But Petra was already asleep, her rich chestnut hair spread over the pillow, her cheek pillowed on her hand. Guy smiled and wondered for a moment how, given his less than virtuous existence, he had managed to please the gods sufficiently to bring this entrancing woman into his life.

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

“You look so beautiful, Petra,” Fenella declared, stepping back to examine her friend’s appearance.

“A perfect bride,” Diana agreed. “That simple style is exactly right for you.” She smoothed a fold in the narrow white velvet skirt of the high-necked, long-sleeved gown that clung closely to Petra’s shape, emphasizing her slim waist and softly rounded bosom.

“Sit down, dearest, and I’ll adjust the veil.” Fenella shook out the filmy white lace. “Where’s that silver fillet to fasten it?”

“You won’t be needing that,” a voice said from the doorway.

“Guy, what on earth are you doing in here?” Diana exclaimed. “Don’t you know it’s unlucky to see the bride before the ceremony?”

“Superstitious nonsense.” Guy closed the door behind him as he stepped into the room. “That is a most enticing gown, my sweet.” He bent and kissed her nape, sending goose bumps down her back.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Petra protested but without much conviction.

“I had to bring you these.” Guy set a velvet box on the dresser and opened it to reveal the rubies nestling within. He took out a silver fillet, thickly studded with deep red stones. “This will hold the veil.”

Fenella took it from him, marveling at the richness of the gems. “This is so beautiful, Guy.” Reverently she positioned the circlet on top of the white lace veil that reached to Petra’s shoulders. “Stunning against the white,” she murmured.

Guy took a pair of ruby earrings from the box and gave them to Petra, who was sitting in something of a daze on the dresser stool. She screwed them into her earlobes and then moved her head, watching the light catch the brilliant red drops.

“And now this.” He took a collar of rubies and fastened it around her neck, where it glowed against the white velvet of her gown. “Give me your right wrist.”

She did so without speaking and he fastened a circlet of silver and rubies around it. “Stand up and let’s see the whole effect,” Guy said.

Petra rose slowly, walking to the long mirror and examining herself in the same stunned silence. “I must be worth a king’s ransom,” she said finally.

Guy laughed. “Not an exaggeration, but they look wonderful on you.”

“Oh, my goodness, what are you doing in here, Lord Ashton?” Lady Cecilia’s shocked voice interrupted them. “You mustn’t be in here, really you mustn’t.”