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Emily let out a long breath. “Very confining.”
“Of course she was, look at you.” Clara waved a hand. “You should be falling apart and instead, here you stand here looking perfectly groomed and composed.”
Emily frowned, looking down at herself. She was, wasn’t she? It was just that getting ready gave her something to do. Some purpose.
“Have you had a chance to pack?” Jacob asked.
She nodded, waving toward the trunks that her maid stood next to. “Yes. All ready to go.”
Beyond her maid stood the housekeeper and butler. Both people she trusted. Jacob’s gaze flitted to the servants before they settled back on her. “Do they know anything?”
She’d asked but neither had any idea. “No. they didn’t have any idea there was trouble in my parents’ lives. What about Mister Barrow?”
Jacob’s mouth pinched. “He had almost no information beyond what he first gave me.”
Her own mouth turned down as she pressed a hand to her stomach. Tucked in her corset were the jewels from her mother. But there were several more in the case upstairs…
She didn’t know who they belonged to legally. Were they part of the barony? Would they be seized when the assets were collected?
Would anyone miss them? Even know they were gone?
She remembered chastising Jacob for lying the other day, but today she didn’t wish to follow the rules either.
And she had a perfectly viable solution as to how to pay Clara. If Jacob didn’t have any money, then she’d have to help him. “You know. I’ve just remembered a few items that I forgot to pack. Can you give me a moment please?”
Jacob nodded as he brushed back his now-shorter locks of hair. The cut made him even more handsome, and for a moment, she stopped and stared at his large masculine hand threaded through the dark locks. There was something so appealing about that hand and the arm to which it was attached.
And of course, the shoulders and the chest… Her gaze drifted down to his lean hips and then snapped back up as her body gave the strangest throb. “I’ll be right back,” she managed to stutter out a moment before she turned and fled.
“Interesting girl,” Clara murmured from behind him as he watched the gentle swish of Emily’s skirts.
“You don’t mean that,” he replied, knowing his aunt. The only people she ever found interesting were people who lived in the shadows.
“No. I likely don’t.” Clara came to stand next to him, tapping her chin. “Though there is something about her. A light in her eyes I recognize. She wants more or something different, despite following all the rules.”
Jacob shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. My job is to turn her over to the duke until her brother returns.”
“And if he doesn’t?” Clara asked, brows lifting. “It’s odd he’s not been heard from in months.”
It was odd. He shifted his weight, worry making him restless. But there was nothing he could do until Emily was safe. “I’ll get Emily tucked with the duke first —”
“You could marry her.”
Jacob nearly choked. “And here I thought we understood each other.”
“Your mother is convinced that you’re going to kill yourself with your lifestyle and finally make your little brother the baron. Imagine how disappointed she’ll be if you come home with a sweet bride who might birth an heir.”
“Interesting point.” He’d never considered that angle and the idea truly had merit.
“And the right bride might make your life easier.”
“I’ve already told you, she’s destitute.”
“There is more to a marriage than money,” Clara said. “And this is me talking. Besides…” Clara looked around the house. Jacob followed her gaze, seeing what she likely saw. Items of quality everywhere. Clocks. Vases. Highly polished wood and sparkling chandeliers. There was not one empty surface, no sign anything had been sold. “Hear me out. One, I don’t know if there is reason not to trust the solicitor, but this does not appear like the house of a man about to go under.”
Jacob frowned, his gaze sweeping over the entry again.
“It’s understated, not lavish in its elegance. In addition, I made a few inquiries. The viscount is never seen at any of the clubs where I have friends. Not the gaming hells, not the houses of ill-repute, not even at gentleman’s clubs. I suppose he could have made a bad investment but…”
