He kissed the inside of her wrist. “The girl who stood up to her guardians and a wretched man who tried to compromise her is afraid of a frail, old grandmother?”
Charlotte nodded.
“Smart girl.” He kissed her again and gave the door a knock before opening it. He hoped Gran would come to approve of the match, but he would marry Charlotte whether she gave her approval or not.
He tugged Charlotte into the chamber and toward the bed where Gran and Oscar were resting. “Hello, you rotten little dog.” He gave Oscar a pat, and the dog growled. “Gran, we have something important to tell you.”
She drummed her fingers against the coverlet. “You finally proposed to Charlotte?”
For the first time in his life, Sebastian was speechless.
Gran rolled her eyes at him. “I could tell the moment you walked in. I’ve been waiting for weeks for you to get up the nerve to do it.”
Charlotte walked over to Gran and kissed her cheek.
“I knew she was the one for you the moment I met her.”
Sebastian cleared his throat. “May I ask how?”
“Aside from the fact that she was obviously in love with you, you’re perfectly matched. She’s not afraid to speak her mind, and she won’t let you get away with anything.”
Charlotte nodded. “This is true.”
Sebastian touched Gran’s shoulder. “I take it you approve, then?”
Gran squeezed his arm. “Of course. I told you Oscar is an excellent judge of character.”
Charlotte leaned over the bed and ran her fingers through Oscar’s fur. “How is he doing? His skin is no longer red.”
Gran smiled. “He hasn’t been scratching at all. I believe your soap is working.”
Sebastian gave Oscar another pat. “Are you planning to attend the ball?” he asked Gran. “I intend to announce our betrothal, and I’d like you to be there.”
“I was about to start dressing when you arrived. Get out, and I will join you downstairs shortly.” She waved at him in dismissal.
Charlotte laughed. He grabbed her and pulled her across the threshold. Once the door was safely shut, he pushed her against the wall and kissed her thoroughly.
When he reluctantly pulled away, he said, “There is much to be done.”
“Yes, I must go share our happy news with Anna before you make the announcement.”
“I believe Ashdown deserves advance warning as well.” There was one more thing he needed to do before he could announce their betrothal. “I must speak with your brother. Though I’m doing things a bit out of order, it is a necessary formality for me to secure his permission to marry you.”
Charlotte snorted and smacked her palm against his chest. “I hardly think he’s going to refuse your request. In fact, I imagine he would be willing to pay you to be rid of me at this point.”
“Perhaps I’ll suggest that to him.” He kissed her again.
He had never been more certain about anything than his decision to spend the rest of his life with her. He knew that each day, each hour, each minute would only get better.
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Acknowledgments
To my editor, Kerri-Leigh Grady, for being the first one to take a chance on my writing, and for her relentless determination to make this story the best it could be.
To my family—my foundation for everything.
To all of my friends, family, critique partners, beta readers, and everyone else who helped me along my path to publication, even the judges with the snarky contest feedback because you made me work harder just so I could prove you wrong.
And if you are reading this, thank you.
About the Author
Ally lives in Texas and is convinced her house is shrinking, possibly because she shares it with three kids, five dogs, a cat, a rabbit, and several reptiles. Oh, and her husband. She likes to curse in Russian and spends most of her time letting dogs in and out of the house and shuttling kids around. She writes historical romance set in Regency England and Imperial Russia.
She loves to hear from readers and you can find her on her website, Facebook, and Twitter, though she makes no claims of using any of them properly.
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