Forever and Forever (Historical Proper Romance) by Josi S. Kilpack Page A

It was what I called him when we were young.”
    “Perhaps he will give you leave to be so familiar soon enough.”
    Molly flashed her sister another grin and then headed for the stairs. “I should like to change my dress before we go to Aunt Sam’s. Are you coming up?”
    “I shall be there shortly,” Fanny said.
    Only after Molly disappeared through the doorway did Fanny let her smile fall. Any man would be lucky to have Molly for a wife. She had an easy nature and a genuine goodness that would only benefit the man who asked for her hand. But for all of Fanny’s appreciation for Molly’s virtues, she was not ignorant of the areas of charm in which her sister was lacking.
    Unfortunately for both sisters, they were not great beauties. Fanny had come to accept it for herself, especially as her appreciation of more intellectual matters had increased. Molly, on the other hand, often regretted her plain features. She did all she could with her hair and even a bit of rouge now and again to soften her features, which Fanny felt only seemed to draw more attention to the beauty she did not possess.
    John Peterton, on the other hand, cut a very fine figure. He was tall with broad shoulders, bright eyes, and a fine face. He was also charming and never lacking for female attention. Why would his interest suddenly spring up toward Molly after all these years? He had never given her such notice before their trip; rather, it was Tom’s company he sought out back then.
    Fanny had come to realize during their travels how very wealthy her father was and through him, his children. Now that she was an adult, Father had explained to her the investments he had made in her name—money that belonged only to her. Her father would control her money until she married or reached the age of thirty, of course, but she was officially an heiress in addition to the significant dowry set aside for when she married. With the knowledge of her financial security also came the understanding that her money would be an attractive feature for young men.
    Molly was similarly situated, and with the growing economic concerns of the time, Fanny wondered if she too felt rather conspicuous. Did she not know she might catch a man with a silver hook she did not mean to put in the water? Just this afternoon she had expressed suspicion of that very thing regarding Mrs. Wilton’s nephew.
    Fanny hated feeling suspicion toward John, however, and doubting Molly’s potential to make a good match based on her excellent character made Fanny feel like a very bad sister. While Fanny questioned her own desire to marry—she had been increasingly vocal about such things since learning of her inheritance—Molly wanted nothing more from life than a husband and children. While Fanny felt the need to protect her heart, which still ached with the loss of those she’d loved, Molly’s heart remained hopeful and optimistic.
    “Do not look for ghosts,” Fanny told herself, repeating a phrase her mother would often say when they were exaggerating an insult or looking for someone to blame for a foul mood.
    Molly and John had known each other their entire lives, and it was certainly possible he had missed her during her absence and come to better appreciate her virtues. Fanny would not look for ghosts in John’s motivations. He was as good a man as the family had ever known, and if he were to make an offer to Molly, Fanny would be the first to congratulate her sister on a very good match.
    Having given herself a good talking-to, Fanny made her way to her bedchamber, thinking of the people she had seen for the first time in two years and allowing the comfort of being home again to truly seep into her bones. She loved Boston—the richness of its history, the breadth of its opportunity, and the quality of its people.
    In remembering friends she was eager to see again, she included Mr. Longfellow. There had been plenty of time to ponder on their time together once they were apart—it