“Days?” Charlotte repeated, mystified.

“Days,” Alex affirmed with a decadent smile. “My bedchamber has large windows, and I am going to lay you on my bed with the midday sun pouring in on us, and”—his voice was a thread of a whisper now—”I shall feast on your body for the whole afternoon.”

Charlotte felt she must be cherry red.

“Damn!” Alex said in a conversational tone. “I’m reaching my limit. I shall have to go take a cold bath.” Charlotte giggled.

Alex reached out and put a companionable arm around her shoulders, his hand playing with her curls.

“So, will you marry me? Shall I tell your father you agree?” he asked.

Charlotte looked up at him, her heart almost bursting with love for his wild black eyes, his flying eyebrows, his ironic sense of humor … the Alex of him.

“You are not always right, you know,” she whispered to him, her eyes shining.

“Oh?” His right eyebrow soared up. “I assure you, no one has ever said I was wrong about anything!”

“Maybe there is love at fifth or sixth sight,” Charlotte said sweetly. She wound her arms around his neck. “Maybe love is a matter of thinking the other person is beautiful, intelligent, and funny, and even wholly … desirable. Maybe—” But Alex interrupted her, his mouth descending on hers again.

The silence in the Chinese Salon was broken only by the door opening a short time later as a rather disheveled but very happy earl and an equally happy but composed-looking future countess left the room.

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Three days before her wedding Charlotte nervously put the finishing touches on her portrait of Chloe van Stork. Chloe sat patiently on the couch, as she had for weeks, but Charlotte could tell that she too was excited. Chloe had not looked at the portrait in progress. She wanted it to be a surprise, she explained somewhat childishly. Finally Charlotte made herself put down her brush. She was so jittery at the moment that she might wreck the painting just out of nerves. It was so odd to be finishing the portrait and getting married at the same time. It felt as if she were putting away her old life … no, that was silly. Alex had already set up a magnificent studio for her in his house. He had put it next to his study so he would know she was nearby. Charlotte smiled a secret, silly grin. She wiped her brush carefully and put it down. Later the servants would clean up all her paints and take them over to Grosvenor Square. To our house, she thought.

“Would you like to walk around and see your portrait, Chloe?”