Perfectly Matched (The Blue Willow Brides Book #3): A Novel by Maggie Brendan

to the power of his presence—at least in Anna’s mind. However, now his jaw was clamped like a beaver trap.
    “You do read the Bible, don’t you?” Anna looked from one person to the next, pretending not to understand the silence. Had she said something wrong?
    Finally, Harvey cleared his throat, adjusted his paisley waistcoat over his ample stomach, and pulled out his pocket watch. “We do, Anna, we do. The title just kind of took us by surprise, that’s all. Right, Edward?” He looked at Anna’s husband.
    ———
    Edward shifted on the settee, drumming his fingers on his knee. One thing he didn’t know a lot about was Scriptures on marital bliss, and if he remembered right, the Song of Solomon was replete with them.
    Pearl clapped her hands. “Oh, I can hardly wait. Every once in a while the reverend touches on the . . . er . . . that particular topic in the book that no one will talk about.”
    “That’s because a lot of it could’ve been taken out, if you ask me,” Harvey commented.
    “Oh, you old prude! If it’s in the Bible, God must’ve thought it was good enough for us to study. Count me in. It’s a great idea.” Pearl sat back in her chair, a pink flush across her cheeks.
    Oh dear, what has Anna started now? Edward sighed. Pearl would be interested since she was an old maid, always trying to get Harvey to perk up and take notice of her. Having Anna in this group now gave it an entirely different meaning. But he had to admit, when he’d thought she was lacking in the literary sense, he’d been wrong. Now he felt ashamed that he’d assumed she should stay at home tonight.
    Edward’s eyes followed the delicate line of her profile, her flawless skin, and her pert nose. He should be flattered that she’d risked looking foolish to see what he was up to. But then, was that a normal way a wife would react, watching his every move? He hoped not or he would feel stifled.
    “I’m not sure it’s appropriate for our group at this time.” Callie’s voice faltered. “Maybe another time, perhaps?”
    Harvey coughed, and others made inaudible comments under their breath.
    Edward rescued her. “I believe you’re right, Callie.” He turned to Anna. “However, you and I can read it together at home.” Her face showed confusion, and he tried to remember that she was young and naïve. “Perhaps you’d like to suggest something else.”
    His lovely wife’s face brightened quickly. “All right. What about Pride and Prejudice ?”
    “Excellent selection.” Pearl leaned forward. “You and Edward will enjoy reading the Song of Solomon together, I’m sure.”
    Anna shot her a grateful smile.
    “Harvey and Chris, are you in agreement?” Callie asked.
    Harvey and Chris nodded, and Edward felt immediate relief.
    “It’s settled then!” Signaling the end of their meeting, Callie rose. The rest followed suit and retrieved their coats from the hall tree. “We’ll meet again in two weeks.”

8
    Anna’s knees burned from kneeling against the hardwood floor, and she was sure she would have a crick in her back and be bent double for the rest of her life— if she ever finished cleaning the living room and hallway. Loose curls escaped the scarf tied about her head, and she pushed them out of her line of vision, threw the wet brush into the soapy pail, then leaned back on tired legs. Since she had some extra time, she moved Wednesday’s chore to today. She’d get her chores done as she saw fit.
    The room seemed to have grown to twice its size since she’d started the chore right after breakfast. She sighed, rubbing her wrist. Drat Edward’s list! She was sure that her sister Catharine had never worked this hard at the farm. Or did she—while I was chasing rainbows and butterflies to paint? If she had, then Anna felt shame that she hadn’t noticed. Well, the floor looked good enough for her, so she declared the item completed, then shoved a window up to allow the breeze to dry it thoroughly.