“Has he now?” Her heart softened at the thought of Valentine going to such lengths for her arrival. “It sounds to me like sheer gaudery.” Try as she might, she couldn"t force favor into her tone—or her heart.
“You certainly don"t know Valentine as I do.” Richard"s gaze intensified. “Do you not trust my judgment?”
“Of course I do. You may know Valentine, but did you ever marry him?” She knew he enjoyed such rhetorical questions; they gave him a chance to return a jest.
“Just think of us as one big family once more. Minus the Woodvilles. What is wrong with that?” He splayed his fingers.
A smile escaped her glumness.
“There will be shared evenings, there will be children…”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, now you really get ahead of yourself!”
“Not really.” His lips spread in a warm smile. “N
