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“Mama, why can’t I go with you to Lord St. John’s home for the dinner party?” Annalise stood in the doorway, twirling a lock of her hair, already dressed in her night rail.
“Sweetheart, I’ve told you before. Little girls do not attend adult dinner parties.” She looked into the mirror as she fastened her earbobs. “Lord St. John has been very nice to take us to several places that you really enjoyed, but you cannot go everywhere that I go.”
Annalise walked into the bedroom and sat on the edge of her mama’s bed, bouncing up and down. “I know. It’s just that I never had a papa that did these things with me.”
Natalie drew in a breath and turned to look at her daughter. “Annalise, Lord St. John is not your papa.”
“I know,” she grinned. “But I pretend he is.”
Natalie then noticed her child was hugging a soft doll to her body that Alex had given her the last time he visited. Were things getting out of hand? At one time she would have felt smothered and panicked at the thought of Annalise becoming attached to a man. But now that she had spent time with Alex and saw him in many ways, her fears of marriage always turning into something horrible for her had eased.
“Mama, do you think you will marry Lord St. John?” Her soft little girl voice brought warmth to her heart and body.
She extended her hand. “Annalise, come here.”
She took her little girl’s hands in hers and looked her in the eye. “I am fond of Lord St. John, and I know you are, too. And, he seems to enjoy our company as well, but marriage is something one doesn’t do lightly. It takes thought and …” She drifted off, not sure how to even continue.
Annalise patted her on her head like she was the mama. “I understand, Mama.” She leaned over, kissed her on the cheek, and scurried from the bedroom so fast it left Natalie wondering what had just happened.
It was nice that her six-year-old daughter understood, because she sure didn’t.
* * *
Alex had madeup his mind. Tonight was the night he would make it known to Natalie that he was ready to move forward. He shook his head and grinned when he replayed those words in his mind. Good god, he was going to propose marriage to the woman he had gone from liking to loving, and he sounded like he was speaking to his man of business about a new venture for them.
He paced the room, awaiting her arrival as he thought over the past few weeks that he’d known her. He and Natalie fit together in every way. She was pretty, smart, kind, and a wonderful mother. She’d put up with all the antagonism and barbs from Mildred at the wedding with grace and charm. His mother loved her, which was pleasing, although he had the feeling she would love any woman he presented her with.
He’d told Natalie the guests would begin to arrive around seven o’clock and he would send his carriage for her. In truth, he wasn’t expecting anyone until eight. He wanted time with her to make a proper proposal, on bended knee. Despite a bit of nervousness, he refused to indulge in brandy until he had his ring on her finger.
Thinking of that, he checked his pocket. She’d returned the ring he’d given her for their pretend engagement, and, even though that was his grandmother’s engagement ring, he wanted something new for Natalie. Something that suited her. He knew that the diamond ring—with pearls surrounding the main stone—was just the one for her when he’d seen it at the jeweler’s shop. He’d put away his grandmother’s ring. Perhaps one day he would give it to his son to present to his fiancée.
My, he was certainly getting ahead of himself.
Fifteen minutes later he was sitting in his study, going over some paperwork that made absolutely no sense because he couldn’t concentrate. His head snapped up at the sound of the front door opening, and then Mitchell greeting Natalie.
He smoothed his hair down, tugged on the cuffs of his shirt and left the room. Natalie stood in the entrance hall, her eyes bright, her smile warm and welcoming.
She’d worn a deep blue gown shot through with silver. The bodice was low enough to cause interest, but not so much as to be inappropriate. Although as much as he enjoyed viewing the creamy expanse of skin, he was not happy about the other men who would be arriving being treated to the same view.
He moved forward and took her hand in his. Bending over, he kissed the back of her hand and then pulled her in for a slight kiss on the lips, ignoring Mitchell’s throat clearing.
The man had better get used to this.
He took her hand in his and linked their fingers. “Come, sweeting, we can retire to the library until the others arrive.”
Once she was settled on a comfortable chair in front of the fireplace, he cleared his own throat a few times and took a deep breath. He walked a few steps in one direction and a few back again.
“Is something amiss, Alex?”
He shook his head and removed the ring from his pocket, then took her hand in his and went down on one knee in front of her.
Natalie gasped. “Oh, dear.”
“No. The answer is yes, dear,” he responded. He looked her in the eye and said, “Mrs. Natalie Shaw, would you do me the greatest honor, and make me the happiest of men and accept my hand in marriage?”
Natalie stared at him, her lips parted in surprise, not saying anything.
He licked his dry lips. “Speak, my darling, please.”
