“You look…” Luke trailed off, trying to find the right words. “Wonderful.”
“Thank you.” Emily replied.
He felt her stiffen slightly in his arms. They continued to move together, somehow still perfectly in sync with one another, even as an icy wall spread between them.
“And you are not going to compliment me?” Luke tried to tease, wanting to ease some of the tension.
“Why should I?” Emily’s voice was disinterested, but Luke heard a familiar spark of anger beneath her words.
“I was simply trying to lighten the mood.” Luke shrugged.
“Why?” Emily arched her eyebrows at him.
“Because…”This feels wrong. You feel like a stranger.Luke bit back the words and said, “It does not matter… You have made me see that I was wrong, that I have not behaved well at all.”
Emily canted her head towards him. “What do you mean?”
“I should not have withheld my consent. As you said, I must trust my brother to make his own decisions. You have my blessing to wed.” Luke forced the words from his throat, even as they threatened to stick there.
The words felt like a dagger in his heart, but he knew they were the right ones.She deserves more than whatever fantasy I have allowed myself to indulge in.She would see that eventually. After all, his father had known the truth about him.
I am weak.
Emily swallowed, her eyes meeting his. “Is this really what you want?”
No.“It is the reason we are here.” Luke met her gaze, his heart starting to race.
“You did not answer my question.” Emily pointed out.
A part of Luke wanted to end the dance, to retreat from the situation, but that would cause a scene.I will not allow any more shame to befall her.“I have given you what you wanted, let that be enough.”
“What are you doing?” Emily’s voice was soft, cracking with an emotion Luke could not understand.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
She shrugged her shoulders. “Why did you ask me to dance?”
“I… I do not know.” It was the truth.
“Was it just to tell me that you wished for me to marry your brother?” her words felt like daggers.
He felt compelled to clarify. “I said that you had my blessing.”Not that I wished for you to marry.
“What doyouwant, Luke?” she asked, her voice gentle and tender.
She said his name as though it were a caress, and it twisted the knife inside his chest.
His eyes locked with hers, unable to hide the truth from his voice. “For you to be happy.”
“And you think that this will make me happy? That marrying your brother will bring me joy?” Emily’s eyes danced with anger, a searching frustration edging her words.
“He is a good man.” Luke said.
“And what about you?”
“What about me?”
Emily let out a frustrated noise, her cool mask breaking. “Was any of it real? Did any of this even matter to you?”
