“Most definitely yes.” He turned her by the shoulders until she faced it, then set to work kissing her neck while caressing her delightfully oversensitive breasts. “Might I remind you that I could have died today…” But his earthy Venus didn’t need much coaxing to be ravaged. Within seconds, she was all for it, and within a minute she was bent over his desk thoroughly enjoying herself while he congratulated himself for being the luckiest man in the world. His future suddenly rosier than he could have ever planned it.
Things were just getting interesting when they heard the commotion from the street outside.
“Venus! Galahad!”
He stilled inside her as she stiffened.
“Vee! Is Galahad alive!”
“Oh my goodness! That sounds like Olivia!” In a blind panic,Venus edged him back as she scrambled upright, her hands clutching her bare breasts, her lovely eyes wide as she darted hither and thither, looking for somewhere to hide. “I forgot that I promised I’d be home by five!”
“Relax…” His passion deflating, he edged to the window. “The front door’s locked.”
That calmed her, and she joined him, then began to panic all over again as they watched the entire family tumble out of the carriage onto the curb. Jeremiah, Hugh, Minerva. Then Giles and Diana clutching little Gethin. All looking distraught but thankfully all heading up the steps to the orphanage.
Gal sighed in relief as they all disappeared inside it.
“Don’t panic. We’ve got a few minutes to make things look proper.” And heaven help him, Venus would need every one of them. Thanks to his rampant twitching, she looked like she’d been ridden hard and put away wet. Her hair was a wild bird’s nest, and the texture of the leather desktop was imprinted in her flushed cheek. “Let’s get you dressed.”
They dashed back to his bedchamber, but despite all his efforts to instill some calm, she was whirling around like a dervish with a maniacal expression on her face. “They cannot find me like this!” She wrestled with her dress tangled among all the extra blankets Mrs. Witherspoon had brought and that they’d kicked to the floor.
When she finally freed it, the sleeve had become hopelessly knotted in the laces of her stays, but the more she frantically tugged them, the tighter they went.
“Let me do that!” Gal grabbed it, but she slapped his hand away.
“Put your own clothes on!”
That was when the worst happened, and they heard the Reverend Smythe’s booming voice below. “The doctor has reassured us that Galahad will make a complete recovery.” Gal ran to the window, cracked it so that he could hear, and no sooner had he done so than there they all were again. “He’s displaying none of the signs of serious shock, and solong as he doesn’t develop a chill in the coming days, there is nothing to worry about.”
“Oh my goodness! They are about to knock on the door!” Venus burrowed into her tangled dress. “Don’t you dare open it till I’m decent!” Her matted head appeared through the neckhole and her eyes widened some more in horror. “And don’t you dare open it until you’re decent!” From somewhere beneath all the folds of fabric her schoolteacher’s finger emerged to wave at his nudity. “Put that away!”
“The key’s behind this brick here.” They both panicked at the sound of Tommy Claypole’s voice, because that was the precise moment when it became apparent that there would be no knock on the door. The amassed Sinclairs, Standishes, and Peabodys were already coming in and there was nothing either of them could do to stop them.
Figuring that it would be quicker to source a new shirt than the one discarded in the chaos, Gal rushed to his wardrobe and grabbed one as several pairs of hurried feet hit the first staircase.
Venus was mewling now, clearly in a state, and one glance told Gal the jig was up.
They were doomed.
Because her arm had worked its way into her twisted sleeve wrong and was trapped upright, yet still she was futilely trying to do up the laces like some sideshow contortionist.
“Make the bed!”
He threw up his palms at that stupid instruction, because frankly, with his wedding vegetables still in full view and her stays swinging from her elbow, a neat bed wasn’t going to convince her family that nothing untoward had gone on in it.
He did, however, yank the bottom sheet from the mattress to wrap around his exposed nethers a split second before everyone arrived in his attic. Then they all, to a man and woman and boy, stopped dead to gape.
Typically, it was Giles who spoke first, already enjoying himselfimmensely. “I’m glad to see that you are in fine fettle, cousin, and that you found your dip in the Serpentine soinvigorating.”
“This isn’t what it looks like.” Her trapped arm still at a right angle to her neck and her stays swinging and calling her a liar, Venus tried to explain their state. “You see…” She looked to him, hoping he could think of something, and when he shrugged, useless, she tried some more. “Our clothes were drying and… um… when we heard you outside we… um…”
Gal exhaled loudly. “This is exactly what it looks like.” As eight pairs of stunned eyes suddenly swiveled to him—one additional pair gaped mortified at his perceived betrayal—he smiled. “But it’s all right—we’re getting married.”
“Are we?” Instead of agreeing, Venus gave him a stern look. “Only I do not remember saying yes to your proposal, Galahad Sinclair, or even there being a proposal at all for that matter.”
The eight pairs of eyes instantly swiveled back to him, expectant. “Well… I…”
“You goddamn well better propose, young man, or you’ll have me to answer to!” Jeremiah stepped forward aggrieved and all paternal.
