The same thing had happened out in the stables, once in the garden, and he had nearly run into her on the way to the study. Each time, she had looked at him as though she wished to say something, and each time, he had hurried away.
Knowing she was out with Lily in the gardens, Edward sat in his study and contemplated what was happening with her. What did she want from him? He was curious, and there was a part of him that wanted to find out, but every time he considered talking to her, he remembered the letters she had been hiding, and it gave him pause.
He could not help but be suspicious. Why would she feel the need to hide the fact that she was sending and receiving letters from his family? It made him anxious, and he knew he would not be able to speak privately with her without bringing them up. She would likely not respond all that well to being confronted, though, and he did not know what she would do.
There was also the fact that he seemed to lose all reason when he was around her, and he could not risk falling under her spell when he was not certain he could actually trust her.
A sudden knock on the study door startled him from his racing thoughts. His heart began to pound, and he worried that it was Miss Clifford seeking him out once more. For a moment, he considered ignoring the knock, but when it came again with greater force, he knew he could not pretend he had not heard it.
“Come in,” he called, his voice gruff.
The door opened, and to his relief, it was not Miss Clifford but his sister.
Emily entered the room and shut the door behind her. Her expression was stern, which had him tensing. She marched toward his desk and slapped her hands down on its top, leaning forward to glare at him.
“What in the world is the matter?” he demanded to know. “I don’t appreciate you looking at me like that, Emily.”
“And I do not appreciate you treating Miss Clifford as though she is riddled with plague,” Emily snapped in response.
Taken aback, Edward stammered, “What…what are you talking about?”
“You are intentionally avoiding Tory. Do not try to deny it.”
Edward blinked. “I…I do not know what you mean.”
Emily rolled her eyes. “Edward, what is it about Tory that you do not like?”
“What? I do not dislike Miss Clifford,” Edward insisted.
“Well, it certainly seems as though you do not like her,” Emily replied in a sharp tone. “You have been blatantly walking away from her whenever she tries to approach her. I knew you could be a bit of a snob, brother, but I never thought you could be so outright rude.”
Edward took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt a headache start to come on.
“Emily, you do not know what you are talking about,” he sighed.
“I do not?” She straightened and folded her arms. “I have seen it with my own eyes!”
Edward frowned. “Miss Clifford did not come to you with this?”
“Of course not,” Emily growled. “Tory is far too proud and dignified to complain about how you treat her. I have observed it for myself, however, and I must tell you, Edward, that I am terribly disappointed in you.”
“You are reading too much into things,” Edward said. “I am not avoiding Miss Clifford.”
Emily let out an unladylike snort and shook her head. “You cannot fool me, brother. I know you far too well. What has happened between you two that you would treat her so abysmally? What has she done to deserve it?”
For a moment, Edward wondered if he should tell Emily about Miss Clifford’s letters. Really, if anyone deserved to know the truth of the matter, it was his sister, given that Miss Clifford was caring for her daughter. He hesitated, however.
He had seen how close Emily and Miss Clifford had become, and he did not want to cause a rift between the two without actually knowing what was going on with the nanny. If his concerns turned out to be unfounded, the damage any accusation he made against her would be hard to repair.
No, it was better that he kept his worries to himself for the time being until he had more knowledge regarding the matter. If he discovered that Miss Clifford was being false in any way toward his family, he would immediately expose her for Emily and Lily’s sake. Until he could be certain one way or another, however, he would not speak a word against her.
“She has done nothing,” he said a length. “And I am not treating her any differently than I ever have. She is simply your employee, Emily, not mine. There is very little that she and I ever need to say to each other.”
Emily’s lips parted, and her eyes widened with clear shock. “Tory is not simply an employee, Edward. She is my friend, and she has been nothing but good to us since she joined us. The fact that you can so easily dismiss her like this is perhaps the cruellest thing you have ever done.”
Edward stared up at her for several moments, uncertain what he should say. He felt as though anything he said to her other than the truth would only make her angry or suspicious of him.
So, instead of trying to explain himself, he simply said, “Emily, I do not know why you think the way that you do, but how I interact with Miss Clifford is my business and mine alone. It is not something you need to concern yourself with.”
