Page 23 of The Pleasures of Passion
“No. But waiting won’t make me any more ready.”
“You might want to smile. You’re announcing your impending wedding, but you look like you’re going to your execution.” He forced a teasing note into his voice. “You may not be aware of this, but Iamconsidered eminently eligible.”
That softened her features. “And modest, too.”
“Why should I be modest?” he quipped. “I’m an earl, for God’s sake. We have and deserve everything, don’t you know?” When that actually got a smile from her, he murmured, “It will work out in the end, Bree. I swear.”
“It didn’t work out last time.”
“That’s because we actually planned to marry. It’s much easier to manage imaginary engagements. You can dissolve those at a moment’s notice with little difficulty.”
He was rewarded by her throaty chuckle.
But when he started to enter, she halted and said, “Hold on.” She reached up to straighten his cravat and smooth a lock of his hair. “That’s better.Nowwe’re ready.”
The wifely gesture made his pulse stutter. Damn her. Every time he thought he had her figured out, she did something so . . . so bloody endearing that he wanted to toss his opinions of her out the window.
Careful, man. She’s not the woman you thought you knew.
He’d simply have to keep reminding himself of that.
When they entered together with her hand on his arm, they drew furtive looks of curiosity. Niall debated whether to consult with Clarissa about the announcement or ask Edwin’s permission. But that would require too much explanation. Best to let the cat out of the bag without swinging it around first.
The footmen were serving wine, so he snagged a glass and tapped it to gain everyone’s attention.
Then he took Bree’s hand in his. “Forgive me, sister,” he said, with a nod at Clarissa. “Although I don’t want to take over your dinner, I do have something to announce, and I figured I’d take care of it while many of our friends are together.”
The room fell so silent that he could hear the crackling of the fire in the hearth. “Some of you may have noticed that Mrs. Trevor and I have been absent from the party for a while. Well, there was a reason for that. I wanted a private moment with her so I could ask her to be my wife. And fortunately she has made me the happiest of men by consenting.”
For a second, he thought he’d blundered in where he shouldn’t have. No one spoke, no one moved. Everyone gaped at them.
Then Mother broke the silence. “Oh, my dears! Howwonderful!”
That opened the floodgates. Edwin congratulated him with a hearty clap on the shoulder. Clarissa exclaimed that she’d alwaysknownthey belonged together.
And the rest of the women crowded around Bree to ask her precisely the sort of things he knew she’d been fretting over: When had it happened? How had they known they were in love? When was the wedding?
To Bree’s credit, she fielded the questions much better than she’d implied she would. So much for her inability to “pretend,” which he’d thought was nonsense in the first place. She’d pretended to be madly in love with him years ago—this should be easy.
Suddenly Niall caught sight of Lady Pensworth in the corner, surveying the scene with a wary eye. Uh-oh. At least one person in the room did not look happy about this.
Leaving Bree to the ladies, he strolled over to her aunt. “Forgive me, Lady Pensworth. I realize I should have consulted with you first, and I do intend to go through solicitors and draw up settlements and such.” He glanced back at Bree with what he hoped was an expression of adoration. “But I’ve waited seven years for this. I didn’t want to wait another week more.”
She eyed him closely. “Delia mentioned that the two of you knew each other previously. In Bath, was it?”
“Yes, when I accompanied Mother on her trip to take the waters. Lady Payne was there to take the waters as well, and Bree and I happened to meet in the park one day. She wasn’t yet out, so we only saw each other outside the usual avenues. But we were very . . . close.”
“Yet until you showed up a few weeks ago, she’s never so much as mentioned your name.”
Of course not. The blasted female hadn’t thought one whit about him once he’d left.
He forced a smile. “She’s hardly going to talk about her former suitor with the aunt of her husband, especially when said former suitor is off in another country where she’s unlikely to see him again.”
“Due to that pesky little incident with the duel, you mean.” Lady Pensworth eyed him over the top of her spectacles.
He stiffened. “Yes.”
“And what was the reason for the duel?”
