arctic temperatures. But the window was open, she realized, and she was not even shivering.
Whatever had possessed her? She was afraid of the sea. She was mortally afraid of being cast adrift on its surface in a small fishing boat. But she had demanded to be taken across to that alarmingly distant island. It was not that prospect that had disturbed her sleep, though. After all, she was Freyja Bedwyn, and it was in her nature to confront her fears head-on whenever a challenge presented itself.
Take me there. One day-tomorrow. Just you and me. Just the two of us.
Where had the words come from? Why not an excursion for all of them? It would surely be possible to hire more than one boat. There was safety in numbers.
Just you and me. Just the two of us.
She was in far deeper with Josh than she cared to admit. She had realized that during the night when she had caught herself during one wakeful spell trying to convince herself that she was not over Kit. But she was. She was beginning to use her old passion for him as a shield behind which to hide. Kit was happy with Lauren and she with him, and there was no longer any pang of grief or anger in the realization. That part of her life was over and done with.
But if she was over Kit, what was there to stop her from loving Josh?
She dared not love him. Even though he was not nearly as shallow a person as she had taken him for when they were in Bath, he nevertheless was not a man it would be wise to fall in love with. He did not intend making his home at Penhallow or anywhere else. He was eager to get back to his life of shiftless wandering. His frivolous life, as he had described it yesterday.
And yet yesterday she had not been sure she believed him. . . .
Tomorrow-today-she was going to go over to the island with him. Just the two of them. And there could be no pretense of innocence.
Are you willing to face such danger? And I am not referring to the boat ride.
I am willing.
I may not be able to keep my hands off you, sweetheart.
Perhaps I will not be able to keep mine off you.
Freyja shivered after all in the predawn air and went back to bed, but she did little more than doze and wake until she could decently get up and venture from her room.
Early as she was, Joshua had already gone out to the home farm with his steward. Aidan and Alleyne had gone with him. Freyja remembered then that she had promised to spend the morning writing invitations to the ball with Morgan, Constance, and Chastity.
The guest list was a long one, she discovered, when she joined the others in the morning room after breakfast. She wondered if anyone within a five-mile radius of Penhallow had been omitted and realized how typical it was of Joshua to be so egalitarian despite his elevated rank. She tried to imagine Wulfric hosting such a ball and found herself smiling at the absurdity of the thought.
'Can you imagine Wulf with such a guest list, Morgan?' she asked as the four of them settled to their task.
'Or us attending such a ball?' Morgan said. 'Wulfric is our brother the duke,' she explained to the other two ladies. 'He is extremely high in the instep.'
'Joshua does not see this ball as an elegant social event for those of elevated rank,' Constance said. 'He sees it as a neighborhood celebration of his return home and his betrothal. And all these people were his friends- servants, laborers, villagers. He wishes to share his happiness and his good fortune with them. Will such a ball offend you?'
'I do believe,' Morgan said, leaning forward across the table, 'I am going to enjoy it immensely.'
'If it will make Josh happy,' Freyja said, 'then it will make me happy too.'
Gracious heavens, she sounded like a woman meekly in love.
Was she?
Constance looked up from the blank card she had drawn in front of her, her quill pen poised above the ink bottle. 'I really believed when we were in Bath, you know, Freyja,' she said, 'and you helped Joshua foil Mama's plan to talk him into marrying me, that you would soon find some discreet way to put an end to your betrothal. I did not understand that it was real, even if the actual announcement was rushed forward. I am so glad it is. You are perfect for Joshua. You are bold and bright enough to challenge him. You will tame him without crushing his spirit, yet you will not allow him to subdue you-he would despise you or soon grow bored with you if you did.'
Freyja was startled but had no chance to respond.
'Freyja!' Morgan exclaimed. 'Was there more to your sudden betrothal in Bath than you told us? How provoking of you to keep it a secret from me. I thought we had no secrets. I shall have it all out of you later-be warned. But I do agree with Constance that Joshua is really quite perfect for you. I hope I will find someone as perfect for myself, though I am sure that will not happen in the foolish atmosphere of a London Season.'
'But how wonderful it would be to experience one,' Chastity said wistfully. 'All those balls and routs and concerts. And people. I do envy you, Morgan.'
They settled to writing for a while, having divided the list into four equal parts. It was altogether probable, Freyja thought, that many of the recipients of these invitations would not even be able to read them. Doubtless word would spread fast enough, though, and everyone would understand the meaning of the cards even without being able to decipher the writing on them.
She found that she really was looking forward to the ball. It was going to be amusing if nothing else. Life really was amusing with Joshua. Certainly it was never predictable.
She broke the silence after fifteen minutes or so, during which there had been nothing to hear but the scratching of four pens.
