“I have,” she mumbled.
“She doesn’t talk much, though.”
“She is a little demure.”
He looked down at her. “She really didn’t tell me that much about herself, and so I cannot understand why she is like that.” He paused briefly then continued. “You must know why she is so shy. Couldn’t you give me a little information about her?”
Emmie pulled herself away from the railing and slowly walked to the side of the terrace, sliding her fingers along the wooden gate as she went. “Forgive me, Mr. Worthington, but I cannot help you. Lady Sarah is always reserved around people she doesn’t know.”
“Why?”
She shrugged without looking his way. “That is just the way she is.” Emmie didn’t want to tell him it was because she couldn’t trust men. Usually when they proclaimed their love, it was only to be the earl’s son-in-law and receive her dowry.
“How long have you been a lady’s companion?”
She stopped at the end of the railing where a rosebush was in full bloom, and gently ran the tip of her finger around one of the yellow petals. “I don’t know if she told you this, but we are distant relatives. I became a lady’s companion a few years ago when I needed to find employment to help provide an income for my poor family. Her father was very generous to allow me this position in his household.” She looked at him over her shoulder. “Why do you ask?”
“I just wondered why some of your personality didn’t rub off on her, since the two of you have been together for a while.”
She shrugged, turning her attention back to the rose. “We have only been together a few short years, as I mentioned. She grew up with privileges, and I did not. Whether or not that gave me a bolder personality, I couldn’t tell you.”
“Do I hear resentment in your voice?”
“I don’t know. Do you?” She peeked over her shoulder.
“You almost sound like you don’t like that you grew up differently.”
She forced a laugh. “That’s preposterous.”
He moved away from the railing and came to stand by her once again. “Tell me honestly, Miss Emmie. Do you ever wish you could trade places with somebody else?”
She snapped her head around so fast that she was surprised it didn’t bounce off her neck. As she stared deeply into his eyes, she wondered why he’d asked her that.Oh goodness.He couldn’t possibly know the truth.
“Do you ever wish people would treat you differently?” he continued. “That you could perhaps be in someone else’s place for a while? Sometimes I wonder if people would treat me differently if I were… Well, say I was a wealthy man with nice lands and a large estate. Would people treat me the same as they do now?”
She couldn’t believe he was saying this. Could he read her mind? “No. You would not be treated the same. People would treat you differently because you have money.” His enchanting chocolate-brown eyes met hers, and she continued. “Take, for instance, Lady Sarah. All available men are after her hand in marriage, even some of the married men.” Lord Richard came to mind. The arrogant fool had married her cousin two years ago, yet continued to act as if he wanted Emmie as his wife. “It wouldnot matter to them if Lady Sarah was pretty or ugly. They would try everything to get her attention and conquer her heart.”
He nodded. “I do know how it is. That is why I sometimes wish I were a wealthy man, and even though women may think I’m attractive, I will never be anything more to them than just amusement. Women don’t want to marry me.”
She studied him closely. From his words and tone of voice, he felt the same way she did about marriage, which made her feel closer to him. “Is that why you are after Lady Sarah?”
Confusion clouded his face. “Pardon me?”
“Are you trying to get Lady Sarah to fall in love with you because you are an ordinary man without a title?”
His blank expression finally turned into a grin. “Is that what you think I’m trying to do?”
She shrugged. “I have seen it before. A charmingly handsome man tries to sweep the earl’s daughter off her feet when he knows he has no liberty to do so.”
He chuckled. “Is that why you followed us out to the statue tonight?”
Emmie gasped, her heart hammering as heat shot up her face, nearly scalding her cheeks. How did he know? Could she lie herself out of this?
He arched an eyebrow. “Were you trying to keep Lady Sarah from falling in love with an untitled man?”
Words seemed to disappear from her mind, which rarely happened. How did he know she had spied on them? Apparently, she hadn’t hidden herself as well as she’d thought.
Stepping closer to her, he gently grasped her shoulders, bringing her body against his. “Or did you want to watch me kiss another woman and envision yourself in my arms instead?”
