*Jayne*
Lily has helped me change into the nightdress. Now, I stand at the window, gazing out at the moon. Terrified. I should have drunk far more wine. I have placed my wedding ring… which I vowed never to remove… in a wooden heart-shaped box on the vanity. It’s lined with velvet, and I wonder if Barkley set it there, specifically for the purpose of holding my ring. I’m beginning to realize he is not a man who leaves much to chance.
The soft rap on my bedchamber door nearly has me flying through the window.
“Enter.” To my consternation, my voice mimics the squeak of a dormouse.
I turn to face the door as it opens, and Barkley strides in. I had expected him to be wearing a dressing gown. Instead, he wears a billowy white shirt, unbuttoned at the collar and cuffs, and a pair of trousers
