Page 7 of Playing the Scoundrel

Chapter Three

Emma knew the way she was lounging in the library was less than ladylike, but she had the entire townhouse to herself, so what did it matter? Shoes abandoned at the foot of the fireplace, stockinged feet hanging over the side of the couch, head snuggled up on a pillow as she read a book of her own choosing. Mrs. Dunn had gone out to make calls, visiting all her friends and acquaintances, trying to clear a pathway for Emma to have success in her come out. Emma hadn’t been introduced to many yet, aside from that horrible gentleman who had snubbed Laura, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Norland, but even thinking on that situation made Emma flush in embarrassment. They had approached nobility so casually it was likely improper, and even if Laura had already been acquainted with them, Emma didn’t, so she couldn’t very well expect a card from them. Thankfully, she had no reason to expect any calls or visitors, so it allowed her to be lazy all she liked. Especially with a book she wouldn’t have otherwise been able to read.

She longed to delve into the history of the Greeks and the Romans. It all connected with her fascination of the stars. The study of the sky had been long recorded for centuries, and the books in Mrs. Dunn’s collection were more than expansive on nearly any subject imaginable. She even had a new copy of Messier’sCatalogue of Nebulae and Clusters of Stars, one with new information that Emma hadn’t seen. The Frenchman had published his celestial findings and continued to update the world, which Emma was ecstatic to review. It was a luxury she didn’t have at home, so she would take full advantage of it here.

A knock sounded at the door, making Emma bolt upright in her seat, sending the book tumbling to the floor.

The butler, Humphrey, appeared. “You have a visitor. Miss Laura Roberts.”

Emma panicked, standing to smooth the fabric of her dress, and then remembering her shoes by the fire, rushed to put them on before straightening her shoulders. “Please show her in.”

He nodded, pressing his lips together, likely to suppress a smile. Emma would have to thank him later for putting up with her less than refined ways. Maybe she would never get used to London.

Laura appeared in the doorway, and Emma’s thoughts of her own worries disappeared. When they’d left the ball that night, Laura had been positively distraught. Mr. Godwin had treated her horribly and left her completely humiliated at the dance. Laura hardly spoke on the way home. When her mother asked what ailed her, Laura had simply said she was tired, but Emma knew the truth. She was brokenhearted.

Which was why Emma was surprised to see her smiling. Laura was properly chipper.

“Good morning, dear Emma,” Laura said, bobbing a quick curtsy before entering the room and taking a seat. “Shall you call for some tea?”

“Well, yes, of course.” Emma nodded to the butler, who then left and closed the door.

Emma eyed her friend carefully as she sat. “How are you doing?”

“I am splendid. It’s a lovely day, isn’t it?” Laura’s smile seemed sincere, but how could that be? There was no more a dramatic person in all of the country, Emma was sure. The ball had been merely two days ago, so she expected Laura to still be lamenting the loss of the scoundrel for at least a fortnight.

“It is, but are you sure you’re all right?” Emma placed a hand on Laura’s hand.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” Laura asked brightly.

“Well, I just thought after what happened at the ball with Mr. Godwin…”

“I’d rather not talk about it.”

Laura’s voice was sharp as she looked down and inhaled sharply. Emma did not miss the way her cheeks pinked, no doubt from embarrassment over the entire ordeal. Of course she would not wish to discuss something so painful all over again.

When Laura lifted her face again, her smile had returned. “Let us discuss more pleasant things. Like the ball you’re attending tonight with invitation from Viscount DiCarlo? I will have to miss it I’m afraid, but I hope you’ll tell me all about it.”

The door opened revealing the tea had arrived, but Emma was not done worrying for her friend. It wasn’t right, that men could run around hurting whomever they wished, but it was even more troublesome when the women were among those Emma cared for, like her sister Judith, like her friend Laura. Would none of the gentlemen ever be put in their proper place and learn their lesson? Women had lives and feelings; they were not just playthings. If Emma ever had the chance to put one of these scoundrels in his place, she would take it.

* * *

“You know your role?”

Emma nodded and swallowed hard. “To entice and entertain.” They had barely left the townhouse on Grosvenor Street, the carriage jostling her to the side, but she tried to remain straight shouldered with her chin up. She didn’t want to give Mrs. Dunn a single reason to doubt Emma’s capabilities.

“Very good.” The old lady nodded, covered head to toe in her own finery. “And if anyone so much as breathes the name of your sister, you will defer to me. Here in London, she is dead to you, and we can smooth out the truth of it later on. I don’t want any of that attention focused on you while we’re here. No one should know who you are, but even if word has traveled this far, I can spin perspective so people either won’t know or won’t care.”

Again, Emma nodded, hoping she appeared as humble as she was grateful. She was also dressed in more pearls and silks than she was comfortable with, and each trot of the horses added to her heightened anxieties. Laura had not been lucky enough to receive an invitation to this particular event, so Emma would face all of society alone.

Not that she was truly alone. Of all the people in London, very few knew the truth about Emma’s sister, and only Mrs. Dunn was actually generous enough to overlook it, and in fact try to help others do the same. Having a ruined sister, one who bore a bastard child at that, was not something to be taken lightly when looking for a spouse. Even though the whole ordeal was more than five years in the past, for Judith, being a societal outcast meant not being able to see family above once or twice a year, to at least try and keep Emma’s character pristine. How Emma longed to see Judith and her darling daughter. As soon as Emma had some news, something promising to report, she would write immediately to try and give her sister some hope of normalcy.

The light of the full moon shone through the window, and for the thousandth time, Emma wished she had a telescope of her own. To see the depth of stars from such a perspective would have been a treat for a mind like hers, ever searching the heavens for more new signs of… something. Alas, her responsibilities required her indoors during moonlight hours, and not with her nose in a book or her eyes in a spyglass. Mrs. Dunn might forgive her intelligent mind in the privacy of her own home, but in public, she was to be on display and ready for the marriage market.

The carriage started to slow, and Emma stiffened, pressing her lips into a thin line.

“Don’t make yourself nervous,” Mrs. Dunn said. “You’ll do fine. Just remember, you are my guest and my family friend. Your grandmother, God rest her, would haunt me till the end of my days if I didn’t at least try to help your family situation. Your sister may have thrown away her chance at fine society, but I know you will not.”

Emma nodded. “And I’m forever thankful for your kindness.”

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