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The Marchioness glared at the young Earl, but Benedict had spent years defying her. There was very little she could do when he had set himself firmly against her, so she turned on her heel and left without another word.
After she left, Benedict turned towards Emily and knelt before her, grasping her hands in his.
“It pains me to see you like this,” he told her gently. “Tell me if there is something I can do—I will do anything in my power to make this right for you. I swear it.”
Emily raised her troubled gaze to his and smiled tremulously at him. Benedict was looking at her earnestly, and she felt that she was a little girl again with a broken doll—only this time he would not be able to fix things for her.
You cannot make His Grace love me or want to marry me…
“Hey,” he murmured, wiping off a tear that slipped down her cheek. “I’ll make that bastard marry you, even if it’s the last thing I do.”
Emily laughed brokenly at his words. “And then what? Am I to spend the rest of my life with a man who was forced to marry me?” She shook her head emphatically at that. “I won’t do it.”
“Why do you think he does not want to marry you?” her brother scoffed. “Half the male population in the Hadley ballroom were falling over themselves to dance with you.”
Emily smiled sadly at him. “Did you see his reaction when you demanded it of him earlier tonight? Did that look like a man who was keen to marry your sister?”
“Then what do you intend to do? Surely, you do not mean to go on with becoming a governess?”
Emily closed her eyes and sighed, “I do not know. I honestly do not know.”
They stayed that way for a while, and she was glad that her brother had stopped talking, choosing instead to just hold her hand as she felt the immensity of the impact of her momentary lapse of judgment.
It was only after the clock struck twelve when Emily finally heaved a sigh and rose from the chair.
“Father was right,” she told her brother. “There will be more time to think about it in the morning. You should go get some rest.”
Benedict frowned at her. “Will you be all right?”
Emily wanted to laugh at his words. She was trapped, trying to decide whether she should marry a man who was bent on making her life miserable or a man who did not really want to marry her at all. Of course, she was not all right, and she most likely would not be for quite some time.
However, she just nodded at him and said, “I am feeling tired.”
“Very well, then,” he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “You should go get some sleep. If Lady Horatia and Amy give you any trouble tomorrow, let me know, and I’ll fend them off for you.”
“Thank you, Benedict,” she smiled gratefully at him. “I shall go back to my rooms now. It’s a good thing that Father has confined me to them indefinitely. At least, I will not have to endure Amy and Lady Horatia repeating how I failed miserably tonight.”
“Do not dwell on such nonsense,” he reassured her. “Just get some rest. Between Father and I, I am certain we can come up with something.”
She nodded and softly bid him good night before climbing back up to her rooms. When she closed the door behind her, Jenny rushed forward, eager for news of what had transpired at the ball. However, when she saw her mistress’s crestfallen face, the maid knew better than to ask or speak of anything, so she quietly helped Emily out of her clothes and wash her face before helping her into bed.
In the quiet stillness of her own room, sleep was the farthest thing from Emily’s mind. She turned over and faced the window, to where the moon shone bright, and the stars twinkled.
What a disaster tonight had been!
She wondered if Cinderella ever felt the same way when the magic wore off, and she had to return to her dreary life as a scullery maid.
I am certain it was not as bad for Cinderella,she thought to herself morosely.At least she never had to deal with tempting scandal and risking ruination. She had one magical night, and that was it. I, on the other hand…I must live with the consequences of my actions.
When she told Daniel earlier that she wished to discuss it more with him, she was not quite certain he would even deign to talk to her at all. Her own father was expecting him to call upon them, but after tonight, the friendship between him and her brother would be changed irreversibly—not exactly favorable conditions.
Maybe he will never come…maybe he has decided that I have brought him enough trouble, and he will keep his distance from me forever.
The thought of it made her heart clench painfully in her chest.
It was a long, long time before sleep finally claimed her in its sweet embrace.
CHAPTER14
