“I’m glad you liked it.”
“I—”
“About last night,” Griffin murmured before she could compliment him on his well-balanced use of salt and pepper.
Emily glanced at the door. Perhaps she wasn’t so brave after all.
“Yes,” she rushed to say, stepping back further. “We should certainly discuss it.”
His expression grew wary. “I think—”
A knock at the front door came as a welcome interruption. “Excuse me.” Emily turned, hurrying from the room and toward whoever it was that had arrived with such perfect timing.
She opened the door and was greeted by a messenger who handed her a letter. “From Partridge House,” he said.
Emily glanced at the shiny red seal bearing David Partridge’s initials. Her shoulders tensed with a curious sense of unease. The messenger cleared his throat and Emily flinched. She retrieved a couple of pennies and paid the man, who gave his thanks before continuing on his way.
After shutting the door, Emily leaned back against it and stared at the letter. She wasn’t sure why it troubled her or why she wasn’t tearing it open to discover its contents. Her mother entered from the kitchen while Griffin arrived from the library. Both watched her curiously.
“Well?” Her mother finally asked. “Who was at the door?”
“A messenger.” She looked at her because looking at Griffin had suddenly become rather difficult. “He brought a letter for me. From Mr. David Partridge.”
“Indeed?” Her mother’s voice rose on a wave of excitement. “Well aren’t you going to open it?”
“I…” She forced her gaze to Griffin then, meeting a pair of dark eyes that threatened to burn her with their intensity. In his hand, he held her notebook.
“You forgot this,” he said, holding it toward her.
She considered the distance she’d have to walk in order to retrieve it. It suddenly seemed so far – as if it would take her forever to travel the ten feet between them. Mouth dry and hands clammy, she started walking, uncomfortably aware of her mother’s scrutiny.
Georgina huffed out a breath. “How can retrieving a book be more urgent than learning the contents of a newly arrived letter?”
Emily couldn’t explain it, but she knew that going to Griffin now would prove that he mattered more, that Mr. David Partridge wasn’t a threat, that last night’s kiss was important.
She took the book from him as soon as it was within her reach. “Thank you.”
His eyes remained fixed upon her the whole time.
“The letter, Emily,” her mother insisted, her voice breaking through the dazed effect Griffin had on her.
Emily blinked. “Yes of course.” She tucked the book under her arm and slid her thumb beneath the seal to break it. The crisp paper crackled between her fingers as she unfolded it, her heart fluttering with the awareness that Griffin was watching and waiting.
“He thanks us for a pleasant evening,” she said after scanning the first two lines, “and looks forward to seeing us again.”
“What else?” Her mother had moved to Emily’s side and was now leaning in, attempting to glimpse Mr. Partridge’s words herself.
Emily straightened the paper and turned it slightly away from her mother’s inquisitive gaze. “He says he plans to visit one of the orphanages he’s supporting next month and hopes to find us in London at that time so he can call on us.”
“Oh!” Georgina squeaked the word and clapped her hands together. “His interest in you is clear.”
“But unreciprocated.” Emily folded the letter and tucked it in her pocket. “I’m sorry, Mama.”
“He could be your last chance.” The words, as kind as Emily knew they were meant to be, stabbed at her heart. She tightened her jaw and bit back the sharp rejoinder that instinctively rose up her throat. “Then that is a chance I am willing to take.”
“Lord Griffin. Perhaps you—”
“Don’t.” Emily glared at her mother, watching as she shrank back with a muttered apology. She would not let her interfere where Griffin was concerned. Not when he and she had agreed that marriage wasn’t an option. Not when she knew he would only commit to such a thing out of duty. Not when he didn’t love her. “You must stop trying to pawn me off and accept the fact that I will not marry.”
