Page 104 of Miss Delectable
Orion brought Ann’s hand to his lips. “I will make you a promise, Annie Goddard. When I am flummoxed by this vexatious old world, when I am overjoyed by some unforeseen turn of events, when I have a difficult problem to solve, or a simple pleasure to share, the first person I turn to will be you. I will find you in the kitchen, or the herb garden, or the nursery if we should be so blessed, or wherever you bide, and I will share my hopes, fears, dreams, and delights with you.”
Those words settled around Ann’s heart with a warmth and rightness the old church vows had not.
“And I promise you, Colonel Sir Orion Goddard, that when I am frustrated, or puzzled, or rejoicing, or pleased, I will turn first to you, no matter if you are in your office, the warehouse, the stables, or our bedroom. Kiss me.”
“Your obedient servant, Mrs. Goddard.” He kissed her on the cheek, and that somehow became Ann kissing him on the lips, and a round of applause started up, followed by a demand that the toasting begin.
While tables were rearranged, and the kitchen serenade careened into jolly melodies, Orion refilled Ann’s champagne glass.
“Sycamore Dorning made me an offer, Annie.”
“What sort of offer?”
“He wants a manager for this club. Somebody with a head for business who gets on well withmadame le chef, as he put it. Dorning excels at charming the customers, but he also longs to spend more time charming his wife. He wants to develop his Richmond property into market gardens, in the Dorning horticultural tradition, and he doesn’t feel free to do that without dedicated eyes and ears on the club.”
Just like that, Orion was sharing his heart with her, even here, amid this happy din.
“You need to be free to travel back and forth to France.”
“Dorning can spell me for those few weeks here and there, but I’m more concerned that you might not want your husband underfoot at your club, Annie. I won’t necessarily be in evidence every evening, but I’ll be here a lot, if I take Dorning up on the offer.”
Ann thought back to earlier discussions with her husband. “What’s your compensation to be? The Coventry is a jealous mistress, Orion, and hasn’t had a dedicated manager before. You will find that what the Dorning brothers did not enjoy doing often went undone. Mrs. Dorning has made some inroads on things like the linen inventory, but all is not in order.”
“My compensation is to be a share of ownership that increases over time, if Dorning offers suitable terms in other regards. The original owner, a fellow named Tresham, has been gradually bought out, and now Ash Dorning is similarly easing away from the business. Dorning would like to ease us in.”
“Let’s think about it,” Ann said, tucking an arm around her husband’s waist. “We are soon to be toasted at length with the finest champagne in the world, and I would like to enjoy that pleasure with my new husband.”
“Twenty minutes,” Orion muttered as Sycamore Dorning got to his feet with glass in hand. “I will put up with this nonsense for another twenty minutes, and then I’m taking my new wife away for a few toasts made in private.”
“Surely nobody can offer twenty minutes’ worth of toasts?”
The toasts lasted nearly twice that long, and when Orion was inclined to let good manners prevail still longer over marital priorities, Ann took her new husband by the hand and stole away for many toasts made in private, only a few of them involving the finest champagne in the world.
