Miss Amelia's Mistletoe Marquess--Winner of the Romantic Novelists' Association Short Romantic Novel Award 2020 by Jenni Fletcher

Author:Jenni Fletcher
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2019-09-05T18:33:22+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

‘You’re awake early.’ Cassius glanced up in surprise as his new wife entered the dining room. It was just past seven o’clock, a good two hours before Sylvia usually made an appearance.

‘Am I?’ Millie made her way to the table, smiling at the footman who pulled a chair out for her. ‘We start earlier at the Foundation, but please don’t let me disturb you.’

‘Disturb away.’ Cassius folded his newspaper and tossed it on to the table, taken aback by a buoyant sensation in his chest as if his heart had actually just leapt to see her. She looked bright-eyed, fresh-faced and pretty. Unlike some people, she clearly hadn’t spent the night tossing and turning. ‘How did you sleep?’

‘Very well, thank you, after I’d finished exploring. I’ve never had a bedroom to myself before, let alone a dressing room and private drawing room.’

‘But comfortable, I hope?’

‘Very. It’s not Sylvia’s old room, I take it?’

‘How did you guess?’ He made a wry face. ‘No, your room is adjacent to mine. They’re officially guest rooms, but it didn’t seem appropriate for me to use the master chamber while Sylvia was still in residence. Her rooms are a little more pink, I believe.’

‘In that case I’d better stay where I am.’ She lifted a hand to her head. ‘Otherwise I’d clash horribly.’

He smiled, taking the opportunity to let his eyes travel over her hair. The ringlets were gone this morning, but instead of her usual severe bun the sides were twisted into plaits that looped back over her ears and then coiled together loosely at the back of her head. The softer style made her look even prettier, damn it.

‘Is that a new dress?’ He cleared his throat, aware that he was staring.

‘No, it was one of Sylvia’s. She left me a few gowns as a wedding gift and I thought I should probably start dressing the part of a marchioness.’ She ran a hand over the bodice. ‘Do you like it?’

‘It’s very pretty, only...’ he paused, distracted by the position of her hand, and wondering how to ask the question without actually referencing his cousin-in-law’s expansive cleavage ‘...I wouldn’t have thought that you and Sylvia were the same size.’

‘No.’ She gave a knowing laugh. ‘We’re definitely not, but I made a few adjustments last night.’

‘Last night?’ His eyebrows shot up. ‘You weren’t tired after such a long day?’

‘Ye—es, but I wasn’t sure whether or not I ought to stay up.’ She busied herself with the sugar bowl. ‘That is, whether or not you’d want me to?’

‘Ah.’ He felt his stomach plummet, uncertain about how to answer. Given that he’d spent a large portion of the night throwing longing glances at the door that connected their adjoining apartments, the fact that she’d been sewing on the other side felt somewhat mortifying. ‘We never discussed our sleeping arrangements, did we?’

‘No.’

‘I thought you would want some time to settle in.’

‘I see. That was very thoughtful of you.’

‘Which isn’t to say that I didn’t want to visit you last night.

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