Page 61 of The Duke's Bride in Disguise
"A little," Lady Emily confessed hesitantly, her face troubled, "She asked would we still remain friends if—if—"
"We did not marry," Raff finished for her.
"Yes," Emily's face flooded with warmth, "And I told her that of course we would. Then we discussed silly things; books, TheBelle, and—"
"What?" Raff prompted, as Lady Emily paused.
"The theatre," she said with excitement, "We were discussing Mr McCasey and she mentioned that one can go in and watch the actors rehearse in the afternoons."
Gemini; Raff could have kissed her he was so grateful.
"I must get to Drury Lane," he said, spinning on his heel and rushing back to his Phaeton. To his surprise, Emily and Mary followed him. When he gave Emily a questioning glance, she merely shrugged her shoulders.
"You can't expect us just to sit around and worry," she said, as she gracefully stepped up into the carriage.
There was no time to argue and, in truth, Raff rather liked the idea of having company with him. Picking up the reins, he urged his bay geldings into a brisk canter and began to weave his way through the streets of London. Mary's outlandish bonnet kept catching his eye, as he steered the carriage, and from the corner of his eye he could see shopping bags from various shops gathered at her feet.
It looked, to all intents and purposes, as though Mary herself had been shopping—but that was ridiculous. No lady's maid could afford the hats in Locke's or the pastries from Gunter's.
Raff refocused his mind as they neared Covent Garden and Drury Lane. Due to the market which was held nearby, the traffic had come almost to a standstill; carts, carriages, and shoppers hindered his progress, until finally, he gave up.
"Stay here and mind the carriage," he said to Lady Emily, as he pulled in to an alleyway and hopped down from his seat.
"You can't go alone," Emily protested as she followed him.
Raff hesitated for a moment, and in that second, Emily reached out her hand to his.
"Come," she said, giving him a gentle tug, "Mary will watch the horses, while we go and find Georgiana. I won't let you do this alone."
