“How are you? Really.” His voice was gentle, earnest as he searched her face.
Her anger dissipated. She remembered the gentleness in her dream, the softness in his voice when he had found her.How much of it was real? She wanted to ask, but the words stuck in her throat.
She swallowed. “There will be no lasting damage. And though I am a little disoriented sometimes, it is less and less so.”
“That is good.” The Duke nodded to himself.
“My sisters say you saved my life.” Emily said into the silence. “Thank you.”
“It was my honour.” The Duke said.
For a moment, Emily thought he would say something more, but he did not. Quiet seemed to stretch between them, the echoes of the melody he had been playing sitting in the empty spaces.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Emily teased as she watched the Duke.
“Pardon?” The Duke canted his head towards her.
“Your thoughts, your Grace. You are thinking so loudly I can practically hear them.” She gestured towards him. “So, you may as well share them with me.”
“I do not think that would be entirely proper.” The Duke began but stopped speaking when Emily threw a half-eaten scone at him.
He raised an eyebrow at her as he dusted the crumbs off himself. She gave him an innocent look.
“I think we are a little beyond the bounds of propriety dear Duke.”I will show you how improper I can be.The words rang through her mind, and she could almost feel his arms around her.What is wrong with me?“You did save my life, after all.”
“Anyone would have done the same.” The Duke made a dismissive gesture.
“I do not think so.” Emily ignored the pain of his words.Stop being ridiculous, Emily!“But regardless, it seems rather odd to know so little about someone who saved me.”
The Duke said nothing and Emily sighed. “What about this, I will trade you a truth for a truth. You can add it to your vetting of me.”
“Very well. But you can begin.” The Duke paused. “Tell me how you are.”
“You already know that.”
“You have told me that the doctor said you will recover well, and there will be no lasting damage. That does not tell me how you are feeling.”
Emily hesitated a moment.
“You were the one who suggested an exchange of truths. I can leave if you do not wish to share.” The Duke made to stand up, but Emily raised a hand.
She did not want him to go, much as that surprised her. “It will sound rather odd, but… Well, I feel rather cared for.”
“Cared for?” An expression crossed the Duke’s face that Emily could not quite place, as though he were remembering something.
Emily nodded. “Though I would have rather avoided all the drama and pain of the fall, it has been rather nice to have had this time with my sisters. Jane and Rose have barely left my side.”
“They love you a great deal.” The Duke said.
“I know. I just… I cannot remember the last time I had so much focus on me and my safety.” Emily took a bite of a pie and thought for a moment before saying. “Sometimes, well, I can feel a bit forgotten.”
“What do you mean?” The Duke canted his head towards her.
“They both have their own lives, their own families now.” Emily explained. “While I am just their silly little sister. Why would they want to spend time with me?”
“Because they care about you.” The Duke gestured to her. “That is clear.”
But they only care about me because they have to.Emily could not bring herself to say it and instead shrugged. “It is hard to remember. Our world is so full of duty, of obligation. These few days it has felt as though they are with me for me, for who I am. It is nice to feel so cherished.”
