“Oh, please do not.”
Rosalie tapped her finger against her lips and scanned the ballroom. She followed the line of Emma’s gaze, which she should have ripped away from Samuel but which she found stayed steadfastly on him no matter the reasons to pretend disinterest. Her smile tugged so tightly cheek to cheek that her face hurt.
“Ah. I see now,” Rosalie said. “You’ve discovered the duke.”
“I’ve not!” Emma snorted. “What do you even mean by that?”
“He’s discovered you, too. Look. He’s scowling at me, pacing like a caged lion. Why, do you think?”
“Who knows? His moods are unfathomable sometimes.”
“Somehow, I think you can fathom them. Well, I’m pleased for you.”
Emma ripped her gaze away from the caged lion and to her friend. Yes, friend. That’s what you called it when you’d be seriously displeased if someone came to harm. And Emma would want to try her new knife-throwing skills at whomever displeased Rosalie. “You are not upset?”
Rosalie laughed. “I’d be upset if I’d had to marry him. No, find me a sensible fellow without so manyfeelings.” She wrinkled her nose. “They are all so very emotional these days.”She sighed. “But I am happy for you. Happier for me, you eliminated the threat of Clearford. Oh, look, he’s coming this way.”
Emma ducked. “He’s not supposed to! Not yet.”
Rosalie ducked, too. “Why?”
“We have a plan. We’re not supposed to draw attention to ourselves until—”
“And ducking down to have a conversation keeps you out of attention’s eye?” Emma popped right back up, and Rosalie unfurled more slowly with a chuckle, raising her hand and waving across the crowd. “Good evening, Clearford!”
Samuel looked left. Samuel looked right. Samuel’s gaze latched onto Emma’s with a single question in his eye. Does she mean me?
Emma covered her mouth to hide her smile, but when he finally stood right in front of her, rocking from foot to foot, there was no holding it in. She dropped her arms, and if she could look in a mirror now, she knew exactly what she’d see.
“Oh my.” Rosalie clapped her hands together. “You two are smitten. Howentirelyadorable. Do you mind if I tell everyone that I did it? Once everyone knows, of course. I would love to be the lady who brought the notoriously lonely Duke of Clearford together with his beloved—”
“Shh!” Emma linked her arm through one of Rosalie’s and dragged her toward the edges of the crowd, Samuel following close behind.
“Oh yes. A secret. Hmm. But why?”
“What does she know?” Samuel asked.
Emma tugged at her glove.
“Em. Ma.” He all but growled it. So slow. So shiveringly delicious.
“Well, if she’d told me not a thing, I’d know now, wouldn’t I?” Rosalie winked. “Do not worry. I’ll keep quiet. Not that this”—she slid a finger from Emma to Samuel and back again—“won’t speak quite loudly before anything or anyone else.” She clasped her hands before her. “I am so pleased.”
Emma’s shoes were quite interesting, and with the heat of Samuel’s regard hot on her… well, her everywhere, she could look at nothing else.
Rosalie sighed. “Do you hear that? A waltz is starting up. Go! Dance, please do. I want the pleasure of watching.”
“Not this one,” Samuel said. “I have come to steal Lady Emma away from you, though.”
“Do you promise not to bring her back to me?”
Samuel’s brows flew toward one another. “Pardon?”
Rosalie leaned closer and whispered, cupping one hand around her mouth, “Do you promise to ravish her, quite thoroughly?”
Samuel popped backward.
“You’ve startled him.” Emma pulled from her friend’s grip and stooped beside her betrothed. “I’ll have to fix him.”
