Rachel Brimble

by The Seduction of Emily

  Emily frowned. “Why ever not? I will not be alone. The three of us will be perfectly safe.”

  “No.”

  “Papa, please. You are being entirely unreasonable.”

  He glared. “You know the rules. I will not risk you to further assault. My mind is made up. My physicality is faltering and I want Will with you.”

  “This is madness. I will be quite safe.”

  “Are you arguing with me?”

  Determination pulled back her shoulders. “Not arguing but asking. Please. This trust you have in Will is based on nothing more . . . Papa?”

  Her father sucked in a loud breath and his fork clattered onto his plate.

  Emily leapt to her feet, her heart beating fast, panic a boulder in her throat. “Papa!”

  Her father’s arms flailed outward, sending his teacup spilling across the table. His face grew dark red and a vein bulged at his temple. She rushed forward, sending her plate and egg toppling to the floor unheeded.

  Her father started to choke in earnest.

  “Papa! Oh, no. I’m so sorry. Papa, please.” She slapped him on the back, again and again. “Why do you insist on eating and shouting at me at the same time?” Her attempt at humor did nothing to lessen her panic. She couldn’t lose him. Not like this.

  Emily darted her gaze to the closed dining room door. “Annie! Annie, help me. Someone help me!”

  Grasping her father’s arm, she yanked and pulled him from the chair to his feet, her arms trembling from the strain and perspiration breaking out on her skin, like ice-cold needle pricks. What was she to do? Tears burned and threatened as her father’s coughing halted and the skin around his mouth turned blue.

  Tears broke from Emily’s eyes. “Help me. Please. Somebody!”

  The doors crashed open and Will came rushing in. “Emily?”

  She looked up and their gazes locked. “Will, help me. He’s not breathing.”

  He strode forward and yanked her father from her arms. He whirled him around and slapped him hard on the back. Her father’s lips grew darker. Emily could hardly bear to watch.

  “Will, please. Do something.”

  He ignored her, his face shone white with concentration. Emily lifted her hand to her mouth as he pulled her father’s ailing frame against his muscular one and counted to three. Will lifted his hand and brought it down hard between her father’s shoulder blades. She cried out.

  Her father’s eyes bulged from their sockets.

  With his gaze locked on hers, Will spoke to her father. “Come now, Mr. Darson, be a gentleman. One, two, three.”

  He slapped his back again, this time so hard her father stumbled forward violently but Will held him fast. A lodged chunk of bacon shot from her father’s mouth. Emily watched in horrified silence as it flew through the air before ricocheting from the mirror above the fireplace with a resounding ping.

  Her father’s gasps of breath and hacking cough filled the room. Will guided him to his chair and grasped his bony shoulder. “Not the best way to start the day, if you don’t mind me saying so, sir.”

  Her father dabbed a napkin to his mouth as the coughing subsided. “That was quite a trick you performed there. I feel like such a fool.”

  Will swiped a trembling hand over his face. “Would now be a good time to confess I had no idea what I was doing?”

  Her father managed a small laugh. “Indeed not. I am grateful all the same.”

  With her hysteria back under control, Emily came forward and threw her arms around her beloved father’s neck. “I thought I’d lost you.”

  He pressed his lips to her temple. “Now, now, my dear. Didn’t I tell you I will not be leaving this earth until I see you in your wedding dress, eh?”

  Emily’s stomach lurched. Her wedding day to Nicholas loomed less than two months away and the prospect became ever more unpleasant. She painted on a smile and turned to Will. “Thank . . .”

  Her gratitude froze on her tongue. She had been so blinded with panic when he came bounding into the dining room, Emily hadn’t noticed how he was dressed. Heat assaulted her cheeks. Clearly, he’d returned from riding. Had she shouted loud enough for him to hear her in the guest room upstairs where he’d been changing? She jerked her gaze back to her father in order to think straight. “I don’t know how I will ever repay you.”

  Even with her back turned, the sight of Will’s bare, muscular chest and torso shone bright in Emily’s mind. Add his bronzed shoulders and dark smattering of hair at his navel which disappeared behind the buttons of his riding breeches and she was entirely lost. The familiar and insufferable pull at her center gave another untimely tug.

  She cleared her throat. “I’ll summon Annie and get you straight to bed, Papa. You need to rest.”

  “Rubbish.” He gave a dismissive wave. “I choked, nothing more. Now I would like everything to return to normal. Let the event be forgotten. Now about you and Annie going into town today—”

  Emily waved her hand. “I am not leaving you after what just happened.”

  His steely gaze met hers. “Yes, my dear, you are.”

  “But—”

  “As I almost died, you can concede to my wish of having Will accompany you.” His eyes gleamed with triumph.

  Emily’s mouth drained dry. Now what was she to do? Her father had her exactly where he wanted her. She shot him a glare. “That’s emotional blackmail.”

  He laughed. “Indeed it is.”

  Her father looked over her shoulder and beamed at Will. His eyes so soft with fondness, he might have been looking at his son. “I insist you take the morning off from scouring the streets for your nephew, Mr. Samson, and take Emily into town. I will send Malcolm out asking questions about the boy. Who knows? Another person asking after the fellow might nudge people into taking his absence seriously.”

  Emily turned, helplessness curling into a ball inside her. She stared at Will as his brow furrowed.

  “I really don’t think I can do that, sir. Every hour that passes is another hour when he could’ve been found.”

  Her father shook his head and Emily scowled. The man was struggling not to smile. He was intolerable. Yet her heart swelled with love for him. If she ever doubted from whom she inherited her cunning . . .

  “Nonsense.” Her father waved his hand once more. “As long as someone is looking for the boy, what does a couple of hours of your dedication matter? I insist. Every day you’ve been here, we’ve hardly seen you. Now you will take Emily out or else I might have to reconsider our arrangement.”

  Trepidation—or anticipation—crept up Emily’s spine and she resisted the urge to bolt from the room. She and Will hadn’t been alone since their kiss. What if it happened again? The fact she didn’t trust herself to resist him spoke volumes. She forcibly locked her gaze on Will’s. “Today could be the day you find the boy. Isn’t that right, Will?”

  He stared for a long moment before the frown left his brow and his eyes shone with enjoyment—a look she was beginning to love as much as detest. Her stomach executed a loop-the-loop that weakened her knees. Damn him.

  He exhaled a heavy breath. “On the contrary, I have exhausted every avenue I can think of and taking a day to reflect might be just what I need to evoke some new ideas.”

  Emily swallowed her scream. The man was dressed like a rough and ready cad and now expected to escort her into town. Her lips tingled with the memory of his kiss.

  Her father slapped his knee, making her jump. “Excellent. Emily wishes to purchase some ribbons and such for the wedding, isn’t that so, dear?”

  Her eyes remained locked with Will’s. “I wish to pay a visit to the haberdashery and then on to see my friend who works at the milliner’s on Milsom Street. The excursion will undoubtedly bore you to tears but if Papa insists—”

  “The milliner’s?” Will’s soft smile dissolved and the humor in his gaze became avid interest.

  Emily frowned. “Yes. Is there something wrong?”

  The sk
in of his neck shifted rapidly two or three times before he spoke. “No, of course not.”

  Suspicion lit like a spark in her mind. What in the world was he up to now? If there was ever a time she doubted Will’s story about a missing nephew, it became ten times stronger.

  She smiled. “I will see you out front in half an hour. If that gives you enough time to get properly dressed, of course.”

  He grinned before giving a slight bow. “It most certainly will.”

  “Very well then.” She brushed past him.

  If the man thought her afraid of being alone with him again, he was sorely mistaken. Furthermore, if he thought she would swoon if he touched her again, he was wrong about that too. Emily was completely aware of how her days for living and laughter were numbered.

  Excitement and daring rushed through her and she turned. “Do you know, I’ve quite changed my mind. Time is of the essence after father’s upset. I’d like to get into town and back as soon as possible. So there is no need to change from those breeches and boots, I find them . . . quite acceptable.” She stared openly at his chest. “However, a shirt might be a good idea to save Mrs. Cambridge’s heart if we should see her.”

  Turning, her grin equally as wide as his, Emily strode from the room and shut the double doors behind her. Releasing her held breath, she called for Annie before racing upstairs in an entirely unladylike manner.

  Chapter Ten

  The ride across town from Royal Crescent to Milsom Street was a pleasant one. Pleasant but quiet. Emily struggled in vain to keep her gaze from Will’s muscular thighs as much as she did from wondering what caused such a reaction in him when she announced her intention to visit the milliner’s. Casting a surreptitious glance at his profile, her stomach rolled with excitement. He was unfairly handsome. An incorrigible flirt.

  She bit back her smile. As dangerous as her growing attraction was, Will Samson possessed a lightheartedness that made her feel wonderful. Good times and laughter radiated from his eyes on a silent promise every time he looked at her. It felt so good compared to the feelings Nicholas’s eyes evoked in her. Entrapment and misery. Never anything more.

  Emily turned her gaze to the safer view of the passing shops and houses. It was a glorious beginning to June with the sun high above them, its rays warm on her face. The warm weather filled her with renewed optimism she hadn’t felt since the bitterly cold month of February. Valentine’s Day brought a frantic call for the physician when Emily suspected her father’s barking coughs and wheezing were the symptoms of the terrible influenza epidemic attacking Bath.

  She wasn’t prepared for the real diagnosis. The doctor took her hand in his and warned her his illness was connected to years of working in the tobacco factory, plus the innumerable amount of cigars her father had smoked over the years.

  Tears pricked hot behind her eyes and Emily inhaled a shaky breath, pushing the negativity to one side. She would enjoy today. Her father orchestrated it, after all. He wanted the best for her and clearly thought a day with Will was what she needed. Who was she to argue? She took in the stares pointed in their direction, the curious eyes and furrowed brows and unashamedly basked in the attention.

  It pleased her if they knew her and wondered why the stranger she danced with at the ball now drove her so openly through town. Or if they didn’t, it pleased her she and Will made a handsome enough couple to cause people to stare in such a manner.

  The feeling of potential scandal was joyously liberating. Every part of her life was planned with propriety and necessity in mind. Nicholas had ensured their betrothal was common knowledge the moment he put the ring on her finger, thus cutting off any chance of fun and abandonment.

  With Will at her side, she would enjoy a day of misbehavior. Emily smiled. As the days wore on and the wedding date neared, a strange power was gathering strength within her. Her plan to meet with Katherine was not based on the sole mission of hats and tea. Emily had much more strategic plans in mind. Her smile faltered. She hoped today her nonsensical but deep-rooted suspicions would be proven unfounded.

  If they were, she was confident Katherine would become a trusted confidant and ally during her enforced marriage. If her suspicions were correct, then she would have lost one of her oldest friends. . . .

  She felt Will’s gaze on her and turned. Her sense had been right.

  He smiled. “Happy?” His gaze revealed pleasure—at least that was what she hoped.

  “How long have you been looking at me instead of the road?” She arched her eyebrow.

  “Long enough to want to know what is going on in that fine and pretty head of yours.”

  She sighed. “I was thinking how much I am enjoying the scandal we’re causing.”

  “We’re causing a scandal?”

  She laughed. “Why, yes. Look around. See how the people stare at Miss Emily Darson, Nicholas Milne’s fiancée, no less, riding in broad daylight with a handsome stranger. My reputation will be in tatters.”

  His beautiful eyes sparkled with mischief. “Handsome stranger?”

  She nonchalantly lifted her shoulders. “You rank above the gargoyles of Bath Abbey.”

  His pulled his face into a comical insult. “Thank you for the compliment.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Laughing, he glanced about him and lifted his hat to two young ladies walking arm in arm on the street. They giggled and nodded discreetly back.

  Emily coughed as jealousy sparked inside her. “After your heroic rescue of my father this morning, I decided to cast aside my reservations about you.”

  His eyes met hers. “You have reservations about me?”

  “Of course. You have all the signs of a rogue.”

  His eyes grew wide and he pressed a hand to his heart. “Me?”

  Emily laughed, her heart soaring deliciously. “Yes, you, but today is a new day for me. I am not going to care what people think. I value your company, and today I will enjoy myself.”

  His gaze wandered over her face, lingering at her lips as a muscle leapt in his jaw. “Do you value it enough to allow me to lift you into the back of this gig and kiss you?”

  Her heart stopped and fear skittered along her nerve endings, lifting the hairs on her arms.

  “You wouldn’t dare.” The words left her mouth on a whisper.

  He leaned closer. “Because you do not want it or because we shouldn’t?”

  Her chest rose and fell with each ragged breath and a tingling erupted deep in her stomach. “Will, stop it.” She looked around her as panic coursed through her veins. “Right now.”

  He laughed and nonchalantly patted her leg as though he had neither care nor regard who saw. “As long as I know how much you value me, you have nothing to fear.”

  Emily stared ahead. Her skin turned hot with traitorous longing for his touch; her lips ached with want for his kiss. She’d thought of little else but him for days. She was clearly capable of losing her head around him and, for all her bravado, she was afraid. She didn’t think anyone was capable of controlling her. At least, that’s what she’d always told herself. He wasn’t even telling her what to do or even implying what she should do. Yet . . .

  Was she losing control? Was that what this was? Her worst fear brought out by a stranger. She glanced at him. How could a fear feel this good? She thrust her gaze to the street. People talked. People gossiped and, despite wanting to enjoy their limited time together, she couldn’t afford to risk Nicholas recognizing her regard for Will. If he did, he could easily go after him and goodness only knew what would happen.

  She swallowed the bitter taste of loss. “We have to be careful, Will.”

  Silence.

  She turned and their eyes locked.

  His smile dissolved. “In what way? I was only teasing—”

  “Were you?” With her heart thundering, the question tripped from her tongue before she could trap it within. Her tone was undeniable. She didn’t want him to tease her; she wanted him to want her. She needed
to know even if they could never act upon it. Did he desire her?

  His gaze darted over her face.

  Emily waited, unexpected tears burning the back of her eyes.

  He snapped his gaze ahead. “I would never do anything to frighten you or taint your reputation.”

  Emily trembled as relief relaxed her shoulders.

  He hadn’t denied the attraction pulling between them on a tangible thread. He liked her. As a person—and a woman.

  “No one can ever know we kissed. If Nicholas were ever to learn of it, I dread to think what he would do to you . . . or me.”

  He turned and his blue eyes sparked with determination. “You have nothing to fear on that score. If he finds out . . . which he won’t, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself and you. I will never let that man hurt you. Ever.”

  She smiled as warmth encased her heart. “You say that as if you are to be in Bath a lifetime. You are leaving soon. Nicholas isn’t.”

  For the first time in her life, Emily’s fight for independence wavered. It felt so right to imagine Will as her great protector . . . but he would soon leave and then she’d face Nicholas’s newly revealed temper alone. Her stomach tightened. A fact she didn’t relish but neither did she entirely fear it. The man made her angry enough to fight for her right to her own life with every last ounce of her being.

  Will looked ahead. “Then I promise while I am here, nothing will happen to you.”

  Tension radiated from him and Emily pursed her lips tightly closed. Now was not the time to protest or argue. The hard set of his jaw and the crease between his brows showed his inner frustration. The notion he cared for her was enough. She needed little else from him. To have known Will Samson and the way he made her feel would be stored in her memory for a long time after he left. He made her feel she was amusing and desirous rather than tiresome and uncooperative as Nicholas so often referred to her.

  He cleared his throat. “I do not regret our kiss for a single moment . . . but I accept it will be detrimental to both of us if it was to happen again.”

  She swallowed the lump of disappointment lodged in her throat. “Exactly.”