Lucien was sitting behind his desk, a large ledger open in front of him. He was pouring over this, quill in hand, when she entered,and he set the quill down carefully and leaned back in his chair, watching her carefully.
“Good morning,” he said, his voice low and a bit gravely.
“Good morning,” she said, suddenly a little shy. “I wanted to come here and thank you for the flowers from last night.”
Lucien’s face slowly broke into a smile, and his shoulders seemed to relax a little. “Ahh. So you got them. You are very welcome. They were a joy to pick out for you.”
“You got them this morning?”
“At first light. The shop was already full of gentlemen buying flowers for ladies, but I made sure to get the very best and most expensive.”
Emery laughed. “Well, I thank you for that. I just hope they didn’t upstage Leah.”
Lucien waved a hand as if to dismiss these worries. “Leah is a kind and generous person. She would never begrudge you flowers from your husband.”
“About the card…” Emery raised an eyebrow. “Are you really sorry about your reaction to Henry and Georgina yesterday?”
Lucien’s expressions sobered, but he didn’t look angry at all as he nodded. “I am. I realized on my way home that I was being a fool. There is no reason to be angry about something that has already happened and over which we have no control. Seeing them together was a shock, and yes, I am worried about how Henry will behave if he were to fall in love and marry this Miss Holloway, but he has also proved himself as a dutiful member of this family over the past few weeks. He has worked tirelessly to pave the way for a smooth Season here in London for Leah. And I suppose he is allowed to court whomever he wants--as long as she is an appropriate match and he goes about the courtship in a responsible manner.”
“That is very generous of you,” she said, watching him closely. “You have changed your tune even since we married, which was only a month ago.”
Lucien shrugged, as if trying to pass this off as no big deal. “I suppose that the partnership I have created with you has taught me that there is some truth in liking the person you marry. We got lucky, but if he already knows he pairs well with Miss Holloway, then I cannot begrudge him that.”
“Yes,” she murmured. “Our… partnership.” It didn’t seem that a mere partner, or friend, would send her the kind of flowers he had, but she didn’t know what else to say.
However, he seemed to sense that there was more she wanted to say, because he stood then and came to stand in front of her. For a long moment, he stared intently down into her eyes, and she felt as if her body had become as light as a feather. He was so tall,and she felt so small and fragile in front of him--something she wasn’t used to feeling.
“I suppose there was another reason for my anger last night,” he said at last, his voice a low hum.
“Oh?” she whispered breathlessly. “And what would that be?”
“I suppose I was a touch jealous.”
“Jealous?” Her heart felt as if it were in her throat.
“That Henry is in love and gets to pursue the woman who has captured his heart.”
She couldn’t think straight, not with him staring down at her like that, his eyes ablaze and his mouth quirked up into the smallest of smirks. “But you don’t believe in love,” she finally managed to get out.
The smirk on his lips grew wider. “Well, perhaps I am changing my mind.”
For another second or two, they stood there, teetering on the edge of something. Emery felt faint and lightheaded, and she wondered, wildly, whether he was going to try and kiss her again.
But then he laughed gently and turned away, heading back to his desk.
“You have shopping to do today, do you not?” he said, settling himself back at his desk.
“Er--yes.” Slowly, feeling was coming back into her body, and her mind was returning to its usual clarity.
“Well then, you better get going. And don’t forget to put those flowers in water. We want to make sure they keep blooming.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
“He really got you flowers?” Georgina’s eyes were wide, her lips slightly parted in surprise, as she stared at Emery over her cup of tea.
“He really did,” Emery said. She could feel her cheeks flushing, but she didn’t care. She was speaking to her friend at the privacy of their own table at the tea room in the Plaza; she could blush if she wanted to. “And an expensive bouquet as well. The most beautiful and vibrant flowers I have ever seen.”
“That is astounding,” Georgina murmured. She was holding her tea suspended in the air halfway to her mouth and seemed to have forgotten about it. “Considering the circumstances of your marriage, I was worried that things weren’t going well. Especially because I have barely heard from you.” Georgina gave her a look of reproach. “Other than the day we played board games, I haven’t seen you! Nor have you been writing me.”
