***
The party was well underway by the time that Edward arrived. Apparently, his appearance at the party had been eagerly anticipated by the people who turned their faces towards Edward as he dipped his head to the doorman who let him in. Oscar was swiftly over to Edward, looping his arm through Edward’s arm and practically dragging him along. Edward ground his teeth at the intrusion into his space.
When Oscar finally stopped in front of a couple, Edward withdrew himself from the man’s grasp. Oscar said with a chipper smile, “Kendrick, this is the fellow I was telling you about.” Oscar turned his head towards Edward and said, “This is Sir Kendrick Lamont. He is a member of the court and a fine judge.”
“You are too kind, Oscar,” Sir Lamont said. He extended his hand towards Edward who took his hand out of habit.
With a good shake, Edward dropped the man’s hand. “It is nice to meet someone so honourable,” Edward said as his eyes scanned the room.
“I have looked forward to meeting you ever since I heard of your skills at cards, Mr Duarte,” Sir Lamont said. “Would it be possible for us to have a friendly game some time?”
Edward looked back at the man and frowned slightly. “Of course,” Edward said as he forced himself to smile. He needed to keep up appearances. Luckily for him, Esteban Duarte had little use for society either, and Edward did not have to pretend to be charming the majority of the time.
“Excellent,” Sir Lamont said as he thumped his fist against the arm of the chair he sat in.
Oscar grinned and said, “I hate to rush our celebrity away, Sir Lamont, but I just saw the Duke come in, and I think he would be quite eager to meet Mr Duarte.” Sir Lamont waved off Oscar’s concern, and Edward consented to follow Oscar. Edward did not know which Duke the man referred to, and he hardly cared.
“Oscar,” a familiar voice said, and Edward’s eyes came up to see James walking towards him. The man looked a bit gaunter than Edward remembered, but it was definitely James dressed in his finery.
Oscar’s face lit up, and he said, “Ah, Mr Duarte, allow me to introduce the Duke of Danborough.”
“Mr Duarte, I have heard a lot about you,” James said with a wide grin as he extended his hand towards Edward who stared at his outstretched hand for a moment before he forced himself to grab James’ hand in a handshake.
Edward’s mind raced. This was the cousin that had taken control of his father’s titles and estates? What had happened to Ralph? The question of how James had come in possession of Edward’s title burned in Edward’s mind, but he could not ask. Esteban would have had no knowledge or interest in it. “It is a pleasure to meet you,” Edward said as he spoke with his soft Spanish accent.
James seemed to buy into Esteban Duarte as quickly and easily as all the others had. The man waved off Edward’s feigned awe at meeting a Duke. “The pleasure is mine,” James said humbly. “I have heard rumours of your name and mystery for weeks now. They say you even played cards with the king and queen of Spain.”
“I am afraid that perhaps there has been some small measure of embellishment,” Edward assured James.
James chuckled. “That is always the way with my fellows,” James assured Edward. “La, there she is finally. Mr Duarte, allow me to introduce my wife.”
Edward turned as James held his hand out to the woman. The wind left him, and Edward felt as if the world had probably tilted upside down. Emily had come to stand beside James. Emily, his Emily was standing there smiling demurely at him while James held her hand ever-so-gently.
Emily held her hand out to Edward. Edward felt sure that James or Oscar had introduced him while his mind had retreated from the sight of Emily with his enemy. Edward stiffly took her fingertips in his grasp and leaned over to brush his lips against her gloved hand. “Your Grace,” Edward said in a quiet voice, which thankfully his accent did not falter on as it had become second nature.
“My husband has talked of little else than you, Mr Duarte. I certainly hope you live up to the rumours, or he shall be sorely disappointed,” Emily said with a charming smile.
Edward released her hand and slid his eyes over to James who watched him eagerly. “I shall endeavour to surprise, His Grace, and keep him fully entertained,” Edward assured the Duchess as James gave him a smile.
Soon others were quickly around them as they came to see London’s newest celebrity. Edward retreated as quickly as he could leaving the Duke and Duchess with the throng of people that had come to get a peek at the mysterious Esteban. Edward had not anticipated that London’s rich would become so invested in learning more about his alter-ego. He would have to reevaluate how to best use this fame to his advantage.
Edward found a quiet corner where the ladies only shot him furtive looks behind their fans. There he sipped a drink that he hoped was strong enough to make the rest of the evening bearable. Soon the floor was cleared, and soft music drifted from the violins of the musicians as couples dance.
The idea of dancing was not a bad one, Edward decided. He should be dancing, but who to dance with? Edward’s eyes glanced around at the ladies in the large room.
His eyes strayed not far from Emily and always landed back on her. She was beautiful in the dark green gown, her hair spiralling down over her pale shoulders in ringlets. James seemed to be paying the beauty beside him little attention.
Edward pushed off the wall and set his drink down. He set his sights on Emily and made his way towards her through the crowd, waving off others that sought to interact with him and distract him from his aim. As Edward approached, James and Oscar’s eyes went to him.
“Your Grace,” Edward said with a deep bow to Emily. He stood up and held out his hand to the Duchess and asked, “May I have this dance?”
Emily glanced at James who just regarded them both with an amused smile. With a firm set to her face, Emily placed her hand on Edward’s outstretched palm. “I would be honoured,” Emily said.
Edward led the woman towards the dance floor. It brought back old memories of other dances when Emily was his own. The pain in Edward’s heart at the thought told him that he had a problem. Emily should not have been here, yet here she was. He had not anticipated that she would have betrayed him as well.
At the edge of the dance floor, Edward pulled Emily into the rhythm of the dance. The other couples were all around them, but Edward felt immeasurably alone with the woman in his arms. She was so close. He had fought to get back to her only to find her in the arms of his enemy. The betrayal hurt, but the true ache came from the fact that Edward knew he still loved her. How could he not? Up until a few minutes ago, she was his reason for breathing.
Edward looked up at the woman to find her watching him. Emily stared into his eyes. “I know you,” Emily whispered. “I know that I do.”
“How could you? I have only recently come here,” Edward said with a shrug. There was no way that the woman had recognised him; she might simply find something about him familiar. Edward knew he was in no way the fresh-faced young man that Emily had bid goodbye to all those years ago.
Emily looked away from him. “Forgive me,” she said. Her tone was neither piteous nor coy.
“There is nothing to be forgiven. Perhaps you saw something in me that you recognised from within yourself. That is a compliment that any man would be pleased to accept,” Edward said with a lift of his shoulders as they danced.
Emily looked back at him with a smile. Edward cursed the stars that had bestowed that smile upon Emily, for it made his heart ache so to see it. Here she was giving that smile to a stranger, to him, to Esteban. Emily had betrayed him, and she would not be sheltered from his revenge even as his heart pleaded for his mind to show mercy. Mercy had all but died that day on the gallows. Now they would all pay, Emily included.
Chapter 11
The sitting room with its rose-strewn fabrics remained unchanged from how Edward’s mother had them upholstered. Emily could not bring herself to change things around the Dalton estate. Of cour
se, Emily’s husband had no such restraint. James seemed to be determined to rip the very essence of the Dalton family out of the house one strip of fabric at a time as he changed nearly every room’s décor down to the floor finishes and the ceiling paint.
The only room he had not touched at all, other than Emily’s sitting room, was the kitchen. Emily felt sure that was because of the imposing figure that Pearl made when she was angry. James had felt the sting of her wooden spoons the same as all the rest of them had as children when visiting Edward’s home. Emily found the man’s enduring fear of the woman amusing, and so very little amused Emily these days.
Emily sat sipping tea in her sitting room lost in thought when there was a knock at the door. Pearl came in with a tray of sandwiches. “Thought you might want a bit to nibble on while you had your tea,” the woman said as if to explain.
“Thank you,” Emily said. “There is more than enough here for one, would you join me?”
Pearl seemed to consider it then she sat down. “Of course, I’ll join you,” the older woman said with a smile. “I do expect to see you eat something,” Pearl said pointedly as Emily had not yet reached for a sandwich.
Emily giggled and picked up a sandwich. “Sorry, my mind has been wandering as of late,” Emily said with a grin.
“Would it have anything to do with that Spaniard that your husband has been smitten about lately?” Pearl asked with a pat on Emily’s hand.
Emily shook her head. “No.” She sighed. “It is actually Edward that has my thoughts fairly tied. I used to think of him, but the last couple of weeks have brought nothing but thoughts of him. I see him when I close my eyes.”
“Perhaps something has just reminded you of him?” Pearl offered.
Emily nodded slowly. “That is probably the way of things. I just wish that the thoughts would leave me be.” She shook her head. “I fear that my husband may be too eager to play that Spaniard in cards. I have heard how people talk of him as if he is some devil rather than a man.”
“You have met him,” Pearl reminded Emily. “Was he flesh and bone?”
Emily laughed and agreed, “Very much of flesh and bone, but I have heard tales of devils who wore the face of a man.”
“You have to stop reading those horrible books,” Pearl said as she clucked her tongue. “Men, in and of themselves, are enough to fear without adding in anything so vile.”
With a smile, Emily nodded. “I know,” she said before she took a nibble of the sandwich in her hand. “I just fear that James’ confidence in his playing skills might be our undoing for the second time. It is one thing for him to lose his own title, but it is quite another for him to lose a title that was never to be his.”
“But the title is his, Emily,” Pearl said. “I do not approve of the man as Duke of Danborough, but he has rightfully rewarded it through the bloodline.”
Emily sighed. Her appetite had fled. “I will not let him gamble away Edward’s legacy,” she said as she stood up. She put down the sandwich. “I am sorry, Pearl; I think I need to lie down.” Pearl gave her a worried look but simply nodded before Emily was gone from the room.
Emily wandered the halls as the ghost of Edward reminded her of days gone for good. The summer day that Edward had confessed his love for her before she had even imagined that he might harbour such affection for her came to her unbidden. Emily tried to push it away but fell against the wall near her at the assault of the images of their first kiss. She could still feel the pressure of his lips on hers.
Fatigued by trying to keep herself from falling apart, Emily just made it to her bed before she collapsed in tears as the memory of Edward told her that he would love only her and no other, in this world or the next. Emily sobbed out tears that she had thought had dried up finally. The well of her grief was still much too full for her to contain the tears that seeped into her pillow. “Oh, Edward,” Emily whispered. “Why did you go?”
There was no answer, and Emily was left with the hollowness that always followed the tears. The man … whether saint or devil … stole her peace still after all this time. She could not even bring herself to hate him for it. She pleaded and bargained for whatever powers listened, but there was no miracle to save her.
***
Emily wrapped her cloak around her. The rain seemed to be soaking into her very bones. Emily heard a faint giggle and sighed. She pretended to be oblivious to it and wandered to the far end of the house until James’ mistress left. She stood in front of the window and watched the rain come down thickly outside.
“Ah, there you are,” Pearl said as she came into the room with some warm coffee. “Would you like some biscuits or cakes?”
Emily shook her head. She did not even want the coffee, but it might help this chill that never left her. She came over and took the cup that Pearl held out to her.
“You should eat,” Pearl coaxed. Emily ignored her, and Pearl sighed. “You have been back to see Augustus?”
Emily said in a quiet voice, “He will not even answer the door now when I call.” She thought it just as well. James had just laughed when she had approached him about aiding Augustus, and Oscar had dismissed her when she had tried to talk to him. The two men had no intention of helping Augustus, and Emily felt helpless to do much more than visit the man and bring him food.
“Terrible thing to have guilt like that,” Pearl said with a frown. “Still, there is little you can do that you have not already tried, love.”
Emily nodded slowly. “I guess we will just have to raise Edward from the dead then,” Emily said with a wry smile.
“Do not speak of such things,” Pearl said as she clucked her tongue.
Emily shrugged. “I heard of a gypsy who claims to be able to do such.”
“Yes, and I bet they take your money beforehand,” Pearl said with a shake of her head. “If you are going to talk about such as that, then I shall go back to the kitchen.”
Emily apologized. “I am sorry, Pearl. It was bad form for me to do so. I just feel so helpless to do anything.”
Pearl’s face softened. “It’s quite understandable. Perhaps, you should put the thumbscrews to that husband of yours again and see if he will not repent.”
“I might do just that if he keeps choosing to bring his mistresses here. It is one thing to parade them around town, but quite another to bring them into our home,” Emily seethed.
Pearl frowned. “I had hoped that you remained ignorant of that.”
“No, it is quite impossible to be ignorant of James’ sins. He practically spoons them into my throat like the medicine that he thinks I deserve for whatever ill it is that I did to him,” Emily said. She crinkled her face in disgust. “I more pity the poor fools that he coaxes into his bed than myself, Pearl.”
Pearl patted Emily’s arm. “I never thought the man bothered you much,” Pearl assured Emily. “None of the staff would blame you one bit if James mysteriously disappeared.”
Emily covered her mouth with her hand and giggled. “Pearl,” Emily chided the woman. “That is a horrible thing to say.”
“Might be horrible, but it is the truth,” Pearl said with a shrug and a smile.
Emily shook her head at the woman. “Perhaps one of his mistresses will give him a child, and that will improve his disposition,” Emily said with forced cheerfulness. She did not really want to have a child with James. However, the companionship of a child was something that at times, Emily had longed for. The years with James had been lonely, but still, Emily had to admit that she was glad that a child had not been subjected to James for these years as she had.
“I doubt that anything would improve the Duke’s humour,” Pearl said. “And think of the poor child.”
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