by Fanny Finch
Emma stopped walking, staring at her cousin. “Go into town? Do you know how far that is? That is quite a walk, Camilla. I do not know if I have the stamina for it.”
“Of course you do. Just remember that Lord Carne is with your father. What could he be saying? We must find the dukes before it is too late to save you from this tragedy.”
Emma knew her cousin was right. The only way to fix this situation was to get to the Duke of Lox and explain the situation to him. He would take pity on her. She questioned her behavior, wondering if he would even bother with her when she had been so rude to him so many times. She had never once given him the chance to explain himself. As soon as she saw something or heard something she did not like, she turned her back to him.
Suddenly, she recalled the look on his face when he had reached out to her when they were exploring the house the Duke of Rabney was planning to purchase. It was one of confusion and hurt. She had ignored it.
It was not the first time she had acted that way to him. She believed the very first time she danced with him that he was up to no good.
She was ashamed of herself. She now had a new motive for trying to find him. She would apologize to him. She would beg his forgiveness. She would try to see things from his point of view instead of her own.
“You are right, of course, Camilla,” she said, taking the lead. They would be out on the road soon and her energy had been renewed. Even if her father was to pass before she returned… the thought nearly tore her apart… if the Duke of Lox was willing, he would save her from a life of misery.
Hopefully, he would not cause misery for her. Perhaps Camilla was right and he was more of a gentleman than anything else. She could only hope.
The two young women hurried down the path to the open road. Just before they stepped out onto the rocky dirt road, Emma stepped down onto a patch of grass and her foot sunk deep into it. She gasped and looked down at her boot, which was now covered in grassy mud. She looked up at Camilla, who tilted her head sympathetically.
Camilla reached out to her and helped her balance herself as she pulled her foot from the sucking mud. “Oh dear, oh dear,” Emma murmured, shaking her head. “I look a fright now. Look at what has been done to my boot and my dress. Oh dear, I am so ashamed.”
Camilla shook her head. “The dukes will not care, Emma. When we explain what has happened, they will help us.”
“But I cannot walk to town with my foot covered in mud.”
“You can. You just do not want to. It will be all right, Emma. When we find the dukes, everything will be set to right.”
Emma could only hope her cousin was right.
Chapter 18
The Duke of Lox was silent as the carriage rolled toward Brisbourne. It was probably the first time in his life that he wished the Duke of Rabney was not residing with him, even temporarily. It was the only place they could take Lady Christian. It would have been rude and unconscionable for him to insist the woman go to the inn.
She tried to talk to him during the ride but he was just polite enough to consider himself a gentleman. She smiled and talked nonstop, asking him questions he did not want to answer and then answering them herself when he grunted or gave a vague answer. He tried not to look in her direction too often. It made her think he wanted her. Just by looking at her.
The Duke of Rabney tried to keep her attention off the Duke of Lox but was not succeeding. Lady Christian was focused on the Duke of Lox and she would not be swayed from her agenda. The Duke of Lox breathed a sigh of relief when they reached Brisbourne Manor.
Being trapped in the carriage with Lady Christian was like being strangled. At least in the house, he would be able to go to a different room. He would retreat to his personal chambers if he had to. He did not want to listen to Lady Christian gushing over him anymore.
He was out of the carriage first, holding up his hand to the lady to help her down. He noticed the curious look the Duke of Rabney was giving him but he had thought of a plan and hoped that it would help him avoid spending any more time with Lady Christian than he had to.
He also noticed the look of adoration she gave him when she took his hand. He smiled at her before turning his eyes to the Duke of Rabney, who was stepping down behind her.
“I am going for a ride, Christian. Please do me the kindness of making your cousin comfortable in Brisbourne.” He turned to Lady Christian, whose face had turned to confusion. He could see how anxious she was for him to ask her and her cousin to come with him on the ride. She was waiting for the expected invitation, bubbling with excitement. That invitation was not coming. He bowed at the waist. “It has been lovely seeing you today, Lady Christian. I am sure we will cross paths again very soon.”
He turned away from them, looking up at his driver. “Fetch my horse for me, Arthur.”
“Yes, my lord,” Arthur answered in a hurried voice. He snapped the reins and the carriage rumbled down the rocky path to the stables. The Duke of Lox did not look at either of the Christians.
The Duke of Rabney put his hand under his cousin’s elbow. “Come along, my dear. I’m sure you must be exhausted from the day. I will show you to your room where you can get some rest.”
Lady Christian looked like she wanted to protest. She looked at the Duke of Lox with pleading eyes but he did not turn to look at her. He could feel her eyes on him. He was grateful when the two of them moved away from him toward the front door and even more grateful when he heard the door close after they went in.
He stood straight with his shoulders back and his hands clasped behind him. His mind was whirling with worry. He did not know the Duke of Corning. He had not had the opportunity to meet with the man.
The Duke of Lox was not typically a man who worried. Worrying never solved problems. With enough thought, any problem had a solution. This was one occasion when he was driven to distraction because his hands were tied. He was helpless.
He had left Corning Manor almost immediately because he did not want Lady Christian to interfere with what was happening there. He had not wanted to leave and made up his mind to ride back to the manor and offer his assistance. He wanted to be there if the Duke of Corning should pass on. He would offer his comfort to Lady Wentworth. No matter what she thought of him, he would do whatever he could to help her.
An idea was forming in his mind when he heard the door behind him open. He closed his eyes, realizing how quiet it had been without the sound of Lady Christian’s voice in his ear. He felt a moment of dread before he heard the Duke of Rabney’s voice.
“Baldwin,” the Duke of Rabney said as he took the steps down to his friend. “I have given her a room on the north side. I did not think you would mind. Where are you going? I wish to come with you.”
The Duke of Lox grinned, turning to his friend. “You are welcome to come with me. I plan to go back to Corning Mansion. I feel I should not have left so quickly.”
“I understand why you did,” the Duke of Rabney responded, standing next to him. “I must apologize for my cousin.”
The Duke of Lox shook his head. “There is no need, Christian. If you had anything to do with this, I would not believe you would wait a year before bringing her into the mix. She is a woman of her own mind and does what she pleases… within reason.”
The Duke of Rabney made a sound of disapproval while nodding his head in agreement. He lifted his chin when he saw Arthur come from the stables, holding the reins for the Duke of Lox’s personal horse. When Arthur saw the Duke of Rabney standing next to the Duke of Lox, he stopped walking.
They watched as he threw the reins over a small post by the stable door and went back inside. A few minutes later, he came out with another horse. He led them both to the dukes and handed them the reins, bowing at the same time.
“Your grace. Your grace.” He addressed each of them when they took the reins.
“Arthur, if you will go inside and tell Helga that we have a guest and to make her comfortable.” The Duke of Lox pulled himsel
f up onto the horse and settled comfortably in the saddle.
“Yes, your grace,” Arthur replied, moving past the two men to go up into the house.
The Duke of Lox moved his eyes out over the road they had just come from. “Did you see Lord Archibald Van D’Obson when he passed us on the road?”
The Duke of Rabney nodded, urging his horse to walk alongside the Duke of Lox down the path. “I did.”
“Did it appear to you that he was going to the Corning home?”
“He was going in that direction, yes,” the Duke of Rabney responded. “But that does not necessarily mean he was going there. How would he know what happened? He is not a member of the family.”
“I have noticed him watching on several occasions while dancing or speaking with Lady Wentworth at a ball. What do you know of him?”
The Duke of Rabney had a thoughtful look on his face. “I do not know a great deal about him, unfortunately. I have had no business dealings with him that I can recall. His patroness, Lady Bonneville, has a reputation for being a persnickety old woman who thinks the world revolves around Lord Carne. When she is seen in public, she is rarely without him.”
The Duke of Lox was nodding. “Yes, these things I do know about him. I was introduced to Lady Bonneville about a month ago and he was by her side. It was that meeting that made me notice when he was watching me with Lady Wentworth.”
“I can see you find his behavior inappropriate.”
“It is not the looking and watching that bothers me as much as the look on his face when he is doing it.”
The Duke of Rabney lifted his eyebrows. “How does he look?”
The Duke of Lox hesitated before answering, picturing Lord Carne in his mind. “He looks… as though he is afraid. Very afraid.”
“His fear is that you will take Lady Wentworth from him.” The Duke of Rabney shrugged as if it was an obvious answer.
“I did not realize Lady Wentworth could be taken from him, as she has shown no interest in him, that I have seen.” It bothered the Duke of Lox to even think about Lady Wentworth with Lord Carne.
His friend shook his head. “I do not think she has any interest in him. That does not mean he does not have an interest in her. To either degree, I have had the pleasure of speaking with Lady Wentworth while visiting Cooksey Castle on occasion. She has never mentioned anything about the man.”
The Duke of Lox immediately wanted to ask if she had spoken of him. He stopped himself, embarrassed that the question would so quickly come to his mind. He felt foolish.
“I see the look on your face, Baldwin,” the Duke of Rabney said in an amused voice. “And I do know what you are thinking. You have come up in conversation and never in a negative way.”
“What does she think of me?” The Duke of Lox could not keep himself from asking the question, risking the Duke of Rabney’s laughter. His friend did not laugh, however. He answered in a level voice.
“She is a very interesting woman, Lady Wentworth is,” he responded. “She is not like the other women of the ton. And yet, she is not like Lady Fielding. I believe we may have found the two most unique women on the ton.”
“You are speaking in riddles. Say what you mean, Christian.”
The Duke of Rabney smiled at him. “When you are mentioned, she has nothing to say. It is the look on her face that gives away how she feels. And that changes at times. What I am trying to say, Baldwin, is that in one conversation when your name is mentioned, she will look shy and move her eyes away from me or Lady Fielding. Then on other occasions, she looks annoyed by the mention of your name. It is difficult to tell how she really feels.”
The Duke of Lox listened to his friend with a growing sense of relief. The more the Duke of Rabney talked, the more he could relate to the confusion he felt with Lady Wentworth.
“I do find her attractive,” he confessed when the Duke of Rabney finished speaking. “I would like to court her. But I cannot tell from her behavior if she is a good match. I would like to receive my inheritance, but I do not wish to be tied to a woman who is of two minds and does not stay consistent in her behavior.”
“I understand.” The Duke of Rabney nodded. “I suggest you give her a little more time. We must get to know these women and their idiosyncrasies before we decide to live with them for the rest of our lives.”
“Well spoken, my friend,” the Duke of Lox nodded. “Well spoken.”
Chapter 19
Instead of immediately walking down the road, Emma sat down in frustration. Camilla looked shocked, turning her head from side to side, looking for anyone who might see. Emma looked around her and reached to the side to pick up a small branch that had fallen from a tree. She used it to push the excess mud from her shoe.
She moved her toes inside the shoe, dismayed that she could feel the cold mud slipping down through the lacing at the top and sticking to her stockings. She did not see how she could possibly walk all the way to town. Her eyes filled with tears. She felt like a fool.
She could not bring herself to look up at her friend.
Camilla stepped up next to her and bent over, pressing her hands into her dress between her legs. “Oh, Emma. You really cannot walk all the way to town. We must decide what to do. Shall we go back to your home? Perhaps we were rash in running away.”
“I can say nothing to the duchess,” Emma said, tears clogging her throat. “She will not listen to me.”
“Your father is still with us. He will listen to you.”
“He asked me about the Duke of Lox.”
Camilla smiled. “What did you say?”
“I did not give him an answer. I told him I had not considered the Duke of Lox because of…”
Camilla nodded, a look of understanding on her face. “You are thinking about Lady Christian. She did seem to be very close to him.”
“I am surprised you noticed,” Emma grinned up at her through her tears. “I did not see you take your eyes from the Duke of Rabney for long.”
Camilla shook her head. “I enjoyed the time I spent speaking with him. I believe that opportunity will happen much more often. However, it did not stop me from noticing her behavior. I am sure that is why they did not stay at Corning Manor to give you comfort.”
Emma raised her eyebrows, glancing at Camilla before returning her eyes to her mud-soaked boot. She was still plucking at it mournfully, considering whether she should take it off and try to get the mud out of the inside. There was no one on the road. What were the chances she would be seen without her shoe on in public?
She did not know if she could bear the humiliation, should someone come along and see her.
“You told your father that they are courting?” Camilla’s voice sounded wary. Emma could see the look of doubt on her cousin’s face.
“I told him I did not know but that it did seem so.”
Camilla shook her head, sighing. “Oh, Emma. You are so quick to jump to these conclusions. That is not what I saw.”
Emma narrowed her eyes. “What did you see, Camilla?”
Camilla gave up the fight to be appropriate and sat on the ground next to Emma. “I saw a man who did not want to be near her. He did not look pleased to see her. He barely spoke to her. I got the impression he was trying to avoid her.”
“Do you think that is true?”
Camilla tilted her head to the side. “I would not have said it if I did not believe it. You know that I will never lie to you. You are my cousin and my friend and I dearly love you. I want you to be happy. You will not be happy if you are given to Lord Carne in marriage. You must push for the life you want.”
“But I am not certain the Duke of Lox is interested in…”
“You keep saying that,” Camilla responded, shaking her head in bemusement. “How many times must I tell you to give him a chance? He has always been kind to you. He is a perfect gentleman. It would be so nice if you and I found husbands who are as close as we are. Then we will never be apart.”
Camilla’s sm
ile lifted Emma’s spirit. She smiled back at her. “Yes, that would be so lovely. Though we will never be apart whether our husbands are friends or not. No man will keep me from my lovely Camilla.”
Camilla laughed and put her arms around Emma’s shoulders. “I’ll help you take off your shoe if you need me to.”
Emma’s cheeks reddened. She pulled in a sigh. “Yes, I do need to take it off. I wish there was a stream nearby. I would like to wash it off.”
“The only water nearby is the rainwater left over in puddles. And they are not clean.”
The two young women laughed softly. Emma could not help being amused by the whole situation. If she were seen without her shoe on, she doubted she would live it down. It would be brought up in the many circles around London. Everyone would know of the scandal Lady Emma Wentworth caused, showing her bare feet in public.
