Free Married By Midnight by Julianne MacLean Page B

laughter.
    She had forgotten what it felt like to be playful, as she had once been in her childhood.
    And tonight she had trusted Garrett enough to allow him to hold her in his arms, to kiss her, and flatter her. She had allowed herself to feel desire. And she was unsettled by the fact that her body still burned for more.
     
     

Chapter Seven
     
     
    “I am quite convinced there is an attraction between them,” Charlotte said as she spooned a poached egg and a slice of ham onto her plate at the sideboard.
    Rebecca and Chelsea were already seated at the table finishing their biscuits.
    “ I think so, too,” Rebecca replied. “It was quite obvious last night when he took her hand and dashed off into the darkness with her the instant you suggested they should be partners. And when we found them at the end, Lady Anne was blushing. There can be no doubt about it.”
    Charlotte sat down at the table and spread her napkin on her lap. “Do you think anything happened between them? A kiss perhaps?”
    Chelsea sat back with her coffee and exhaled on a sigh. “Now I am disappointed I went to bed so early. It sounds like I missed a great deal of excitement.”
    “ Not at all,” Rebecca replied. “Though it was more than a little amusing when Charlotte howled like a rabid wolf.”
    “ Not a wolf,” she explained. “I was the inconsolable ghost of a murdered monk who was separated from his great love.”
    Chelsea laughed. “Ah. Well, that is not nearly half so bad. Were you trying to frighten them?”
    “ I was having my revenge on Garrett for all his shenanigans when we were children... But you are both missing the point. What do you think about Garrett and Lady Anne? Is there any chance they might truly fall in love and decide to pursue a real marriage?”
    Rebecca sliced into her ham. “If that happens, it will be higher forces at work to be sure, for I know that was not Devon’s intention when he and Blake searched the whole of England for a suitable bride. They were specifically looking for a woman who would be content with the pretense of a marriage, not a real one.”
    “ Not just be content ,” Chelsea added. “They were looking for someone who was also seeking independence. I believe Anne is that woman.”
    Charlotte regarded them both shrewdly in the morning’s winter light beaming in the windows. “That may have been their intention, but I am beginning to believe father’s curse is not really a curse at all, but some sort of magical boon. So far, three out of my four brothers have all been muscled into matrimony against their will, and all have found their perfect mates. You are both blissfully happy, are you not?”
    Rebecca and Chelsea agreed.
    “ You see? I think Garrett may also be on the verge of discovering the same sort of happiness. He has been away too long and for that reason has forgotten all of us. Now I believe he is remembering happier times. And Anne is wonderful, isn’t she? They are a strikingly handsome couple and seem to possess similar dispositions as well. They enjoy talking to each other and there is an undeniable spark of attraction between them. Have you noticed? I certainly have. I think it is only a matter of time before they realize they are madly in love with each other, and he will decide to stay here at Pembroke where he belongs.”
    Rebecca sipped her coffee. “Perhaps you are right. You are his twin, after all. You know him far better than we do. But I also think you should be careful not to get your hopes up.”
    Charlotte lifted her gaze. “What do you think, Chelsea?”
    When Chelsea smiled she was astonishingly beautiful, warm as the sun. “I think you are a born matchmaker, Charlotte, and Garrett will have to watch out if he wants to hold onto his bachelor lifestyle after the wedding day.”
    Charlotte dug into her poached egg. “I don’t believe I will have to do much of anything, except watch this so-called curse take its natural course. Those two are meant