She grinned in response to his jovial tone and instantly felt the air between them grow lighter. “That won’t be necessary. And besides, given our history, I’d probably fall in with you.”
He laughed and agreed this might be a likely outcome, which made her smile. A bit of companionable silence followed before she said, “I need to ask your forgiveness too. It appears I’ve been unfair toward you and for that I am deeply sorry. Denying you the chance to apologize was wrong.”
“I could have written to you sooner.”
Deciding there was no point in arguing this, Emily merely dipped her head. When Stratton said nothing further, she eventually stood. “I ought to get home, but I’m glad we had this discussion.”
When he stood too and stepped toward her as though intending to reach for her hand, she retreated, placing herself beyond his reach. He gave her a sheepish grin. “Too soon?”
“Just a little.”
“I’ll wish you a pleasant day then, my lady.”
She echoed the sentiment and departed, accompanied by Georgina.
It pleased her to know she’d made the correct decision in meeting with Stratton. Their conversation had been productive, allowing them to make amends and let bygones be bygones.
Even so, an odd sensation shadowed her all the way home. It almost felt like regret. For six years, she and Stratton had been at odds. Their cat and mouse game had defined every social event she’d ever attended. He’d bothered her to no end. She’d done what she could to avoid him.
There was something strange about that coming to an end. It was almost like the world had fallen off its axis.
Disturbed by this notion, she decided to try and forget the duke altogether by getting on with her day. They’d made no additional plans to meet, which suited her perfectly. Why wouldn’t it? To suppose she was disappointed that he’d not suggested another outing with Heidi and Peter would be absurd.
Besides, with two books left to finish before she could start on the one Ada had brought her, she didn’t have time for dukish pursuits. Plus, Ada, and possibly Harriet, would be coming for tea tomorrow afternoon. It would be nice to get some reading done before then.
“Is everything all right?” Harriet asked her the following day.
She and Ada had arrived roughly twenty minutes ago. Tea had been served along with a tasty lemon cake topped with meringue, and a conversation pertaining to suggestions for the book club’s next monthly read had begun.
“Hmm?” Emily stared at her friend and was shocked when she couldn’t recall the last thing that had been said. All she remembered was Ada mentioningThe Vicar of Wakefield, and that was a while ago.
“You seem distracted.” Harriet peered at her with concern. “Is something troubling you?”
“No.” Emily shook her head, reached for her tea, and smiled reassuringly at her friends. She would not let them know that she’d been distracted by a particular duke. “I was merely trying to work out whether or not I should putThe TouchstoneandMelincourton hold so I’ll be ready with my review ofSeductive Scandalfor release day.”
“You’ve always had a first come first served policy,” Ada said. “Please don’t give me special treatment.”
Emily nodded. There was no need to of course. She was a fast reader and knew she’d have all three books read within a couple of weeks. But it had given her the excuse she’d required.
“Right.” Emily sipped her tea. “I think Fanny Burney’sThe Wandereris an excellent choice for the book club’s next novel. Plenty of—”
The door opened after a quick knock and Larrow entered, bringing with him a silver salver. Emily gripped her armrest to keep herself seated. It wouldn’t do to leap from her chair and snatch up the letter Larrow had brought, although she could barely contain her excitement. Was it from Stratton and if so, what did it say?
Her heart raced while a fluttery sort of feeling began taking root in her stomach.
Not wishing for her friends to pry, however, she used whatever superhuman strength she was capable of to maintain her composure. It wasn’t easy to do when she saw the missive was indeed from the duke. Taking it from the salver without looking like she was desperate to know what it said, tested the full extent of her ability to remain calm.
“Thank you, Larrow.” The butler gave a curt nod and departed, leaving Emily with the guilt of wishing her friends would soon leave. All she wanted right now was to run upstairs, lock her bedchamber door, and learn what Stratton had written.
It took another two hours before the chance to do so arose. But as soon as she’d wished her friends a wonderful rest of the day and seen them off, Mama came to ask for her help in choosing the fabric for a new gown she intended to order. This took an additional ten minutes, after which Emily finally managed to find the privacy she desired.
She retrieved the letter from her skirt pocket and stared at her name as though trying to find some hidden meaning within the elegant slant of each letter.
Foolish.
You don’t even like him so why all the fuss?
Annoyed with herself, she scooted into the window seat overlooking the garden, tore the seal, and proceeded to read.
