Instead, she tilted her head slightly, studying Diana’s face with an expression that was half curiosity and half unmistakable mischief. Her bright eyes moved slowly over Diana’s features as though searching for some secret she suspected might be hiding just beneath the surface.
“Do not pretend you are not pleased to see me,” Emma said at last.
Diana laughed softly.
“I am,” she admitted, the warmth in her voice entirely genuine. “I simply did not expect you quite so soon.”
Emma squeezed her hands once more before stepping aside, turning slightly as the rest of the carriage party began to descend.
Benjamin appeared next, jumping lightly from the step with his usual easy confidence. The moment his boots touched the gravel he straightened and swept Diana an exaggerated bow that immediately made her laugh.
“Your Grace,” he said with theatrical formality, though the mischief dancing in his eyes ruined any attempt at seriousness.
“Benjamin,” Diana replied warmly.
He straightened with a grin before immediately turning back toward the carriage, extending his hand upward. Georgina placed her gloved fingers in his with grateful elegance as he helped her step down.
Georgina’s pale skirts rustled softly as they brushed the carriage step, the sunlight catching the delicate embroidery along the hem. The moment her feet reached the ground, she looked up and spotted Diana.
“Oh!” she exclaimed with unmistakable affection.
She crossed the short distance between them almost at once, gathering Diana into a warm embrace that smelled faintly of lavender and rosewater.
“You look wonderful,” Georgina said as she pulled back, her hands still resting lightly on Diana’s arms as though reluctant to release her entirely. “I was beginning to think we would never see you again.”
Diana laughed softly. “You saw me last week. At the ball.”
“Yes, but that hardly counts,” Georgina replied with cheerful exaggeration.
Behind them, Martin finally stepped down from the carriage.
He paused briefly on the gravel to straighten the cuffs of his coat before looking up toward Diana, and the moment their eyes met his expression brightened with unmistakable warmth.
“Diana,” he said.
There was something deeply genuine in the way he said her name, something so open and pleased that it immediately softened the last lingering tension in her chest.
He crossed the distance between them in a few easy strides and took her hand with a familiarity born from long acquaintance.
“My dear Duchess,” he said with a smile that reached his eyes. “It has been far too long.”
His fingers closed gently around hers, warm even through the thin fabric of her glove. There was nothing improper in the gesture, yet there was an unmistakable affection in the way he held her hand, the easy comfort of someone who had always appreciated her friendship.
“I was beginning to wonder if you had decided to abandon all of us entirely,” he added lightly.
Diana smiled, feeling the quiet ease of his presence immediately. “I would never be so cruel.”
Martin laughed softly and released her hand at last, though his gaze lingered on her face with open fondness. “I am relieved to hear it.”
For the first time in several days, the tension that had been sitting quietly in her chest seemed to dissolve completely. She had not realized how much she had missed the simple comfort of their company until that moment.
They had not all been together like this since the ball. And the memory of that evening, with all its strange turns and unexpected revelations, flickered briefly through her mind before she gently pushed it aside.
Today, at least for the moment, felt pleasantly uncomplicated.
Emma reached for Diana’s hands again, squeezing them lightly as though reassuring herself that her friend truly stood before her.
“You look well,” Emma said, her voice lowering slightly with open curiosity.
