Being a woman with an ardent suitor at her side provoked numerous unexpected reactions in Anna. Although her father appeared confused over Lord Sorenson’s proposal, and her delay in answering him, she felt justified in holding out for a proper courtship.

Her beau sent a different bunch of flowers each morning, came to call in the afternoons, and had promised to attend any event Anna was invited to if given notice of where she went.

All Anna could think about, dream about too, was when she might next have a chance to kiss him again. He did it very well, but it had been days since an opportunity to be alone with him had presented itself.

She stood at the side of the dance floor of Lord and Lady Thwaite’s townhouse, watching Miss Hayes twirl about with the latest object of her fascination: Lord Grindlewood.

Grindlewood was rumored to have finally recovered his fortune. His ship had come in, quite literally returned to port after becoming lost at sea, with its hold bursting with a fortune in valuable goods. She and Portia had discussed his appeal and connections at length when they’d slipped away to visit Portia’s uncle’s cluttered former residence.

“Still admiring the pretty ones?” Lord Wade asked as he stopped at her side.

She laughed a little. “There are many pretty things in London, my lord. I recall you are partial to looking at them yourself.”

Lord Wade smiled. “I thought the right man would bring you all the way out of your shell.”

“My shell?”

He nodded slowly. “I constantly hear that ladies are not supposed to speak their minds in order to be considered good. You slip up on occasion, which is why I bother to speak to you so often.”

“Oh,” she laughed softly. “I thought you only spoke to me so Miss Hayes would have to acknowledge you.”

He scowled. “Point.”

“I didn’t know we could keep score of our conversations,” she said, fluttering her lashes innocently.

He scowled again. “Better not do that again. I have a feeling your suitor is a jealous sort.”

Anna glanced around for her beau, hoping he had arrived. “Have you seen him?”

“Card room. Carmichael is there too, dazzling the new flock of squires fresh from the country out of their pin money.”

Anna sighed. She was not permitted in the card room. Father insisted she not venture there without him, but after her marriage, she fully intended to go whenever she liked. Not to gamble, she had no skill at cards. But watching had been amusing the few times her father had taken her in. “It is not very nice to call country gentlemen sheep.”

“I was talking about the ladies as well. A fair number are keen to wager away their allowances against him, and probably offer up their virtue, too.”

“Don’t say that,” she warned, glancing around discreetly. “You don’t know them. There is nothing improper about ladies wagering a small sum when they have a suitable chaperone advising them.”

Anna glanced toward her father with longing. He did not agree with her about making small wagers on anything, even the outcome of a horserace between friends. He disapproved of gambling altogether and was constantly chiding Carmichael for his reckless behavior at the tables. That Lord Sorenson might gamble had never occurred to Anna. She really did not know her intended very well, but she wanted to rectify that. “Would you excuse me?”

“Of course.” He smirked. “Do run along and protect your suitor from any unwanted advances. Until you actually accept his proposal, and the connection is widely known, the other ladies can have no idea he’s off the marriage mart and might have already made a play for his affections in your absence.”

Anna had already considered she might have made a tactical mistake in her delay when it came to her competition on the marriage mart. Her betrothed was quite the catch in her opinion. An earl. Wealthy. New to Town and easy to talk to. Handsome. He might grow bored with waiting if she took too long to decide about him.

She scowled at Lord Wade when she saw he was laughing at her. “Are you going to ask Miss Hayes to dance tonight?”

“No,” he muttered with a firm shake of his head.

The last time Lord Wade had asked Portia to dance, she’d refused him outright by uttering the biggest fib she’d ever told. Portia had excused herself immediately, saying she felt suddenly ill. Anna thought her reaction unnecessarily cruel. There were kinder ways to dissuade gentlemen you didn’t like.

Lord Wade rarely asked Portia to dance now, and his manner had become very cold and critical of the young woman’s behavior in recent days, though Anna thought it was out of worry rather than any meanness. She couldn’t blame him for caring.

Anna returned to her father. He was alone for a moment and she leaned toward him to whisper, “Might we venture to the card room tonight?”

“I’ve no interest in gambling.”

“Neither do I but…I should like to speak with Lord Sorenson again. I just learned he and Carmichael are there.”

Father looked at her a long moment. “Very well. We will go and speak to Carmichael.”

They made their way there, and Anna’s heart beat fast when she sighted her suitor. He was seated at a table with three other gentlemen, a tumbler of spirits at his elbow and his winnings piled up before him. He seemed to be having a very successful night.

Carmichael waved them toward him as the group of men around Lord Sorenson started to stand and gather up their much smaller winnings. The game must have only just ended.

“I tell you, sir, he had the devil’s luck tonight,” Lord Carmichael enthused to her father, grinning from ear to ear.

Anna stared at Carmichael. He seemed very excited. More so than normal. “He won?”

“Every hand. He just emptied Lord Abercrombie’s pockets too, and that old miser never loses against newcomers, don’t you know?”

Anna knew little of gambling, especially the gentlemen who were good at it, but tried to appear impressed. “Good evening, Lord Sorenson.”

“Good evening, Miss Beasley. I won, Carmichael, because Abercrombie played with one eye on the next table of players,” her suitor countered. “He was too busy watching the action over there to notice what I threw out. It was almost a crime to pick up my winnings.”

Carmichael beamed. “A few more weeks in London hitting the tables and we could become very rich men.”

“I doubt gambling can hold my interest for very long,” Lord Sorenson warned, moving to Anna’s side. “You look lovely tonight,” he whispered very quietly.

“Thank you.”

Carmichael raised his glass, catching Anna’s eye. His amusement was obvious. “A toast is called for I think.”

Lord Sorenson’s chest expanded as he took a large breath and let it out slowly. “Is that so?”

“Oh yes, this is absolutely the right moment,” Carmichael promised, grinning from ear to ear.

Sorenson laughed softly and called over a footman holding a tray of drinks. He handed Anna champagne and her father took one, too. “Very well. What are we toasting to tonight?”

“To new beginnings and future happiness.”

Anna stared at Carmichael, wondering what he was talking about, and saw him sneak a peek at Lord Sorenson and then look at her again. Carmichael inclined his head slightly and then took a sip of his whiskey, eyes brimming with amusement as he held her stare over the glass.

He knew Lord Sorenson was courting her! He likely knew Sorenson had proposed, too, and had been not exactly rebuffed but certainly delayed.

Anna wanted the ground to open up beneath her feet and swallow her whole. Carmichael would tease her about this without mercy for as long as she lived.

Aware she was taking longer than everyone else to join the toast, she buried her nose in her champagne glass and took a tiny sip. She didn’t particularly care for champagne, preferring sherry if given a choice. If Carmichael hinted at anything that would embarrass her tonight, she’d stomp his foot and throw the horrid champagne at his face.

Lord Sorenson took the glass from her hand suddenly, a smile lifting his lips. “I think it’s safer all round if I take that from you, now the toast is over, before you hurl the contents at him for teasing.” He glanced toward Carmichael slyly. “Were you not to dance with Miss Lacy soon?”

Carmichael snorted. “Oh, yes. Mustn’t forget Miss Lacy expects me.” Carmichael looked about, wearing that silly false grin again. “Ah, there she is, crossing the hall and beseeching me with her eyes to follow. Do excuse me, Anna. Sorenson. Mr. Beasley.”

“Yes, hurry to catch up with her, Carmichael.”

“Don’t come back anytime soon,” Anna muttered quietly under her breath.

Lord Sorenson choked on a laugh. “Might I have the honor of the next dance, Miss Beasley?”

Her card was still empty of dance partners, but that wasn’t the reason she nodded her acceptance. “I’d be delighted.”

“Mr. Beasley, will you join us in the ballroom?”

Father hurried to finish his champagne. “Indeed I will.”

When both Father and Lord Sorenson extended their arms, Anna chose her dance partner with an apologetic smile to her father. “The quadrille is about to begin, Papa.”

He gestured her out of the room impatiently. “Off you go then.”

Lord Sorenson wasted no time going directly to the dance floor. “Perfectly timed.”

“So it seems.” She turned to face him as other dancers lined up around them. “Did you dance very much in the countryside?”

“Country dances once a month at a local lord’s home. Nothing compared to this.”

Anna saw Carmichael speaking with one of the musicians and then smirking their way. The man was insufferable. “You were right to take my glass from me earlier.”

He laughed, a sound that heated her whole body. “He only teases because he likes you,” Sorenson promised.

“Likes to torment me,” Anna grumbled.

He laughed again. “And I in turn tormented him.”

The musician played a small introduction to the next tune. She was expecting a quadrille like everyone else, the order of the dances had been announced earlier, but the melody was wrong for it. It sounded like it would be a second waltz played instead.

Lord Sorenson shook his head, smiling. “Carmichael has been busy.”

“Doing what?”

The earl held out his hand. “New beginnings.”

Anna wasn’t certain what to make of that remark but she was happy to be held close in Lord Sorenson’s arms again, even if it was just to dance. He was so very tall and comforting to be around. She hoped not to blush the whole way through the set. “Were you truly horrible to him or just trying to make me feel better?”

Lord Sorenson drew closer. “Carmichael has always come to stay with me during the summer. At Kent, and also when I had the vicar’s living, he liked to strut about the village, charming all the local lads and ladies with tales of his exploits in London.”

“He does that in the winter too,” she grumbled.

“Not much of the tales were even half true so, well, every now and then, when Carmichael was getting too full of himself, heavily embellishing his tales, I’d suggest we all take a walk outside together.”

Anna leaned in closer. “Pray continue. What did you do to him outside?”

“I did nothing.” Lord Sorenson pulled her tighter as the dance began. He was silent a few moments as they spun about the room. “I’ve kept dogs since I was a boy. Nearly a dozen spaniels at one time, but one in particular was very obedient. Because that one liked water so much, I trained him to shake off the excess water on my command so he wouldn’t do it indoors.”

“A clever precaution.”

“Well, there are some lovely views in Kent, a winding river with many shallow backwaters for the dogs to swim in, and most of the pack would run off for a dip whenever we went out walking. They always came back muddy and, depending on how annoyed I was with Carmichael, I’d signal my dog to shake the moment he was close enough to wet him.”

Anna struggled not to laugh. “That must be why he avoids dogs and taking country walks in the winter months.”

“He prefers London and the safety of carriages to keep his coat clean.” Lord Sorenson winked. “He still hasn’t caught on that it was never random chance.”

Anna sighed, enjoying the feel of Lord Sorenson’s large hand shifting around on her back a little. She could become used to having all of his attention. “I wish I could have seen him covered in mud just once. He is so particular about his appearance. He must have been mortified.”

“Truly. Yet he still visits every summer despite the unruly beasts I keep about.” Her suitor grinned. “I am expecting him to visit us in June. I’ll have to teach you the trick to command the dogs yourself before he comes.”

Anna grinned, glad to have a conspirator against Lord Carmichael at last. Perhaps it wouldn’t be all bad marrying a man she hardly knew. He made her laugh, didn’t he?

But there was the matter of his gambling to learn about. Carmichael’s words had suggested he was as adept as anyone in London, or perhaps even better.

“Miss Beasley?” Lord Sorenson murmured.

“Oh, sorry. I was wool-gathering a little.” She blushed and paid more attention to the man holding her. Marrying a man with a strong desire to gamble didn’t appeal. She had her future to consider, their children’s future depended on how their father managed their eventual inheritance.

“What’s on your mind now?”

“It’s nothing.”

He smiled wryly. “As a vicar, I drew from my own experiences in society when preparing my sermons. I preached thrift, sobriety, and kindness to others. A week in London cannot overset the habits of the past years so quickly. I might wager with the best of them but prefer not to.”

Anna blushed, astonished he’d guessed the direction of her thoughts so easily. “I never thought you did.”

He frowned as the music drew to a close. They stopped and exchanged a smile before clapping along with everyone else. Lord Sorenson moved to take her arm. “In London,” he whispered, “a gentleman must be seen to have an understanding of the most common of pastimes, an aptitude for games of chance, drinking too, to fit in. I will do so without ruining myself. Carmichael has no chance of corrupting me if that is what makes you frown.”

Although startled that he could read her mind so easily, she smiled up at him. “You’re very wise.”

He covered her hand resting on his sleeve. “And you, my dear lady, have nothing to worry about when it comes to the future, should you choose me. The Sorenson estates thrive, despite any rumors you might hear to the contrary. I am in fact a rather serious man with few vices.”

“I think you’re very amusing.”

“The only vice I currently crave is a chance to kiss you again,” he whispered.

Anna’s face flamed with heat. “How do you know what I’m thinking?”

“You bite your lip whenever you have a question you’re not sure how to ask.”

“I had no idea I did. No wonder Lord Wade can read me like a book, too. I will have to learn to be inscrutable.”

He looked down on her, suddenly serious again. The heat in his gaze made Anna shiver all the way to her toes. “I think you are perfect as you are, sweet and kind,” he promised in a husky tone. “And entirely kissable,” he whispered.

Anna had to drop her gaze quickly before she burst into flames under the heat of his. She wanted more of his kisses too before she decided one way or another. “Thank you.”

His arm slipped around her back briefly and she felt the warmth of his embrace to the depths of her soul. They navigated a large group and then walked on side by side to rejoin her father, who was watching them closely.

Lord Sorenson seemed entirely wonderful—considerate and very interested in her thoughts—but she still did not wish to make a mistake she might later regret.

There was always tomorrow to decide about his proposal. Tonight, she wanted to be courted with sweet words and perhaps share a third stolen kiss with him.

She lifted her gaze to her suitor, seeking reassurance that despite the necessity of his proposal, they were both falling in love with the idea of being with each other forever.

Lord Sorenson’s jaw was set, his gaze fixed over her head again. He didn’t miss a word of conversation with her father for the next several minutes, but she was sure they had none of his attention.