Her Wicked Proposal novel Chapter 58

Anne's maid finished fastening her gold-colored day gown and threaded a few more pins into the tumble of curls atop her head.

"There you are, milady. It looks lovely."

"Thank you, Becca."

"Will you be needing anything else?" the woman asked, her cap-covered head bowed respectfully.

"Actually, I was wondering if I might be shown to the library. I shall wait there until dinner."

Becca bobbed a curtsy and led Anne down the stairs and to the library.

The room was beautiful. Gilded chairs and tables were littered with books, but the books, she noted, were layered with dust. There was a distinct impression of someone having been here once, a long time ago. Someone who loved to read. Anne caught the cover of the nearest heavy tome and turned it over. The gilt lettering read A History of the English Monarchy. Anne knew that Cedric had never opened this book, and it wasn't like he'd opened any of the others. He hadn't been one for reading, even before the accident.

This quiet scene glowing in the afternoon sun felt like a memorial to someone long gone. Could it be that Cedric's parents had nestled in these very chairs, turning pages with interest? Anne's throat constricted at the thought of Cedric leaving the books out. Had he been unable to put them away? Did he want to feel that his parents might come back at any moment? Or was it merely that he never came to this room and the servants didn't have the heart to put them away?

"If you are looking for something to read, Lady Sheridan, might I suggest this?"

Anne turned to find herself face-to-face with the tall, pale-haired Lord Lennox. She took the small volume he held out to her.

"Lady Briana and the Troubled Viscount?" Was the title his way of communicating with her?

"Cedric is one of the finest men I have ever known," Lord Lennox said.

Anne was bespelled by the light in his vivid blue eyes. In a sudden flash, she pictured Ashton bare-chested with a bloody shoulder wound, his features etched with lines of excruciating pain. Anne's head spun and she wavered on her feet. Ashton caught her by the waist, steadying her.

"Is everything all right, Lady Sheridan?"

"I saw you...covered in blood. Why did I see you bleeding?" She clutched at his waistcoat for support while she fought off a wave of nausea.

Ashton looked at her curiously. "You saw me covered in blood?"

"Yes... Your chest was bare, and your shoulder was...wounded," she added with a flush of heat in embarrassment. She ought never to have admitted to having seen him half-naked.

"It's a memory and nothing more, Lady Sheridan," Ashton soothed. "Last December you came to visit your friend, Emily Parr, now the Duchess of Essex. I believe Cedric told you I'd been shot last year. Godric was tending to my shoulder and you came in upon us. I am sorry the memory has upset you."

Anne blinked in surprise as the memory sharpened and everything came back about that particular day. She remembered Emily, her good friend. Godric, the brooding and handsome Duke of Essex. They weren't blank titles any more. They were friends she remembered. If only the rest would come back. Anne's racing heart settled and her shoulders slumped in relief.

"Thank God. I was worried I might be suffering from visions." She rubbed a hand along her forehead.

"Do you remember anything else?"

Anne gave a shake of her head. "It's all a blur. I wish I could."

"Do you remember the night you first met Cedric at Almack's?"

Anne started to say no, but Ashton cupped her chin and had her look at him. "Think hard. I was there. There was a waltz starting. Cedric turned to face you..." The smooth narration of Ashton's voice poured through her, seeking out dark spots in her mind, bathing them in pools of shimmering memory.

"He smiled at me and I felt..."

Ashton focused on her even harder. "Imagine him there, turning to see you for the first time. The look he gave you. The smile. What did you feel?"

She surrendered to his eyes and spoke what her heart remembered, even though her mind insisted the memory was gone. "I felt that everything I'd ever known to be true wasn't anymore. That my existence began in the curve of his smile, and the first breath in my lungs was rooted in the gleam of his eyes. My heart was his."

Ashton released her chin and placed his palm on her cheek. He brushed his knuckles along her cheekbone, soothing and tender. It was only then Anne realized tears were streaming down her cheeks and he was wiping them away.