Page 14 of The Earl's Christmas Deal
“Thank you, your Grace, as are you,” she replied, trying to pull her fingers from his grip. His hand was tightening at every pass they made.
“I am pleased to be able to make your acquaintance finally,” he murmured, the smell of brandy wafting over Emilia’s face unpleasantly. “I have long admired your father and felt that a match within his household would be most fitting.” Emilia smiled faintly, fixing her gaze just to the right of his ear. “As you know, your father is cursed with the same predicament as I.”
“Your Grace?”
“Too many daughters,” he said, as though it were a great joke. “Lord Sternwood knows the pain of never birthing a son. I believe you would make an excellent mother to my girls, and my hope is that my curse will soon be lifted.”
Emilia stared at him, astounded by his audacity. Though she was her father's only child, the duke’s words implied that even she was of little worth compared to a son. And so here he was, during the very first dance of the season—their first true conversation—already speaking of his need for an heir. The room felt suddenly smaller, the distant chatter growing faint as her pulse quickened. His eyes held a smug certainty as though the marriage had already been agreed upon. She swallowed hard, bile rising in her throat. The prospect of a future with him felt suffocating, the very idea causing her skin to prickle with unease.
As Emilia attempted to keep her poise and twirled about the floor with the duke, Adam was having his own troubles.
Leaving the drawing room had been more complicated than it should have been. The tears on his cheeks were certainlynot mirrored by anyone else. No other man or woman had been so affected by the piece, and Adam was forced to discreetly wipe at his eyes before leaving the room.
Turning, he found Lionel standing behind him, shielding him from view. His cousin had evidently seen his emotional state and taken it upon himself to protect him from prying questions. Adam gave Lionel a grateful nod, and his cousin returned it with a concerned expression.
As soon as Lionel had departed, however, Adam was approached by Lady Seraphina Cheswick. She was searching for her handkerchief, which she said she had accidentally dropped; however, Adam was unsurprised to find it with ease, just beside his shoe. As he returned it to her, there was a charged moment of expectation—her parents stood nearby, watching them intently.
They approached Adam and their daughter, the Marchioness inclining her head with a gracious smile. “Allow us to introduce ourselves; I am Lady Chesingdale, and this is my husband, the Marquess. It is our distinct pleasure to present our daughter, Lady Seraphina.” After exchanging the usual courtesies, it seemed only fitting that he should ask her for a dance.
However, now that they turned on their third go-around on the floor, Adam would happily have switched partners with anyone else in the room.
“Oh, I have much to be grateful for, my Lord,” Lady Seraphina was saying. “I have such a wonderful abundance of friends in Bath, you know. Have you ever been to Bath, my Lord?”
“Yes, when I was—”
“It is the most wonderful city on Earth. I do believe that if I should ever marry, I would wish to live there. Have you taken the waters? They were so restorative. I was so intrigued by theRoman baths and how the people had once lived. I was being told the most amazing story by a friend of mine, do you know Lady Viola Templeton?”
“I do not belie—”
“She is the daughter of the Duke of Hastings, lately married. Such a wonderful patron of the arts. She was the first to introduce me to the Roman Baths and is the greatest authority on such things.”
And so it continued for the whole of the dance.
Adam had tried to participate in the conversation at first but soon gave up, allowing the young lady to prattle on. He didn’t want to judge her too harshly—Lady Seraphina seemed just as nervous as he was—but she spoke so incessantly that he could barely get a word in.
Her conversation revolved entirely around the latest gossip, making her appear frivolous and lacking in intelligence. Worse still, she seemed utterly unaware of how tiresome she was.
His attention had drifted several times to the other couples on the floor and found himself searching out Lady Emilia in the throng.
She had beautiful form and almost faultless steps, but her smile was insincere, her back stiff and rigid against the duke. Adam thought Lady Emilia may not be too fond of her dance partner. She was leaning subtly away from him, and whereas Emilia’s feet were sure and perfect, the duke was a little clumsier in his bearing. His nose was rather pink, as were his cheeks, a sure sign of too much brandy before dinner.
Adam felt a surge of protectiveness at the sight of her discomfort. Watching her delicate fingers flex against the duke’s wide, bulbous shoulders seemed wrong somehow. He tried to focus on what Lady Seraphina was saying to him, butit was no use. The more he watched Emilia, the more her discomfort became apparent.
“Do you not think so, my Lord?” Adam looked back at Seraphina’s upturned, expectant face and felt a bolt of panic.What had she been saying?
“Yes, quite,” he attempted, and her eyes lit up at his answer. He wasn’t sure what he had agreed to.
“Are you remaining at the house for the party to follow?”
“Indeed, are you?”
“I am,” she ran her eyes over his hair and back to his face. “I am most pleased that I will be able to get to know you better, my Lord,” she added with a coquettish smile.
“Likewise,” he added automatically as they passed his aunt, watching them happily from the edge of the room.
Adam inwardly shook himself, trying to dispel the overwhelming feeling of protectiveness he felt for Lady Emilia. It was not simply that he wished to shield her from the duke; there was also a faint glimmer of something else at the back of his mind that felt alarmingly like jealousy.
He was unsure why he felt such a need to be near her or why his heart picked up whenever she entered a room. Adam was certain it was merely misplaced affection for his fond memories of the music she played. It would pass; he was sure of it.
