A Lily Among Thorns (41 page)

Serena choked and spat out apple onto the ground. She stared at him in stunned disbelief. “You can’t be serious.”

He laughed. “So you’re willing to accept my pledges of undying devotion, but you can’t believe that I want to marry you?”

“But—but—” she sputtered, “have you run mad? You don’t
marry
a woman like me. You
can’t
. It just—it isn’t
done.
”

“Funny, I never thought that would be
your
objection. Not quite as unconventional as you like to appear, are you, my straitlaced sweetheart?”

There was a challenge in his eyes, and something in Serena rose joyfully to meet it. After all, she had never refused a dare in her life. “All right,” she said, and found to her surprise that it was easy. She took another bite of apple. It was sweet and tart and tasted like happiness. “Let’s get married.”

He beamed. “If my father starts reading the banns next Sunday, we can be married in a month.”

There was a problem with that, but Serena wanted to let him smile a little while longer. “Will your father mind?” she asked instead.

“Are you joking? This is exactly what he wants. It’s us living in sin that he’d hate.”

Serena blinked. Then she gave up; nothing made sense when Hathaways were involved. And she couldn’t put off reminding him any longer. “It may not be for some time, though,” she cautioned.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m still legally married to René.”

He caught her hands. “Poor Serena. This isn’t the best month of your life, is it? And here I am asking you to give me more—”

And now it was her turn to reach up and gently place a hand over his mouth. He bit her palm lightly, and she felt a lazy warmth settle in her belly. “It
is
the best month of my life,” she told him. “And if René’s papers don’t get me an annulment, we can save up for a divorce, and perhaps in five or ten years—” It still seemed unreal, to think
in five or ten years
, and to believe that Solomon would be there.

Unexpectedly, he grinned behind her hand. “You’ll get an annulment. Just leave it to me.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Suffering delusions of grandeur?”

“Don’t you trust me?” he asked with a teasing grin.

And the funny thing was, she did. He wouldn’t say it if he didn’t know it was true. “With my life.”

He grinned wider. “I’m going to trade the Prince Regent Mother’s tartlet recipe.”

Oh God, that would really work. It would, and they would be married—she lunged at him and kissed him. It hurt her jaw, but she didn’t care.

A short time later, she said rather unsteadily, “But don’t think this means I’m not going to insist on very stringent marriage settlements.”

“I never for a moment thought you wouldn’t.” He laughed. “I feel faint with happiness. If I swoon, don’t tell my uncle, all right?”

She smiled suggestively. “Do you know what would make you even more light-headed?”

His eyes lit with anticipation.

“Cartwheels,” she said cruelly.

His eyes narrowed. “It’s raining.”

“Not very hard.”

“I’d rather stay here, where it’s nice and dry.” He began nuzzling her neck. It was actually fairly wet under the tree, but Serena didn’t say so.

“How—how often do people walk this way?” she gasped.

“Not very often,” he said, and kept going.

When they walked back to the house, sometime later, they were both dripping wet and muddy in patches. “I think you ruined my dress,” Serena grumbled happily.

“I’ll make you another.”

Serena looked about her at the misty, sparkling countryside. Everything looked clean and new and full of possibilities. She lifted the muddy hem of her skirt away from her toes with one hand, and reached out for Solomon’s hand with the other. “I want a red one.”

R
OSE
L
ERNER
discovered Georgette Heyer when she was thirteen, and wrote her first historical romance a few years later. Her writing has improved since then, but her fascination with all things Regency hasn’t changed. When not reading, writing, or researching, she enjoys cooking and marathoning old TV shows. Rose lives in Seattle with two roommates, four cats, and too many books and DVDs to count.

So you can get to know Rose a bit better, she’s given herself a little quiz. Fill out the poll at http://www.roselerner.com/bio.php to share what you think!