Dressed in the beautiful golden gown, Allie paused at the top of the wide staircase and pressed her gloved hands against her stomach. Drawing in a deep breath, she tried to calm her inner jitters, but anticipation and excitement and emotions raced through her at a breakneck speed she'd been unable to control all day.

She looked down at the fall of shimmering material and could not suppress the sigh that escaped her. It had been so long since she'd worn anything so bright and colorful. That felt so sinfully delightful against her skin. And she had never owned a more gorgeous gown. It fit her perfectly, from the gathered bodice to the short, puffed sleeves, to the velvet ribbon gathered beneath her breasts. How amazing that one garment could make her feel so wonderful. So feminine and pretty. Like a princess.

And as much as she loved wearing it, she could not wait to see Robert's reaction. His words echoed through her mind, leaving a trail of heat in their wake: I greatly anticipate slipping that shimmery material from your body and making love to you.

Good Lord, how would she make it through the evening without giving herself away? Especially now that she'd finally figured out what that elusive something was that she'd felt was missing in her physical relationship with David.

Realization had dawned this afternoon, as she'd lain beneath Robert on that sofa, recovering from her intense orgasm, aftershocks of pleasure still rippling through her. He'd collapsed against her, his weight pressing her into the cushion, his heart hammering against hers, his breath panting against her neck. His jacket and shirt abraded her tender breasts, his breeches pressed into her splayed thighs. And it came to her in a flash of recognition.

This wild wanting, this intense need he clearly felt for her-this was what she'd been missing. His total loss of control. His wanting her so much that he simply couldn't wait to undress to have her. Had to just impatiently push aside the barriers keeping their skin apart.

This was what had been lacking between her and David. For while David had been an exciting and proficient lover, he'd never lost control like that. She'd never once stripped him of his command over himself. Driven him to such intense physical need. Had never incited him by her words or deeds to simply… take her. To want her that much. So that his control fled. And she, she now realized, had never truly surrendered her own control. Not completely.

No, she'd never experienced this depth of physical and emotional connection. It was, without a doubt, what she'd been missing. And now that she knew, she wanted to experience it again…

God help her, she had to think about something else. Pressing her hands more firmly against her midriff, she started slowly down the stairs. Perhaps the fact that Elizabeth was joining the family for dinner would save her. Yes, she could concentrate on her friend, and push Robert from her mind completely.

Completely? her inner voice taunted. Ha! You 're a fool. The next time you push him from your mind will be the first time you've managed to do so.

She swatted the voice away as she would a bothersome insect. Nothing was going to spoil this evening. She'd waited too long to share an evening like this with Elizabeth and her family.

Elizabeth? You are indeed a fool. She is not the one who has your heart pounding and your pulse racing and your palms sweating.

She huffed out an exasperated breath. All right, she was a fool. But God help her, it felt so incredibly delicious and free and marvelous being one, she could not deprive herself the pleasure. So, for tonight, and for this brief magical time she was here at Bradford Hall, she would be a fool and allow herself to enjoy every minute of it. Because reality would intrude all too soon.

She stepped into the foyer, and instantly felt his presence. He stepped from the shadows of an alcove, and her breath caught. Dressed in a midnight-blue cutaway jacket that matched his eyes, and cream-colored breeches that accentuated his tall, muscular frame, he was nothing short of magnificent. Her already rapidly beating heart floundered, then sped up, not only at the look of him but at the heat blazing from his eyes as his gaze wandered over her.

Walking slowly forward, he gently picked up her gloved hand then raised it to his lips. "You look stunning," he breathed against her fingertips. "It almost hurts to look at you."

She could not stop the flush of pleasure his compliment washed through her. And surely she should be appalled at the naked desire shining in his eyes, at the possessive way his gaze roamed over her. But instead she felt desirable. And feminine. And practically giddy.

"Thank you," she said, unable to keep the breathlessness from her voice. "The gown is beautiful."

"The woman wearing it is beautiful." He reached out and gently touched one of the tendrils framing her face. "I like your hair this way."

She resisted the urge to pat her artfully arranged curls, which Elizabeth's abigail had styled into an elegant Grecian-style knot. "My hair is so horribly straight. I'm certain the curls won't last the duration of the evening."

"My darling Allie. I know those curls won't last the duration of the evening. The moment I get you alone, they will be M.B.R."

She raised her brows, and he said, "Mussed Beyond Repair."

"I see. Well, in that case, I.C.W." She paused for a second, then clarified, "I Cannot Wait."

"Nor can I." He took her hand and pressed it against his white shirt. His heartbeat slapped against her palm, hard, fast, and intimate. "That is what the sight of you does to me," he whispered, his gaze locked on hers. "I've thought of nothing but you all day." He huffed out a ragged-sounding laugh. "It was nearly impossible to assist Austin with the accounts as he requested. God knows I did not want to leave you for even five minutes, let alone the remainder of the afternoon. Thank goodness Miles was there to correct the numerous mistakes I made."

"I spent a very enjoyable time with your mother and Caroline. They taught me to play piquet, then we roamed about the conservatory." Her gaze settled on his lips, and it struck her just how beautiful his mouth was. Masculine and full, firm, yet somehow soft at the same time.

"If you continue to look at me like that," he said in a gruff voice, "you will not get out of this foyer-"

"Unscathed?" she suggested, raising her gaze to his.

His eyes darkened. "Unkissed. Unscathed is for… later."

A delicious shiver curled through her at the mere thought of… later. "Although a kiss sounds delightful, I think we'd best not," she said, slipping her hand from the warmth of his chest. "I suspect there would be no way to keep ourselves intact, and I can hardly go in to dinner with my bodice pulled down and my hair all askew."

He cocked a dark brow at her. "Are you insinuating I'm a… messy kisser?"

She closed her eyes and breathed out a long, rapturous sigh. "Oh, my. Yes."

At his low rumble of laughter, she opened her eyes. "In that case," he said, "you are correct, and we'd best wait. Now, may I escort you to dinner?" He extended his elbow. Tilting her head in a formal fashion, she placed her gloved hand very properly on his arm and allowed him to lead her down the corridor, while very improper thoughts danced through her head.


********

Dinner was a gala, celebratory affair, with course after delectable course served while sherry, Madeira, and champagne flowed freely. At the start of each course, beginning with a delicate soup, then turbot with lobster, lamb cutlets with French mustard, and asparagus and creamed peas, everyone raised their glasses and toasted Elizabeth and Lily.

Sitting between Caroline and his mother, Robert ate his fill of each perfectly prepared dish, but the fine meal was truly lost on him. Allie sat directly across from him, and it was nearly impossible to take his eyes off her. Never had he seen her so animated, so full of laughter and fun. He'd long since lost count of her smiles, and he found himself utterly, completely enchanted by her.

And the sight of her in that gown… the topaz color glowing against her creamy skin…

Bloody hell, she stole the breath from his lungs.

Elizabeth, resplendent in a pale green muslin gown, sat at the foot of the table. As the dishes were cleared in preparation for the next course, she turned toward Allie and said, "Do you recall the first time we went fishing?"

Allie raised her gaze toward the ceiling. "I shall never forget."

"What happened?" Caroline asked.

"We were twelve," Allie said, "and for some reason I shall never understand, we allowed my father to goad us into claiming that we could certainly fish as well as he could, in spite of the fact that neither of us had ever attempted to fish before. After all, how difficult could it be to catch a few fish? So off we went to the lake to prove ourselves. Unfortunately, we quickly discovered that neither of us wanted to put the worm on the hook."

"The worms were slimy," Elizabeth stressed.

"This from my robust wife?" Austin teased from the head of the table.

"Slimy has nothing to do with a robust constitution," she said with a haughty sniff.

"We knew, of course, that it is quite impossible to catch fish without bait," Allie continued. "Unless you are a bear or bird or some such-"

"-which we are not," Elizabeth interjected.

"-so we decided to use something else as bait," Allie said. "Sadly our choices were somewhat limited. But based on our experimentation, I can report that fish do not like to eat acorns, leaves, rocks, or cheese."

"Cheese?" asked Robert.

"We'd brought a hunk with us," Allie acknowledged. "Quite a nice cheese, too. You would have thought that there would be one fish in that large lake who liked cheese."

"Obviously not the most intelligent of fish," Robert murmured with a smile.

"That is exactly what we said!" Allie replied with a wide smile of her own. "Still, despite our best efforts, we were unable to catch a single fish. But we simply could not go home without one. Papa had teased us unmercifully before we'd set out on our fishing expedition, claiming that we wouldn't be able to catch any fish without his manly presence to help us."

"So he was proven correct?" Caroline said, her disappointment evident.

"Oh, no," Allie said. The devilish gleam in her eyes was at complete odds with her angelic, innocent smile. "On our way home, we detoured through the village. And stopped at the fishmonger."

"By pooling our resources, we were able to purchase a very respectable fish," Elizabeth said with a laugh. "Allie's father never knew that we'd bought the fish instead of catching it. It cost us every bit of money we had between us, but it was well worth it."

"Amazing," Austin said. "Just when I think I know everything about my wife, I learn something new." He made a tsking sound, his eyes gleaming at Elizabeth down the length of the table. "I never would have suspected her capable of such despicable chicanery."

Elizabeth raised her chin with a regal, duchesslike air. "The dastardly deed was entirely Allie's idea."

An expression of mock shock widened Allie's eyes. "My idea?" She frowned, then pursed her lips. "Oh, well, yes, I suppose it was."

Everyone laughed, and Robert spent the remainder of the meal falling more and more in love with her. Every time their eyes met, his heart jumped. Every time she smiled, his heart melted. Every time she laughed, his heart rolled over in his chest. Indeed, by the time dessert was served, he realized with an inward wry smile that his heart stood a good chance of not making it through the evening, what with the beating it was taking.

Bloody hell, she was lovely. Everything he'd always wanted. Everything he'd been searching for. Witty, intelligent, generous, caring, honorable. And she set his blood on fire.

"You're awfully quiet," Caroline said to him in an undertone, leaning toward him as conversation buzzed around them. He looked at her, noting her arch smile. "And you're sporting a very interesting gleam in your eye. I wager I can guess why." She flicked her gaze toward Allie in a totally unsubtle way.

Robert shot Caroline an equally arch look, then flicked his own gaze toward Allie. "I don't believe I'll take that wager, because I'm certain you're correct."

He bit back a smile at her smug expression. She leaned closer to him. "You mean… Allie?"