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“I was,” Duke said with uncharacteristic gentleness, leaning back and sighing. “Until she ran out to see you every damn morning with a big smile on her face.”
Emmett’s heart lurched painfully.
“It was a lie. She never cared for me. I asked her to tell me the truth, and she didn’t.” And he’d never suspected.
“Emmett.” Duke sat heavily into Emmett’s reading chair. “I don’t pretend to understand what the hell the two of you have been up to for the last half-year. But I do know that Gina wouldn’t lie to you without good reason.”
To protect her friends, she’d said. And maybe to continue seeing them, since her mother was so controlling. He’d been so intent on clearing everything in his path he hadn’t noticed she might want to keep some things, imperfect as they were.
“How can I trust her again?” She’d lied to him.
Duke looked serious for a long time, before he nodded slowly. “You will. Because you love her, and she loves you.”
“You don’t know that,” Emmett scoffed, even as his heart leaped with hope.
“You are both clever, determined people, and can find a way through this. A compromise.”
The word clanged through Emmett. He’d issued her with an ultimatum of losing everything she’d worked for, just as he’d potentially stolen away her ability to be independent with the risk of a child.
His child.
And suddenly, the way was obvious. They had both made a mistake, but he’d been the one to promise what he couldn’t do. First saying he would pull out, then that he’d ignore all his commitments. When the merest hint of imperfection had been revealed in her, he’d walked away.
What was a broken promise, if it wasn’t a lie?
He was out of his chair and halfway to the door before he’d finished the thought. He ignored Duke’s surprised call after him.
He’d messed this up so badly. He’d been an unconscionable arse.
Ten minutes ago he’d wondered how he could forgive her. Now he realized he’d got that completely backward. He could only hope he wasn’t too late, and she could find it in her heart to forgive him for the biggest mistake of his life.
When Gina had imaginedherself a few days after turning twenty-one, it had not been like this. She’d thought she’d be packing clothes and finalizing her itinerary. She anticipated arguing with her mother, reassuring Duke, and comforting Audrey. In her imagination, she’d whistled happily as she’d arranged every detail of her impending travels, looking forward to the future with relish.
The one thing she definitely had not imagined was doing embroidery. But here she was, in the parlor with her mother and her cousin Audrey, making a terrible mess of thread and trying not to cry. Laboring pointlessly over a misguided venture that would probably never see the light of day. Miss Chilson had once shown her a—slightly scandalous—piece of embroidery she’d made in “honor” of a man who’d done her wrong. This was similar, but perhaps a little less rude and a lot less accomplished.
It seemed fitting, somehow.
“There’ll be the post soon,” Audrey said, looking up from her re-read ofPride and Prejudice. “A letter will come from Lady Sophie, or Lucasta. Or even Marmaduke.”
Gina nodded her thanks grimly. Her cousin was having to comfort her. She was pitiful. She would make travel arrangements when the new year started, she’d decided. Until then she’d allow herself to be pathetic, hurt, and angry.
“Mr. Stanton,” the butler managed to say before Emmett pushed past him, taking his hat off and thrusting it toward the butler as his eyes searched the room…
“I didn’t hear a carriage!” her mother exclaimed as she and Audrey scrambled to their feet. Gina did not.
Her gaze met Emmett’s and locked. His blue eyes were serious, and her heart rolled like an apple down a hill.Gina’s mind swirled with incoherent thoughts. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
“Mrs. Bains, Miss Audrey.” He didn’t take his eyes from Gina as he addressed them. “I must speak to Miss Bains. Alone. Immediately.”
“That won’t be necessary.” She put ice into her tone. They’d said everything required before he’d left. She wasn’t in the mood to be berated further or have her hopes dashed.
Emmett’s eyes crinkled like her words were lemonade thrown in his face, but his gaze didn’t waver and his jaw set.
“Your Christmas present didn’t cause me any complications.” Unless you counted cramps from her monthlies, which she didn’t since she’d been so relieved, she’d cried. “And I haven’t changed my mind.”
“I’m not leaving until I’ve spoken with you.”
There were more words said, protests from her mother, and worried looks, but eventually the door snicked shut and it was just her and Emmett, alone. They still hadn’t taken their eyes off each other.
