She let those words sink in. "I don't understand! We didn't do anything, why is it too late?"
"Didn't do anything? I practically made love to you. Now, everyone has seen you. Everyone will expect you to be my wife." He shot her a glance. "My God, I've been acting like a fool for weeks now. Now this. Well, you are my wife. And you're the only woman that seen me in my altogether."
She let a slight chuckle escape despite the seriousness of the situation.
He frowned, "It isn't funny."
"I suppose that's true, but there must be a way to rectify this." she shook her head, "What are we going to do? I don't know you. You don't know me! We can't just… "
"How old are you?"
"Twenty-four, why?"
"Your too old!" he shook his head.
She thought that funny for a minute, then realized he's insulted her. "Too old?" she frowned now. "Well, I'm sorry, I guess you ordered a child bride."
"I'm talking about the annulment." He snapped. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound so cruel." He couldn't help the sexy grin he shot her. "If you were under age or something it would be easy to get it annulled."
"Oh!"
"You weren't drinking, were you?"
"I beg your pardon?" she frowned again. "That champagne was the only liquor I have ever drank! I was going to tell you when we first sat down at the table, but your friend interrupted, and I started sipping the champagne a little too quickly. I guess it went to my head. I forgot what I was going to tell you."
"That's another reason you can get an annulment. Were you?"
"Drinking, no!"
"Your certainly not kin to me!"
he glanced at her.
"I should say not!"
"We could call it fraud. You were my cook, and I didn't know it. That might work. But trying to explain to all these people, that is my only concern. I guess I should have at least known what she looked like, huh?"
"Had you given me the least bit of a chance to tell you, I would have!" she exclaimed. "But I certainly wasn't expecting a man to jerk me off the train and kiss me. It put me in a stupor. Things like that just don't happen. I hesitated to slap your face, because I didn't know you."
"A pretty girl, getting off a train in a dress like that, what was I to think. You had the hair, and you looked so beautiful!"
"I did?" That admission shocked her.
He stood up now, all six foot three of him and stared down at her, making her five-foot two look very small in comparison. His face waded into a frown. "I'm trying to find a way out of this. A graceful way."
She got up on the bed now and looked at him.
"What are you doing?" He was sure she was out of her mind.
"I hate not being able to look you eye to eye. I guess a divorce would be a scandal huh?"
"For me yes." He nodded.
"Well, where is your fiancée?"
"That's a good question. Still in Boston, I suspect. I expected her on the train yesterday when you arrived, I thought you were coming next week. When I saw the dark hair and the dress, I just decided it had to be Priscilla. I guess it is my fault, after all."
"W-well, I was coming next week, but you see, my father died and there was rent to pay, and I was out of money, so I came sooner."