by Fanny Finch
The carriage jostled, making the men sway from side to side, attempting to steady themselves. The Duke of Lox gave the Duke of Rabney a direct look. “I believe it is time to do some repairs on the carriage.”
The Duke of Rabney guffawed, throwing his head back. The loud but joyful sound filled the carriage. “You mean it is time to purchase a new carriage. I understand the concept of living frugally, Baldwin, but at some point, you must admit it is time to move on from the old. Buy a new carriage. You can afford it.”
“I will thank his lordship for not interfering in the private affairs of my estate.” The Duke of Lox sounded serious. As soon as the words left his mouth, he joined his friend in laughter.
The carriage was not far from Brisbourne Manor. The Duke of Lox was anxious to see the soft warm blankets of his bed. His chambers were always warm from the fire that stayed lit from seven p.m. to six a.m.
Lady Wentworth. How he longed to dance with her again. He could not forget the sensation of having her in his arms. He wanted more than that. He wanted her as a wife. The way she had changed her behavior after hearing something she did not want to hear was on his mind. It showed the woman had a spine and was willing to fight for herself.
They pulled into the circular carriage path in front of Brisbourne Manor.
The Duke of Lox stepped down from the carriage, landing gracefully on a street of broken marble. He looked at the broken pieces and wondered why he had ever agreed to have it put around his path. It just made people fall about each other and wore down the horses’ hooves. The cost of replacing horseshoes on a regular basis made the path without any value.
He shook his head. He would replace it soon enough. He had more important things to think about at present.
It was a rare moment when something could make the Duke of Lox bargain with himself. He was easy-going and famous among some circles for being a man who produced real results. That often made him a force to be reckoned with. But every so often, he would neglect the simple pleasures he enjoyed, such as this. He had ample time and money to have the repairs done.
And it took the face of a lovely young woman to motivate him to make small things like that a priority.
Lady Emma Wentworth would make him feel invincible. She may be angry with him right now but he hoped she would grow to fancy him at least a little. He felt a connection to her as soon as he saw her face. He did not want to say he was completely taken in with her beauty, though he was. Her wavy long hair. Her big, bright blue eyes. She was a remarkably pretty woman.
He wondered if she knew it.
There was nothing more obnoxious than a woman who knew her beauty but had the personality of a coiling snake about to strike. He wanted nothing of that kind of woman.
When she showed her backbone by standing up to him, he knew he had to have her.
There had to be others vying for her hand, as well. He wondered how many suitors called on her. He felt jealous without reason.
Grinning, he walked into Brisbourne Manor, following his friend inside, where they would share a brandy before going to their chambers and trying to get a good night’s sleep. He knew he would not be able to get to sleep. She was too much on his mind.
The Duke of Lox was wrong, however.
He was asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.
Chapter 5
Although she was exhausted from her long day, Emma found it very hard to get to sleep. She knew her anxiety stemmed from what the Duchess of Corning had said on the way home from the ball. She did not think her father would approve of what his wife was saying but Emma would never tell him about it. She wanted him to go to Heaven believing his family was close and secure.
She lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, remembering the Duchess of Corning’s words.
“You both looked elegant tonight. I was very impressed and I think the lords were, as well,” the Duchess of Corning had stated after her initial questioning. She commonly began her lectures with compliments. Emma fully expected what was to come next. Her step-mother never wavered from her habits.
“Thank you, Mother,” both girls replied in unison. Emma could tell Katherine was waiting for the “but” in her mother’s sentence.
“But there are still many things you must work on,” the Duchess of Corning continued. She turned her eyes to Emma, whose heart dropped. She did not want to go first.
“Emma, you do not seem to be trying very hard. The Duke of Lox was interested in speaking with you but mentioned that you were unapproachable. This will not win you a gentleman of his status. You simply cannot behave that way with a suitor as compatible as he is with our standards and expectations. What were your objections to him?”
“He spoke about me to you?” Emma did not like to hear that. The man had insulted her to her own step-mother. If he was attempting to win her heart, that was not the way to do it. She furrowed her eyebrows.
“Do not scowl so,” the Duchess of Corning said rebukingly. “It makes you look ugly. You do not want to look ugly, do you?”
“There is no one here to impress, Mother,” Emma said, trying not to disrespect her elder but finding it difficult to keep calm. “I am uncomfortable that the Duke of Lox had the audacity to insult me in such a way. I was not aloof. I was merely… distracted. I was thinking of other things.”
“Perhaps you would do well to keep your mind on your priorities, Emma.” The Duchess of Corning was using the tone that Emma detested the most. It was condescending, as if she was talking to a baby or a very young child.
“As you well know, your father’s health declines as we speak. He is a strong man and has fought hard against this disease that is taking him from us. But the time is quickly approaching and we must secure our future through you. If you continue this behavior, the only man left for you to marry will be Lord Carne.”
Emma’s mind was reeling. She waged a battle against herself, one side wanting desperately to speak out and tell the Duchess of Corning exactly what she could do with her callous behavior, the other seeking to be the good girl her father wanted her to be. To Emma, her dear father might as well be already gone, the way the Duchess of Corning was speaking. She did not like that at all.
In the end, her temper won out and she spoke out of turn.
“Lord Carne has a title in name only. He has nothing to provide.”
“Perhaps not, but his patroness does. She will leave him her fortune, that is certain.”
“Nothing is certain, Mother. My father is not dead and I will not marry a man because of the size of his purse just to please you. I will marry for love and for love alone. There can be no other way with me.”
The Duchess of Corning looked shocked for a moment before regaining her composure. “Lady Emma, your father will hear about this behavior…”
For the first time in her life, Emma interrupted her step-mother, interjecting in a stern voice. “You would complain to my father when his health is so weak? How cruel.” The words even surprised Emma and she was the one saying them. “His condition is weak enough. Do you wish to aggravate it further? Are you purposefully trying to kill him?”
The Duchess of Corning shut her mouth tightly and stared at Emma. She was fighting for the right words, Emma could see it on her face.
“I do not wish to upset you, Mother,” Emma softened her voice. “But I am obliged… nay, required to begin making decisions for myself. I do not plan to leave anyone in squalor when I choose the man I will marry. But I will not be forced into a union that will cause me misery and pain for the rest of my life, which I hope is long, God willing. Do you not agree with this?”
The Duchess of Corning listened to everything Emma had to say, her eyes narrowing with every word. At the end of Emma’s speech, she nodded. “I do hear you, Lady Wentworth. And I do not wish to harm your father, who is my husband and whom I dearly love. I believe you know that my love for your father is genuine.”
“Then you will refrain from speaking of this to him, am I correct?�
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The Duchess of Corning stared at Emma, her mouth open slightly, her lips twisting as she tried to think of what words she wanted to say. “I… Yes. I will not speak of this. However…”
“I am fully aware of my duties and I will certainly do my best to find a husband before the end of this season, as I, too, fear for the health of my father. But I must ask you to minimize your interference and let me find a man that is suitable for me, in personality and mind and soul. Not just in finances.”
It appeared the Duchess of Corning could think of nothing to say. Emma was fully aware that she and her half-sister were staring at her as if she had lost her mind.
She wasn’t quite sure what had happened herself. But hearing that her step-mother and the Duke of Lox had both spoken of her outside of her presence and said less than honorable things about her made her angry. She was just a young woman trying to make her way. They should not have been whispering wicked things behind her back.
The Duchess of Corning leaned forward, pointing her folded up hand fan in Emma’s direction. “You would do well to watch your tongue, young lady. In my hands, I hold the power that can make your life easy or destroy it altogether.”
Emma set her jaw, unwilling to return the Duchess of Corning’s stare. Her face was flushed, her heart was pounding and she felt like a disrespectful little girl who was being scolded. She did not like the feeling. She was too old for it. She may not have been completely mature in years but she was a mature young woman with thoughts of her own. She would fulfill her duties as expected. Even if the final decision made her unhappy. But she would still have her thoughts. No one could take those away from her.
***
The next morning, she felt groggy and had a bit of a headache. She lifted one hand and pressed it against her forehead as she sat up. Dizziness swept through her mind and she steadied herself, pushing her palms down flat on the blanket around her legs. She looked around her, still a little dazed from sleeping so heavily.
As the fog cleared from her brain, she remembered Camilla had invited her and her family to Cooksey Castle for a luncheon. Her father, the Duke of Cooksey, promised some very high-profile men of stature and wealth. Of course, the Duchess of Corning had jumped on the opportunity to meet them.
Emma dare not say it but the Duchess of Corning was still a young woman and would soon be a widow. She would need to remarry if she wanted to retain any type of state in society since Emma would be the one all looked at once the Duke of Corning passed on to the heavenly gates. She was probably looking for a possible new husband for herself.
Emma was upset that these were her first thoughts of the morning. She wanted to enjoy her day with Camilla. She wondered if any pleasant young men would be there. Try as she might, she could not keep her mind from the Duke of Lox and wondering if he would be there.
On one hand, she got an uneasy feeling that he would most likely be there, as the Duchess of Cooksey would never leave out a prominent, wealthy bachelor when she had daughters of her own to marry off. And on the other hand, she hoped he was there. She wanted to at least gaze upon his handsome face. She found she rather liked the nervous feeling she got when she glanced at him and he was looking at her.
She had to look away quickly. It made her stomach feel like butterflies were fluttering all through her.
As she dressed and pulled her hair back into a neatly combed mane that waved around her pale cheeks, she thought of anything she could think of besides the Duke of Lox. She stared at herself in the mirror and was about to turn and leave the room when an unexpected knock made her look at the door in the reflection.
“Come in?” she said, her surprise obvious in her voice. No one ever came to her door in the morning. Fear split through her. Had her father passed on? She straightened and faced the door abruptly and tilted her head to the side when she saw it was her younger half-sister, Katherine.
“Good morning, Katherine,” she said in a low voice. “Has something happened? Tell me quickly, do not hesitate!” She braced herself to hear something awful but Katherine just looked at her for a moment before moving to stand next to the window, facing away from Emma.
Emma frowned. Katherine’s odd behavior baffled her.
“Katherine, what has happened? Why are you here?”
Katherine turned back to face Emma, her eyes on the floor in front of her. “I… I want to tell you something, Emma. Something I know you have not been told but… I think you should know… because she is your friend and cousin… and…”
Emma’s frown deepened. “Katherine! Whatever are you talking about, dear! Out with it! Are you talking about Camilla? What about Camilla?”
Katherine shifted from one foot to the other, looking terribly uncomfortable. “Mother is entering negotiations with the duke to secure my hand in marriage. And I thought you should know.”
The thought of the Duke of Lox wedded to her younger sister almost made Emma double over with sickness. Camilla would feel the same if she heard her chances were being snuffed by the Duchess of Corning. She placed one hand on her flat stomach and the other over her mouth.
“When did this happen?” she asked, her voice muffled by her hand.
Katherine looked at her through pleading eyes. “I cannot object to the union, Emma, I do hope you understand. He is such a handsome man and is in negotiations to purchase a beautiful mansion, though it is a bit run down… and…”
“But you are not the eldest. And you are not yet eighteen! I have until the end of the season. And was this decided while you were speaking with the Duke of Rabney last night?”
“Yes, Mother says that is when she decided,” Katherine responded.
Emma caught the words, “when she decided” and felt an overwhelming sense of relief. It was not set in stone. It was something the Duchess of Corning had decided and assumed it was a fact because she decided it.
“I am sure the Duke of Rabney will consider all options,” she said softly.
“I agree. I could see that Camilla enjoyed dancing with him. But I think he is more interested in me. And he is such a handsome man. I know Camilla would be heartbroken.”
“How do you feel about this, Katherine?” Emma said, taking a few steps toward her half-sister. Katherine certainly did not look comfortable with the idea herself. The younger girl shook her head.
“I do not want to be betrothed to a man simply because Mother wants it that way. I have my own standards, as well. They are similar to my mother’s – more similar than yours – but they are not the same. I fear she will take control of my life and I will be forced to marry someone I do not wish to marry.”
Emma took her sister’s arm and directed her to the bed, where they sat next to each other. “I cannot see the duchess doing something like that,” she said gently. It was almost a lie. She could see the duchess manipulating a situation to her advantage, no matter who it hurt. But not to her own daughter. Surely, she would not do that to her own daughter?
Emma thought about it for a moment. Would the Duchess of Corning ignore Katherine’s wishes to better the financial situation of the family? She could understand if they were talking about her. She was not really the woman’s daughter. But her own kin, her real flesh and blood? Would the Duchess of Corning be that greedy?
Surely not.
With a nearly silent sigh, Emma put her arm around her sister’s shoulders and squeezed her in a tight hug. “Mother will not do that to you, Katherine. I know she is not like that. She cannot be that kind of woman. She is smart and kind and honest, though she may be firm a great deal of the time.”
“Do you truly believe that?”
Emma nodded. “You will see. She will not pair you with someone you do not want to be with. And I will say something to Camilla when I see her. I will make her aware so that her mother can step up and insert her into the mix. Will that be all right with you? Will you be hurt if he turns away from you and seeks Camilla instead?”
Katherine shook her head vigorously
. “No, no. I do not want the Duke of Rabney, though he is handsome and wealthy. As I said, I sensed there was a connection between him and Camilla and I do not want to be in the way. I do not want to be his second choice because my mother talked him into it first.”
“I understand. I will do what I can, I promise.”
“Thank you for understanding, Emma. I must say, I feel terrible about telling you all this. I feel as though I have betrayed Mother.”
“No.” Emma squeezed her shoulders again. “Do not feel bad. You have been honest. You have done the right thing. I understand how you feel.”
“I love you, Emma,” Katherine whispered, wrapping her small arms around her sister. “I am so glad you are my sister, even if we are not blood.”
Emma smiled and kissed Katherine on the top of her head. “I love you, too. You are my sister. You always will be.”
