Owen did not doubt that. But all the same, he valued his privacy.
“Emma is in the ballroom with Mrs. Buckley,” she said.
He thanked her and closed the door, standing on the gravel drive as the Yardley carriage drove away.
Owen returned to the ballroom, all out of sorts. Loud music flowed from the quartet in the corner, and dancing couples floated through intricate steps across the floor. The groups gathered around the exterior of the room were chatting cheerfully, sipping at glasses and fluttering their fans. It seemed an entirely different world from where he had been for the last hour, jarring him. None of these people knew of the ordeal that had occurred.
Theywouldhear of it; he had no doubt. Secrets did not remain so for long in this town. But for now, they were oblivious, and he was glad for a night to gather his wits. At least Mrs. Wickerton was out of town visiting family. That would buy them a little more time.
He spotted Emma speaking to his aunt near the musicians and began to make his way toward them.
Catherine tried to waylay him as he passed, reaching for his sleeve and tugging him to stop. Her feather bobbed along with her eager smile. She wore a gaudy gown of deep emerald with jewels at her throat. “Mrs. Cooper and Miss Cooper have been wondering where you went.”
Owen smiled at the women standing beside her, theirhopeful expressions wide and glittering. He was tired of trying to fit into the space she wanted him to inhabit while also remaining true to himself. The two would never reconcile with each other, and if she could not accept that, he was done trying. He had already told her he was not interested in Miss Cooper. She ought to have listened. “I’m looking for Miss Darling. If you’ll excuse me.”
“But Owen,” Catherine said, tightening her grip on his arm.
He pinned her with a stare, losing his patience. “Emma and I are about to announce our engagement. I hope you’ll all wish me happy.”
Catherine’s grip went slack.
“Oh!” Mrs. Cooper laid a hand against her heart, fighting a frown. “Congratulations to you both. What a handsome couple you’ll make.”
“Thank you.” He bowed, then tried to walk away.
But Catherine kept pace with him, forcing him to step to the side. “What do you mean, Owen? You cannot intend to align your name with one who will bring scandal to our family.”
He clenched his teeth, then released the tight muscle and breathed. There would be no reasoning with her. His mother only wanted him for what he could provide. She and Father might have seen Owen’s inheritance of Buckley Place as a windfall, but he would not allow them to step into the roles of master and mistress and pull the strings of his life.
Some relationships were malleable, able to change and shift with time. But this one, he finally accepted, was stuck in the mold she had formed in the beginning. He could only try so hard, and he was tired of trying.
Owen smiled patiently. “I love her, so the rumors mean little to me. I know they are false. I hope you will do me the honor of trusting my discretion.”
When he walked away this time, she let him.
Emma’s long white gloves covered the places on her armswhere Simon had left bruises, and her hair had been repinned. She looked, for all the world, as though she had been in this ballroom all evening. As Owen approached her, he absorbed the graceful line of her neck and perfect lushness of her pink lips, which matched her rose gown perfectly.
Aunt Clara stood beside her, and judging from her expression, Emma had filled her in on the events that had transpired that evening.
“He is gone,” Owen said simply, keeping his voice low enough not to be overheard. “Off to the gaol in Derby to await a trial.”
Emma’s shoulders relaxed. He wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her, but this was not the place for it.
“How wretched,” Aunt Clara said. “I cannot help feeling responsible.”
“I told you to go to the ball,” Emma reminded her.
“Yes, but if I had never insisted on moving to the cottage in the first place, it would not have been an issue.” She frowned. “But I could not stomach the notion of standing in the way of your life, Owen. I knew you would never progress if you thought you needed to care for me, so I removed myself.”
“It was a little quick,” he said.
She shook her head. “Yet still, it took much too long for you to discover each other again.”
Emma looked at him with affection, and his heart surged.
“Nowyouare to be mistress of Buckley Place,” Aunt Clara said joyfully.
Emma’s cheeks flushed. “Come what may, I am more eager to be Owen’s wife.”
