“As you wish. Lady Dowding can stay with me for a while so we can discuss our events coming up in the season. Goodbye,” Joyce said excitedly, waving to the two of them. Lady Dowding was by her side, staying behind after the tea. It warmed Aaron’s heart to see what good friends the two of them had become in so little time. “Come again soon, Lady Emily!”
As the carriage turned away, Aaron could not wait anymore. He turned to face Emily with his eyes wide in wonder. He was not afraid to speak frankly, even with the maid there to see them.
“That was not quite what I expected,” he said, watching as Lady Emily crumpled, her body falling forward.
“Oh, please do not look at me like that.”
“Was it nerves?” he asked, trying to take her hands and pull them away from her face. The entire tea with his mother, Lady Emily had been polite and kind, but she was missing her usual vigor and spark. It was plain for anyone to see who cared to watch her that something was wrong, making her frown and look down every time she thought no one was looking her way.
“No, it wasn’t nerves,” Lady Emily muttered softly, at last allowing him to pull her hands away from her face and gaze at her. At that moment, he did not care if the maid was there, watching the two of them intently. He longed to be alone with her instead, but right now, he would take what he could get.
“Emily.” He abandoned her title entirely. What was the point in addressing her as such anymore? They knew each other better than that. “Please, tell me what is wrong,” he pleaded with her, leaning forward, and holding her hands in his.
“A couple of things,” she whispered softly, with her face lacking any of its usual humor. “When I arrived today, I saw your brother.”
“Hugh was in the house?” Aaron asked, scarcely believing it. His mother had not mentioned Hugh was there that day. In fact, had Aaron known, he would have invited his mother to his house instead, and avoided the risk of seeing Hugh at all. “What happened?”
“I am not sure he could even remember meeting me before. Let alone in what circumstances.” She shook her head, appearing lost. “He said that he didn’t think I was the kind of woman you would court.”
“He said that?” Aaron asked, feeling his eyebrows shooting up across his forehead. “Emily, you must ignore my brother. He is not a man to be trusted, and as far as kindness goes, well he lacks any skill in that regard. That is something I have discovered this last year. Please, do not pay any attention to him.” With these latter words, Aaron made his voice soft and lifted a hand to Emily’s cheek, finding himself caressing her cheek with the backs of his fingers.
He was relieved her chaperone seemed to be pretending interest in what was outside of the window and ignoring the two of them together.
Emily leaned into his hand, closing her eyes as if indulging in that touch. The simple act made something stir inside Aaron. He wanted nothing more than to enfold Emily completely in his arms, to hold her to him, to keep her safe, just to adore her and stop Hugh coming anywhere near her, but he could not with the chaperone sat so close.
“Do not bother yourself with Hugh, Emily. I hardly care for his opinion these days.”
“There is something else.” Emily chewed her lip and opened her eyes, meeting his gaze. “Something I was trying to keep a secret.”
“A secret? Why?” Aaron asked, feeling lost as he lowered her hand from his cheek.
“I didn’t know what to make of it at first. I guess I just thought someone was causing trouble, that it was best to ignore the letters, but with the last one… I do not suppose it is something I can ignore now. With the threat, I fear it will only get worse.”
“Fear? Threat? Emily, you are worrying me. What letters are you speaking of?” he asked, clinging to her hand with so much passion that he could see his knuckles were turning white.
“When we get to my house, you must come in,” Emily said with sudden eagerness. “There is something I must show you.”
Chapter Thirteen
Aaron followed Emily into the library, aware how out of character she seemed. She was trembling as she lifted a reticule from its place on the side of a shelf and a book that had been resting beside it.
“Close the door, my Lord,” she said softly. The maid followed them inside, hovering in the far corner of the room and pretending interest in some embroidery in her lap.
Irked to have a chaperone at this time, Aaron closed the door and moved forward, taking the reticule and the book from Emily, looking between the two of them in surprise.
“I feel like I should understand more of what this is?” he said softly.
“Open them.” She urged, waving one of her trembling hands.
Aaron looked toward the maid another time. Had she not been there, he would have happily cast the reticule and the book to the side, embracing Emily. Instead, he gritted his teeth and opened the reticule first.
“What is this?” he said quietly, peering inside and pulling out what appeared to be shredded material.
“That was my reticule.”
“Your reticule?”
“I had it the day I fell in the river at Henley. I dropped it. I do not know how someone had it, but someone must have found it. Maybe it washed up on the riverbed. Either way, they sent it back to me. Likethis,”Emily murmured, stepping close to his side and peering into the reticule.
