A Matter of Temptation by Lorraine Heath Read Free Book Online Page B

grooms harbored the same doubts and anxieties.
    She’d have never thought it of Robert. He always seemed so sure of himself and his place in the world. Now he seemed so…lost.
    “I’d like to stroll over his plantation in Virginia. I so enjoy when you read me his letters,” she added. “He describes his surroundings with such fondness.”
    “Virginia…”
    She laughed lightly. “Why do you repeat everything I say?”
    She could almost feel the touch of his intense gaze as it roamed over her face. She tried to decipher what she read in his expression. His eyes somehow seemed different. They were the same blue that they’d been the last time she looked into them but they weren’t quite the same. He seemed almost wary, as though he feared making a misstep, as though he hardly knew what to expect of her.
    “I’m a bit unsettled, I suppose,” he said. “The enormity of what has just transpired…I don’t know why the reality of it didn’t strike me sooner.”
    She released a slight laugh. “It struck me this morning as I was dressing. The doubts, the worry. Mother assures me that it’s only natural. I suppose we’ve just changed the course of our lives.”
    “In ways I doubt we can even begin to imagine.”
    “I, for one, will be grateful when our obligations are behind us.”
    “What obligations would those be?”
    “The most immediate one is the breakfast that Mother has prepared.”
    “I ate before leaving for the church.”
    She laughed a bit longer this time. “You’re such a tease. You know perfectly well that I’m talking about our wedding breakfast, the reception for—as my mother refers to them—those who matter most.”
    “Ah, yes, I’d forgotten.”
    “I wish we could forget it.”
    “Do you think we would be missed if we didn’t go?”
    “Most assuredly. Besides, my mother would be mortified. She is quite pleased that I’m moving up in society.”
    “Then I suppose it wouldn’t do to embarrass her.”
    “No, it wouldn’t. Besides, you don’t want to fall out of favor with her when you’ve done such a splendid job at charming her when she is not easily charmed. But perhaps we can get by with only staying a short while. It’s stand-up breakfast, after all.”
    His eyes glazed over as though he were striving to decipher something of monumental importance.
    “I’m sorry, but “I’m not familiar with that sort of affair.”
    “How can you say such a thing when we talked about it endlessly?”
    “Remind me.”
    She rolled her eyes. “So typical of a man. My mother warned me that men rarely truly listen to what a woman says.”
    “Your mother is most wise, and I apologize for my previous lack of interest. Would it be a bother to repeat what you’ve obviously told me before? A stand-up breakfast sounds rather unappealing.”
    “But it is so in vogue. Everyone is doing it in that manner these days. All the food is placed on a large table in the library. Gentlemen prepare a plate for the ladies, then we all stand around while dining. The trick is to prepare foods that are easy to eat while not sitting.”
    “Perhaps it is good that I ate before leaving the house.”
    He appeared so deadly serious. She smiled at him. “I would beg of you to put only the sparest of helpings on my plate. My stomach is still in knots from standing in front of everyone at the church, having so much attention directed at me.”
    “I would have thought a woman as beautiful as you would be accustomed to attention.”
    Pleasure spiraled through her. He’d never told her that she was beautiful. Had never actually complimented her at all, now that she thought on it. “Is that the reason you married me? My beauty?”
    “My reasons are numerous, impossible to explain.”
    “You might try.”
    “Are my compliments such a rarity that you must seek more?”
    His gentle rebuff caused her to blush. “Of course not. It just seems that after a wedding, the bride and groom should shower each other with