Page 76 of The Mister I Married

He leaned in, intending to kiss her cheek, but she turned away, as if dodging his touch, and slipped into her chamber, shutting the door without another word.

He stood there for a moment, staring at the door and trying to convince himself nothing was amiss, even as the unease in his belly grew.

Once inside his own room, he dropped like a stone onto the armchair by the hearth and leaned his elbows on his knees. He fished the small velvet box out of his coat pocket and thumbed it open to peer at the ring nestled inside. He’d intended to give it to Emmy tonight, but their unexpected guests had disrupted his plans. It would have to wait for now.

He went to sleep thinking of Emmy and when he awoke the following morning she was still on his mind, as if he’d spent the whole night thinking of her, even in his dreams.

Lovesick fool.

He rolled onto his back and rubbed his tired eyes as a yawn overtook him. The clock on the mantel said the time was nearly nine o’clock, and the muffled sound of feminine voices reached him through the wall. Emmy was awake.

And, of course, we have guests, he reminded himself. Slipping out of bed, he saw to his morning ablutions and then quickly dressed before stepping into the hallway.

The conversation taking place in Emmy’s chamber grew louder as he neared the door, which was open only a crack. He knocked softly before nudging the door open as the conversation inside fell silent.

“Good morning,” he said, his gaze flicking from his wife, who was pulling gowns from her wardrobe, to Lady Keswick, who sat on the chair at the dressing table.

“Good morning, Mr. Whitcomb,” she said with a smile that struck him as mildly queasy.

Emmy offered her own polite greeting as she continued to riffle through her wardrobe, and Alex watched in uneasy silence as she piled gowns on top of the bed.

“Is something afoot?” he finally asked, attempting a carelessness he did not feel.

Lady Keswick cleared her throat and stood. “I…think I’ll take my breakfast now,” she said, excusing herself, and the kindly look she offered Alex as she made for the door did little to ease his anxiety.

He waited until she’d shut the door before speaking, his gaze following Emmy as she bustled about the room.

“Emmy? What is this?” he asked, his calm, quiet voice belying the knots in his gut.

“I have decided to go to London with Olivia and my brother,” she said matter-of-factly, her gaze on the chemise she was folding. “I will only be gone for a fortnight, and then I will return, and we may resume our attempts at creating your first child.”

Alex frowned, his thoughts swirling. “I don’t understand,” he said slowly, stepping further into the room. “What prompted this decision? Why do you want to go to London?”

She shrugged. “Because I miss it. It’s been weeks since we left, and I want to see it again.”

His mind churned, trying to understand her, attempting to pinpoint the impetus for this decision. “I would be happy to take you to London. We can—”

“No!”

The vehement refusal caught him like a clip to the jaw and his words broke apart.

“There is no need for you to take me,” she continued, her voice even once again. “My brother is already going, and he will be there to watch over me. Besides, you don’t like London.”

Alex slipped a hand into his trouser pocket, gripping the ring box with unsteady fingers, his heart beating a sluggish rhythm. “But I do like you.”

She said nothing for a moment then a tiny sigh escaped her lips. “You don’t understand.”

“I’m trying to, Emmy. Help me.”

Her chin came up and her gaze met his, resigned but determined. “I need to get away from here,” she said. “Away from you.”

The whispered admission shot through him like an electric shock, and he flinched, his hand fisting around the ring box. He had no words.

“I feel like I am losing myself, Alex. Like I am becoming the very thing I wished to avoid.”

Those gorgeous gray eyes were beseeching now, asking him to understand, but how could he, when she made him feel like he was finding himself?

“I thought you were happy here,” he said gruffly. I thought you were happy with me.