Page 23 of The Ungainly Wallflower
“No, you have not, Lord Yeatman. I am not in the least bit upset. I am overwhelmed, certainly, and there is much for me to think on, but upset, I am not.” Reaching out, she touched his hand again and that same fire ran up his arm though he fought to hide the shock of that touch from his expression. The softness in her hazel eyes, the sweetness of her smile, and the sheer joy in her expression caught hold of him, and he could not look away. “Thank you,” she said, quietly. “Thank you for your kindness. It means more to me than I can ever express.”
Chapter Eleven
“There is something I should like to tell you all.” Looking around at the small group of her gathered friends, Emma took a deep breath and tried to settle herself before she spoke further. It had been two days since Lord Yeatman had spoken with her about his thoughts regarding her present situation and, since that time, she had barely been able to think of anything else. “I do hope that you will indulge me for a few minutes?”
Her friends all nodded, though one or two glanced at each other, clearly a little concerned about what Emma might say.
“I am not about to renege on our decision to go about society as we have been doing,” Emma said quickly, seeing the worry in Miss Bosworth’s expression. “It is, in fact, to do with my situation and the concerns that have come with it.”
“What do you mean?” Lady Alice asked, coming to stand a little closer as the soiree continued all around them. “What about your situation is concerning?”
Emma glanced around the drawing room, but no one was looking in their direction. That was to be expected, shesupposed, but all the same, she wanted to be quite certain that no one would overhear her words.
“It is something that Miss Simmons said to me,” she began, smiling at her friend, who immediately looked rather surprised. “You stated that there had been no upsets or the like ever since I had been forced to become a wallflower.”
Clearly remembering this, Miss Simmons nodded fervently.
“Yes, I recall saying that to you. That is why you were asked to stand back, was it not? Because of all the many mishaps that supposedly were caused by your ungainliness.”
Emma nodded, her face flushing a little as one or two incidents came back to her mind.
“Yes, that is so.”
“But nothing like that has happened since you became a wallflower?” Lady Frederica frowned, though Emma nodded, confirming that this was true. “That does not make very much sense.”
“Which is exactly what I said,” Miss Simmons added, almost triumphantly. “Though why such a thing should be true, I do not know.”
“Nor did I,” Emma replied, looking around at the small group. “Though Lord Yeatman has made a suggestion which has given me pause.”
“Lord Yeatman?” Miss Bosworth smiled suddenly. “He is a kind gentleman, I think. Ever since he has become acquainted with you, Miss Fairley, he has always sought us out and greeted us at any ball or soiree we have attended. He clearly does not want to react in the same way as the rest of society.”
“And that is by design,” Emma agreed, smiling. “He does not want to treat us as the rest of society do. Therefore, he danced not only with me but also with Miss Simmons recently and it was after this waltz that he spoke to me about his thoughts on my present situation.”
Lady Alice and Lady Frederica exchanged a glance, though Emma did her best not to consider it too much. There was little point in wondering what her friends thought of Lord Yeatman’s consideration of her, not when she had so much to say.
“What are his thoughts?” Miss Simmonds wanted to know. “Does he think you are in danger?”
Emma shook her head.
“No, not in that regard. Do you recall what I told you about the dinner I attended some days ago?” Seeing all her friends nod, Emma gave them a small smile. “Lord Yeatman took the blame so that it would not be placed upon me. Upon hearing what Miss Simmons had said, and upon considering himself what had happened at the dinner, Lord Yeatman stated that he thought there might be someone attempting to injure me in some way. Not that I would be in any physical danger, but rather that these things are being put uponmyshoulders when, in fact, they were the deliberate action of someone else.”
Her friends all looked rather astonished, though Miss Simmons was the first to speak.
“That would make sense, given that no such happenings have taken place since you joined us,” she said quickly, unwittingly agreeing with Lord Yeatman’s considerations. “You were forced to become a wallflower. Therefore, there was no need for this person to do as they had been, if their aim was to keep you away from society.”
Emma spread out her hands, lifting her shoulders as she did so.
“Mayhap. That is Lord Yeatman’s consideration.”
“Goodness!” Lady Frederica looked a little alarmed, her eyes wide. “But for what cause? Why would someone wish you to be pushed from society? What is it that you have done that would bring about such disfavor?”
Emma’s skin prickled but she forced a smile.
“I have done nothing,” she said, seeing the way that Lady Frederica’s cheeks flooded with heat. “That is what is most peculiar. There is nothing that I have done – or that I can recall having done – that would cause anyone to become angry with me. So why then would someone wish for society to turn its back upon me?”
Silence fell upon the group, only for Miss Simmons to sigh aloud.
“If you do not know, Miss Fairley, then certainly none of us can surmise!”
