by Matilda Hart
Storming down the hall, she attempted to keep her temper subdued so that she wouldn’t rant so loudly that she woke up everyone in the place. When Emily reached Evangeline’s chamber, she knocked and waited for her to answer, noting the candle light that shone from the small crack between the door and floor. After a moment, she heard her sister call for her to enter, so she pushed on the large door and walked into the large, open room. Sitting on the bed in a silk robe, Evangeline smiled as she held it closed, suggesting that she were nude underneath. Emily searched the room for signs of the duke, shocked and saddened that he would come straight to her sister’s room once he thought she had turned in for the night.
“Are you alone?” Emily inquired as she glanced around the room, feeling as if her sister had not been alone before she appeared outside her door. If he was hiding in the shadows, he would probably be interested in what she had to say, so she told her sister what was on her mind.
“I can’t do this anymore, Evangeline. Tomorrow, I plan to go back to London and I’m afraid that I won’t be returning any time soon. We had an arrangement, yes, but I can’t go through with this anymore and I’ll find a way to finance my own life, somehow.” Evangeline looked to her sister with shock and asked,
“What’s happened, Emily? Tell me what’s going on before you make such an abrupt move such as going back to the city.” With an exasperated sigh, Emily raised her hands into the air and turned in a wide circle as she said,
“That dreadful woman! Evangeline, I don’t see how you do it because I couldn’t put up with her for any length of time before they would be looking for a body, I swear to the almighty. She had the nerve to come to my chamber and ever-so-rudely told me to keep away from Trevor. This was all a scheme cooked up by the two of you and I simply don’t want to be a part of it any longer. I wanted nothing to do with him then you inform me that I have to attend the ball at his side and I do so as a favor for you only to get scolded when I return. I don’t have to put up with this, Evangeline, and I won’t.” Emily looked to sister as her face suggested she may break down into tears. Refusing to believe that she may actually have feelings for the duke, Emily blamed her outrage on the fact that his mother had forbade it before they’d even had a chance to explore their feelings about one another. If she admitted that she may yearn for the duke’s touch, it would surely send her sister into an uproar and no doubt destroy her own plans of an independent life.
“Surely, you must have misunderstood her intent.” Evangeline tried to calm her sister’s rising emotions only to be met with,
“No! She was perfectly clear about the reason she was waiting for me when I returned, like a thief in the night waiting for the right time to strike.” Evangeline patted the bed beside her and motioned for her sister to join. With much reluctance, Emily sat beside her older sister and allowed her sister to put an arm around her shoulders. Sighing, she looked at Evangeline with saddened eyes and said,
“I just don’t want to do this anymore but I know I promised to help you but I feel as if I’ve done all that I can do.” Evangeline remover her arm from her taller sister’s shoulder and linked their elbows as she placed her head on her shoulder.
“Please, sister. I just need a few more days and I think I could make ground in my attempt to capture his heart. Oh, won’t you just stay until after the concert? Lady Marion and I have spent so much time and effort into this and I don’t want anything to ruin it. Your absence would surely hang a dark cloud over the event.” Taking her words to heart, Emily considered staying and decided that it would probably be best if she were to go home on a good note with the duke just in case she ever ran across him or his family in the future.
“Fine, I’ll stay until after your concert but please forgive me if I miss dinner with Lady Marion. I can’t deal with that incorrigible woman and I just want to remain out of sight until I go home.” Evangeline hugged her sister and said,
“Thank you so much, Emily. I really appreciate you doing this for me. Why don’t you go and lie down, get some rest and I’ll see you tomorrow? It’ll be a brand new day and the opportunity for all to start anew.” Sensing that her sister wanted to be alone, Emily did as requested and stood up to leave.
“Of course. I’ll see you in the morning.” Walking toward the door, Emily felt the effects of the night’s dancing on her feet and all she wanted to do was get out of the elaborate garment that was made specifically for her and the shoes that had been pinching her feet for the better part of the night. Not believing that she’d let her sister talking into staying, Emily walked down the hall with a bit of a limp thanks to the new shoes on her feet and the clicking of the hard heel echoed down the empty corridor. When she reached her room, Emily walked to the bed, threw herself across it and grabbed a pillow that she then used to muffle her scream. She sat up and undid the buckles on both shoes before kicking them into the floor with a slight grunt. The feeling of her feet finally becoming free of the binding footwear was indescribable and she sighed as the blood flow returned to her lower appendages. As she closed her eyes, Emily’s mind wandered back to the wonderful time that she had with the duke and drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.
Chapter Eleven
A knock on her door and the bright sunshine that invaded her room informed Emily that she’d overslept but the extra hours of sleep had done her body a world of good. She stretched as she called for whoever was at the door to enter and it wasn’t until she saw a servant girl carrying a platter of breakfast that she realized she was famished.
“What time is it?” Emily inquired of the girl to find that it was already midmorning but she really didn’t care about leaving the room or socializing due to the fact that she would inevitably run into Lady Marion.
“The duke’s friend, Lord Dumont, has arrived and is being entertained in the west parlor.” The maid set up the meal and left after asking if Emily needed anything else and finding that she had all that she required. Thinking about the concert, Emily ate her breakfast as she decided that spending her time hiding from Lady Marion was not the way to handle the situation. Putting herself on display, showing the woman that her words meant nothing to Emily was how she would approach this problem in hopes of letting her know that she could not be intimidated. She wasn’t even sure what was going on with Trevor but she would be damned if she would allow his mother to keep her from what was in her heart if she discovered she had more than platonic feelings for the charming duke.
After dressing and making herself ready for the day, Emily descended the stairs and proceeded to the east wing where preparations were being made for the concert and she spent most of the morning overseeing and arranging everything for the night’s event, making sure to keep busy and hoping that she would not run into Lady Marion. As the arrangements began to take shape into what was going to be a most beautiful occasion, Emily folded her arms in satisfaction as she nodded and saw her vision come to life. Luxurious fabrics hung against the walls to soften the ambiance of the large banquet hall where the concert was to take place and the chairs had all been meticulously placed to provide the guests with a quality view.
Pleased that the next day’s event would be a success, she retired to her room to lie down for a while before changing for dinner. She’d missed her daily ride but promised herself that she would double the duration of her next ride. After her nap, Emily awoke and freshened up for dinner then made her way downstairs to find that she was the last to arrive to the table.
“Lady Marion isn’t feeling well this evening, so it’s just going to be the four of us.” Evangeline smiled as she walked towards her sister with open arms, pleased to see her for the first time of the day.
“Shame.” Emily had few words to say about the lady of the house and as she made her way to the seat beside her sister, her attention turned to the face sitting across the table.
“Lord Dumont, may I present my sister, Emily?” Evangeline said as she smiled to the man who’d risen from his seat to walk a
round and greet her properly.
“So pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Emily. I’ve heard so much about you.” Curious as to what all Evangeline had told the mysterious nobleman, Emily provided her hand, which he kissed softly as he bowed his head to her with a smile. Taking their seats, they heard a voice booming from the entryway that said,
“Let the feast begin!” Lord Dumont smiled as he stood to greet the duke with a smile on his face.
“You are looking well, my friend.” The men exchanged pleasantries as the ladies took their seats, idly chatting as they were served wine. Emily reached to the center of the table where there was a large arrangement of fresh fruit and plucked a ripe strawberry from the plate. Slowly biting into the juicy berry, Emily locked eyes with the duke and gave him a sweet smile as her teeth sank into the tender flesh of the fruit. Before he could react, his attention was pulled away by her sister, who’d not seen what Emily had done and would be furious if she knew that her younger sibling had made a flirtatious gesture towards the duke. Things such as that had not been on Emily’s list of priorities since she had decided to go home and if she wanted to flirt with Trevor that’s exactly what she would do. If her sister wanted to become duchess, she was going to have to do so without any further assistance from Emily and as she reached for her wine there were no regrets in her latest decision.
Emily couldn’t help but notice that Evangeline laughed at every small joke made by the charming lord and the duke didn’t seem amused that he was being ignored. After three glasses of wine, Emily didn’t care if she was ignoring the duke and as she pushed peas around her plate with a fork, she caught a hint of sadness in his eye. Lord Dumont seemed completely entranced by Evangeline’s smile and Emily wasn’t the only one who noticed the budding friendship between the two. Taking a refill of wine from the carafe, Emily giggled when she spilled a bit on the table before topping off her crystal glass.
“Oops, it appears that I’ve made a bit of a mess.” A maid quickly came to wipe up the crimson spill and the duke spoke a soft thanks as she walked back to her position in the back of the room. Leaning back into her chair, Emily rested her arm on the rest and took a long sip of the delicious red wine. Watching from his place at the head of the table, Trevor sat unamused at the obvious flirtations between his friend and his brother’s widow and the inebriated, Emily.
“If you’ll excuse me, I have an early day tomorrow,” he stated frankly as he stood up to leave.
“Where are you going? The party’s just begun, old chap.” Lord Dumont called out as he raised his glass with a smile. Following his lead, Evangeline also raised her glass into the air, touching its edge against that of the glass in the hand of Lord Dumont. As he walked out, Trevor, Duke of Westminster, held up his hand as he disappeared from view. After he rounded the corner, Evangeline whispered,
“I wonder what’s got his knickers in a twist.”
Chapter Twelve
Morning arrives and Emily awakens with a headache that throbbed with the shining of the sun thanks to the abundance of wine from dinner the previous night. She washed her face in the basin then dried it with a face cloth before looking into the mirror to face the day.
“Just one more day, girl.” She reminded herself that all she had to do was make it through the day then she could return to London without the guilt that she’d abandoned her sister. Even though she was giving up the independence that Evangeline had offered, it only mattered that she would be free of the Westminster drama and all the scheming and backstabbing that went along with it. Making her way downstairs, she found that there were already an array of musicians that had arrived and began rehearsing in the banquet hall. She poured herself into the day and wasn’t even discouraged when Lady Marion made her appearance and began barking orders.
“I think we need to move the bandstand more towards the back and see if we can’t get it raised about another six inches. There’s not much difference between them and the audience and I’d like if everyone were able to enjoy the beautiful bowing of the violins.” Turning to face her, Lady Marion asked,
“Where is Evangeline?” Only to have Emily answer with a shrug and simple,
“I haven’t seen her all day.” She had her suspicions as to her sister’s whereabouts but she didn’t want to put any flame to the fire that sat under her suspicions about her and Lord Dumont. Emily jumped at the chance to do some chair rearranging instead of having to stand too close to the boorish woman and her beady eyes. Thinking to herself about heading back to London kept her mind busy as she tried her best to make sure the old woman was happy and just as the guests began to arrive, Emily made a mad dash upstairs so that she could prepare herself for the festivities.
As she applied a bit of color to her cheeks, Emily glanced at her reflection in the mirror and the green shade of her dress matched her eyes brilliantly. Just as she decided that she was ready to go down, there was a knock on her door, so she announced,
“Yes?” She was a bit surprised to find Lady Marion darkening her door but there she stood in all her menacing glory.
“It has come to my attention that the soloist for this evening is unable to attend so I decided to give her slot to you, if you want it.” Emily was a very talented singer but she was not a professional, rather just an amateur with a love of music in her heart and the passion to sing around the house.
“Lady Marion, I’m not so sure that I’m the best choice.” Emily tried to get out of it but the woman turned to leave as she said,
“I’m afraid we have no choice, arrangements have been made.” She turned and walked away without another word, leaving Emily a bundle of nerves as she thought about singing in front of so many people. Deciding that she would have to perform if she wanted the concert to be a success, she began singing a scale as she found a new dress to wear.
The banquet hall was filled with guests when she made her way downstairs and as she scanned the mass of people searching for her sister’s face, she was disappointed to see that she was nowhere to be found. Beautiful instrumentals filled the air as the guests mingled before the start of the performance and the duke took his place near the front of the stage then everyone else began to do the same. After everyone had taken their seats, Lady Marion stepped up to thank everyone for coming and announce the beginning of the show. Emily fidgeted in her seat as she listened to the beautiful arrangement as she mentally prepared for her part of the concert, glancing around for Evangeline but not seeing her anywhere.
When it was time for Emily to be introduced, she graciously accepted the applause that welcomed her to the platform where she would be performing. A stringed quartet accompanied her during her solo and as she sang, she let all the worry and stress of the last few weeks escape from her body as she lost herself in song. As she sang the melodic ballad, Emily’s eyes found those of the duke and she noticed that he was looking at her with such tenderness and caring and she knew then that there was no denying her feelings for him. She sang as if she’d written every word just for Trevor and she hoped that it was love that she saw in his eyes and not just a deep appreciation for music. Her heart swelled as she came to the end of her song and she was met with a standing ovation. As she took a bow and left the stage, she was replaced by a couple that were performing a duet with the accompaniment of a piano. When she walked past the duke, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her radiant face and that was something that was very evident to Lady Marion.
Emily tried to convince herself that what she thought she felt for the duke was nothing but being caught up in the moment but the more she tried to lie to herself, the more it was evident that she loved him. Trying to push her feelings aside was harder than she thought but Emily knew that she couldn’t let herself get swept away in the sea of confusion that was the house of Westminster. If she wanted any chance for a normal life, she had to get away from the country life as soon as possible and that meant that whatever feelings she may or may not have for the handsome duke would have to be ignored. The
re was no way that she would be able to tolerate this life for any longer so there was no sense in evaluating her emotions.
She had to return to London immediately.
Chapter Thirteen
Emily enjoyed the remainder of the concert as she sat silently in her seat, anxious to begin packing for her journey home. As the last song ended, Emily rose to her feet with applause, joining the rest of the guests in a standing ovation. There were to be drinks and hor dourves after the concert and Emily remained as a favor to her sister, who was still nowhere to be found. This was all her idea and she’d missed it entirely, as did the duke’s dear friend, Lord Dumont. Emily wasn’t naïve enough to think that the two had somehow both come up with a mysterious illness that sent them both to a sickbed and she knew that her sister would latch her hooks into any man that could provide her with a stable life. What she didn’t know was her sister’s intent with the duke but that mattered none at the present moment, for it was time for Emily to start saying goodbye. She started by saying goodbye to the guests as they began to file out of the house after the party then she made her way to the stables to bid farewell to the mare that had been her close companion during her stay.
The one thing that she would miss about country life was the freedom to ride whenever she wanted and the feeling that came with being horseback. As she opened the large, stable door so she could creep inside unnoticed, she found her plan had backfired completely when she walked in and found herself looking at Trevor, who stood near the stall that housed her horse. Feeling as if she wanted to run both away from him and to him at the same time, Emily was hit with a myriad of emotions and didn’t know what to do with any of them. Taking a deep breath, Emily forced herself to walk towards him, watching him walk toward her at the same time.
