Page 68 of Introducing Miss Joanna (Once a Wallflower 2)

Jo turned in his arms to look around the long room. A trio played a Mozart piece, and other dancers had joined them on the floor. Her Aunt Mary and her father chatted with guests. “I feel like I belong to all this,” Jo said, with a misty smile. “For the first time.”

“A notice appeared in The Morning Post.”

“I wonder if my mother’s family in Marlborough will see it. They have never welcomed me because, in their eyes, my father wasn’t good enough for them.”

“Class is not always a matter of birth,” Reade said.

“Virden thought it was. That he hadn’t been born on the right side of the blanket consumed him.”

He frowned. “Jo.”

“Yes?”

“I won’t have mention of them here or during our honeymoon. Or, in fact, at any time. That’s in the past, Jo. And there it will remain.”

“But if we could just find Anabel, I shall not speak of it again.”

“I can see it will be up to me to distract you,” he said, his gaze capturing hers. “I am eager for the task.”

The smile she bestowed on him was as intimate as a kiss. His arm tightened around her. Loving Jo was going to be a blissful adventure.

Chapter Twenty-Five

It was Jo’s first sight of Reade’s townhouse. She’d been unable to visit because painters and decorators were at work. Its magnificence rivaled that of the Cartwrights’ home. A footman opened the door, and she stepped with Reade onto the black-and-white marble tiles of the foyer. A return staircase curved away to the upper floors, whe

re a crystal chandelier hung from the lofty ceiling.

Reade took her hand and led her across Aubusson carpets, through beautiful reception rooms hung in silk and decorated with brocade and velvets. A fresh smell of paint lingered. “I hope the décor meets with your approval,” he said, glancing at her. “I left the improvements to the decorators, as I know little of such things.”

Jo smiled. It mattered little to him. He’d done this for her. He would entertain with her in this beautiful drawing room, but she suspected he would rather be out of doors, riding his horse. She smiled. “How could I not? It’s a beautiful house.”

“Shall we go upstairs? You’ll want to change.”

Sally was at the trunk in the boudoir, as Jo entered. The maid came into the bedchamber, her face wreathed in smiles. She had been overjoyed when Jo told her she would continue as her maid.

“I’ll wear the blue cambric, Sally.”

“Yes, Miss Jo.”

Jo drew in a breath. The elegant furnishings and superb artworks had stunned her the minute she stepped through the door. She’d never acquainted the man she knew with such wealth and grandeur.

When dressed, she came down to the drawing room hung with paintings and huge gilt-edged mirrors. She wandered out onto the terrace to inspect the walled garden of trees and clipped shrubs. In the lane behind was the stables where Reade’s beloved horse Ash was stalled.

With a smile, Reade came to join her. She reached up to order his glossy locks. They were faintly damp. When he slipped an arm around her waist and hugged her to his side, she breathed in his familiar masculine smell, which never failed to arouse her. “It’s not much of a garden,” he said. “I prefer the wildness of Seacliffe.”

Jo understood now why he’d preferred to live at Albany. Rattling around this house on his own would be anathema to him. Was it because of his years in the army he preferred a simple life? Or just the man he was? Jo had many questions, but she wasn’t impatient. They had all the time in the world.

After a light repast in the dining room, it was still daylight when they made their way upstairs. Jo was a little breathless. She didn’t consider herself to be shy, but she wanted so much to please him.

He left her to go to his bedchamber. Jo entered to bathe and change into the negligee she’d recently purchased. This was nothing like her usual white lawn nightgowns. The pale green silk trimmed with ribbons and lace clung and revealed much of her body.

After Sally brushed out her hair, she left her.

Jo looked at the enormous bed. There were steps to reach it. She slid down on smooth, fresh sheets beneath the covers and lay examining the gold tent of fabric above her, her heart thumping as she listened for the door to Reade’s apartment to open.

When he appeared in a dressing gown, she sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest. His gaze sought hers as he crossed the carpet. He stood before her with that special smile he had for her, which had always made her feel safe. She didn’t feel so safe now; at the serious intent in his eyes, a euphoric rush of pleasure and anticipation made her sink down with a gasp.

He kicked off backless slippers, his hands at his dressing gown belt. Jo eyed the vee of smooth, lightly tanned skin and the smattering of dark, crisp curls at his throat. Beneath the midnight blue silk, he appeared to be naked. She quivered. “This is a very high bed,” she said in a rush, with a need to defuse the tension.

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