Page 79 of His Accidental Duchess

“Mama says that coincidences are rarer than people think,” Anna heard herself say.

“Perhaps she is right. Now, do you want to watch the rest of the opera, or shall we go home?”

Anna stared at him. She was not sure her legs would support her.

He let out a guffaw at her expression. “Very well, very well! Home it is then, wife.”

CHAPTER 22

“Home it is, then, wife.”

“Mama says that coincidences are rarer than people think.”

Anna woke up slowly, leisurely. She cracked open an eye and found herself staring up at her now-familiar canopy. Her bed felt a little different, and it took her a moment to realize that it was because she was lying on the wrong side of her bed,andat an angle.

Her head—neatly cushioned by her favorite pillow—was resting on a spot about halfway down the mattress, near the edge, and she lay almost widthways on the bed. Her ankles dangled over the mattress, and she tucked her cold toes back into the warmth of the blankets.

In doing so, she brushed against a warm, still form.

The events of last night came rushing back—the opera, which they’d only seen half of, the bouncing carriage,thatfeeling, and the way she and Theo had tiptoed through a dark and silent house to her room, a bottle of wine clutched in each fist, muffling giggles.

Anna propped herself up on her elbows, peering at the man who had shared her bed.

Herhusband.

Theo was sleeping on his side, facing the center of the bed. He curled up into a surprisingly small ball, which was why Anna had been able to take up so much space without disturbing him. Now that he was asleep, his face was smooth and peaceful. He looked much younger, and a wave of affection swept through Anna.

She nudged him with her foot. “Wake up, sleepyhead.”

He groaned, his face burrowing into the pillow. “It’s too early. Itcannotbe morning.”

“I’m afraid it is, and we drank two full bottles of wine last night.”

“NowthatI can believe.”

He rolled onto his back, stretching like a cat. A grin spread across his face, and a shiver of desire ran down Anna’s spine.

“Did you sleep well?” she said, instead of giving in to the urge to giggle like a schoolgirl.

He chuckled. “I certainly did. We must go to the opera more often, I think.”

There was no missing the suggestion in his voice, and Anna felt her cheeks flushing.

“I do love the opera.”

Tilting his head to the side, he beckoned her over. Before she could think twice, Anna crawled up the length of the bed to flop down on the pillows beside him. He was naked, and she herself was wearing only the flimsiest chemise. Warmth radiated from his bare skin, and Anna wanted nothing more than to draw her fingertips over the swell of his arms and up to his delightfully broad shoulders.

And why should she not? He was her husband, she was his wife. They were intheirbed.

Your bed,piped up a small voice in the back of her head.Wasn’t that one of his rules? That you should stay out of his rooms? Of course he didn’t take you back to his bed.

That dampened her mood just a little, but Anna put the troublesome thought aside, instead leaning up to kiss him. He bent down his head towards her.

Their lips were a hairsbreadth apart when a knock sounded at the door.

Anna flinched, tugging the bedsheets up to her neck. Theo gave a snort of amusement.

“Anna?” came a horrifyingly familiar, childish voice.

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