Page 50 of The Marquess’s Forbidden Bride

‘I should probably deny myself the delight. We mustn’t court discovery by lingering there too often.’

She sighed. ‘Perhaps we shouldn’t. But I find it hard to deny myself.’

At that moment, they heard footsteps approaching and turned to see Claire hurrying toward them.

‘I don’t mean to delay your walk for long, but may I join you?’ she said as she reached them. ‘I have news of some…import to impart.’

‘Nothing amiss with children, I hope?’ Emma asked.

‘No, the children are fine. Creating havoc in the nursery as usual. I didn’t seek you out because of them. As you know, some additional guests are arriving today to attend the ball tomorrow.’ She sighed. ‘One of the newly arrived guests—is Lady Routham.’

The name struck him like a thunderbolt and Emma gasped.

‘I’m so sorry,’ Claire hurried on. ‘My sister doesn’t know her well, but apparently Lady Routham is a close friend of Lilliana’s dearest friend Constance Jeffries, who arrived when we did. They all made their come-outs the same year. Mrs Jeffries requested that Lady Routham and her husband be invited for the ball, and my sister agreed. Now we need to decide how you want to…handle it.’

Looking stricken, Emma said, ‘I suppose we could restrict our meetings…’

‘No,’ he said sharply. ‘Not any longer. Can’t you trust by now that I will protect you?’

‘Yes, I trust you. But are you sure you want to risk it?’

‘I’ve always been willing to risk it,’ he retorted.

‘Then…yes. We can dispense with the subterfuge.’

‘Praise Heaven! That woman will dictate our interactions no longer,’ he pronounced, immensely glad to be done with the distasteful masquerade—and even more pleased by Emma’s avowal of trust. Surely that meant that her affection for him was steadily strengthening—and that soon, she, too, might be ready for courtship?

‘Merely avoiding each other wouldn’t serve anyway,’ Claire was saying. ‘Mrs Jeffries has seen you together at breakfast, riding, playing cards, going for long walks in the garden and noticed the air of “April and May” about you. Every lady loves a budding romance. She will certainly tell Lady Routham all about it.’

After opening her lips—to deny any hint of romance, he wondered?—then closing them, Emma frowned. ‘I don’t doubt you could deflect any hostility, Richland,’ she said, evading comment on Claire’s remark. ‘But I would not wish to repay Lady Telford’s hospitality by having her party become the scene of another ugly incident like the one at the Croxton ball.’ She looked over at Claire. ‘How can we avoid that?’

‘I’m sure Mrs Jeffries will have confided the news to Lady Routham by dinner tonight. Hopefully, your stepsister will be considerate enough not to embarrass her hostess with any display of ill will, whatever her feelings about your relationship. Let us see how the evening goes and then decide how to proceed. Perhaps she is reconciled to the friendship.’

‘If we want to be sure of avoiding unpleasantness, perhaps I should return to London immediately,’ Emma said.

‘If you feel you must leave, I’ll escort you,’ Charles said grimly.

Claire laid a hand on his arm. ‘Let’s not have the trumpets sound retreat just yet. If you two bolt for London, I’ll have to explain your sudden departure to my sister, who would be distressed to have inadvertently been the instrument of creating discomfort for her guests.’

‘You could assure her it was no fault of hers. She couldn’t have known about the tangle of relationships,’ Emma said.

‘No,’ Claire said on a sigh. ‘I hadn’t informed her of the difficulties between the Wellingfords and the Strattons—there hadn’t seemed to be a need. That attempt to shield her from unpleasantness now appears a mistake. If she had known, she would not have invited Lady Routham—nor, I believe, would Mrs Jeffries have asked her to, had she known about it. As Lilliana’s dear friend, she also is very protective of my sister. Too late to change that now. We can only go forward. Be assured, Hart and I will do our part to forestall a scene, even if it means Hart forcibly bearing away a vituperative Lady Routham.’

‘Dragging her off before dinner is rather the role I would like to play,’ Charles said angrily.

Claire shook head. ‘That would be poor strategy! No point launching a direct assault that would result in the whole situation becoming glaringly public when there might not be a need. Well, now that I’ve ruined your walk, enjoy the rest as best you can. I’ll see you at dinner.’

They were both silent for a moment as Claire headed back to the house.

‘Well, this is an unfortunate development,’ Emma said with a sigh. ‘Are you sure you don’t want me to leave and avoid potential problems?’

‘It will be good to finally get it into the open and deal with it, once and for all. If it causes a breach in the family, so be it.’

‘But I have been trying so hard to avoid becoming the cause of that breach!’ Emma cried.

‘You wouldn’t be the cause,’ he assured her. ‘Lady Routham would be the one making that choice. I don’t mean to appear devoid of family feeling, but as the acknowledged title holder, I don’t need her approval—or her mother’s—to be accepted as the marquess. If the Strattons oppose me, it is they who will be isolated. I shall command my place in Society on my own terms, making my own way and choosing my own friends. If they don’t like how I do that—they are free to disapprove. But now that you have given permission for our friendship to be openly acknowledged, I won’t allow them to influence my behaviour any longer.’

It looked for a moment like she might argue, then she shook her head. ‘In the end, you are right. You have been forbearing in giving them time to accustom themselves to the changes in their world. It is they who must adapt to the new reality. Besides, even if Lady Routham does create another scene, with the ton’s love of scandal, people will soon move on to the next. Still, I hope there will be wine at dinner! I may need some liquid reinforcement.’