Page 31 of The Viscount's Promise
She almost missed it when it did show itself. If she had blinked she would have. As it was, the small smile and sideways glance that Daphne sent Sir Tristan’s way would have been innocuous to most. Not to Emily. And so Sir Tristan’s regard was reciprocated in kind. Emily smiled, looking back to her embroidery hoop. Such a stroke of luck would make her job all the easier.
“You are looking much like the cat that licked the cream, Sister.”
Emily nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Drew’s voice in her ear. Her embroidery hoop fell to the ground, making a mess of the delicate silk thread she had been working into the fabric. She retrieved it from the floor and frowned at her brother. “Why can you never approach me in the normal way, instead of scaring me half to death whenever you deign to grace me with your presence?”
Instead of being properly shamed, however, he merely chuckled. “Ah, still cross with me, I see.”
She glared meaningfully at him before bending her head to the thread in her lap. She worked at the tangle before her. “You know I have every right to be cross. You promised to stay close to me, but at the first sign of a pretty face you abandoned me. I have hardly seen you for the past three days, so intent are you on flirting with every available girl in the place.”
“Can you blame me? There is so much here to distract. But,” he continued when she would have given him a scathing retort, “I promise to be on my best behavior.Ifyou tell me who you were watching so diligently a moment ago.”
She let out a disgusted scoff. “I should have known you were not coming over here for me and me alone.”
He placed a hand to his chest as if mortally offended. “You wound me. Why, you act as if I don’t care for your well-being at all.” When she shot him a disbelieving look, he said, “No, truly, I do care. It’s why I came over, after all. I thought you may have formed atendrefor one of our esteemed guests. It is my job to look after you, you know. Regardless of how uncaring my actions these past days have made me appear.”
Had the tone of the conversation suddenly turned serious? Emily’s gaze sharpened on her brother. Sure enough, though his carefree smile was firmly in place, the glint of amusement was gone from his eyes. He was looking at her closely. Too closely for Emily’s peace of mind. She flushed and immediately averted her face. “I don’t have the faintest idea what you’re talking about,” she muttered. She gave a particularly vicious tug on the thread in her agitation, managing to tangle it beyond salvation. Growling low in her throat, she tossed the whole blasted thing aside. She would work it out later, when her mind wasn’t in such an uproar.
“Your reaction tells me you do.” He lowered his voice and leaned in a bit closer. “Emily, I’ve seen the attention Lord Morley has paid you.”
She pressed a cool hand to her cheek, so hot did her face flush. “You mistake the meaning of his attentions, Drew,” she managed.As did I.“I swear, there is nothing untoward about it.”Though I wish with all my might there were.
The thought came unbidden, shocking Emily and making her thoroughly disgusted with herself. Truly, even after learning the true nature of his “friendship” she thought of him in that way? There was something horribly wrong with her. There must be, to want the man after everything that had occurred.
Drew was frowning at her. “I don’t understand.”
Did they really need to dredge this up? Hadn’t she been through enough in the past day, without having her brother aware of how pathetic she was, that a veritable stranger had been asked to play nursemaid to her? But Drew needed some answer. He was liable to think the very worst if she did not provide him with something. Best to play it down, however. There was no reason he had to know the full extent of her humiliation. “He was simply doing a favor for Caleb, watching out for me.”
“Is that all it was?”
Emily had the sudden urge to punch her brother right in his face. Which was a ridiculous reaction, as she hadn’t wanted him to think it was important in the first place. But wouldn’t it be nice to have someone to commiserate with over the whole affair?
“Yes,” she grumbled instead, “that’s all it was.”
“Too bad, that,” he said thoughtfully, sending a glance in Lord Morley’s direction.
“What?” she very nearly screeched. Several members of the party stopped what they were doing to look their way—including Lord Morley, who was gazing at her with hooded black eyes. Emily flushed and, turning the ruined side of her face to the wall, said in a much quieter voice, “What are you talking about? What exactly is ‘too bad’ about his having no designs upon me?”
Drew shrugged, leaning back and crossing one foot over his knee. “He’d be a fine catch for any woman. I certainly wouldn’t mind him as a brother.”
Emily’s jaw dropped before she could rein in her reaction. Scowling, she said, “Well, you may put the idea from your mind, for it won’t happen. Not now, not ever.”
“Goodness, what has gotten into you?” When Emily turned her frown on him, he held up both hands in a defensive posture. “Very well, I’ll leave it be. Consider it forgotten. Only,” he said a bit more softly, planting his feet on the floor and leaning toward her, “it would do much for my peace of mind to see you settled, before I talk Caleb into buying my commission and I head off to the Continent.”
A muted grief filled her at the reminder, obliterating the last of her ire. She had always known he was meant for the army. Goodness knows he had talked of it often enough on his holidays home. It had only been Caleb’s insistence that Drew finish university before enlisting that had Drew still in England at all.
She reached across the space that divided them and took his hand in hers. “Have no fear for me,” she murmured kindly.
“You know I’ll always worry about you,” he said gruffly. He sat for a time, looking more down than she had seen him in a good long while. Soon, however, he shook it off and was smiling mischievously at her. “But if not Lord Morley, perhaps another has caught your eye? Shall I guess, then?” He chuckled as she rolled her eyes, then cast his gaze over the assembled men. “Knowles is too much of a flirt to interest you. And Forster is an idiot. You’re much too smart for the likes of him.”
Despite herself, Emily laughed. Drew was, as ever, a balm for her soul.
“I know!” he suddenly exclaimed, turning to her with shining eyes. “It is Sir Tristan, is it not?”
“You are ridiculous,” she pronounced, trying—and failing—to fight back her grin. Suddenly she stilled. Mayhap her brother would be able to verify whether Sir Tristan was a good catch for Daphne. Not that he had to know that she meant the baronet for their sister, but it certainly couldn’t hurt to learn all she could about the man before she went and married him off to her.
“I remember him coming around often when we were children but admit I don’t know the first thing about him. Have you heard anything?”
If Drew was at all suspicious of her line of questioning, he didn’t show it. “He’s a capital fellow,” he said. “Right fun to be around. Never knew a man who could make merry like him. I admit, I wish I could have a chance to gad about London with him before I go off to fight.”
