Page 13 of The Viscount's Promise
“No, that I have not, though you can be assured, I am most eager to see him again after so long.” He took hold of Emily’s hand, tucking it in the crook of his arm, before setting off down the path. “And so our Caleb is back in the arms of his family. Tell me how this all came about.”
Emily smiled. “We have his intended to thank for it, I think. Imogen has had the most fantastic effect on him. Actually, on us all. I could not love her more if she were our natural sister.”
Her brother chuckled. “I cannot wait to meet this paragon.”
They walked on in silence for a time, the only sounds the laughter from the adjoining lawn as the archery and lawn bowling went on, with the occasional roar of excitement rising up over the border of hedges. A bird passed overhead, calling sweetly, and a warm breeze rifled a few strands of Emily’s hair that had managed to escape from her bun. For the first time in days she felt herself again, able to relax a bit and forget some of the chaos that had invaded her home.
Drew leaned toward her. “Tell me, how are you holding up under such an abundance of guests?” The words were light enough, but Emily could hear the underlying concern in them.
She gave a small sigh, glad she did not have to keep up pretenses with him. “Not well. But you expected as much, I think.”
His eyes clouded with worry. “Could they have not chosen a different location?”
Emily gave a strained chuckle. “Where would you have the wedding, then? London? For I’ll tell you now, that would not be the better choice.”
“No, I suppose not,” he muttered. When he spoke again, his voice had taken on a jovial cast. “But you may rest easy now, for your favorite brother is here at long last, and will protect you from all manner of evil.”
“You do not know how much that relieves my mind,” she replied with feeling. Perhaps now, she thought, Lord Morley would not feel the need to corner her at every turn. Mayhap she could escape him. The thought gladdened her, making her steps light as she walked on beside her brother. Yes, this was a happy thing indeed.
• • •
Later that afternoon, as the party of young people made their way to the local village, Emily learned that the words of young men could easily be broken when they were confronted with a bevy of beauties.
Emily watched in consternation as Drew offered his arm to Miss Mariah Duncan. He flashed her a rakish smile, making the younger girl blush prettily, before helping her around an exposed root in the road.
“You must be happy that your brother is back in time for the wedding.”
The low voice in her ear made Emily yelp in surprise. She turned, scowling at Lord Morley. The man had been nowhere to be seen when they had left Willowhaven for Ketterby. Now, however, it seemed he had caught up with them.
Of all the rotten luck.
“Do you enjoy sneaking up on people, my lord?”
Instead of looking contrite, the man merely smiled benignly. “Very much so.”
She hoped against hope that he would move past her and join the main body of their group. Instead he matched his pace to hers. She cut him a glare. “I had thought you would miss our outing. Didn’t you have anything better to do?”
He chuckled. The sound went right through her in the most disconcerting way. “Why, Lady Emily, one would think you do not care for my company.”
“Is it so very obvious, then?” she muttered, and immediately felt mortification flush her cheeks as he looked in surprise at her. She closed her eyes. “I am truly sorry, my lord. That was not well done of me.”
“Please,” he murmured, “don’t curb your tongue on my account.”
Her eyes flew open and she looked at him in no little surprise. Had that been amusement coloring his words? But no, he looked somber enough as he gazed toward the rest of their party...who were rapidly pulling ahead. Belatedly, Emily realized how far behind they had fallen from the group. Picking up her pace, she once more hoped the man would take the hint and leave her be. But he merely sped up beside her, his long-legged stride easily keeping pace with her.
“Regardless of how I may feel about you,” she said, because she really must say something about her rudeness, “it was not kind of me to say such a thing.”
He let out a short, sharp bark of laughter. “If you think your opinion matters in the least to me, you are mistaken, I assure you.”
Emily blinked several times. There had been no couching his words at all. They shot at her like arrows and hit just as painfully. She stopped abruptly, angry tears burning behind her eyes, and turned fully to face him. The past days had been hard enough without the man’s blatant cruelty. “Why do you insist on harassing me, my lord?”
“Oh, is that what I’m doing? Goodness, how positively brutish of me,” he murmured.
The sarcastic drawl that accompanied his words sent a bolt of indignation zinging down her spine. “You mock me, sir,” she bit out. “I will have you know that, as weak as you may think me, I am not. I will not allow you to treat me in such a manner.”
He lifted one eyebrow in a faintly mocking way. “Won’t you?”
Emily surprised herself by letting out a faint growl of frustration. She should not let him get to her, should turn and walk the other way and ignore him for the remainder of his stay. But looking at the condescension in his eyes, she couldn’t let his slight pass. “No,” she stated firmly, lifting her chin a fraction, “I will not.”
