She’d spent hours thumbing through guidebooks and books describing the country seats of peers, and she’d learned yet more from Lady Elizabeth. “Inside, the house is of the utmost elegance, and the views to the south are rated as spectacular. From the upper levels, there
are also views north across Lambourn Downs. The downs are excellent for riding and are used for training racehorses.”
“You’ll like that,” Franni murmured.
Francesca smiled. She said nothing more, only to hear Franni prompt, “And the bit of land that you have in your dowry is going to make the earl’s estate look like one big pie again.”
“Indeed.” Franni had overheard enough to become curious, so she’d explained. “And that’s the reason for arranging our marriage.”
After a moment, Franni asked, “Do you think you’ll like being married to your earl?”
Francesca’s smile deepened. “Yes.”
“Good.” Franni sighed. “That’s good.”
Francesca closed her eyes, expecting that Franni would now settle. Her mind wandered… to Lambourn Downs, to riding a fleet-footed Arabian mare-
“I had a gentleman come to visit me-did I tell you?”
“Oh?” Wide-awake again, Francesca frowned. “When did he call?”
“Some weeks ago.”
Francesca hadn’t heard a word about any gentleman coming to visit Franni. That didn’t mean some gentleman hadn’t appeared. She considered her next question carefully; with Franni, one had to be specific, not general. “Was it before or after Chillingworth visited?”
She couldn’t see Franni’s face, but she could sense her struggling. “Sometime about then, I think.”
Franni wasn’t good with time; for her, one day was much like another. Before Francesca could think of her next question, Franni wriggled around to face her. “When Chillingworth asked you to marry him, did he kiss you?”
Francesca hesitated. “I didn’t meet him formally. The marriage was arranged through your father-he’s my guardian.”
“You mean you haven’t even met Chillingworth?”
“We met informally. We discussed a few details-”
“But did he kiss you?”
Francesca hesitated some more. “Yes,” she eventually replied.
“What was it like?”
The eagerness in Franni’s voice was impossible to mistake. If she didn’t appease it, Francesca knew she’d get precious little sleep. The kisses she’d shared with her husband-to-be remained fresh in her mind; it took only a moment to decide which interlude to describe. “He kissed me in the orchard. He stopped me from falling and claimed a kiss as a reward.”
“And? What did it feel like?”
“He’s very strong. Powerful. Masterful…” The words were enough to evoke the memory and send recollected sensation sweeping through her, sweeping her away-
“But was it nice?”
Francesca stifled a frustrated sigh. “It was better than nice.”
“Good.”
She felt Franni rocking herself happily and had to ask, “This gentleman who called, did he try to kiss you?”
“Oh, no. He was very proper. But he walked with me and listened to me very politely, so I expect he’s thinking of making an offer.”
“He called just once some weeks ago-”