“I also enjoy cheese,” Fredrick replied. “But I am no expert on it.”
“Yes, well, cheese comes in all types of varieties, but my favorite must be cream cheese,” Emilia rambled on. “I have heard good things about Stilton cheese. I have yet to try it though.”
Fredrick’s lips twitched. “Are you attempting to engage me in polite conversation?” he asked.
“I am. Is it working?”
“No,” Fredrick replied with a shake of his head. “Even though I do enjoy talking about a good cheese, there are far more preferable things to talk about.”
Emilia decided to just be honest with Fredrick and hope he wouldn’t chide her on her impertinence. “I wasn’t ready to return home so I was trying to distract you.”
“By speaking about cheese?” he asked with mirth in his voice.
Her gaze turned downcast. “It was the first thing that came to my mind,” she shared.
“I would prefer you were just honest with me, and speak your mind,” Fredrick said. “I can tarry for a little longer in Hyde Park.”
Bringing her gaze up, Emilia responded, “Thank you. Riding in Hyde Park is much more preferable to sitting around my townhouse. It is rather lonely.”
“What of Miss Lily?” he asked. “Is she not your lady’s maid and companion? Does she not keep you company?”
“She does, but she feels uncomfortable spending so much time with me,” Emilia explained. “She doesn’t truly fit in anywhere, upstairs or downstairs, and I know it causes her some distress. I do think she will be much happier when she is back to teaching at the boarding school.”
Fredrick nodded. “It must have been quite the adjustment for Miss Lily to leave her old place of employment to come to London to be a lady’s maid.”
“It was, which is why I am truly grateful for her sacrifice,” Emilia said. “It has been nice to have a familiar face here.”
“Well, you have Anette and me now. We are your friends, too.”
Emilia smiled. “Thank you. That means a lot to me,” she declared. “I still can’t believe that I am friends with an earl. It just seems strange to me.”
“Why is that?”
“Earls are important men who do important things,” Emilia replied. “They don’t have time to lollygag or speak about cheese.”
Fredrick chuckled, just as she had hoped he would. “I daresay that your perception of earls is rather distorted. We are just men.”
“Yes, but men with extraordinary power,” Emilia asserted, holding up a fist to emphasize her point.
With a shake of his head, Fredrick stated, “With that power comes great responsibility, and I hope I will live up to what is expected of me.”
“You will,” Emilia assured him.
“How can you be so certain?” Fredrick asked.
Emilia held his gaze as she replied, “You are a good man, perhaps the best man that I know. If you can’t succeed, then who can?” She truly meant her words. Fredrick had shown her kindness with no expectation in return. If that wasn’t the mark of an honorable man, then what was?
She watched Fredrick’s face as he pondered her words. There was something in the way he looked at her that stirred her emotions.
“Thank you, Emilia,” he said, his voice reflecting his sincerity. “Your trust means a great deal to me, and I will do my best to live up to your kind words.”
They continued to gaze at one another, and she felt a deeper connection forming between them. The way he spoke, the intensity of his gaze, it made her heart race. She realized that Fredrick was not just a friend. No, he was more than that, but what he was, she couldn’t figure out. But one thing was certain, he was someone who could make her believe in herself. She trusted him, wholly and completely.
Fredrick turned his gaze away and cast a glance over his shoulder. “I suppose it’s time to head back unless you’re eager for another round of my cheese expertise,” he said with a wink, playfully signaling that he was teasing.
Emilia laughed. “I think I’ve had enough cheese wisdom for one day,” she replied.
As they turned their horses and began the journey back to the townhouse, she watched Anette and Lord Roswell engage in conversation as they rode ahead of them.
