Emma’s mother stood. “Your Grace, I’ll see you at dinner. I must let Mrs. Spencer know there will be one more this evening,” she said before sweeping from the room.
“Richmond, if you’ll excuse us, a brief respite sounds like a good idea,” Alesbury said, escorting Violet from the parlor.
“Shall we take a turn in the garden?” Richmond asked, standing and holding out his arm.
Emma nodded and slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow. His warmth immediately enveloped her, and it took all her willpower not to lean into him. She could barely hide her feelings, but she forced herself to remember that he wasn’t there to see her, merely to pass along a message. She took a deep breath and vowed that he would never know how she felt. It wouldn’t do either of them any good to voice her regard, especially since he obviously didn’t feel the same way.
They walked along the garden paths for a while before heading to a bench near the back. It was a crisp October morning, and the trees had started to turn brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow.
Desperate for something to do with her hands, Emma pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders.
“Are you chilled, Miss Bainbridge?”
“No, I’m fine. You said you had a message for me, Your Grace? Charlotte hasn’t had a relapse, has she?”
Richmond chuckled as they sat. “Rest assured, Charlotte is well, Miss Bainbridge. As it happens, there is no message.”
“No message?”
“No. It was a ruse to have you to myself for a while.”
“A ruse? But why?”
“Can you not guess? You must know I came here today to see you and only you.”
“You did?”
“Yes. The last two weeks have been pure agony for me. Every day I missed seeing your face and hearing your voice. After the storm, there were so many details to manage that it took longer than I expected, but as soon as everything was in order, I had to come to see you.”
“A storm? Is that why you left so abruptly, without a word of explanation?”
“Edgerton didn’t explain the dire circumstances to you the reason why I left?”
Emma shook her head. “No. I didn’t ask him either. Your business is certainly none of my concern.”
“My business is definitely your concern, and I should have explained it to you before I left. I’m sorry I was such a coward, but I feared losingmy composure if I had to tell you goodbye. That freak storm was much worse than my steward initially thought, and I was needed immediately. Several of my tenants’ cottages were damaged, and a few tenants suffered injuries, one of them quite serious.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Are your tenants recovering?”
Richmond nodded. “Yes, but I had no idea it would take so long to resolve everything; I thought I’d be able to return to you within a few days.”
Emma’s head was spinning. “You came here to see me?”
“I did.”
“I don’t understand. What are you saying?”
“I missed you and want you with me always.”
“You want to court me?” she asked, her mouth hanging open. There was no way the Duke of Richmond could want her. She was a bluestocking and wouldn’t measure up as a duchess. “You could have any woman you want. Why would you want me?”
“Because you intrigue me. The more time I spend with you, the more you surprise me. Not many things surprise me anymore.”
“I surprise you?”
Richmond reached over and caressed her cheek. “Miss Bainbridge, are you going to repeat everything I say?”
Emma shook her head. “I apologize. I’m stunned, that’s all.”
