She opened it to reveal a gold necklace that had a brilliant diamond in the center of it. She held it up for Deborah to see, grinning wildly as she did so.
“Oh, my,” Deborah breathed, leaning forward to examine the piece closely. “That is truly gorgeous. I am sure that you will look lovely wearing it.”
Emma’s smile widened. “It was a gift from Peter. He said that he cannot bear to depart from me, but he must leave tomorrow. So, in his place, he wants to leave me with his necklace as a way to remember him.”
Even Deborah had to crack a smile at that. “My brother is quite the romantic, it seems.”
“Oh, Deborah,” Emma gushed, putting her gift to the side. “I cannot wait for the next few months to pass. I do not want to wait anymore, and if it were up to me, I would marry Peter tomorrow, in the blink of any eye.”
“What about a grand ceremony?” Deborah asked.
“Oh, you know I do not care about that.”
“Well, these next few months will pass by in no time at all, and then you’ll finally be married to my brother. Who, by the way, I had no hope would find love until he found you,” Deborah replied, teasingly.
“I think quite the opposite. I was surprised that he wasn’t taken by another woman, and that I was lucky to meet him.”
Deborah could hear the sincerity in Emma’s words.
“You two are truly in love with each other.”
“We are.” Emma sighed. “But beyond that, I am also excited to be a part of your family. Promise me that you will write letters to me when you leave our estate. I want to receive updates on every facet of your life!”
“Of course, I will tell you everything.”
“And in return, I will write to you and tell you about my life. And of course, Henry.”
Deborah’s smile faltered as she realized that keeping in touch with Emma meant that she would inadvertently receive some news about the Duke as well, and she wasn’t sure that she wanted that.
“Umm…” she hesitated.
“What?” Emma’s eyes widened. “Did I say something wrong?”
“No, you did not,” Deborah assured her with a sigh. “It’s just that I would prefer you did not update me on His Grace and any developments in his life.”
“If I may ask,” Emma said, observing Deborah’s face. “Why is that? Has he still been getting on your nerves? I know the two of you did not immediately get off on the right foot.”
Deborah shook her head and then bit her lower lip. “It is quite the opposite, actually.”
Emma extended her hand and placed it on Deborah’s shoulders comfortingly. “What is it, Deborah? You can tell me anything.”
Deborah considered her options. She could either keep her feelings about the Duke to herself, or she could get some advice from Emma on how to move on from him.
She knew it was dangerous telling her, considering she was his sister. But then again, Deborah would leave for home tomorrow. At this point, she had nothing to lose.
“Fine.” Deborah sucked in a deep breath. “I am willing to tell you, but you have to promise me that you will not mention it to anyone else.”
“Not even Peter?”
“Especially not Peter.”
“Now you have my full attention.” Emma leaned in closer. “What could be so secretive that you do not even want to tell your brothers, whom I know you share a very close bond with?”
“Do you promise to keep an open mind if I tell you?” Deborah asked, examining Emma’s face hesitantly for any signs of disapproval.
“Of course, I told you that you are like a sister to me. I would never judge you even if you confessed to murder at this very moment.”
“Well, I promise you, it is not as severe as what you are suggesting. but at this point, I feel like I would prefer it over my current predicament.”
