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“Aye. Precisely.”
“We need to find out if his uncle was truly behind the attacks. How far is the man willing to go to secure a title he thinks belongs to him? To Scotland?” Sara seemed to be talking as much to herself as she was to Emma. “I’ll take care of Geoffrey. He asked just this morn if we should send for Graeme.”
“What?” She hadn’t meant to yell, but the word had burst out of her. “Sara, he can’t come here. Please—”
“We’ll make an excuse. If I simply tell him you are not interested in pursuing the Scots chief, Geoffrey will invite him anyway. Your brother still believes he can sway your thinking as easily as he did when you were a child. But neither do I want to lie to him. Perhaps a dose of the truth will do.”
The implications of Sara’s words began to penetrate.
“Are you saying . . . do you believe I should encourage Garrick then?”
Though she couldn’t stop thinking of him, imagining a life with him, Emma had begun to doubt such a thing was possible.
“Of course.” Sara’s posture was that of a proud warrior about to head into battle—a battle on Emma’s behalf. She actually looked offended. “What did you believe? That I would attempt to dissuade you?”
Emma declined to answer. She had not the first idea of what to say.
“Emma, I trust you to make your own decisions. Know your own heart.”
“But he’s betrothed!”
“Yet not married.”
“To a woman whose father is a powerful man. A man who—”
“Is just that. A man. Nothing more.”
“But his uncle. The earldom—”
“Garrick is not stupid. You’d not have fallen in love with him if he were. He can work it out.”
Emma didn’t know what to say. After a moment passed, she added, “He is an earl. You know how I feel about that.”
“Are you trying to convince me or yourself that Garrick is not the one? Because I’ve seen the way you look at him, and he at you. You say you’re in love, and I can only assume he’s said as much to you.”
Emma nodded.
“Then if he’s a man worth fighting for, he’ll find a way to make it work. Otherwise . . .” She didn’t finish, but Emma thought she understood. “I will ask just once more, before we decide what to tell Geoffrey. Are you in love with Garrick Clave? Is he the man you want to marry?”
Emma didn’t hesitate. “Aye.”
Sara smiled. “You’ve made a fine choice. I’ve always wished a good woman would find a way to his heart. ’Tis a shame he didn’t come to Kenshire before agreeing to marry Magnus’s daughter.”
With that, Sara walked away, presumably to get the groom.
For the first time since her return from Scotland, Emma felt confident about her future. Thank goodness Geoffrey had possessed the good sense to fall in love with Sara. How lucky they both were to have her in their lives.
Garrick would find a way. Their love would be enough.
In the meantime, it was a great day for another ride.
21
Emma was ready to scream.
She couldn’t wait a moment longer. Another week had passed without word from Garrick. In some ways, life felt much the same as it had before her fateful trip to Scotland. The days were monotonous and long, except for her joyful rides with Nella. She’d headed out to the stables with the intention of taking a long ride, but the cold wind had rendered the day so frigid even her fur-lined hood made little difference. Perhaps she should rethink her afternoon, but Hayden was asleep and Geoffrey and Sara were locked in the solar, purportedly to make their way through a scroll of tenant disputes.
She’d planned to speak with her brother but hadn’t the nerve to tell him the truth. Sara had spoken with him about Graeme, but otherwise, they waited for word from Garrick.
