“When?” she inquired. “How long till we can be married?”
Quin marveled. “Never before have I been so thankful for your impatient nature.”
She swatted him playfully.
“There will be scandal if we marry too soon—”
At this, she gave her eyes an indelicate roll. “There will be scandal regardless. Consider the circumstances…”
“A very persuasive argument.” He bobbed his head in agreement. “Then I shall see about going to Doctors’ Commons to procure a special license.”
Catherine couldn’t restrain her joy, showing far too many teeth in her smile to be proper, but it couldn’t be helped; she was too happy for anything but wild displays of joy.
Quin’s answering grin filled her heart to overflowing. She pulled back for a moment, studying him. “Wait. What do you mean I took longer?”
He took a step back, then as if he couldn’t stand the distance, reached out and grasped her hand. As if he needed to touch her.
“Exactly that.” He shrugged, tugging her out from their little alcove in the library. He paused and tucked several strands of wayward curls behind her ears and caressed the outline of her bodice and then tugged it straighter, all while clearly impressed with his handiwork.
“How are you so certain?” Catherine asked, following his example and adjusting his cravat for him, careful not to wrinkle the neckcloth further. She bit her lip, realizing belatedly she had been quite aggressive with her hands. She smoothed the rather well-loved hair to the side and back of his head, trying to replicate his earlier tidiness.
“Is it a lost cause?” he asked, as if not caring a fig that he looked nearly accosted.
“I never thought of myself as quite so aggressive.” Catherine’s cheeks heated with a blush as she attempted in vain to smooth the damage.
Quin’s robust merriment echoed in the library. Catherine covered his mouth with her fingers, and he reached up and grasped her hands, moving them so he could speak. “I’ll be waylaid by you any day, love.”
She gave up on trying to fix his disheveled appearance. “Do I look any better?”
“Somewhat. But I was rather careful.” His lips were pressed together as if he was trying to restrain his amusement.
“Are you amused?”
“No,” he replied, then couldn’t deny it any longer. “Yes. Yes, but not because I’m making fun. Rather because it gives me so much pleasure to know I drove you to unawareness. You have no idea what that does to me.” He murmured the last words and seared her lips with a kiss that left her burning from the inside out.
“Well, then, I suppose I can look past it this once,” she said eagerly.
“How magnanimous of you.” He earned a swat from Catherine before leading her toward the library’s entrance.
“Oh! Finally. I was searching for you.” The Duchess of Wesley bustled into the room just as they rounded the shelf between them and the door. She was thankfully at a distance so that Catherine had a moment to adjust her expression and calm her reaction.
Quin shot her a brief glance, widening his eyes slightly as if communicating that they’d ended their private moment none too early.
“Yes, how can we help you, Mother?” Quin asked.
“Well, I was told you want to speak tome.” She cocked her head to the side as if evaluating them, her eyes narrowing slightly.
“Yes, we need to ask you about a very important upcoming event.” Quin’s expression turned quite serious, and Catherine wondered just what he was going to tell his mother. At first, she thought he was going to tell her about their engagement, but his expression made her hesitate. As the thought flickered through her mind, she noted the way his lips twitched as if he was restraining his real emotions.
“I see. Well, carry on.” The Duchess of Wesley’s voice was slightly suspicious, and Catherine noted the way she studied the two of them, back and forth as if trying to ascertain what Quin was referring to before he spoke the words.
“First, I have to admit something that is very difficult for me.” Quin placed his hand over his heart.
The Duchess of Wesley’s suspicious expression deepened as she arched a brow. “Heaven only knows what that will be.”
“You were right.” He nodded soberly, though Catherine could see his lips were pinched from holding in his amusement.
At this confession, the Duchess of Wesley frowned in confusion. She recovered quickly and then agreed. “Well, that’s not surprising.”