“What are you two talking about?” James asked.
“While you two were dancing and chatting and getting betrothed—congratulations again, by the way, it’s wonderful news and I’m so excited for you”—Lucy leaned across and kissed Alice on the cheek—“we were busy.”
“Busy doing what?”
In answer, Gerald passed the basket to James. “Look inside.”
James lifted the cover and made a surprised exclamation. He pulled out a little red-leather-bound book. “There are sixteen copies in here? How on earth did you manage that?”
“It was Lucy’s idea,” Gerald said.
“I just—well, we, because Gerald was very good—spoke to all the young people we knew. Most of them had heard about the letters, and some had sneaked a look at them and thought they were horridly mean, so we asked them if they could get hold of their mothers’—”
“—or aunts’ or grandmothers’—” Gerald interjected.
“—copies of the book.” Lucy grinned triumphantly. “And sixteen people—”
“—that we know of—”
“—had brought the book with them to the ball.”
“Seventeen,” Alice said, pulling Mrs.Scorrier’s copy out of her reticule and tossing it into the basket.
“Seventeen copies,” James said. “With the one we already had from Gerald’s mother, that means we only need to track down the last seven copies, and that’ll be the end of that vile little book.”
The carriage arrived at Alice’s house, and James handed both the ladies down. He glanced at Lucy, then said to Alice in a low voice, “I’ll call on you tomorrow morning, and we can talk then.”
Thus ensuring she would get no sleep at all. As he turned to climb back into the carriage, Alice’s hand shot out to grab him. “I would rather we talked now.”
He eyed her a moment, glanced at Lucy again, then said to Gerald, “I’ll walk home. See you tomorrow.”
The carriage drove off. Lucy eyed them with speculative excitement. “I’m sure you two won’t want to be disturbed. You have so much to talk about.” And with a mischievous wink, she skipped up the stairs to bed.
***
Alice had told the servants not to wait up. They entered the sitting room, and James lit the fire, which had been laid. He rose, dusting off his hands, and Alice came straight to the point. “Why did you announce our betrothal tonight?”
“Because I was angry at all the whispers. Because I wanted to slay dragons for you, but the only dragons I could see were wearing ball gowns. So I made the announcement to change the focus of the evening, and it did. You didn’t mind, did you—my assumption of your assent?”
“I was just surprised, that’s all. I thought you’d changed your mind about wanting to marry me.”
“Changed my mind? Why ever would I do that?”
“Because, well, you hadn’t asked me again, and once I became your mistress...”
“You thought I wouldn’t want you?” He stared at her and rumpled his hair, perplexed. “I thought our time at the cottage would have convinced you how passionately I do want you. I must be losing my touch.”
“No, of course you haven’t. But mistresses don’t get proposals of marriage, do they? Not that I know what your touch was before—” She broke off, embarrassed.
A slow smile grew on his face. “Before we anticipated our wedding vows with a spot of ‘um’? Several spots, in fact. And now that I come to think of it,spotis not at all accurate. A lavishness of ‘um,’ a feast of ‘um,’ a—”
“I mean, even though I’d proved to you that I could enjoy the marriage bed—”
He held up a hand. “Hold it right there, my sweet. It wasn’tIwho needed anything to be proved—I was already wholly and completely committed. You were the one with the doubts. Now, stop all this shilly-shallying. Will you marry me or not?”
Her heart filled and she threw herself into his arms. “Oh, James, of course I’ll marry you. You won’t regret it. I promise I’ll make you a good wife.”
She thought he’d kiss her then, but he held her back with a quizzical expression. “A good wife? Like you pick out a good apple at the market, or a good pair of shoes?”
