Chapter Six
Emily
Just a few more steps and she’d be safely ensconced in her bedroom.
She’d sent her maid home the night before so she could deal more effectively with Penelope’s problem.
Now, Emily realized it would be left to her to remove her gown and prepare herself for bed.
A somewhat daunting task, considering she was exhausted.
She and her escort had walked nearly half the way home before a hack came along looking for a new fare.
Keeping to her previous plan, Emily requested to be let out one street over from Blackthorne Manor, paid for the groom to be returned to Wylder’s townhome, then crept through the back gardens and into the house with only the kitchen staff witness to her arrival.
Sometime after noon, her mother would undoubtedly check on her, as it was not customary for her to sleep in so late.
A plausible excuse was already prepared in case the matter was pressed, but hopefully, it would not be necessary.
Once she’d gone through her first Season and the second, Lord and Lady Blackthorne had grown more lax in their watchfulness over their only daughter during the third.
Perhaps it was because she steadfastly refused to entertain a single one of the marriage proposals, or mayhap it was because, as she neared the unfortunate age of twenty-one, Emily was in danger of becoming a spinster in the eyes of the ton.
Personally, Emily chose to believe it was because she’d proven herself to be both mindful of her reputation and because she’d not shown any interest in catching the eye of a man.
The exception to that was Wylder St. Clair.
His attention was definitely coveted. If her parents only knew how much, they would certainly lock her in her rooms to avoid any hint of scandal with the dark, dangerous earl.
Although Wylder was heir to a dukedom, she doubted her father would condone the liberties he’d taken with her.
Yawning behind her hand, Emily trudged up the back stairs used by the upper staff to access the manor wing containing her suite of rooms. As it was now nearing seven o’clock, the drapes covering the tall windows had been drawn open and secured.
Warm, early morning sunshine lit the corridor in tall, rectangular sections as Emily moved along like a silent little mouse scurrying back to the safety of its den.
The maids would have begun their duties of dusting and polishing, but for the moment, there was no one else about.
“What the hell do you think you are doing, Em?”
Simon’s sleepy voice was so unexpected that Emily let out a little screech of surprise. Holding a hand to her rapidly thumping heart, she glared at her rumpled older brother. Fear and irritation warred for prominence inside her, with irritation eventually prevailing.
She’d been so very close to succeeding with her covert plan. Of course, it would be her overbearing, pompous brother who ruined it all.
“Oh! You wretched oaf! You frightened me!”
“Did I?” Simon muttered, moving down the hallway until he stood before her. His eyes narrowed as he looked her over, taking in her appearance. “Do not tell me you are just now coming home from your evening out, dear sister.”
“Very well.” Emily’s chin tilted. “I shall not tell you.”
“Perhaps I should wake Father, and you can explain it to him.”
“That is not necessary,” Emily huffed, thinking quickly of an excuse for her early morning arrival.
“It’s all very innocent, I assure you. The dancing went on for hours at the Linden ball, and when my feet began to ache, I found a quiet, secluded corner in which to rest, where I promptly fell asleep.
Of course, I could not very well go traipsing about London in the wee hours of the morning once I awoke.
And since the coach returned home without me, one of the Linden footmen kindly assisted in hiring a hack.
I intended to discreetly return to my room with no one being the wiser for the embarrassing predicament I placed myself in.
” Her tone turned sweetly pleading. “You will keep my secret, won’t you, Simon?
I’ve no wish to upset Mother or Father.”
“You truly expect anyone to believe that tall tale?” Simon’s brow rose high, his expression one of bemusement. “It will be easy enough to discover the truth, you know.”
“Why would I fabricate such a scenario?” Emily demanded, stomping a foot, then wincing as a bruise reminded her of the distance she’d walked.
“Even Mary abandoned me. I had mentioned leaving the Lindens’ to attend another ball with one of the other girls, and she must have thought I did so without telling her.
This was completely my fault, however. It was very irresponsible of me.
” When Simon continued watching her silently, she took another approach.
“Simon. Please. I rarely ask favors of you, but I’m forced to beg you now.
Do not tattle to Mother or Father about this.
It was a mistake that I swear will never happen again. ”
“Damnation. All right.” Simon waved his hand after a moment of consideration.
“I shall keep your secret, although I believe there is far more to the situation than you are letting on. I won’t press you for it, however.
” His stare was inscrutable. “If I did not know you to be completely enamored of Wylder St. Clair, I might see cause for concern. I am very much aware that you’ve shown no interest in the gentlemen who incessantly pursue you, and I know your lack of interest is because of him.
That is most unfortunate because I believe if you allowed yourself to consider someone else for a husband, you’d be quite content. ”
“One could say the same for you, dear brother,” Emily retorted blithely. “One of your dearest friends has found happiness in marriage. You could be next to the altar and discover your aversion to matrimony is unfounded.”
“No.” Simon chuckled, turning toward his suite of rooms and resting a hand on the doorknob.
He abruptly paused at the entrance and studied Emily for such a long moment, she wondered if he could see the truth of how she’d spent the early morning hours and with whom.
“Like Wyldewood,” Simon finally continued, “I have no interest in marriage.”
Emily’s fists clenched into tiny balls of irritation that she struggled to keep concealed. “Perhaps Lord Wyldewood does not echo your sentiments on the subject, Simon. Perhaps one day he will do as he pleases and choose a bride. Perhaps that is what he wants more than anything else in this world.”
“Mayhap one day he will find a woman to match his voracious appetites,” Simon muttered as if suddenly vexed by the subject.
“A woman of experience, ideally. But make no mistake, Emily. I will never allow him to select you for his bride. Any hope you may still harbor of that ever happening should be erased. You do not know the man’s true nature as I do.
He is a fine friend, a man I admire greatly…
but that is where it ends. He is not the one for you, Emily.
And he never will be.” He gave her an oddly sympathetic smile.
“You don’t believe me. God knows I would try to convince you, but such evidence is not something a young, respectable lady should ever be privy to.
Go on to your bed now, dear sister. You are quite pale and certainly, you need your rest.”
Then he pushed the door until it closed with a slight click, leaving Emily standing in the corridor, her heart cracking in two at the finality of his words.
*
It was another three days before Emily saw Penelope True.
To her dismay, her friend was wan in appearance, her green eyes dark-rimmed and brimming with ill-concealed worry.
While Lady True was distracted by an acquaintance’s inquiry about the newest gossip, Emily pulled the girl away from her mother for a hastily whispered conversation.
“You look terrible, dear friend,” Emily said in a low voice. Her gaze swept over Penelope, concerned by her subdued manner. “What happened? Did your parents find out our ploy and punish you for it?”
“N-no,” Penelope replied, glancing in her mother’s direction as her lips tightened into a thin line.
“They do not know, thank God. But explaining how I managed to find my way home that night on my own concerned them to the point that Mother is now determined to keep me in her sight. I am unsure whether that is a welcome development or not, considering Lord Grant’s insistence on courting me.
It appears our scheme did not work on the man. ”
“But, you said he seemed repulsed by your shyness. That your refusal to talk and the constant ducking of your head greatly annoyed him,” Emily murmured. “I don’t understand why this did not work as it has in the past.”
Penelope wrung her gloved hands. “I don’t understand either.
Before you helped me slip out of Lord Linden’s library, Grant indicated he had a certain method to cure me of my affliction.
” A delicate shudder shook her body. “I do not know what he meant by that, but he had the oddest look on his face as he said it. Almost as though the possibility of physically correcting me was greatly exciting to him. It-it frightened me, Emily. And now, it appears he has set his mind on pursuing me. A development that my parents find delightful. They have all but commanded me to allow myself to be compromised by the odious man.”
Emily shook her head in denial of Penelope’s words. “No. No. We shall not allow that to happen, Pen, do you understand? And should your parents or even Lord Grant attempt placing you in a position where you will be ruined, I shall do more than extinguish the lamps and help you escape the room.”