Free The Reluctant Duchess by Catherine Winchester Page B

would have difficulty going through most doorways. Perhaps she was exaggerating a little but not much. This gown was fit for the royal court (Lavinia was the King’s sister, after all) and she would certainly turn a few heads, not to mention start a few tongues wagging.
    The candlelight reflected off the beading and added a warmth to her complexion that she didn’t normally see. Carol had also furiously pinched her cheeks to raise a blush and whilst it had hurt, Annabelle could appreciate the look now that the pain had passed.
    Once Carol had finished fitting her into the gown, there came a knock at the door.
    “Come in,” she called.
    The door opened to reveal Richard standing there, looking quite astonished as he took her figure in.
    “You look like a princess,” he said, stepping towards her.
    Annabelle thanked Carol then dismissed her. She didn’t answer him until Carol had left the room.
    “Well, I did borrow it from a princess,” she teased.
    “Indeed, and I have the finishing touch.” He brought out a velvet purse and emptied the contents onto her bed, arranging them so that she could see the beautiful sapphire and diamond necklace, matching earrings, bracelet and brooch.
    Annabelle’s hand went to her neck and she clasped her sapphire pendant.
    “ They remind me of your eyes,” Richard said picking up the necklace.
    “Are you s ure you want me to wear them?”
    “Of course. I wouldn’t have brought them if I didn’t.”
    It had been years since Annabelle had taken her pendant off, and in fact she had bought a longer and more robust chain for it, so that she was less likely to break it and the stone would be hidden in her cleavage. It often wasn’t a very clever idea to advertise anything of value in a city like London, but it meant so much to her that she wanted to keep it close
    Nevertheless, she wasn’t replacing the pendant, just swapping it for a night. She reached behind her neck and unclasped it but Richard grasped her hand before she could place it on her night table.
    “May I?” he asked.
    Annabelle nodded and opened her hand.
    “I often wondered what lay at the end of this chain,” he said as he took the chain and held the sapphire up. “It’s beautiful.” He handed it back to her.
    “It was a gift from my mother when I was 14,” she said blushing. She felt like a poor relation when he held a necklace that was probably worth tens of thousands. Well, she thought with a wry smile, in truth she was the poor relation, she just wasn’t actually related to him.
    She turned her back so that h e could fasten the necklace and as he leaned in close, to better see what he was doing in the candle light, his warm breath on her neck sent shivers down her spine. His hands then rested on her shoulders and she closed her eyes as she felt his lips on her neck, giving her a gentle kiss.
    “We should go down,” he said softly, although he made no attempt to move.
    “Yes,” she agreed, although she too seemed quite content to stay where she was.
    Suddenly, from outside in the hallway, came a laugh and running feet, which finally shook them out of their stupor.
    Richard spotted the rest of the jewels on the bed and handed them to her.
    “I’ll wait for you in the hall,” he sai d, backing away from her so that he could watch her for as long as possible.
    Annabelle fastened the earrings, which were the heaviest that she could ever recall wearing; she fastened the brooch near the top of her bodice and placed the ring on the middle finger of her right hand. She took one final look in the mirror and then strode out into the hall before she could change her mind.
    Richard offered her his elbow and she noticed that although he too had changed, he had again dressed in britches.
    “What are you smiling at?” he asked as they descended the stairs.
    “I was just thinking how much I like britches, wh ich is odd because until today, they never held any particular fascination for me.”
    Richard smiled as