“You’ve had a busy year,” Marianne reminded her.
Strange, Alaric said the same thing.
Emma took a breath, trying to put aside her list of to-dos and recall all that had happened in the past few months.
“That is true, I suppose.” Frowning, she said, “We had the scare with William…but he is doing much better now.”
William, her one-year-old, had had a mysterious fever and cough that persisted for a few weeks. Emma had spent most of the time by his bedside, not sleeping a wink.
“Thank goodness for that,” Marianne said quietly.
“The other children have been a handful,” Emma admitted after a pause. “Livy especially. Although she is only twelve, she is a girl who knows her mind and follows her own counsel.”
“I wonder who she gets that from,” Tessa said with a chuckle.
Emma rolled her eyes. “Her papa, obviously.”
“Obviously,” Marianne said drolly. “On top of all that, Ambrose told me about the two cases you helped him with this year.”
“They were trifling.” Emma waved a hand. “Matrons who needed help locating some lost jewelry. I conducted a few interrogations andvoilà.The cases nearly solved themselves.”
“I am tired justlisteningto your accomplishments,” Bea said wryly. “And here you are hosting this grand event for all of us. You must be exhausted.”
“You do look a bit tired,” Tessa said.
Although Tessa’s comment was no doubt well meaning, Emma found it vexing.Why does everyone think I am tired?
To prove otherwise, she marched over to the hearth and began sweeping the ashes. As her mama had oft said, idle hands were the devil’s tools. Emma found work calming.
“Everything is fine, really,” she began.
At that moment, the door opened, and Alaric stepped in. He was still dressed for the hunt, and even after thirteen years of marriage, Emma felt a warm tingle at how commandingly virile he looked. Before he met her, he’d been a confirmed rake sought after by all the ladies, and there were still moments when she couldn’t believe that this tall, dark, and wickedly handsome duke was all hers.
Alaric’s silver green gaze went from her face to the broom in her hands to the rest of her apron-covered person. Then he surveyed his study, taking unerring note of the things that had been changed. Finally, her husband’s eyes connected to hers, and the coolness in those pale green depths sent a quiver down her spine. His look told her that they would be having a discussion later.
Being a well-bred gentleman, however, he greeted their guests with cordial grace.
“Pardon, ladies.” He inclined his dark head. “I did not mean to intrude.”
“How could you be intruding, sir? This is your study, after all,” Marianne said pleasantly. “We are the ones who should be apologizing.”
Tessa was trying to discreetly shove the feather duster beneath the chair with her foot while Bea cast a nervous glance at the bookshelves she’d rearranged.
Not wanting her friends to get caught in the crossfire, Emma spoke up. “It is my fault. I asked them to help me tidy up the study, as part of redding the house.”
“We do retain servants for that purpose.” Alaric’s tone was mild; the look in his eyes was not. “You have plenty of other things to do. A houseful of guests to host, for instance.”
“There are various activities to keep everyone occupied this afternoon.” She lifted her chin. “I thought I would take this time to neaten things up in here.”
After a pause, he said without inflection, “You will, of course, do as you please. I must change. Please excuse me, ladies.”
With a curt bow, he left.
In the awkward silence that followed, the ticking of the long case clock was nearly as loud as that of Emma’s heartbeat in her ears.
Marianne cleared her throat. “Perhaps you should go speak to him?”
“There is no need. Everything is fine,” Emma said.
