Page 58 of Richard

The car whizzed her up and emptied her into a narrow passageway where a set of teal blue doors were already standing open. Her sister was standing there, looking so different; Janice felt her steps faltering.

The outfit was expensive, and she had on diamonds everywhere. And she was glowing.

Janice felt the sharp pang of envy slicing through her. And realized that the black wool dress she had on was inadequate. Forcing a smile to her stiff lips, she went in for an embrace.

“I asked the housekeeper to relinquish her duty because I wanted to be the first to greet you.” Collette whispered.

Janice inhaled her sister’s expensive perfume.

“Please don’t be intimidated. I tried not to be, and Ruth is a very sweet woman.”

“I am already intimidated.” Janice allowed her sister to draw her into the marble foyer with the silken wallpaper and expensive artwork. Collette led them into a room decorated in the color of strawberries, with delicate white furnishings.

Janice assumed it was some kind of sitting room. The woman standing with the intimidatingly attractive man turned to look at them and Janice saw when his eyes softened and went quickly to her sister.

He came over immediately and drew her to him, his expression transmitting that he was lost without her presence. She felt the sharp pang of jealousy increasing.

Introductions were made, and a uniformed maid came in on cue to serve pre-dinner drinks. Conversations were mostly centered around the upcoming nuptials. Ruth McBride was very enthusiastic and seemed genuinely happy to welcome Collette into the family.

Richard sat on the padded arm of the chair his fiancée was sitting on, his arm around her shoulders, fingers touching her neck, her shoulder, and arm. He could not seem to keep his hands and eyes off her. She was not the only one who noticed. His mother commented on it, too.

“Give the girl some space, dear,” Ruth chided as she sipped her sherry.

“Never.” Leaning over, he tilted her chin up and unashamedly kissed her on the lips.

The intimacy between them was so acute, the other two in the room felt left out.

By the time dinner was announced by a woman wearing a neat black uniform and dazzling white apron, Janice felt as if she was slowly dying.

The dining room was something out of House Digest, with a monochromatic theme of creamy champagne. The table wasmade of solid oak and draped with a stiff white tablecloth. Richard seated his fiancée first and then his mother before coming over to pull out Janice’s chair.

His cologne assailed her nostrils and made her acutely aware of him as a man. He was very attractive and incredibly virile, and she found herself wondering what he would look like naked and about his performance in bed.

He took his seat next to her sister, and the serving platters were brought to the table. The meal was sumptuous and unlike anything Janice had ever tasted. The utensils were confusing, and she watched the others to make sure she was using the right ones.

Discussions about the wedding resumed.

“You should wear a traditional wedding dress,” Ruth told Collette, in the middle of the serving of the braised duck. “I happen to own quite a few of them.”

“And none would be appropriate for Collette,” Richard remarked wryly, turning to look at his fiancée. “Mother believes in tradition, no matter how many times she walks down the aisle. Her dresses are horribly expensive and completely unsuitable.”

“And I will be getting married at the courthouse. I just want something simple and elegant.”

Richard lifted her hand to his lips. “Call Monique and let her know what you need.”

“You are not paying for my wedding dress,” she told him firmly.

“I already have an account at Romano’s, so it makes a hell of a lot of sense–”

“No. I love you, darling, but if you go behind my back–”

“Okay, fine," he grumbled.

“You are doing everything else; I just want to be able to have control of one small item.”

“A dress from Romano’s is far from being small,” Janice spoke up as she scooped up garlic potatoes.

“This is going to be my one and only wedding, and I am a mature woman who never thought this would ever happen to me, so I am going to splurge.”

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