Her eyes widened. “Right now?” She glanced at the window where the morning light leaked in around the edges of the curtains. “In the light of day?”
Still clasping her hand, he knelt on one knee beside the bed. “Lady Emmeline Radcliffe, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
“Marry you!” She snatched her hand away from him and jumped out of the opposite side of the bed, blankets still clutched to her breast. “I can’t marry you. I’ve written letters, made plans. I’m officially a spinster.”
Her words made no sense. Perhaps she was still in shock from yesterday’s events. “Emme, please sit down. You look pale.”
She held up one hand to warn him to keep his distance. “I will not sit down. I will not stay here with a…a…marriage-minded bachelor for one more minute!”
“Last night we nearly…” He shook his head. It was as if she had no idea how a woman was to react to a marriage proposal. He’d have to persuade her, and time was not on his side. Soon her aunt might rise and come looking for her. “What if we’d never been separated five years ago? Do you suppose you might have married me if I’d had the chance to ask?”
Tears shone in her eyes. “What does it matter now? As you’ve said, it’s in the past.”
“Do you truly believe that? Because after last night, I’m more inclined to believe fate reunited us to finish what we started years ago.”
“Fate.” Her face was unreadable.
He cursed under his breath. “Yes, fate. Kismet. Alignment of the stars and all that.” He reached out his hand to her. “What will it take, Emme? Just tell me. What do you want?”
“To be a spinster! Really, it’s like you haven’t even been listening.”
Daniel squeezed his eyes shut. The throbbing in his temples made the rum hangover pale in comparison. “This might be the most muddled conversation I’ve ever had.”
When he opened his eyes, Emme had moved out from the side of the bed and picked up her now-dry dress from a chair. “At least we can agree on that,” she said as she pulled the thin gray frock over her head.
He’d never bothered to be there in the morning after a night of pleasure, so he’d never watched a woman dress before, but he was quite sure Emme was making a mess of it. He strode to her side and helped her struggle her arms into her sleeves. “You have to marry me.”
She glared at him as she stepped back and tugged at the laces of her bodice. “Because you’ve helped me with my gown?”
He clenched his jaw and stepped close enough to feel the heat of her skin. She was supposed to have agreed by now, the stubborn woman. He knew it was desperately unfair of him, but he was, after all, desperate. “Because we spent the night alone together. What if someone were to learn of it?”
“Nothing happened. I was indisposed and given no choice.”
“That will hardly matter if tongues start wagging. Trust me, I know how whisper campaigns can destroy a reputation.”
“No one will learn of it. The other passengers are nowhere near your stateroom, you pay every sailor on this ship, and my aunt will never mention it. No one will ever know.” She stalked to the door, then turned abruptly toward him. “Unless you plan to tell someone.”
It crossed his mind. Heaven help him, if he couldn’t entreat her, he could force her. And what would that make him? Just as bad as that lout of a fiancé.
“Emme, I’m sorry. I thought we were of the same mind. I misunderstood.”
“I should say so.” She straightened the skirt of her dress and pushed her untamed hair out of her face. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m sure my aunt will want to be apprised of my health on this fine morning. Good day, Mr. Hallsworth.”
In all the years they’d known each other, she had never addressed him so formally. Daniel gave her a slight bow. “Good day, Lady Emmeline.”
And with that, she swept out of his stateroom and closed the door soundly behind her, taking with her his last hope for love.
Chapter 7
Emme had been avoiding Daniel for the week since he’d proposed. Now that they’d reached England’s shores and she was about to walk away from him forever, she was seized by a desperate urge to throw herself into his arms
“It will improve shortly.” Aunt Juliana gazed at the looming shoreline of Brighton.
The gray mist pressed in against Emme’s skin and made it hard to catch a proper breath. “Will it? As I recall, this weather’s just as to be expected.”
“Not the weather. Your mood. Being farther from the sea will make you feel better.”
Emme nodded. “I’m sure it will.”
“And if it doesn’t, you could always consider the alternative.”
“Becoming a pirate?”
Her aunt shot her a sideways glance. “I was trying to be tactful, but if I must be blunt, you could just marry the boy.”
“Maybe once upon a time.” Emme focused on the crowds and carriages gathering on the dock.
Once upon a time, she hadn’t lost her virginity to a cad she’d never planned to marry. Once upon a time, she hadn’t stood at the brink of ruin. Once upon a time, she hadn’t carried a secret that could pose a threat to Daniel reclaiming his title.
“Things have changed,” Emme said. “I’ve found my calling with the spinsters. It’s important work. Not to mention, marriage isn’t something my family does well, is it?”
While it wasn’t the most important reason she’d never marry, it was no small consideration.
“Your parents were very happy once. They’ve had some setbacks, but they’ll come through it.”
“Ah, marriage. Something to come through.”
“No need to be saucy,” Aunt Juliana chastised her.
Emme laid her hand on top of her aunt’s. “I know you’re only trying to help. I’m just in a sour mood over the thought of being trotted about London like a thoroughbred horse instead of riding one across your estate. Do you remember how Edward and I used to ride?”
Riding was the one thing—other than her family and friends—she’d missed while she’d been away. The freedom of the wind streaming through her hair. The hypnotic comfort of horse hoofs pounding over the ground. Of course, she hadn’t been allowed to ride like that since she’d been a child. Ladies did not ride fast steeds flat-out across country meadows, as she’d been reminded endlessly by every member of her family. She wondered if those rules applied to spinsters as well. She certainly hoped not.
“It will be a good life,” she said, more to herself than to her aunt. “A quiet life, but a good and meaningful one.”
And a safe one, where no one would be moved to uncover her illicit past and ruin her future with it.
“And will it be enough?” her aunt asked.
A month ago, she would have easily answered yes. Now, she didn’t know how to answer.
She squeezed Aunt Juliana’s hand, taking comfort more than giving it. “It shall have to be enough.”
* * *
“You want to marry the governess? Have you gone soft in the head?” Granville snatched the glass of rum from Daniel’s hand and slammed it on the table in the captain’s quarters. “Maybe you’ve just had too much of my good stash.”
“You’re the one who advised I take a wife.”
“After we’ve had time to raise the devil in every debauched port town in England. And London. And several small countryside villages. Besides, the wife of the future marquess needs to meet exactly three criteria.” Granville counted off on his fingers. “One, she should be a ninny. As a man who’s taken on far too many intelligent mistresses, trust me on this. Two, she must be of a high station. Neither a governess nor a lady’s traveling companion will do. Third, she must be a virgin who is above reproach. Seeing as you’re racing hell for leather, I’m assuming you’ve had something to do with this girl’s downfall and are now having an attack of conscience.”
“That’s not it.” Daniel propped his arms on the table and held his pounding head in his hands. The truth, E
mme’s truth, was a confidence he’d never share with anyone, even his closest friends.
“Don’t tell me you have feelings for this girl?”
He hadn’t planned to tell Granville before he could say the words to Emme, but she’d managed quite the disappearing act for the remainder of their journey. Now they sat in the port of Brighton and she’d disembark any minute, without a backward glance at him.
“I probably didn’t have a prayer from the first day I met her. Well, maybe when she was fourteen. But by the time she was seventeen and I kissed her that first time, it was all over for me.”
Granville’s narrowed his eyes. “Emme. Emmeline. Meriden’s sister.” He mulled it over for a minute. “Lady Emmeline Radcliffe. History with the girl, indeed. Well played, Hallsy. That will stick it to the earl, marrying her right out from under him. Explains why you want to do it post-haste as well, before he can put a halt to it.”
“That might be how it started, but one way or another, I plan to marry her. I just need a plan.”
Granville grinned. “Ah, I see.”
Daniel shot what he hoped was a withering look at his friend. “See what?”
“The reason for the rum. Turned you down flat, did she?”
He tightened his grip on his glass. “The lady seemed confused.”
“She doesn’t strike me as the type to be easily confused. Nor easily persuaded, it would seem. Yet you still look hell-bent on dragging her off to Gretna Green.”
A shiver ran down Daniel’s spine as he thought of Emme at the hands of the fiancé who had taken her there and then used her so badly. “That wouldn’t help my reputation, now would it? The plan is to woo her, make a respectable match of it. The Committee for Privileges will be impressed.”
“Hallsy, this is a complicated game you’re playing, winning over a girl who doesn’t want you.” He rubbed his hands together. “It will require the touch of a master.”
Daniel shook his head and instantly regretted it when the room went temporarily out of focus. “You’ll steer well clear of this, Granville.”
Granville slapped his friend on the shoulder. “While you’re in such a mood to take my advice, which I will admit is infallible, let me give you one more piece of it.”
“Your ability to misunderstand is matched only by your arrogance.” Daniel rose unsteadily to his feet and Granville had to lay a hand on his shoulder to steady him.
“For now, I advise you to sleep off that half bottle of rum you swallowed. And sober up, man! You hardly need the ton gossiping about your propensity for drink. Regarding your problem, I’ll begin working on the solution.”
“Where are you going? And what the hell do you plan to do?”
Granville grinned much too wickedly for Daniel’s taste. “As captain, I must fulfill my obligation to see our fine ladies safely ashore.”
Daniel meant to go after him, but he wasn’t steady on his feet. He dropped back into the chair and reached for the second half of the rum. If he couldn’t stop Granville, the least he could do was be too obliterated for the rest of the day to hear about his friend’s exploits.
* * *
“Ah, so pensive, Miss Trent.” The captain offered an arm to Emme and one to Aunt Juliana. “No doubt you’re distraught over leaving this fine vessel that has delivered us safely to England’s bonny shores.”
“Returning home will be an adjustment,” she said, smiling politely.
“I, for one, am just thrilled to be back on dry land.” Aunt Juliana sighed. “I mean no offense to the SS Lizette, Captain, but I think I shall do quite nicely without the ocean beneath my feet.”
“And you, Miss Trent, are you just as anxious to be rid of my swift schooner and humble hospitality?”
Emme smiled. “No, sir. I shall quite miss the hospitality. You are a fine captain and ever the gentleman.”
“I beg of you, don’t let word of it get around London,” he said as they made their way down the gangplank to the dock.
Somewhere in the crowd were Emme’s parents and brother, the last of her relatives outside of her dear great-aunt, waiting to receive her back into the bosom of the family. A family without a sister. Parents without a civil word to say to each other. A brother chastising himself for his younger sister’s downfall.
A brother she’d forgiven days ago for his part in separating her from Daniel. He had never acted with anything but her best interest at heart, and the scandal plaguing Daniel’s family would have made a match impossible. Her father would never have allowed it. Emme didn’t doubt Edward had stepped in to keep her from giving her heart to a man she’d never have been able to marry. How could he have known she’d already lost her heart, since she’d never confided it to him? And Daniel still would have left. The scandal and his grief over his parents’ deaths had sealed that fate.
Her stomach twisted as she stepped onto British soil and knew that, this time, she was the one leaving him.
“Miss Trent, you’ve gone quite pale,” the captain whispered.
“Just getting my land legs.”
He sent her a sidelong glance. “You’re not feeling faint at the thought of being escorted by a man of my reputation, then? Hallsy hasn’t been telling tales out of school about me?”
Emme shrugged. “Mr. Hallsworth and I haven’t exchanged a word since my rescue.” That wasn’t precisely true, but it was enough to appease the captain.
“Good, then. It’s just as he promised me. He’s kept my counsel. He’s a respectable man, that Hallsy. A good man. Some woman will be lucky to have him for a husband..”
Emme’s pulse beat in her throat and she hoped her modest neckline hid it. “I take little notice of such things. I plan to become a spinster myself. But as you hold him in such high esteem, perhaps you’ll help him find a suitable match.”
Before he could fashion a response, Emme dropped his arm and raced toward another gentleman she’d spotted among the crowd. There was no more need for pretense. She was Lady Emme Radcliffe, returned home, and she’d just caught a glimpse of the one man in her life who was always there for her.
Her brother saw her in the same moment and stepped toward her with his arms open wide. Caught up in his embrace, Emme let her reservations about the reunion with her loved ones slip away. By the time Edward let her out of his grasp, Aunt Juliana and her father were beside them, the latter taking both her hands in his in an uncharacteristic show of public affection.
Emme could hardly remember when her father had last held her hands. Possibly just after Eleanor’s funeral. Before that, she couldn’t even guess. Probably sometime in her childhood. He withdrew and cleared his throat. Balding and bespectacled, his gray mustache slightly longer than when last she’d seen him, he was once again the picture of the aloof and fashionable gentleman.
“Granville? How long has it been?” Edward said. The two old friends shook hands. “I had no idea it was your ship bringing my sister home to us.”
The captain showed no surprise to learn his old school mate was Miss Trent’s brother. She wondered how long he’d been onto her ruse.
“It
“It’s been the better part of a year,” the captain told Edward. “Since we watched poor Alcott’s sad descent into matrimony.”
Emme arched an eyebrow. “Mr. Alcott married my dear friend, Captain.”
The captain bowed contritely. “I meant no offense, Lady Emmeline. The new Mrs. Alcott is divine, of course.”
Her father shook the captain’s hand. “Granville, we appreciate that you’ve returned both ladies to shore safe and sound.” He glanced about the dock, then at his son. “Where is the hired hackney, Meriden? We must get the ladies to the train.”
“It will be along any minute,” Edward answered. “In the meantime, perhaps Granville can tell us more about his ships.”
“You have other ships, then?” her father asked.
The captain stood up straighter. “Five altogether, sir.”
Emme held her breath, waiting for t
he captain to mention his business partner.
“It sounds like you’ve done quite well for yourself, Granville,” her father said. “The navy rescued you after all, then?”
Emme bristled at her father’s insensitivity, all but throwing in the man’s face the fact that the previous Earl of Granville had lost the family fortune at the card tables. The captain, whom she already quite liked despite herself, rose even more in her esteem when he smiled at her father.
“Taking my commission was the best thing I ever did, sir. After that, I took on a business partner, and we’ve done quite nicely.”
Her father continued staring at the ship, seemingly oblivious to the discomfort of everyone around him. “Once a man has had such success, he typically begins thinking about marriage.”
Emme’s heart caught in her throat, wondering what on earth her father could suspect about the captain’s marriage-minded business partner. Her worry turned to embarrassment when the captain shot her a wink and a grin, and her father’s meaning became clear to her. She’d been on British soil for less than five minutes and already her father was trying to marry her off to the first man he could find with a title and a fortune.
It was Aunt Juliana who saved the day, stepping forward to take the arm of her nephew-in-law. “Limely, I fear I need to sit down soon. Shall we find that carriage?”
Her father, reminded of his duties, gave his wife’s aunt a slight bow. “How thoughtless of me, Aunt Juliana. Yes, we’ll take our leave now.”
They said goodbye to the captain and Emme thanked him for the safe journey.
Edward shook his old friend’s hand. “Good to have you back in the country again. We’ll make plans when you get to London.”
One Kiss From Ruin: Harrow’s Finest Five Book 1 Page 7