Page 33 of The Earl's Christmas Deal
“I shall not. Thank you, Mama.”
With overwhelming relief, she walked swiftly to the side of the ballroom and to the high doors that opened out onto the terrace.
Within seconds, she was outside in the freezing cold, shutting the door behind her and closing her eyes, trying to control the panic that was threatening to overwhelm her.
From the other side of the floor, Adam watched Emilia leave the room, frowning at her hurried footsteps. He had found his gaze constantly drawn to her throughout the dance. Seraphina had been far more tolerable, and he had been able to speak at least two sentences before she interrupted him this time, but he was aware he had barely listened to anything she had said.
Her parents were across the room speaking with her, and he could easily guess the subject of their conversation.
“It is an excellent match,” Augusta said beside him for the fourth time. Adam shifted his weight, rolling his shoulders and trying to breathe steadily as his anger increased. His aunt was becoming desperate. The constant shadow of Frederick was clearly agitating her and her intimations had become more and more obvious as time drew on.
Frederick’s presence had begun to creep into everything she did, and he could tell she was worried about his influence. Without an heir, the title would pass to Frederick without contest, and Adam and Augusta both knew how dangerous it would be for Frederick to get his hands on Adam’s father’s money.
Adam would happily have lent Frederick anything in the world if he could be trusted, but he had squandered his own fortune at an alarming rate.
Frederick had always been disingenuous and bitter. He saw himself as a victim, excluded unjustly from Adam’s father’s good graces. He knew how to speak well in company and had excellent breeding and manners to recommend him, but he had debts across the country that he was unable to pay, and Adam had no intention of opening his coffers to help him again.
If Frederick took over as the Earl of Bellebrook, the estate would be ruined in months, not years. He glanced at the door that Emilia had left through. There was an element of madness to the feelings that had crept through him in the days he had spent at this house, but one thing had remained steady—his regard and connection to her.
Thinking of her playing music stirred something deep within him. Watching her countenance and speaking with her of her hopes and dreams had given him a purpose in a way that he had not felt for a long time. He did not want Lady Seraphina anddid not wish to be strong-armed into marriage to a woman he did not care for by his aunt.
Increasingly aware of the narrowing circle of his own choices, Adam was willing to takea risk. It would undoubtedly helphim, and if it assisted Lady Emilia in the process then it would be all the better.
“If you will excuse me, aunt,” he said suddenly, making up his mind. “I am going to get some air.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
His aunt frowned at him in response, but he did not give her time to reply. He placed his wine glass behind him and walked as discreetly as he could around the dancefloor and towards the doorway.
He kept his gaze downcast until he reached it, glancing behind him to find that most of the guests were either involved in the dance or watching it. Lionel stood in the centre of the current set, opposite Miss Fairfax. His cousin’s wide smile and relaxed movements sent a pang of regret through Adam’s body, but as his gaze fell on Seraphina, he felt all the more determined to follow through with his plan.
He compressed the handle of the door and moved outside.
The bitter cold hit him full in the face as he closed the door behind him. The snow was falling but in much smaller flakes than it had earlier that day and there were patches of ice over the terrace.
He looked along the narrow walkway to see a figure ahead of him, her breath billowing out above her as she looked out into the night.
The clouds obscured the stars but lowered a blanket of snow across the country, making everything look ghostly and magical at once.
Adam approached her, feeling his heart beating so wildly he could barely draw in a full breath. His chest was tight, his fists clenched. He felt as though he were standing on the edge of an abyss and that the only guiding light to reach the other side was standing before him.
For the first time since Anastasia’s death, he felt a desire for companionship. His interactions with Emilia had been some ofthe easiest in his life, and the way her music sang to his soul could not be anything but a sign he was ready to move forward.
She was no longer simply a woman dogged by scandal, forced to live a life of her parents' choosing. Adam was no longer simply a widower mourning his wife—he believed they could help one another, and in time, a true connection could form between them that might be the greatest he had ever known.
“Lady Emilia,” he said softly, watching in wonder as she turned to him.
Emilia had been standing on the terrace for too long, and her fingers were numb already, but she was reluctant to return inside. She knew what awaited her in that ballroom, and it was nothing in the world that she wanted.
Her mind had been playing tricks on her, focusing on a dark future where she watched as Lord Bellebrook announced his engagement to Lady Seraphina. Emilia stood idly in the shadows, married and miserable, with the duke by her side.
Then she heard her name uttered behind her from the one voice she had never expected to hear.
Stunned, she turned to find herself alone with the earl. She felt her heart skip a beat in her chest, her eyes widening in amazement.
“Lord Bellebrook,” she managed with a smile. She could think of nothing else to say.
“Lady Emilia, I hope you will not think we too forward, but I felt compelled to follow you tonight.”
