She closed her eyes and recalled their time on the dance floor. The man who had held her in his arms and showed such concern had been a far cry from the one who, with the two words I do, had suddenly decided she lacked all the intelligence and taste he’d complimented while courting her. The man who had announced that her kindness was a liability he needed to guard her against, and that no one would want her for a friend except social climbers.

Still, this evening, he had seemed a different man and had apologized for this last year, promising he would make it up to her, she recalled, and could almost feel his arms around her again.

Closing her eyes, Christiana shivered as she recalled his breath on her ear and the way he’d nipped at it. She then sighed as she recalled the feel of his hand sliding over her bottom and pressing her against him.

She’d wanted him to take her out on the balcony. She’d wanted to know what it would be like to be kissed properly by him, for other than the perfunctory peck on the lips during their wedding ceremony, he had never kissed her. It was not something Christiana had really missed . . . until he’d held her in his arms on the dance floor and stirred such warm sensations in her with his breath and touch.

Perhaps there was hope, she thought. Well, if he was Richard and not George, Christiana reminded herself with a grimace. She really needed to find out what her situation was and who exactly she was married to, she acknowledged, and glared toward the door between her room and his.

Where was the man? She knew from experience she would hear him banging about in there as he prepared for bed, but hadn’t heard a peep yet, and he’d left the ball before them.

The sound of her bedroom door opening caught Christiana’s attention then and she glanced over to see Lisa poking her head in.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” the younger woman said happily and slipped inside. “I couldn’t sleep either. I was too happy and excited.”

“About what?” Christiana asked curiously, managing with some effort to gain a sitting position in the bed. Really, things would be much easier if the room would just stop bobbling about.

“You and Dicky,” Lisa announced as she settled on the edge of her bed.

It took Christiana a moment to realize that Lisa was answering the question of what she was happy and excited about. The realization made her grimace and snort with disgust. “Dicky. Ugh.”

“Oh, Chrissy.” Lisa sighed and took her hands. “I know that your marriage hasn’t been all that you’d hoped for this last year, and that you’re upset with him, but it’s going to be all right. I promise.”

“How?” Christiana asked with disbelief. “The blashted man’s alive.”

“Yes, and I know you were disappointed about that at first, but everything is going to improve now. You’ll see, Chrissy. He loves you.” Lisa squeezed her hands. “He does, Chrissy. He has just been tortured by the guilt and loss of his brother. That’s why he’s behaved so badly this last year.”