Let It Be Love by Victoria Alexander

reached inside him and twisted him in knots. He swallowed hard. No matter what else happened, he would never forget that smile. She stepped out of his arms with a reluctant sigh, moved back as if to put distance between them and absently smoothed the skirt of her gown.
    “In spite of the challenge I apparently present, I do plan on making you a good wife.” Fiona glanced at him with a determined look in her eye. “You will not be sorry, Jonathon.”
    He shook his head to clear it. Regardless of her act, she was still a remarkable woman, and when this was all said and done he had every intention of pursuing a closer acquaintance. “I cannot imagine I will be the least bit sorry.”
    “I should take my leave now.” She glanced around the library. “This would be most improper if we were found here alone. I should hate to begin our marriage with any kind of scandal or gossip of an untoward nature.”
    “No, we wouldn’t want that.”
    “Now that this is decided, we should probably proceed quickly.” She leaned toward him in a confidential manner. “I am fairly certain the man my father wished me to marry will no doubt make an appearance at some point soon and it would be best if I was wed before then.”
    “By all means. Speed is definitely called for.” Not that there was any spurned suitor or dead father or anything beyond an elaborate hoax. He could hardly wait to see the faces of his friends when he informed them that he knew of their joke all along.
    She pulled a calling card from her glove and handed it to him. “I have written the address where I am staying on the back of my card. Since our return from Italy, my sisters and I have been residing with my cousin and aunt and shall do so indefinitely. Or at least”—she glanced at him in a manner that was almost shy; excellent acting—“until we wed.”
    “I shall call on you within the next few days so that we might begin making arrangements.”
    “Dear Lord, I hadn’t thought about an actual wedding ceremony.” She paused as if she were really considering the details of such an event. “Something small, I should think, and as soon as arrangements can be made.”
    “Absolutely. I wish to spend as much time with you as possible as well. Now that I have found the perfect woman, I cannot wait to get better acquainted with her.” He flashed her a knowing grin. “Far better acquainted.”
    Her eyes widened in apparent surprise. Oh, she was very good indeed. Then a slight smile curved her lips. “I shall look forward to it, Jonathon.” She stepped closer and, before he could say a word, framed his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his. Her body molded against his and he could feel the shape of her through petticoats and corset and all those annoying layers women were compelled to wear. Before he could respond, she pulled away. “Very much so.”
    She cast him a wicked smile of her own, not at all the kind of smile an innocent lady of good breeding sacrificing herself in marriage to save her sisters would wear. Nor did she kiss like an innocent. It was at once shocking and most exciting. It was almost a pity this Fiona Fairchild was a fraud. She turned and swept from the room.
    “Excellent performance, my dear,” he said softly, then chuckled. He couldn’t wait to find Oliver and the others, including Judith. She was obviously in on the joke. Well, he had seen through their little charade and had nicely turned the tables on them. Any minute now they would hear Fiona’s report about what had transpired in the library. He hated to miss the expressions on their faces when she told them he had agreed to marry her. Perhaps he would wait for them to come to him to confess their failed plot and beg his forgiveness. Just the thought of them simmering in their own ill-conceived juices brought a grin to his face. No, Jonathon could not resist a good joke any more than they could. He propped a hip on the desk and picked up his glass. He would give them