“Distracted?” she asked with a mischievous smile on her lips.
“You have no idea how much,” he whispered playfully back, prompting her to giggle. “Emily, when did this first letter arrive?”
Emily’s smile instantly died. She looked down to where her hands were clasped against his chest, swallowing, as if trying to move past nerves.
“Before we went to Brighton.”
“Before? What about the reticule?” Aaron asked, growing increasingly panicked. “When did that arrive?”
“At Brighton.”
“Good lord. Emily, why didn’t you tell me?” he pleaded with her.
“I do not know.” Emily shrugged. “I guess part of me thought it was ridiculous. That I was panicked about someone’s petty letters. Besides, when the first letter arrived, I never thought you would look at me, my Lord.”
“Aaron.”
“What?”
“Aaron. My name is Aaron, Emily.” Hearing her address him as ‘my Lord’ was too much at this moment. “Call me by my name, please.”
She smiled a little, only for a flicker of a moment before it faded again.
“Please, never be afraid to tell me these things. If someone is threatening you, then by God, I want to know about it,” he said boldly. “Where else do you think I will be standing other than between you and whoever is writing these disgusting letters?”
“Aaron,” she whispered his name, smiling greater now. It was as if she was trying out the name, delighting in the moment.
“I think you like saying my name.” Aaron’s emotions kept seesawing. One minute he was horrified at what he was reading in these letters, the next he was thrilled, simply by the way Emily was looking up at him as she whispered his name.
“I do,” she confessed.
“Helena?” Aaron called to the maid.
“Yes?” she said, turning back to face them.
“Do me a favor and look out of that window for a bit.” He gestured to the window on the far side of the room, pulling a giggle out of Emily.
“Good lord, some chaperone I am turning out to be,” Helena said, shaking her head at herself as she walked to the far window.
“What did you do that for?” Emily whispered quietly. Aaron released one of her hands and lifted it to her cheek, brushing the crest of her cheek with the backs of his fingers in a sweet caress. The way her breath hitched at the touch made him lean down toward her.
“For this.” He could not hold himself back anymore. One kiss, what would be so bad about that when they were already courting? She needed this at this moment, to know that he was there and not going anywhere, despite the horror in these letters, and he needed it too.
His lips hovered over hers, about to take that kiss when there was an insistent tap at the door.
“Damn,” Aaron muttered, leaning away from Emily again.
“If we had only had a few more seconds,” Emily said, looking up to him and chewing her lip.
“Indeed.” Aaron stepped back from her, though he did not release her hand as Helena turned back from the window. “Yes?” he called to the door.
The butler opened the door, walking into the room with a warm smile as he approached Emily.
“My Lady, a letter has arrived for you.” He proffered forward a silver tray, engraved with vines, on top of which there was a letter, sealed in red wax.
“Thank you.” Emily took the letter and held it to her chest, waiting for the butler to bow before he walked out of the room again. He did not close the door, urging Aaron to rush forward and close it behind him. By the time Aaron turned back, he found Emily staring down at the letter in her hands, her lips parted.
“What is it?” he asked, approaching her quickly.
