“Well, I did feel agonized and tortured for a moment or two,” she admitted.

“Really? When was that?”

“When I realized I loved you.”

“The notion was that unpalatable?” he teased.

She looked down at her hands. “I remembered that awful list you wrote before we married, about how you wanted a wife who would look the other way when you strayed.”

He groaned. “I was insane. No, I wasn't insane. I was merely stupid. And I just didn't know you.”

“All I could think about was how I could never be the passive, accepting wife you wanted, and how much it would hurt if you were unfaithful.” She shook her head. “I could swear I could hear my heart breaking.”

“That will never happen,” he assured her. Then his expression grew suspicious. “Wait just one second. Why did this give you only a moment or two of agony? I should think the prospect of my being unfaithful would be worth at least a full day of heartbreak.”

Ellie laughed. “I was only agonized until I remembered who I was. You see, I've always been able to get what I want if I work hard enough for it. So I decided to work hard for you.”

Her words were something less than poetry, but Charles's heart sang nonetheless.

“Oh Oh Oh!” she suddenly exclaimed. “I even made a list.”

“Trying to beat me at my own game, were you?”

“Trying to win you at your own game. It's in the top drawer of my writing desk. Go fetch it so I may read it to you.”

Charles bounded off the bed, oddly touched that she had adopted his habit of making lists. “Shall I read it to myself, or do you want to read it aloud?” he asked.

“Oh, I can—” Her expression froze, and she turned quite red. “Actually, you can read it if you like. To yourself.”

He found the list and returned to her side. This was going to be interesting if she'd put something on it so racy that she was embarrassed to read it aloud. He looked down at her neat handwriting and carefully numbered sentences and then decided to torture her. He handed her the list and said, “I really think you ought to read it yourself. After all, it's your debut list.”

She turned even redder, which he hadn't thought possible but found very entertaining nonetheless. “Very well,” she muttered, snatching the paper from his hands. “But you may not laugh at me.”

“I don't make promises I cannot keep.”

“Fiend.”

Charles leaned back against the pillows, resting his head in his hands, his elbows bent out to the side. “Do begin.”

Ellie cleared her throat. “Ahem. This list is titled: ‘How To Make Charles Realize He Loves Me.’”

“Amazingly enough, the dolt managed to figure it out all on his own.”

“Yes,” Ellie said, “the dolt did.”

He stifled a smile. “I won't interrupt again.”

“I thought you said you don't make promises you cannot keep.”