The Demure Debutante - a Regency Novella Read Online Free PDF Page A

words again!”
    Edward placed a finger under her chin and lifted her gaze in his direction. As he stared into her eyes, he whispered, “I love you.”
    “It sounds like you really mean it.”
    “I do mean it,” he insisted. “I l-l-love you.”
    Willow's hands flew to her hips. “Did you really just stutter your declaration of love!?”
    “I did,” Edward said, looking a bit disappointed in himself.
    “Well... you know what that means, don't you?!” Willow waited a few seconds for the threat to sink in, then she pinched his rear end. “ There ! An appropriate punishment!”
    Edward looked down the hallway, making sure her brother was not around to witness Willow's brazen behavior. At present, they were standing in front of Willow's bedchamber, where they were having a difficult time parting ways. The moment she disappeared behind the door, it meant he would not see her until the morning, and he hated to spend another painful eight hours without her.
    The farewell became even more impossible when Willow pulled him down for a kiss. She suckled his lips, kissed his chin, and then her mouth wandered down to his neck. “I love you,” she said. Edward was the only man to whom she uttered those words, and he was the first man to whom she meant them.
    “I love you,” Edward repeated, careful not to stutter this time. “But if you keep kissing me, I'll never be able to leave.”
    “Then I'll have to kiss you for the rest of the night, because I don't want you to leave!” Willow's tongue relocated his mouth. When she slipped it between his lips, he nearly passed out.
    “You better stop there, or I won't be able to resist you,” Edward cautioned her.
    “You don't have to resist me!” Willow opened the door and tried to pull him beyond the threshold, but he wouldn't budge. “You know I want you.”
    “And I want you!” Edward adamantly assured her. “But you know I can't... not until we are married!”
    Willow sighed. The fact that her fiance was saving himself for marriage was as charming as it was frustrating. “Very well. But we need to get married soon .”
    “Agreed.”
    “And we should have a party, don't you think? To celebrate our engagement? I want my friends and family to meet my wonderful fiance!” Willow paused for a moment, tapping her chin as she considered her words. “Well, at the very least, I want my friends to meet you. I don't have much of a family. My brother is all there is.”
    “Not for long.” Edward took her hand and held it against his lips. “Before you know it, I'll be your family.”

    * * *

    As Emilia mounted her horse, she could practically hear her mother scolding her. She knew it was foolish to go riding by herself, especially when she was unfamiliar with the surrounding area. However, Edward was not around to accompany her, and she couldn't resist the temptation to enjoy an afternoon ride. According to Willow, the countryside was beautiful. Emilia had been trapped in foggy London for so long, she needed to surround herself in lush green landscape, even if she had to go alone.
    Emilia took the horse's bridle and urged it forward, heading for distant hills and distant trees. Every now and then, she cast a glance over her shoulder, back in the direction from whence she came. When Sanborne Hall had disappeared, her lips curled into a smile. Everywhere she looked, she was surrounded by resplendent meadow, which filled her with an overwhelming sense of freedom and adventure.
    Her journey led her to a shallow brook, where brightly colored fish were swimming upstream. Her horse tried to stop for a drink, but Emilia hastened onward. As they crossed the brook, she stared into the water, watching the fish scatter and flick their tails. Emilia and her horse headed toward a thatch of trees, where overhanging branches were lit by the golden sun.
    Several minutes later, she arrived at a field of wildflowers, where she spotted daisies, bluebells, poppies and sunflowers. Emilia