Kay Springsteen (53 page)

Annabella stared through the study window. A steady mist formed rivulets on the glass, blurring the view of the garden and the forest beyond just as surely as the thoughts in her head blurred. She stared at the blank page in front of her, the drip of ink on the end of her quill. So much had happened, so much that Annabella wanted to share with her dear friend, Juliet. She didn
’
t want to wait until they saw each other again, but it seemed such a daunting task to put into writing.

The door to the study opened and she looked up. Jon had obviously been out in the rain and hadn
’
t yet taken time to change, though he
’
d doffed his ha
t
and coat and left them somewhere. Water dripped from the ends of his hair and ran along his cheeks. Annabella forced herself to sit still when what she wanted to do was race to him and capture every errant trail of water.

“
Are you back from Mr. Webber
’
s office already?
”

“
I am.
”
Arms crossed over his chest, Jon leaned against the doorjamb.

Suspicion prickled along her skin, and Annabella leaned forward for a closer look at her husband.
“
Why do you look like Queen Dorothea after she
’
s been at the cream?
”

“
I
’
ve managed to secure backing for Durham and Price Shipping.
”
He spoke in a casual tone as one might while making an observation about the weather or the color of wallpaper. But his eyes seemed to glow with pride as he regarded her with bold intensity.

His shipping company! He
’
d managed it just
as
he
’
d said he would. Annabella
’
s heart swelled.
“
Durham and
Price
?
”

“
Yes.
”
A smile played around his mouth as he stepped into the room and closed the door.
“
To honor your father. That is, if you
’
ve no objection.
”

“
Thank you,
”
she forced over the lump of emotion in her throat. She allowed herself a few deep breaths before
continuing
.
“
I suppose this means you
’
ll have to travel like…
”
…like Papa did.
She couldn
’
t say the words out loud. She
’
d wait for him, of
course. Always. But she would doubtless have many lonely days ahead of her.

Jon closed the distance between them and crouched in front of her then took both of her hands. First, he pulled her right hand to his lips and dotted kisses along her knuckles, and then lowered it again but didn
’
t release her as he gazed deep into her eyes.
“
There… will be traveling,
”
he admitted slowly. He pulled her left hand to his face and pressed his cheek against the back.
“
I
’
d rather hoped you would come along with me… we can see the world together.
”

Joy sprouted in Annabella
’
s heart and twined through her like a creeping vine, reaching into her sad, dark places and blossoming into brightly colored flowers. He wouldn
’
t leave her waiting for him!
“
You would take me with you?
”

“
Lady Seabrook, I shudder at the thought of letting you out of my sight.
”
His smile widened into a grin.
“
I should hate to arrive home only to find you
’
ve filled
our house
with cats or invited Lucifer himself to stay.
”
He laced their fingers together and stood, pulling her
up
, and then drawing her against
him
.
“
Or worse, opened the grounds to French vintners, given your fondness for Bordeaux.
”

“
Never, my love,
”
she whispered, craning her neck upward, longing for his kiss.
“
I loathe cats.
”
She kissed one corner of his mouth.
“
Lucifer would never dare challenge you for my affections.
”
She kissed the other corner.
“
I
’
ve developed a fancy for elderberry wine.
And
I will go anywhere you take me.
”

Jon splayed his fingers over her back and molded her to him as he took her lips in a heated, hungry kiss. He moaned and ran his hands up and down her spine
as if he were
playing an instrument, sending chills radiating from his every touch. Finally, he eased back.

“That’s rather good to know.”
His dark eyes contained a sparkle of glee.
“
We
’
ll be moving to Plymouth.
”

“
Plymouth!
”
Annabella
’
s heart raced. So far from London… from Juliet… her mother. And so far from Coventry, where she
’
d truly found herself.

“
Yes, next week
,
as a matter of fact.
”

“
Next week!
”
She pushed against
his chest but managed to create only a modicum of distance as he captured her hands again.
“
When were you planning on enlightening
your wife
?
”

He grinned again and gave her hands a light squeeze.
“
Why, I
’
m telling you now, of course. Did you not hear me say it?
”

“
Hear you?
”
She yanked one hand from his hold and swatted at his chest.
“
What I hear you saying is that you plan to carry me off yet again without asking, you blackguard. And this time much farther away, and you haven
’
t given me any time to prepare. You
’
ll surely go to the dev—
”

He cut off her tantrum with a kiss, long and deep and filled with such glorious heat of passion her knees weakened.
“
And I
’
ll enjoy the journey as always when you
’
re with me,
”
he murmured against her lips.
“
And you can visit Juliet, and your mother… and Gran…
whenever
you want. After all, now that you
’
ve become such a talented archer, Gran would never forgive me if I didn
’
t bring you around to shoot with her and compete at the Society
’
s contests.
”
He took her lips once more, sealing his promise with a kiss.

It was the lemon all over again.

How she did love the taste of lemon.

Our heartfelt thanks go out to Vivian Roycroft for many,
many
hours of hand holding, brainstorming, assistance with research, and a mo
st superb job of editing. You are a master at your art, and we’re proud that you had a hand in our story. Most of all, we are thrilled that we can call you our friend.

Elaina Lee, you were a gem and you truly deserve a medal for having to work with us in creating a cover. We applaud you and salute you! You endure our grumbling and “divaness” like a true lady would! And your talent never ceases to amaze us. Each cover you do for us (every cover you do, really) outshines the last. Thank you for not giving up on us.

We could have spent another 100,000 words just writing about the fun facts we found
centered around
Coventry. What an ama
zing place to use as a setting.
From Lady Godiva to the
Mercian Bowmen Archery Society
, which really did exist.

Please allow us a little room for error as some things, such as the actual location of the archery club, we had to “invent.” And… we admit, Gran is such a strong character that when it came time to dress her for the archery contest, she just refused to conform and wea
r something a lady might wear, p
referring, instead, to let her “Godiva heart” shine through and dictate her fashion.
However,
the attire Annabella and Jon donned are very similar to what was worn by club members in the time.

So, for the history buff who wants more, here are a few links that go into detail about life in 1813 Coventry:

http://www.historiccoventry.co.uk/