Page 62 of The Viscount's Promise
To Malcolm’s disgust, the party did not break up after the disaster in the water. Lady Tarryton would allow nothing to stop her carefully planned outing. Emily was already being handed up into a cart by the time Malcolm reached the shore. Her face impassive and pale, with her mother by her side and the dog at her feet, she was soon out of sight. Waving off the offer of a second cart, Malcolm accepted a blanket and started for the long walk back to the manor house. He regretted it after less than twenty feet. His fine leather boots had been soaked through and would have to be cut off him. His stockings, too, were sodden, making a horrible squishing sensation between his toes with every step.
But he needed this time away from the others to think. Too much was in turmoil, too many things tossed up in the air like colorful juggling balls. The question was, how many of those would he manage to catch when they all came tumbling down again about his head?
It was during that half hour walk back to Willowhaven that he came to the stark realization that he had to leave, and the sooner the better. His own feelings for Emily and the hurt he felt at her abandonment aside, he had seen firsthand the grief his presence caused her. It was one thing to have to deal with his own emotions on the matter. But now he was fully aware what he was costing Emily. Yes, she had been the one to break things off. Even so, he could not bear to see her in pain.
After changing into something dry, Malcolm went down to wait for the party to return. If he sat about with nothing to do, he would go utterly and completely mad. Finally he saw them and emerged from the overhang that protected the side door, hurrying out to meet them. Many of the group called to him, asking how he fared after his “swim”—most of them apparently unaware how serious the situation had truly been. Lady Tarryton must have been hard at work dispelling the initial panic that had set in when he and Emily had first gone under, he thought scathingly. He managed a vague smile in their direction, some murmured response that he could not remember a minute later but had them laughing. At the end of the group was Tristan, Lady Daphne at his side.Of course, Malcolm thought sourly.
They saw him in that moment, rushing forward, the only ones to show the proper gravity to the situation.
“How is my sister?” Lady Daphne asked when they were close enough.
“I hardly know,” Malcolm replied with utmost honesty, frustration coursing through him. “Your mother took her upstairs the moment they returned and they have not reappeared.”
She frowned, worry clouding her clear blue eyes. “I must go to them.” She turned to Tristan. “Thank you for your escort. I shall see you later this evening.” Her attention then shifted to Malcolm. To his surprise, she took up his hand, pressing it between the both of hers. “Thank you, my lord, for saving my sister. I shall be indebted to you always.” With one long, intent look, her eyes welling with emotion, she released him and was off, picking her skirts up in her hands and disappearing into the house.
Malcolm looked after her, struck dumb. Clearing his throat in embarrassment, he turned back to Tristan. “I must thank you for your help,” he muttered, “for coming to get us.”
“It was the least I could do,” his friend said, then gave him an odd look. “What I want to know, however,” he drawled, “is what the devil you were doing that upset your boat. Lady Tarryton would swear it was the dog, but I don’t think so.”
“I pity Willbridge for his choice in mother-in-law,” Malcolm growled. “I would not want to be tied to such a woman.”
Tristan’s lips quirked. “I hardly think he was considering Lady Tarryton when he proposed to Imogen.” He quickly sobered. “Apparently she was not very kind when Lady Emily got back to shore. She claimed she predicted the dog upsetting the boat?” He raised an eyebrow at Malcolm in inquiry.
“Ah, yes, the all-seeing Lady Tarryton,” Malcolm bit out. A cold frisson worked its way through Malcolm, an intuition. “Do not tell me she attacked Emily about it.”
Tristan blinked at his use of Emily’s Christian name. Malcolm cursed himself for his loose tongue, praying his friend would not comment on it. To his relief, Tristan merely asked, “Do you think the woman would let something like that go?”
Malcolm’s blood boiled. “I don’t give a bloody damn who she is. She cannot talk to Willbridge’s sister in such a manner.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry over Lady Emily,” Tristan replied.
Malcolm cut a glance to his friend. “What do you mean?”
Humor glinted in Tristan’s eyes. “To hear it told, she was no longer the mild creature you and I are used to when Lady Tarryton made her ill-advised remark.”
He waited, but his friend merely smiled broadly at him. Malcolm frowned. “I am not in the mood for you to play with me. Have out with it, man. What did Lady Emily do?”
“Well, now, let me see. I have to think about this.”
“Tristan,” Malcolm growled.
His friend chuckled. “Very well. You are no fun at all. I do believe I was informed that Lady Emily’s exact words were, ‘You may keep your opinions to yourself, for you have no clue what you are talking about.’”
Malcolm stared long and hard at him. “You must be joking. That does not sound at all like Lady Emily.”
“Oh, I assure you, that is exactly what she said. I have it from more than one source. Though I do believe it took Lady Tarryton so much by surprise that she didn’t quite understand that she had been thoroughly insulted and put in her place.” He laughed. “I would have loved to have seen such a magnificent outburst. I didn’t know she had it in her.”
Which was all part of the problem, Malcolm thought. No one ever expected such things of her. Not even the lady herself.
“But you are doing a fine job of dancing around my question,” Tristan said, breaking Malcolm from his maudlin thoughts. “What in the devil was going on in your boat? I cannot imagine Lady Emily doing something so careless that it would upset you both in the river. Then again, I certainly didn’t expect her to give that bat Lady Tarryton such a brilliant let-down, either, so that shows you what I know.”
Malcolm flushed. He felt itchy and uncomfortable all of a sudden. Needing movement, he said, “Come and walk with me in the knot garden?”
Tristan raised an eyebrow but nodded. As one, they turned for the small side garden. Malcolm stayed silent for a time, gathering his thoughts. To his relief, Tristan seemed more than happy to wait on him. He certainly could not tell his friend that the whole debacle had happened because of a bit of matchmaking. Such a remark would only bring about more questions, even possibly heighten Tristan’s interest in Lady Daphne. There was nothing like opposition to one’s desires to make those desires undeniable, Malcolm thought caustically. So what in the hell could he say? Instead, he tried a roundabout reasoning.
“You know that Willbridge had me looking after Lady Emily.” Tristan nodded. “Well, Lady Emily discovered my subterfuge. She was not happy about it.”
Tristan whistled low. “I can imagine not. No lady wants to be seen as so hopeless that her brother would set a keeper out after her. And so it was due to the two of you fighting that the boat was overturned?”
