‘Open your eyes,’ he said. ‘I want to look at you.’
She looked into his face and saw all the love and desire and tenderness fused in the blazing passion in his eyes.
‘I love you,’ he said.
The feeling of him inside her was exquisite and she rose to meet him, dazzled by sensation, consumed with pure love. And then they slept, intertwined, Adam’s head against Annis’s breast, both wrapped together closer than close inside the cocoon of the velvet cloak.
Annis woke as the birds started to stir and the first light filtered down through the branches into the wild wood. She felt a little stiff and chilly, but she pressed closer to Adam for warmth and rubbed her cheek against the silky softness of his hair. He made a sleepy sound of contentment and her heart melted.
‘Adam…It is the morning and we should go back to the house…’
Adam made another sleepy sound, this time of agreement. He did not move. Annis smiled a little to herself. ‘Adam…’
She ventured a small caress. Adam made another sound, though this time it was more like a groan. His eyes opened. ‘Sweetheart, if you do that we shall not be going anywhere.’
Annis gave him a wicked little smile. ‘I fear I may have developed a…a partiality for making love in the woods…’
Adam tumbled her into his arms. ‘So have I, sweetheart. So have I. It is fortunate that I own such a great tract of woodland where we may not be disturbed…’
Eventually they strolled back lazily to the house in the morning of their wedding day. The sun was coming up and it was going to be a glorious day. Annis had her head on Adam’s shoulder and his arm was close about her waist.
‘Speaking of love,’ she said, ‘did you see how Ned was watching Lady Juliana during dinner last night? He was so distracted I thought that he would forget to eat. I do believe he has a tendre there, Adam.’
Adam laughed ruefully. ‘Poor Ned. He has been in love with her this age, but I fear he is wasting his time there. Juliana is way beyond his star.’
‘Yet she is not very happy,’ Annis said presciently. ‘For all her beauty and her glamour, I do believe true happiness eludes her.’ She looked up at Adam’s face.
‘And then there is poor Ellis Benson,’ Annis went on, ‘languishing for love of Venetia Ingram. I wonder what will happen to her now that Ingram is disgraced?’
‘Must you be so melancholy on our wedding day?’ Adam grumbled. ‘All this talk of unfulfilled love…’ He paused, then laughed. ‘Actually, my love, you have reminded me. I fear you must include Seb Fleet on your list of thwarted lovers, for he told me yesterday that Margot Mardyn has run off and left his protection.’
Annis raised her brows. ‘Has she, indeed? With whom?’
Adam looked at her expectantly. Annis narrowed her eyes. ‘Not Lieutenant Greaves?’
‘No, no, it is more piquant than that!’ Adam smiled. ‘I always suspected that Margot would exchange a life on the stage for the respectability of a wedding ring if only she could find a man willing to offer one. I understand that she is the new Lady Doble.’
Annis stared. ‘Lady Doble? But Sir Everard…But Fanny Crossley…’
Adam grinned. ‘I told you that it was piquant! There you were, assuming that Miss Crossley was the flighty one, when in fact it was Sir Everard who made the runaway match.’
Annis pressed her hand to her mouth. ‘Oh, no!’ She looked at him suspiciously. ‘Did you have any inkling, Adam?’
‘I confess I did.’ Adam laughed. ‘I mentioned his name to her on the very first day we were in Harrogate, after I had rejected her advances myself!’ He cast Annis a look and saw she was frowning at him fearsomely. ‘I thought it would help her,’ he added apologetically. ‘After that, I saw them together a couple of times, but when I heard that Sir Everard was betrothed to Miss Crossley I assumed it was just an affaire…’
‘You men are disgraceful!’ Annis said.
Adam smiled. ‘Sweetheart, you have nothing of which to complain. I told you that I had rejected her advances!’ He drew her unyielding body closer. ‘I have no interest in any woman but you, as I have just demonstrated.’
‘So I should hope,’ Annis said, struggling half-heartedly to be released. ‘And Fanny has received her come-uppance, I suppose. It is just a shame that everyone is in love with the wrong people!’
‘Not everyone.’ Adam bent to kiss her.
‘It is supposed to be bad luck for the bridegroom to see the bride on the night before the wedding,’ Annis said.
Adam laughed. ‘It is fortunate that it was dark then, for I cannot feel luckier than I do now.’ He turned to smile at her. ‘I hope that you will still meet me in church later, Annis?’
Annis felt a smile curve her lips. ‘I shall be there.’
‘That is good, for I was afraid that you might have changed your mind. You always said that matters looked very different in the morning.’
Annis snuggled closer to him and turned to face the rising sun. ‘Oh, they do, my love. They look better. In fact, they look perfect.’
They were married six hours later.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-3690-9
THE CHAPERON BRIDE
First North American Publication 2004
Copyright © 2003 by Nicola Cornick
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3K9, Canada.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
Visit us at www.eHarlequin.com
The Chaperon Bride (Harlequin Historical) Page 27
