“Mayhap they did not see me stumble.”
Lord Yeatman looked at her.
“Is that what happened? Did you stumble?”
Hesitating before she answered, Emma slowly shook her head.
“I cannot say for certain, Lord Yeatman. I do not know exactly what happened. Everyone was walking away, and I was taking only a few small steps to permit you the opportunity to continue your conversation with the lady you were speaking with when…” Closing her eyes for a moment, she shook her head. “I am so very sorry.”
Lord Yeatman stopped suddenly, the surprise forcing her to look into his face.
“No,” he said softly, though his face was set with a firmness which surprised her. “You have nothing to apologize for. You did nothing wrong.”
“I brought shame upon myself by my ungainliness,” Emma said, tears still threatening. “I did not mean–”
“I do not think you did anything.” Lord Yeatman still spoke with a steady determination in his voice which Emma had no choice but to listen to. “Recall, we both believe that there may be someone who is attempting to do thistoyou for whatever reason, do we not? Why, then, should you think that your falling is simply your own doing?”
Emma’s heart slammed hard into her ribs as she looked back into Lord Yeatman’s face and saw his eyebrow lift just a little.
“I… I had not thought of that.” In her mortification and shock, she had not thought for a moment that she could put the blame upon someone else. Instead, she had taken the full weight of it onto her shoulders. “But that would mean that someone here, someone who was present–”
“Deliberately did such a thing, yes.” Lord Yeatman continued to walk, albeit a little more slowly this time. “That is rather significant, do you not think?”
“I suppose that it is.” Emma sniffed lightly, aware of the ache in her knees, but finding that her heart was a little lighter. “Goodness, I had not thought that it would be someone presenthere.”
“Though while that does simplify things a little, it does still leave us with a significant number of gentlemen and ladies. Did you know most of them?”
“All of them,” Emma replied, slowly, going through every face present and recognizing that yes, she had been acquaintedwith them all. “Though we can safely discount Lord and Lady Pleasance.”
At this, Lord Yeatman laughed aloud and that made Emma smile, despite her mounting worries.
“Yes, that is quite true,” he agreed. “They would do nothing to injure you.”
“Then who would?”
Lord Yeatman’s smile faded.
“I do not know. Though I should suggest that if you can, you write a list of those who were present, for that should help you.”
Emma nodded slowly.
“I can do that.”
“Lady Sophia did not appear to be particularly enamored of your presence,” Lord Yeatman said, though he waved one hand as though to dismiss what he had said. “That is not to say that there was anything that you had done to cause her dislike, only that–”
“I understand what you mean,” Emma said quickly, not wanting him to become upset on her behalf. “What did she say to you when I was walking away?”
Lord Yeatman’s face flushed, and he scowled.
“She spoke of my wealth and asked why, given that, I would then consider walking with a wallflower. I found her condescension almost more than I could bear! In fact, had I not heard you cry out, I would have said a few very firm things to her without hesitation!”
Emma smiled and leaned a little closer to him.
“Then mayhap it is good that I required your help, Lord Yeatman.”
There was something in his expression that made her heart leap, though she could not quite understand it. Was the softness about his eyes something that spoke of tenderness? Or was it merely sympathy?
“I am only sorry it happened,” he said, after a few moments of silence. “Though I am glad that you are quite all right.” There came a slight flicker in his eyes as he held her gaze. “Might you wish to walk with me again on another occasion, Miss Fairley?”
