Emily could believe that of her brother and could even understand why to an extent, but it made no sense to her why Miss Clifford would be so keen to avoid Edward. By late afternoon, she had had enough of their stubborn foolishness. If they refused to acknowledge how drawn they were to each other, she would force their hands.
Determined, Emily concocted a plan for the two of them and waited until after dinner to see it through.
Edward had taken up the habit of retreating to the library after the evening meal. She knew he went there to be alone and escape the obligations of social interaction that would be expected of him otherwise, but his desire for isolation would play perfectly into her plan.
Once dinner was done, and Edward had disappeared, Emily, her mother and father, and Miss Clifford all sat in the drawing room, occupying themselves with conversation and little activities as they relaxed before retiring to bed.
That night, they sat in front of the fireplace talking, and Emily subtly steered the conversation to the subject of literature.
“I am rather fond of the writings of ancient philosophers myself,” her father declared after she had asked which genre everyone preferred. “Those chaps knew to ask the important questions. Built the foundation of our entire sense of civility in the pages of their writings. Definitely worth the time to read, even as heavy as they are.”
Emily just kept herself from rolling her eyes. Her father liked to display his vast knowledge and education whenever he got the chance. Indeed, he was an intelligent man, but he was vain about it. She loved him anyway and would usually indulge him, but she did not want to waste time fluffing his ego that night. She had one objective in mind for this conversation, and she did not need her father to confuse things.
“What about you, Miss Clifford?” Emily asked, turning her gaze and attention completely from her father. “What do you enjoy reading?”
Miss Clifford smiled but looked momentarily shy. “Oh, I do not know, ma’am. This and that, I suppose.”
“Oh, there is no need to hide your love of reading, Miss Clifford,” Emily insisted. “You are more well-read than I am. I daresay you would give my brother a run for his money in that regard.”
Miss Clifford laughed and shook her head. “I very much doubt that, ma’am, but you are right. I do enjoy reading very much. I suppose my favourite type of novel would be a romance.”
The Duke scoffed. “A romance? A young lady with your wit should be reading books of more substance, Miss Clifford.”
Emily clenched her teeth, marvelling at how her father was able to compliment and insult the woman all at once. What was even more ridiculous was that he likely had no idea he had said anything that could cause offence.
Miss Clifford did not appear bothered by his words, however. In fact, she let out a small chuckle.
“Do not worry, your Grace,” she said. “I enjoy all sorts of books. I find that romances are the ones I can most easily lose myself in, however. If I need to simply escape, I can rely on them.”
Emily found that curious. What kinds of things would Miss Clifford want to escape from? The question tugged at her, but she quickly shook it away. That did not matter at present, she reminded herself. What mattered was seeing her plan through.
“Miss Clifford, I am not sure if you are aware, but a few new books were added to the library here that you might enjoy,” Emily informed her in an innocent tone. “Perhaps you should go and look at them? You might find one you wish to read before you go to sleep tonight.”
Miss Clifford met her gaze, and there was definite interest in the nanny’s eyes.
“Indeed?” she replied. “Well, I suppose I have not had the chance to properly explore the library here. The one back in London in your family’s townhouse was so impressive. I can only imagine what your collection here is like.”
“Then you should most definitely go and take a look,” the Duchess chimed in. “Emily is right. There are several new books I had ordered that just arrived. I believe there are a few among them that you would enjoy.”
Miss Clifford’s smile grew wider. “Well, if you do not mind, I would be very interested in seeing them….”
“No one minds, I assure you,” Emily insisted. “You are welcome to the books and are welcome to explore the library at your leisure.”
Hesitantly, Miss Clifford stood from her chair. “In that case, if you all will excuse me, I will go and have a look.”
She dropped into a deep curtsy and turned to leave the room. Once she had disappeared from sight, Emily sat back in her chair and sipped on her glass of port, feeling as though she had just pulled off a coup. Now she prayed that the rest of her plan simply fell into place.
Chapter 23
He did not look up from his book when he heard the library door opening.
Assuming it was his father, Edward said, “In need of a bit of quiet, father? The ladies chattering becoming too much for you?”
There was a moment of silence, and then a markedly feminine voice replied, “I must confess, it was your father who was the chatty one this evening. He had quite a bit to say about ancient philosophers.”
Edward jerked his gaze up, and when his eyes landed on Miss Clifford, he froze, and his jaw dropped.
“Oh…excuse me, Miss Clifford,” he finally managed to stammer. “I did not realize….”
