainted his question. In fact, he smiled. And oh, what a lovely smile it was! Not crooked like Burwood’s, but a gentle curve of lips that was entirely Colin Bell. His green eyes sparkled as he gazed down at her.
With that, he tipped the scale.
“I’m not getting any younger; an answer would be most welcome. Especially if you wish to marry me while I’m in my prime.”
Touching one of the velvety rose petals, she returned his smile. “Yes. Lord Manning, I will marry you.”
“Thank goodness. I was beginning to fear you would turn me down.” His smile widened into a grin.
The laugh bubbled up. “Did you now? Would you have been disappointed?”
He threw a hand to his heart. “Devastated.”
As they both laughed, a sudden shyness draped over her at the intensity of his gaze, and breaking eye contact, she stared down at the roses. Her cheeks warmed, no doubt turning the same color as the flowers she held.
“Miss Weatherby? Anne?”
Lifting her gaze, she stared into those lovely eyes of his.
He’d ceased laughing, and his expression grew solemn.
“I am sorry to have put you in such an untenable position, but I’m sincere when I say I think we can make a go of this.
” He coughed and turned briefly to the open doorway.
“If the kiss we shared is any indication, our marriage could be most pleasurable.”
Memory of that kiss caused her previously warm face to heat again. But what if it had just been the culmination of fear, desperation, and the excitement of being locked in a closet with a man? What if, in the light of day, it proved lackluster or, worse, had been all in her imagination?
Unable to meet his eyes lest her face burst into flame, she toyed with a velvety rose petal. “I think we should kiss again. Just to be certain it wasn’t a fluke.”
“A fluke? How does a gently bred lady know a billiards term?”
Anne’s gaze shot to his, and she squared her shoulders. Was he insulting her? “I know quite a bit about billiards, my lord. However, if you’re afraid—”
His mouth was on hers in an instant, and she completely forgot about her attempt to challenge him.
But oh, goodness. A fluke it most certainly was not.
Unlike their first kiss, which had started so sweet and gentle, this kiss was hungry, raw, demanding.
If she’d thought her face had been hot before, she was sadly mistaken.
Flames nipped and rippled through her whole body, threatening to consume her and send her remains up in a puff of smoke.
She couldn’t breathe, but she didn’t care.
Instinct took over, and when his tongue demanded entrance, she welcomed him.
Heady and delicious, his clean shaving soap and bergamot filled her senses.
His lips were soft but insistent. He pulled her close, crushing the bouquet of roses between them.
She slid one hand on his chest, not to push him away, but to feel the hard planes of muscle beneath her palm.
Too soon for her liking, he broke the kiss. Hot and seductive, his breath brushed against the corner of her mouth. “Do you still believe it’s a fluke, or shall I kiss you again?”
“No. Yes. I’m so confused.”
“Good.” His soft chuckle tickled her already sensitive lips. “Not that you’re confused. That you don’t believe it’s a fluke.” He nipped at her lips. “And you want me to kiss you again.” Rising, he straightened his coat. “But perhaps that’s enough kissing for one day.”
“Is there a limit on kissing for a betrothed couple?” She certainly hoped not.
With a gentle caress she wouldn’t have believed him capable of a day before, he cupped her face. His thumb skimmed her cheek and brushed across her mouth. “No limit except on my restraint.”
The touch of his hand upon her cheek sent her gaze darting to the bandage covering his. “Does it hurt very much? Your face where Mr. Grey wounded you?”
He waved it off as if it were a trifle. “A mere scratch. Even Ashton is unconcerned, and he is nothing if not thorough when it comes to his medical practice. There probably won’t even be a scar.”
Anne wasn’t certain if she hoped there would be a scar or not.
“Now, I should like to find my daughters and tell them the news before the word spreads to everyone else in the house. Shall we do it together?”
So touched by his offer to include her in such a momentous task, Anne was speechless for the second time that day.
The smile that had transformed his face vanished. “I understand if you don’t wish to.”
Ninny! “No. I mean, yes, I do. I’m simply astonished you want me with you.”
His brow furrowed, and part of her wished to smooth his distress away. “Why wouldn’t I? You’ll be a big part of their lives.” He held out his hand. “Shall we?”
She slipped her hand into his, and the slide of skin against skin sent a tingling warmth up her arm and through her body. Then, as she stood, he wrapped her hand around his forearm and led her from the room.
How could this be the same man who veritably growled at her when they’d met?
Had her judgment been so misguided, or was this a clever ruse on his part to trap her into marriage?
Although Anne wasn’t much of a reader, Honoria had given her a gothic novel by Ann Radcliffe called The Mysteries of Udolpho, which she’d quite enjoyed.
Did Lord Manning have a gloomy castle, and did his dead wife haunt it.
In a fit of jealousy, would she seek vengeance on Anne?
She gazed up at Lord Grump, hoping she wasn’t making a horrible and tragic mistake.
“My lord. What was your wife like?” Anne’s question threw Colin off kilter.
“Margery?” He paused and called forth her image, a bit unnerved at the difficulty of the task. “Gentle. Kind. Soft-spoken. I don’t think I ever heard her utter a disparaging word about anyone.”
“So, different than I am?”
He conjured two images. One of Margery propped up with pillows as she lay on a chaise longue on the terrace watching their daughters play.
The other with Anne frolicking after a rambunctious puppy and falling into the lake.
“Yes. I suppose so.” What was she getting at?
He peered down at her. “Why? Is that a bad thing?”
“No. No. I was only wondering.”
“Although I do think you both have things in common.”
Her hand on his arm stiffened, and her voice seemed controlled. “Such as?”
Pursing his lips, he gave it some thought, choosing his words carefully. “It’s true you speak your mind where Margery held her tongue, but I’ve witnessed the kindness you’ve shown to my daughters. You have a good heart, Anne.”
The pressure on his arm lessened, and her voice softened. “No one has ever told me I had a good heart.”
His steps faltered, then stopped completely. When he peered down at her, tears shimmered in her eyes. “No one? Ever?” Her family seemed a good sort. Kind, caring. Why wouldn’t they ever praise her compassion?
With an insouciant shrug, she said, “Not with those words. When people describe me, they say I’m flighty, na?ve. A flirt. Immature.”
He couldn’t deny he’d thought those exact things himself when he’d first met her. Wisely, he held his tongue and returned to her inquiry. “Why do you ask about Margery?”
She tore her gaze away. “I was simply curious. I don’t want the girls to think I’m trying to take their mother’s place. It would help if I knew a little about her.”
His mind blinked. “That is . . . incredibly thoughtful. But my hope is that you will become their mother. In spirit if not in flesh.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “And one day, I hope we shall have a child together.”
As they searched the house for Cassie and Ellie, Colin’s mind drifted to the future. Colin had experienced some trepidation when Andrew had confided Anne’s age to him. He needed at least one son, preferably two, to secure the lineage.
But after that earth-shattering kiss, he was confident that they wouldn’t fail for lack of trying. In fact, as they strolled through the house with Anne’s hand resting on his arm, he fantasized not only about teaching his sons to ride, hunt, and fish, but of making said sons with Anne.
Both prospects buoyed him, and he found his steps much lighter than they had been the last few years. Even when Margery had been well, and although there had been affection between them and she’d accepted their coupling with grace, there had been little true passion, even on his part.
Anne, however, responded so thoroughly, he hadn’t exaggerated when he’d broken their kiss and told her he’d reached the limit of his restraint.
Although she had agreed to marry him, it would not do to be found ravishing her in his sister’s parlor.
He would, however, look forward to their marital bed with great eagerness.
“Miss Weatherby. Anne?”
His Nymph of Nuisance peered up at him, those blue eyes no longer masked with tears, but wide and clear.
“Might you call me Colin?” He grinned at her. Damn, but it felt wonderful to do that. He’d had so little to smile about as of late. “I’d much prefer it to Lord Grump.”
Red bloomed on her cheeks, much like the color of the roses she held. “I’m sorry you heard that.”
He hitched a brow at her. “Are you? I rather thought you meant to put me in my place.”
Her blush deepened. “Perhaps.”
Laughing, he patted her hand. “Not to worry. I had a few names for you myself.”
“Such as?”
He shook his head. “A gentleman never tells. Suffice to say, most had to do with your petite stature and bewitching quality.”
“You find me bewitching?” She appeared quite pleased.
Perhaps he wasn’t so bad at this wooing thing after all.
Upon stopping a footman, he requested Anne’s roses be placed in a vase in her room. Then they continued their search for his elusive daughters.
They found the girls playing with a hoop and stick out on the terrace. Ellie caught sight of them first, then tapped Cassie on the shoulder.
As she turned toward him, the expression on his eldest daughter’s face was priceless. Chagrin mixed with surprise, knowing she would be reprimanded, but appearing quite pleased with what she presumed, correctly, had resulted from her mischievousness.
In his most authoritative, patriarchal voice, he commanded them to approach. “Cassandra, Elinor, I wish to speak with you both.”
Anne’s twin nieces scampered past. Indira stopped momentarily to say, “I’m sorry. But not really.” Then she giggled and ran inside with her sister.
“Is it true then?” Ellie asked, her eyes so like her mother’s.
Before him, his daughters prepared for what they had grown to expect: a feigned harsh setdown followed by their empty promises to never, ever repeat the infraction again.
Try as he might to be a harsh disciplinarian, he would inevitably fail, and the girls knew it. However, for the sake of the appearance of parental control in front of Anne, he began his admonishment.
“I will ask the questions here. Cassandra, did you or did you not conspire with Miss Indira to lock me and Miss Weatherby in that service closet?” Colin glared down at them.
A slight twitch of Ellie’s lips gave her away.
Yet, Cassie played along admirably. She twisted her hands in the material of her frock, her eyes focused on her shoes. “Well . . .”
“You will look at me when you speak.” He barked the words, and his daughter jumped.
Anne squeezed his arm. Hard. “Really, Colin. Is that any way to treat your daughter?”
It shouldn’t have surprised him that Anne championed Cassie. But somehow, it did. She truly cared about the girls, and that alone warmed his heart. This was a woman who would never raise her voice in anger. Well, other than to him.
He could barely contain the smile tugging at his mouth. In fact . . .
Anne jerked away from him as if she couldn’t put enough distance between them. “Are you smiling? Do you find humor or pleasure in mistreating your daughters? Perhaps I should reconsider my agreement to marry you.”
Aware of the crack in his armor, Cassie and Ellie threw themselves at him, their arms wrapping around his waist.
But it was Ellie who voiced their happiness. “Oh, Papa! It is true! I didn’t want to believe it when Indira said you were going to offer for Anne!”
In one fluid motion, he dropped to his knees and pulled them both into an embrace. “Yes. It is true.” He peered up at Anne, who watched him with slack-jawed stupor. “Unless she changes her mind. Now, Miss Weatherby, would you truly disappoint two such lovely girls?”
“Oh, you!” She batted his shoulder. “I shall never understand you!”
He laughed. “Then that makes two of us.”