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“It was when I met the duke,” she said firmly. “He had me sit on his lap and he told me how beautiful I was. He said I would be the crowning jewel of his collection.”
“And what did Lord and Lady Taylor say of his inappropriate behavior?”
Emmeline frowned. “They allowed it. They didn’t dare do anything to offend the duke.”
“That is terrible.”
“The duke is not a good man, but my aunt and uncle refused to listen to my concerns,” Emmeline said. “They would just inform me that I was lucky to be marrying a duke, despite not having a dowry.”
Oliver shifted in his seat as he attempted to find a comfortable position. “You don’t have a dowry?”
Emmeline shook her head. “I do not,” she revealed. “It went to cover my father’s debts when he died.” There was a slight panic in her voice as she rushed to add, “But I do have a three-thousand-pound inheritance from my grandmother. It will belong to you after we are wed.”
“I am not marrying you for your money, Emme,” Oliver said, leaning forward in his seat. “I do not care if you have a farthing to your name.”
“It pleases me to hear that,” she murmured, and he could hear the relief in her tone.
He leaned back and asked, “Coaches are blasted uncomfortable, are they not?”
Emmeline let out a light, airy laugh. “Yes, they most assuredly are.”
Hearing her laugh caused a smile to touch the corners of his mouth. “You have always had the most wonderful laugh.”
“Do I?”
He nodded. “I daresay that it is infectious.”
Her eyes lit up at his remarks. “I suppose I haven’t had a reason to laugh for so long,” she replied. “It feels good to laugh again.”
“And why is that?”
“I am still struggling with the death of my parents,” she admitted as she lowered her gaze to her lap.
Oliver waited until Emmeline brought her gaze back up before saying, “That is to be expected.”
“Is it?” she asked. “Because my aunt and uncle believe I have grieved long enough, and it is time to accept their deaths and move on.”
“They are wrong,” Oliver asserted. “The pain of losing a loved one is not something that you can get over. I have learned that from experience.”
“I was sorry to hear about the death of your father,” Emmeline said, compassion in her voice. “He was a good man.”
“Yes, he was,” Oliver agreed, “but it took me nearly a year before I could speak about him to anyone.”
“Has the pain diminished at all?”
“I suppose the pain has faded some, but I still miss him desperately. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of him.”
Tears came into Emmeline’s eyes and she wiped them away with her gloved hand. “I think of my parents constantly,” she said. “At times, I wish I had perished with them that day. It would have been much easier than attempting to live without them.”
“You may say that now, but life has a way of moving forward, whether we like it or not.” He smirked. “Besides, you may discover you truly enjoy being married to me.”
The light returned to Emmeline’s eyes. “I don’t believe I have met a man who is cockier than you,” she teased.
“Then you haven’t met my friends yet.”
“I have not,” she replied, “but they can’t possibly be worse than you.”
He chuckled. “Trust me when I say they are.”
