Emery had always been good at accepting the disappointments of life, but this one was hard. The life she had to look forward to was not at all the one she would have picked out for herself.
“Take all the time you need,” the Duke said, and she glanced back at him. He hesitated. “Well, actually, there is a favor I need to ask of you.”
After all this, he thinks he can ask me for a favor?She forced herself to remain calm. “Oh?”
“As Leah may have told you today, she is due to debut in Society this Season. And as you know, spring is upon us, and we really should be making our way to London soon in order to introduce her to Society. I want the best for Leah. She deserves to make the best match of the Season.”
“Some would say I had made the best match of the Season,” Emery pointed out, raising an eyebrow.
“Well, we both know you would refute that.”
It was so close to a joke that Emery stared at him.Had the Duke really just tried to make me laugh?It seemed impossible that a man who was so austere would crack a joke, and yet… it almost seemed as if his eyes were twinkling.
“Anyway,” he continued, “considering what happened today, I do not want any more scandal or gossip to attach itself to our family and risk ruining Leah’s chances at making a great match. This is why I need you to escort me to London and show thetonthat we are happy together and that there is nothing scandalous about our union.”
Emery considered this. “Didn’t you just say we would live apart? That will hardly show thetonwe are happy together.”
“I was thinking that we could go our separate ways after the Season,” the Duke said. “It is common for newlyweds to enjoy one another’s company in the first few months of marriage and then choose to live separately, once the glow of first love is gone.”
Emery snorted, and the Duke raised an eyebrow at the unladylike sound. She ignored that. “You really think so little of love, don’t you?”
“I have seen that it is nothing more than a mere illusion on more than one occasion.”
“What would accompanying you to London entail?” Emery asked, deciding not to linger on the question of love with a man who was so decidedly a cynic. Her heart had tentatively begun to hammer, and she held her breath as she waited for the Duke’s response.
Is this it? Am I finally going to get my London Season?
“The usual things,” the Duke said with a shrug. “I would have you accompany my sister and act as her chaperone as she purchases dresses, gloves, jewels… everything a proper young lady needs. And then of course you would chaperone her at balls and dances. I would try to attend some of these, as well, and at the parties we attended together, we would need to play the part of the happy couple.”
It took all of Emery’s self-control to contain her excitement. She knew it was a poor substitute for a marriage full of love and children, but the idea of spending the Season in London, , was making her heart gallop through her chest.
For years, she had dreamed of having a Season, and now, she would finally get to. Of course, it wouldn’t end in a happy, lovingmarriage for herself, but perhaps it would end in Leah finding the love that she deserved.
Emery couldn’t keep in her excitement any longer, and she beamed up at the Duke.
“I would be very happy to do this for Lady Leah,” she said. “It has always been a hope of mine to attend a London Season. And when Lady Celeste and Lady Eve are ready, as well, I would be more than happy to chaperone them.”
“Good.” If the Duke was surprised by the level of enthusiasm she was displaying, he didn’t let on. He merely nodded and then moved to the door. “Leah will be very grateful,” he said, his hand on the doorknob. “Goodnight, Duchess.”
“Goodnight,” she said automatically as she watched him leave the room. Excitement was coursing through her, temporarily drowning out all the disappointment, and for the first time since this morning, she felt that perhaps her life wasn’t entirely ruined.
Chapter Seven
“We should go shopping today,” Emery announced, startling the three young ladies that were sitting at the breakfast table, politely and quietly eating their breakfasts. It was the morning after Emery’s first night in her new home, and she was done sulking about the horrible marriage fate had dealt her. She was ready to start preparing for the London Season that had been denied her so long. On top of which, the butler had informed her on her way to breakfast that the Duke had left early, which meant she had the entire day free and wanted to make the most of it.
At her words, all three sisters looked up at her, surprise etched on their faces. Leah was the first to recover.
“Shopping?” she asked doubtfully, glancing at the window, against which rain was splattering. “But it is such a miserable day… We could catch cold.”
“That’s your brother talking,” Emery said, shaking her head impatiently. “Ladies go out when it is raining all the time. Anyway, it is not as if we will be standing in the rain for long periods of time. We will be in the carriage on the way to the modiste, then inside, then back here. All in all, you will spend only a few seconds out in the rain.”
“But shopping is so extravagant,” Leah protested. “Why should we go shopping when we already have everything we need?”
“I would like to go shopping,” Eve said, looking as if she could hardly contain her excitement. “I’ve never been! Usually, Lucien has the modiste come here to fit me for my gowns, but it’s never anything new or exciting. Just the standard walking dress, riding habit, evening gown… and he never lets me pick out the colors of the materials!”
“Lucien is just trying to be practical and economic,” Leah reminded her sister gently. “With three sisters to marry, he cannot spend all of his money on the more… frivolous side of gowns. Especially when they are not having a Season.”
Eve crossed her arms, looking disappointed, and sat back in her chair. Celeste, meanwhile, was watching Emery closely.
