“It was too easy a jest to make.”
“Stop changing the subject.” Arthur held up a finger, adopting an unusually serious countenance.
“What?”
“I want a genuine answer this time, Emily. Do you care for Lord Tattershall?”
Even as the question was asked, she felt herself blush and her gaze lower.
“That is tricky to say after so few meetings. The only truth I can tell is this. I like him.” She breathed deeply, building the courage before she looked at him again, finding his eyebrows risen across his forehead, clearly wanting more. “Very well, I like him a lot. There, is that enough?”
“Then guard your heart, sister. It may not be an affection he can ever return.”
“I know. You do not need to give me the warning.” She turned away, desperate not to hear anymore. She had observed it often enough in the way Lord Tattershall watched Miss Drew. She did not need Arthur hammering home the thought, it hurt too much.
She crossed back to her table where the last dregs of tea were still in the cup and lifted it to her lips. As she went to lower it back down to the saucer, she found it was not empty. Someone had placed a scrap of parchment beneath the cup.
Snatching it up, she unfurled it quickly to read the neat scrawl.
‘Stay away from Lord Tattershall.’
Chapter Seven
“Who sent this?” Emily muttered to herself as she repeatedly read the note. It did not seem to matter how any times she read it or at what time of day, she could make no more sense of it than she could when she had first unfurled the paper. Now, she sat in the library, hidden between two bookshelves with her book in her hands and the note resting in the pages, staring at it, in hope that something else would leap out at her.
“Emily? Emily, are you in here?” The familiar voice of Julia made Emily stuff the note between the pages of her book and close it quickly, hiding it on a shelf nearby. “There you are. We’ll be late, you know.”
Emily turned round, watching as the beautiful smile of Julia approached, but something in that smile faltered as she looked at Emily.
“Has something happened?”
“No, I am well,” Emily said hurriedly, trying to walk around her friend, but Julia clearly was not going to be outdone. She reached for Emily’s hand, taking it easily in hers and pulling her back.
“That was a lie.”
“No, it wasn’t,” Emily said quickly.
“You think I cannot tell when you are lying by now?”
“Hmm… it seems my acting skills are not as great as I thought. Oh well, I will never be some great actor on stage!” Emily said with drama, hoping to distract her sister-in-law by jesting. “I suppose they would not hire me to ever play Juliet anyway. Far too plump.”
“Emily!” Julia said, pulling on her hand again and stopping her from escaping. “You are trying to distract me now.” Emily chewed her lip, finding all temptation to joke leave her as she glanced back at the book and the note she had hidden within the pages.
Why would someone demand I leave Lord Tattershall alone?
“Will you not tell me what is worrying you so?” Julia asked kindly, her tone soft.
“It does not matter.” Emily shook her head. “It is all in my own head. I am merely worrying about something that is barely real. It is all my own thoughts.” That was what she was trying to tell herself.
The more time she spent with Lord Tattershall, she could not deny how much she liked him, nor the thrill that passed through her whenever he came near.
I like him. Very much indeed! Yet he loves another.
Whoever had sent that note had to be a fool. If they thought they could see anything more than friendship in Lord Tattershall’s attentions to her, then clearly, they were wrong.
“Cryptic indeed,” Julia said, wrinkling her nose in thought. “That is not one of our riddles that I can understand, unfortunately. Let me ask this instead. Is there anything terribly wrong right now? Do you have your health, a roof over your head, and a wonderful day watching the sailing ahead of you, in the company of not only your family that love you, but Lord Tattershall?”
“Lord Tattershall?” Emily repeated, flinching at the words. “Why would you mention him?”
