AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“But, Milady,” Jenny mumbled, “His Grace has been waitin’ for your downstairs.”
Emily narrowed her eyes. “His Grace?”
“The Duke of Gilleton, Milady.”
Shock coursed through Emily, and she very nearly dropped the washcloth into the basin. What was His Grace doing here?
“Why didn’t you say so?” she demanded. “How long has he been waiting?”
Jenny gave her a long-suffering look. “I should say about two hours or somethin’, Milady. He told us not to to disturb yer slumber.”
Two hours? Did His Grace magically have so much time on his hands?
Emily pursed her lips. Since he had been waiting for two hours already, then it would not change so much if he waited a bit more!
“Shall I tell him you will be down in a minute?” Jenny asked helpfully.
“No!” Emily snapped. “Let him wait.”
She knew she was being childish by dragging her feet to face him, but more than anything, she needed to buy more time to steady her racing thoughts and her wildly beating heart.
After that passionate night at the gazebo, Emily had felt that there was nothing more to discuss with the Duke—he had made his decision, and so, she had to make her own. Life was not going to stop merely because he could not,wouldnot marry her.
The Viscount of Caney certainly was not going to let her off.
As far as Emily concerned, she and the Duke simply were not destined for each other, no matter how hard she wished otherwise.
“Milady?” Jenny looked at her hesitantly. “Milady, ye’re more than ready.”
Emily stared at herself in the mirror. In the span of a few short weeks, she had come so far from the pitiful and hideously dressed wallflower that she had been in the past. Today, she was garbed in a dress that flattered her, the color making her complexion glow. Her hair was combed up into an elegant chignon with a few tendrils left to gently frame her delicate features.
However, her eyes held very little of the shy warmth they once did. The brown orbs that stared back at her from the mirror were eyes that had seen pain and passion and survived them both.
If I can endure marriage to the Viscount, I suppose I am capable of a great many more things,Emily told herself with a wry smile.
“I think I have made His Grace wait long enough,” she smiled at her maid.
Even as she bolstered her courage by mentally reassuring herself, Emily still had to hold on to the banister as she slowly walked down the stairs, her knees knocking together in her nervousness.
When she reached the salon, the Duke was standing with his broad back to her. Emily bit her lower lip as she recalled how she had held on to his shoulders that one stormy night in the gazebo.
Well, there will be none of that, Emily,she told herself angrily.Not anymore.
As if he heard her at war with herself, the Duke slowly turned around, and she nearly gasped when she saw the bruise on his handsome cheek.
“Hello, Emily,” he greeted her softly, his deep voice as tender as a lover’s caress.
Emily raised her chin haughtily. “Good morning, Your Grace. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”
Instead of answering her question, he walked towards her. Her breath hitched in her throat as he closed the distance between them in a few strides. Up close, she could see the dark circles under his eyes.
It would seem that His Grace had spent a couple of sleepless nights in recent times as well.
“How have you been?” he asked her gently.
She shook her head and stepped back. “I have been well, thank you very much.”
“My sweet Emily—”
