“Lady Deborah.” Emma nodded, finally acknowledging her presence. “It is nice to meet you again.”
“I am glad you are finally here.” Deborah smiled. “My brother was one second away from a heart attack, had you not shown up in time.”
Peter narrowed his eyes at his little sister. The two of them had a playful dynamic, and the latter had never wasted a moment to tease him.
“Shall we?” Peter asked, holding his arm out for Emma to take. Emma nodded shyly and followed him out to the maze.
Deborah watched as the two of them disappeared into the maze. Even with her disregard for romance, she had to admit that seeing the two of them sneak away like nervous adolescents was endearing.
Alone now, Deborah sighed as she felt the cool breeze of the night caress her delicate features. From inside the manor, she could hear the faint hum of music, and she felt confident that no one would come looking for the two of them.
But as soon as she let her guard down, she heard a rustle between the leaves of the bushes behind her and was on high alert once again.
Straining her eyes to make out who it was that caused the disturbance, she nearly yelped when a tall figure approached her. In the pale moonlight, she could scarcely recognize who it was, but the man approached her immediately.
“My Lady,” he said, his blue eyes widening in surprise at having found her. “I apologize for the interruption, but I am looking for someone.”
Deborah felt her stomach drop, and she froze in place.
“Have you seen a young woman with blonde, curly hair anywhere? She is wearing an emerald dress and is about this high.” The man gestured in the air to indicate the lady’s height.
Deborah realized that the man was describing Emma. She went into defensive mode immediately and stood up straighter, trying to rustle the bushes behind her to alert the couple of the presence of the man.
“No,” she replied, more loudly than usual. “But even if I did, what business do you have looking for her outside, like this?”
The man slumped his shoulders. “She is scheduled for a dance, and is nowhere to be seen.”
Of course.
It suddenly clicked in Deborah’s mind that this must be the man whom the Duke had chosen for Emma to marry.
“Have you considered the possibility that if the lady is nowhere to be found, then perhaps she is not interested in dancing with you?” Deborah pointed out, determined to turn him away.
A look of confusion clouded the man’s features. “Dance with me? She’s not—”
His sentence was cut short by a giggle coming from inside the maze. The two lovers were too lost amongst themselves to realize that there was someone else there.
“What was that?” the man asked, moving dangerously close to the maze now. If he were to crane his neck even an inch further, he could spot the two of them together and it would spell trouble for everyone involved.
“It was nothing,” Deborah said, yanking at his arm to pull him away. But in the process, she ended up pulling him towards her. “Must be an animal in the bushes, or perhaps a bird.”
She was rambling now, but she knew that she needed to distract him at any cost.
He looked at her with suspicion and knotted his eyebrows together. “I am sure that is not the sound of an animal.”
“It is, My Lord,” Deborah blurted out. “You are clearly hearing things, and in any case, you should not be here right now.”
He did not look convinced. “I think I will go find out for myself,” he said, turning his back on her once again.
Her mind flew into a panic, and she did the first thing she could to stop him. Reaching out for him, her hands landed on his face, and she pulled him towards her. They were in proximity now, and their faces were merely inches apart.
“What is the matter with you?” he sputtered, shocked. He moved away, trying to free himself from her grasp, but Deborah was stronger than he had expected.
“You cannot be here,” she repeated, pulling him closer to her.
“My Lady, please, behave yourself,” he said, still baffled, and pushed her away one final time. But Deborah was determined to not have him leave her sight.
Sucking in a deep breath, she decided to do the only thing that could distract him in a moment like this. She leaned forward to peck him lightly on the lips.
