Page 53 of Five Ways to Bed a Duke

“Not now, Emmy,” he replied shortly, repositioning himself on the sofa.

Ignoring his warnings, Emmy walked into the room, making sure to close the door behind her. She took a seat on the sofa opposite him and fixed him with a defiant stare until he gave up and heaved himself into a sitting position.

It seemed his sister was determined to have the conversation now, whether he wished it or not.

With a heavy sigh, he asked, “What is this about?”

“We need to speak about what happened last night at the ball.”

“I don’t think there is anything to discuss. You’ll never meet that woman again. There. I think that concludes the matter,” he pronounced, leaning back on the sofa, signaling that their discussion was over.

But Emmy seemed to ignore all that.

“It cannot be concluded, since you have failed to hear my opinion on the matter. I just wanted to meet my mother. I have not seen her for as long as I have been alive. Don’t you think I deserve to meet her at least once? Don’t you think you can set aside your deep hatred for her so we could have her back?”

“What you deserve is safety, peace, and unconditional love. That woman,” he hissed, jabbing a finger in the air with barelyleashed anger, “she is not family. We might be bound by blood, but she is not family. She cannot be, because no person with a conscience would abandon their family the way she did—with nary a gaze backward.”

“But forgiveness is divine, Brother,” Emmy reasoned.

“I am not divine, Emmeline. I have protected you all your life and tried as much as possible to be a father to you. I cannot believe you would dismiss that on the off chance that you could reconcile with a woman who had betrayed us. That was really rash of you, and I must confess I am greatly disappointed in you.”

“I just wanted my mother back. What could she have done that was so unforgivable?”

“Sheabandonedyou. She gave birth to a perfect, beautiful baby girl, only to abandon her and flee with her lover with no thought to the consequences. I hated her so much for that. She abandoned Father, and he became a shell of himself—a recluse that was hardly any use to anybody, least of all himself. She did not just render you motherless with her selfish decision, but she also made you an orphan because Father was hardly able to care for himself, least of all his children.” He let out a shuddering sigh.

“What about me?” he continued, his voice dropping with anguish. “I had to live without the love of a mother, even though I had a living one. Why do I have to live with the constant reminder of her indiscretion? I have tried to protect you as muchas I can, but my title does not completely protect me from the disdain of so many members of the ton.

“She grew up among them, so she must have been aware of the consequences of her actions. But she did not care enough to spare us the shame. She is not a mother, and she cannot bemymother, since she lacks motherly instincts.”

When he paused, he realized he was panting and trembling. He also became aware that Emmy was staring at him with a bewildered expression that was gradually turning into pity.

Richard had never been so angry that he ranted this way, and he had never meant to tell his sister about their sordid family history the way he had, but he guessed the subject of his mother was still a sensitive one.

He definitely did not want her pity. He was her older brother, and for the past decade, he had been a father figure to her. He was not supposed to appear this vulnerable in her presence, but he had inadvertently done that.

He opened his mouth to salvage the situation but was interrupted by her.

“I now understand why you want me to stay away from the Dowager Duchess and why you felt the need to banish her forever from our lives. However, I never said I had forgiven her. We have lived in bitterness for too long, and while you might deny it, I can see how that childhood experience has tainted every one of your relationships over the years.

“I just wanted to understand what happened so we couldheal. Not for her, but for you and I. I want both of us to heal, because I love you, and I want to see you free from the pain and tears you have carried from your childhood. I am just pleading with you to give me a chance to unravel this chain that has kept us trapped for years on end. I promise to give up if it is hopeless,” she reasoned, placing her hand on her chest solemnly.

Richard took her hands in his after a prolonged pause.

“I have always hated the Dowager Duchess, and a part of me would always be skeptical about the reason for her return, but I would hate to be the stumbling block that prevents you from having a chance of experiencing motherly care. It pains me to allow this, but you can listen to her version of events from a distance.

“While I still think she is a terrible liar with no hope for redemption, I am willing to push my feelings aside for the greater good, but you must take a footman with you whenever you have a meeting with her because I am not above hiring Runners to bundle and banish her back to the Continent should I catch a whiff of any nefarious plans on her part,” he said solemnly.

Emmy squeezed his hands and then gave him a bright smile. “Thank you, Brother.”

She received a non-committal grunt in response.

“However,” she continued, “I don’t understand why you felt the need to banish Cat from our lives, too. She is my best friend. She followed me because I asked her to help me. She did nothing wrong.”

“The simple fact that she went along with your hare-brained schemes without trying to stop you cements my opinion that she is a bad influence on you. Since you started having your classes with her, your impetuous tendencies seem to have grown instead of dwindling. For both our sakes, I suggest you stop talking about Catherine. She is henceforth forbidden from ever setting foot in this house, and that is final,” he declared, leaning his head back and closing his eyes to indicate that their conversation was over.

“But she is my best friend, and that is what friends do—they help you when you badly need their help. I fail to see how that makes her a terrible person. Besides, you thought she was a good person when you asked her to teach me etiquette. I still need those lessons to do well in the marriage mart. I might have improved, but I am still a long way away from being a perfect young lady,” Emmy argued, hoping to change his stance on the matter.

The deafening silence that followed and the fact that he did not move from his relaxed position made her believe he was ignoring her.

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