Page 32 of A Duke Reformed
Solomon arched a brow as his lips curving into a slow, teasing smile. "A notepad, Miss Lockhart?" he questioned. "Am I to believe you have been recording my every blunder for posterity?"
"No, Your Grace," she answered. "I wrote down the lesson for today and key points so I don't miss anything."
Solomon crossed his arms. "Tell me, do you assign grades as well? Shall I anticipate a report at the end of the Season detailing my successes and..." he pressed a dramatic hand over his chest "... my woeful failures?"
Emma shot him a pointed look, though the corner of her mouth twitched. She decided that it was best to ignore him, else his teasing would not stop. "For today's lesson, we shall be discussing courtship."
Solomon arched a brow. "Courtship?"
"Yes," she answered, flipping open her notebook to go through all she had written. "It has come to my attention that, you once asked lady Sartfeld, a married woman to promenade with you. I believe you know by now why that is inappropriate, but today, I will be teaching you all about the art of flirting and courtship in London."
Solomon shook his head. "No, thank you."
Emma ignored his theatrics and continued. "Your Grace, courtship is not merely about charming a lady with pleasant conversations or gallant gestures. There's more to it and I need to teach you everything you need to know, so that when you decide to settle down, it would be on your own accord, not because a lady trapped you into it."
Solomon rose to his feet in one fluid motion and the teasing glint in his eyes dimming just slightly. He wandered toward the fireplace, before turning back to her, leaning against the mantel.
"This is not a lesson I have any interest in," he said easily. "I have no intention of marrying."
Emma's eyes widened before her mouth parted slightly. It took her a moment, but she managed to snap it shut and swallow before speaking. "That is absurd, Your Grace. Every gentleman must marry at some point."
"Must we?" he questioned, as though the very notion was a tiresome inconvenience to him. "I see no great appeal in shackling myself to one person for the rest of my days. No offense to your lesson, of course."
Emma rose to her feet. She shut her notebook with a quiet snap and exhaled sharply through her nose. "Why don't you want to get married, Your Grace?" she asked quietly.
Solomon smiled and blinked slowly. "I just don't want to."
"That's impossible. There must be a reason," she insisted.
"There is none. I just don't want to get married," he said to her. "I don't want an heir."
"That's the reason," she said, catching it before it became something fleeting. She walked slowly, approaching him. "You don't want an heir. That's the reason."
Solomon crossed his arms. "I never said that."
"You didn't have to."
"Don't put words in my mouth, Miss Lockhart."
Emma's breath caught, though she refused to let it show.
Miss Lockhart. Not ducky. Not even Emma.
Miss Lockhart.
For the past several weeks, Solomon had taken insufferable delight in calling her by that ridiculous pet name, Ducky. But she had noted that he had not called her that since she arrived. Or even called her by her name. It felt too formal...too distant. She should have been pleased. And yet–
Why does it bother me?
"What are you thinking about? You're thinking of something." Solomon interrupted her thoughts.
Emma straightened her back, schooling her features into careful indifference. If he wished to be distant, then so be it. It was not as if she cared. Certainly not.
"If it's not because of the heir, then why?" she asked him again, noticing that she had walked all the way over to him, and was now leaning on the mantel too.
Solomon exhaled sharply, raking a hand through his hair. "I would rather not talk about it," he said to her. "I would much prefer a different subject."
Emma wanted to pressed, but she figured she had no right to do so... so instead, dropped her shoulders, giving in. "All right then, Your Grace. We can have a different lesson. Do you have something in mind that you want us to discuss, or you'd rather I advise?"
