Page 78 of Wedded to the Beastly Duke
Aurelia and the Countess, accustomed both to this treatment and having Emmeline around to act as a buffer, acquiesced to his demands.
Emmeline, however, had no more patience for this kind of behavior. She would have been foolish to say that Adam had been the perfect husband, but he had shown her what a union based on respect could be like, and she refused to settle for anything less.
“Papa,” she said as she entered the study.
Her father glanced up from his papers and gave a wide smile. “Emmeline. Now what can I do for you?”
“I was hoping that you would be a little more accommodating with Mother.”
A crease appeared between his eyebrows. “I am not entirely sure I am following.”
“You know she has come here in order to plead for more freedom. Almack’s vouchers for Aurelia. An opera box.”
His frown deepened. “Those are hardly my concerns.”
“They are when you hold the purse strings.” She put her hands on her hips. “You can only claim indifference when you give others the freedom to operate without you. How long are you going to neglect Mother and Aurelia?”
“Now then.” He pushed himself out of the chair. “I am a very busy man.”
“With business! Acquiring your wealth. Is that what this family truly needs?”
“And I suppose you know better?”
She closed the door behind her. “I know Mama is not always easy to deal with, but that is not a reason to ignore her demands. And what of Aurelia? How is she to find a husband who will respect her when it is so evident that you do not respect your own wife?”
His face turned purple. “How dare you?”
“I dare because I am part of this family too. And I have been blessed that you see fit to give me the time of day, but the same must be said for the other members of our family.”
She waved at the expensive mahogany desk, the imported Chinese drawers, and the gold-leaf wallpaper. Everything in the room attested to their wealth, and after being in a house where not every item was a demonstration of wealth, she realized how much more she prized it.
How lucky she had been to be part of that household.
“Do we not have enough?” she demanded. “How much money will satisfy you?”
He rose to his full height, towering over her. Once, perhaps, she might have been intimidated, but he was nothing compared to Adam.
Adam. Everything came back to him.
“You are out of line, Daughter,” he snapped.
“Am I? Then am I wrong?”
“I give your mother an allowance?—”
“For trinkets. Fripperies. She may dress herself with her pin money, but that is not enough to satisfy us in the eyes of the ton. You are expecting unreasonable circumspection from her.”
Emmeline glared up into the face of her father because he knew this. Heknewbeyond a doubt that her mother had too delicate a constitution to make changes to her spending habits without feeling as though it was a direct reflection on her self-worth.
For years, he had been indifferent to the way her mother had cried after every single encounter they had. For years, Emmeline had been reassuring her mother that she was beautiful.
Something that Adam had never once neglected to make her feel. No matter what else, and no matter what opinion she had of herself, he made her feel as though he desired her.
Now, coming home, she understood what a gift that was, and how lucky she was to find a husband who valued her. And at least, until recently, he had valued her opinions and listened to her as well.
“Think of Society,” Emmeline continued, trying a different tack. “How is anyone to believe we have the wealth you have spent so many years acquiring if all they see is that we do not have access to the most exclusive establishments in London? You have your clubs, of course, but Almack’s is just as vital as White’s.”
His nostrils flared as he looked at her. “And you think that it is your place to give me this lecture?”
