Emily squeezed her hand again, and the two shared a moment of silent understanding, neither needing to say a word as they sat in the excitement and anticipation of the moment.
Chapter 36
“Do not look do dour, Edward,” Emily said with an exasperated sigh. “You act as though we are dragging you to your execution. It is just a ball!”
Edward rolled his eyes and sat back against the carriage seat with his shoulders somewhat slumped. He had his arms crossed over his chest and knew he seemed to be pouting like a child, but he did not really care. He did not want to attend the ball that evening. He did not like such events much, but the fact that it was also a masked ball made the event even more unappealing.
“Do not be so hard on him, darling,” James, who was sitting next to Emily, said with a grin. “He is going, at least. That is good, is it not? He is going for you.”
“He is going to keep you company,” Emily snorted. “If it were only me wishing him to go, he would have refused.”
“I am sitting right here,” Edward grumbled. “You need not speak as though I am a simpleton or a child.”
Emily scowled at Edward and replied, “Then do not whine like a child.”
“All right, all right,” James chuckled. “Let us not fight, you two. Tonight is supposed to be about having fun! We should all just relax and enjoy ourselves.”
Emily gave her husband an irritated but adoring smile and said, “You had best behave yourself tonight, my love. I do not need you stumbling drunk at the end of the evening.”
With a laugh, James leaned over and pressed a kiss to his wife’s cheek.
“You are the joy of my life, sweetheart,” he told her, his voice oozing with adoration. “You cannot know how much I love you.”
Emily’s cheeks turned bright pink, and she could not hide her grin.
Edward watched them, torn between irritation and envy. He wished that he could have Victoria with him that evening. He wanted her on his arm so he could show the world what she meant to him. Edward knew it would be too much for her so soon.
Being the wife of a gentleman would not be an easy transition. Society would look at her with a critical eye and judge her harsher than any lady born into a position of privilege. Victoria would have to learn how to navigate the pitfalls of high society, and he wanted to ease her into things a bit at a time.
A masque ball at the height of the Season was not a good place to start.
“Ah, we are here,” Emily declared, securing her mask over her face as the carriage came to a stop. “Try not to be a grouch the entire night, Edward. At least pretend you are enjoying yourself.”
Edward rolled his eyes before slipping his black domino over his face. The carriage door was opened by a liveried footman, and Emily was assisted out of the vehicle. James followed her, and Edward followed him.
They made their way into the huge manor house belonging to the Duke and Duchess of Winston. Theirs was always among the grandest balls of the Season, which meant the invitations were coveted.
Edward released a long breath as they walked through the grand foyer toward the ballroom. It was crowded and noisy. Edward kept his gaze straight ahead, not wanting to accidentally make eye contact with anyone and have them approach him to try and start a conversation.
When they reached the ballroom, however, he quickly realized that he could not avoid interacting with people all night.
“Lord Harford, is that you?” an older gentleman approached, and Edward quickly recognized him.”
“Ah, Mr Carrey,” Edward said, extending his hand to the man. “Apparently, my disguise is not quite as good as I thought it was.”
Mr Carrey chuckled. “It is a notable effort, my lord. I must offer my congratulations to you.”
Edward arched a brow, confused. “Congratulations?”
“On your engagement, of course,” Mr Carrey clarified.
Edward blinked, taken aback. Had Victoria told someone they were engaged? They had planned to keep it a secret. Perhaps she had told Emily, thinking his sister would be able to keep the information to herself, and then she, of course, failed at doing so.
That was likely it. That was the most logical and likely explanation.
“Thank you,” Edward said with a smile and a nod. “We are very happy.”
Mr Carrey smiled and nodded before turning to move along in the crowd. Edward watched him go, pleasantly surprised. He had not expected that people would be so accepting of his marriage to Victoria.
