Her eyes found his from across the table, conveying a depth of gratitude that squeezed at his heart. Her features were a great deal softer now than they had been moments earlier. “Thank you.”
A curious tightness worked its way up his throat, so he merely nodded. Fool indeed. If he weren’t any wiser, he’d think he was falling for her – a woman who would never care for him in return.
The last thingEmily expected was for her mother to arrive at Clearview only two hours later. But here she was now, standing on the front doorstep with the family coach directly behind her and Patsy, her lady’s maid, standing by her side.
Emily stared at the woman who’d raised her, completely befuddled. In her hand, she held the sponge with which she’d been washing the dishes when three loud raps on the front door had caused her stomach to dip with concern.
“Well?” Georgina raised both eyebrows. “Will you keep us standing here all night or do you intend to invite us in?”
Jolted by the firm tone, Emily took a step back and held the door wide. “Forgive me. I was not expecting your arrival.” A modicum of composure began to return, allowing Emily to shake off her initial surprise and consider the situation more clearly. “Your letter made no mention of your intention to come here. Nor did the Duke of Camberly’s.”
“I know.” Georgina brushed past her daughter, opened the first door on her left, and peered into the parlor. She shut the door again and moved on to the next, admitting herself to the dining room. “Where is he?”
Emily inhaled deeply. “In the kitchen.” When her mother opened the door to Cassandra’s study, Emily directed her to the opposite one. Behind them, Patsy arranged the luggage with the help of the coachman.
Emily’s mother flung the kitchen door open and stepped into the warm room. “Dear God,” she exclaimed, prompting Emily to hurry in after her. Georgina swung back to face her, the outrage she was about to convey reflected in her wide eyes. She pointed to where Lord Griffin stood, wiping a plate with a dish rag. “He’s not even fully clothed!”
Emily glanced at her house guest. His appearance hadn’t changed in the time it had taken her to go greet her mother, but the lack of a jacket and waistcoat along with his rolled-up shirt sleeves were suddenly far more glaring than they’d been before. Heat rushed to Emily’s cheeks, but rather than flee the scene as she felt inclined to do, she cleared her throat and took a step forward.
“We were not expecting company, Mama, so Lord Griffin chose to make himself comfortable. For which I do not believe we should fault him.”
Georgina’s eyes widened even more. “It is worse than I feared,” she said on a breathy exhalation. “You speak of yourself and Lord Griffin as if you are already a couple.” When Lord Griffin started to speak, Georgina held up her hand. “Sir. I do not wish to know the extent of your relationship with my daughter, but one thing is clear—you will do the honorable thing or so help me I shall—”
“Mama.” Emily bit out the word with a rising sense of indignation. “You have no right to make demands of Lord Griffin. Least of all when I am the one at fault. Indeed, you may rest assured that he has acted honorably toward me from the very beginning.”
“If I may,” Lord Griffin said.
“Are you telling me that my eyes deceived me when I saw your mouth attached to his at the ball?” Georgina asked, ignoring Lord Griffin completely.
Emily’s cheeks grew hotter. She could no longer look at Lord Griffin on account of the fierce embarrassment raking her skin in response to her mother’s question. He remained but a blur at the periphery of her vision. And yet, she refused to be put in her place by the woman who ought to have loved her, cared for her, put her first. Instead, Emily’s mother had only thought of her own goals and how her daughter might realize them. Coming here was no different than her misguided efforts to fatten Emily up and push her into unflattering gowns years ago.
This realization encouraged Emily to speak with unforgiving candor. “No. Your eyes did not deceive you, Mama. But as I told you at the time, you, Laura, and Aunt Julia were the only witnesses to that incident. No one else knows that it happened.” Seeing her mother’s mouth set with determination, Emily pressed on, undaunted. “Similarly, no one besides our immediate family knows I left London in Mr. Crawford’s company. Unless of course, you have let it slip.” She eyed her mother shrewdly before saying, “If that is the case, then you ought to know I shall never forgive you. But in any event, I will not be marrying Lord Griffin. His kindness and consideration toward me deserves more than some backhanded attempt at getting him leg shackled to a woman he barely knows.”
“Emily.” Georgina’s voice was tight.
“And also,” Emily said, choosing to ignore her, “I am not a child you can order about. I have lived happily here these past six years, ever since you…” She swallowed, the past catching up with her in a rush that threatened to overwhelm. “You may stay as my guest, but I will never bow to your will again. Is that understood?”
Georgina glared back at her for a long, drawn out moment, but she eventually did as Emily hoped she would and nodded.
Emily turned to Lord Griffin for the first time since her mother’s arrival. “I will show my mother and her maid up to their rooms. I trust you can see yourself back to the cottage?”
He dipped his head in solemn agreement. “Of course.”
Fighting the urge to go to him, to wrap her arms around his neck and demand the embrace she so desperately needed, she raised her chin. “In that case, I shall bid you good night.”
His chocolate brown eyes found hers, and it was as if the strain she’d felt on her heart for the past six years eased its hold. Because there, in Lord Griffin’s gaze, was something she’d never seen before – something wonderfully empowering and rewarding that could only be described as deep admiration.
The edge of his mouth lifted, curving with a hint of roguish solidarity that stirred deeper feelings to life. But since allowing herself to dwell on the secret desires he inspired in her with simply a smile would lead to nothing but disappointment, Emily forced herself to turn away.
When she and her mother arrived upstairs after sending the coachman to lodge at the inn in the village, Emily showed her to Mary’s old room. Patsy would stay in one of the children’s bedchambers down the hall. “You still have not said why you chose to come here right after sending a letter informing me that you’d see me at Montvale in two weeks from now.”
“Does my reason matter?” Georgina asked.
“It might.”
Georgina placed her valise on the bed with a snort. “I very much doubt that.”
Emily chose to respond with a shrug. “Very well then.” She went to the door, eager to escape her mother’s company, only to pause there in thought. “Will Laura be all right?”
