by Fimch, Fanny
Her excitement was short-lived as she thought about his callous discussion of her outside of her presence. She would not believe his friendliness was genuine.
But she longed to think of him differently. She did not want him to be rude. She wanted him to be honest and open, so that she could delve into his brain and see the things he’d seen.
Frustrated by her indecisive nature, she pushed herself up from the window seat. At that moment, she saw the upkick of dust as horses drew a fancy carriage toward the house. It was a topless carriage, driven by a well-dressed driver. The two dukes were in the carriage, one on each side.
She kept her eyes on the men for only a moment but did not want to take the chance that the man facing her would look up and see her staring from the window. That would be extremely disconcerting for both of them.
She would simply have to make the best of the night. She tried to keep it in mind that she did not know the man well and would need to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, he was a duke of some note and was wealthy by all accounts.
She looked in the mirror before she went down to make sure she looked appropriate. She practiced looking demure and sweet. Before turning away from the mirror, she stuck her tongue out at herself and then smiled.
She went down the stairs, her heart thumping against her chest. She wanted to be in the parlor before they arrived. The duchess and their housekeeper, Gertrude, were standing at the bottom, talking in hushed tones.
The duchess looked up at her. The look on her face concerned Emma.
“What is it, Mother? Is something wrong?”
The duchess frowned. “Your father is not feeling well enough to meet the Dukes of Lox and Rabney. He is sleeping and we do not want to wake him from his rest. Dr. Smithson has instructed us not to bother him with any action that might weaken him further.”
“Oh dear.” Emma was distressed. “I will go see him.”
The duchess reached out and took her arm gently. “No, Emma. He is sleeping. Do not bother him.”
“I will not wake him, Mother,” Emma responded, unhappy that she was being kept from her father. When the duchess replied, it was with a gentle tone, one that Emma was not used to.
“No, Emma. Wait a bit before you go. Let him rest for now.”
Emma felt herself give in to her step-mother’s request. She relaxed some and nodded. “All right, Mother. I will wait until after dinner.”
The duchess nodded just as there was a knock on the door.
The women turned to look and then moved in different directions, as Emma went to the parlor and the duchess and the housekeeper went to the door to greet the visitors.
Emma passed through the doorway and stopped on the other side, breathing slowly. She placed one hand on her chest just below her neck and closed her eyes. She would need to calm down and keep herself together.
She crossed the room to the fireplace and stood in front of it, anticipating the men coming through the door with her step-mother at any moment.
When the door opened and Katherine came in, Emma was briefly startled. The dukes and her step-mother came in right behind her. Emma realized Katherine must have been coming down the stairs behind her and she did not realize it. She had waited with her mother as the dukes came in the house.
Emma suddenly felt a little out of place. Katherine was giving her frightened looks, as if she was being set up in a trap. Emma wanted to hug her sister and tell her everything would be all right.
For their part, the dukes were on their best behavior. The Duke of Rabney did not hover near Katherine, as an interested party might. He stood back and let the Duke of Lox be in the forefront of the conversation with the Duchess of Corning.
“I do hope we have not come at a bad time,” the Duke of Lox said, scanning the older woman’s face. “You look distraught.”
The Duchess of Corning waved one hand in front of her face, shaking her head. “Please do not worry yourself about me, your grace. The duke has not felt well today and will not be joining us. It is a shame and a disappointment but we do what is necessary to help him through this.”
The Duke of Lox looked at Emma, sympathy on his face. “That is a disappointment. I was hoping to meet him today. I am sorry he is feeling ill. I hope he recovers soon.”
“Unfortunately, recovery does not seem to be an option at this point.”
“We will be praying for him, my lady.” The Duke of Lox used a gentle voice.
“Please do come and sit.” The duchess held out one hand toward the middle of the parlor, where there were chairs of different sizes. Emma had moved to the one closest to the fireplace where she’d been standing.
The Duke of Lox thanked the duchess and walked to the chair opposite Emma, so that when he sat, he was facing her at a slight angle. He sat on the edge of the seat with his back stiff. Before he found a seat, the Duke of Rabney stopped in front of the duchess and asked a medical question about the duke’s health.
Emma automatically tuned out. She did not want to hear specifics about her father’s condition. She would not understand most of it and many of the words were foreign and scary-sounding. She did not want to know anything other than when he would get better. And, as her mother had said, there was little chance of that now.
Emma noticed the Duke of Lox frequently glanced at her. Each time he did, she wondered what he saw. The third time he glanced at her, he smiled. Instinctively, she smiled back. He was already handsome but when he smiled, his face lit up like a beacon. It was a contagious, humor-filled grin, playful and boyish.
Emma liked that.
“I enjoyed our dance, Lady Wentworth,” the Duke of Lox leaned forward to speak to her. She nodded.
“As did I.”
“I do hope we will have the opportunity to dance again at the next function.”
Emma detested the confusion she felt inside. She was stuck on the word “obedient” but yet he seemed so amiable. With Lord Archibald as an alternative, she quickly decided she needed to give the Duke of Lox another chance.
She leaned forward. “My lord, I would like to show you my father’s library, if you are interested.”
The Duke of Lox grinned wide. “I am interested.”
Emma stood up, looking at Katherine. “Katherine, would you like to accompany us to the library? I would like to have the Duke of Lox’s opinion on our vast selection.” She glanced at the Duke of Rabney. “Would you like to see it, your grace?”
The Duke of Rabney gave her a smile that resembled his friend’s in spirit, if not in looks. “Yes, that would be grand,” he said in a light-hearted way.
Chapter Seven
Emma went ahead of the Duke of Lox, unaware that he had his eyes set on her. He stood by the door as she passed, followed by her sister and the duchess. He looked up at the Duke of Rabney, who nodded at him. They walked behind the three women.
The Duke of Rabney leaned to his friend and whispered, “What are we doing here, Baldwin? Who is the duchess intending to match? I thought it was you, but from her behavior, it appears she is placing me with Miss Katherine.”
The Duke of Lox just shook his head, not willing to say anything and be overheard. He was once again confused but pleasantly surprised by Emma’s sudden change of mood. He kept his eyes on her back, admiring the curls of her long hair and the way her hips swayed when she walked. She was a fine-looking young woman.
He lifted his eyes when he passed through the door of the library and raised his eyebrows. It was a grand room, with shelves of books from knee high to the ceiling along three entire sides of the room. A large stained-glass window depicting the flood of Noah’s day stretched along the outside wall, showing a distorted, colored view of the landscape on the other side.
Emma was suddenly at his side, looking up at him. His heart did a flip and his chest tightened.
“You startled me, my lady,” he said in a gentle, amused voice. “I did not see you there.”
“I apologize.” She smiled. “I enj
oy spending a good deal of my time in this room.”
The Duke of Lox nodded, looking around. “I can understand why. It is a magnificent room. Have you read all these books?”
Emma giggled, scrunching her nose at him. “Oh, my lord, no. It would take most of my lifetime to read half of these books.”
“But I am sure you are on your way, are you not?”
Emma’s giggle turned to a soft laugh. “Yes, I do love to read. There are many great tales and adventures to be had. I enjoy bringing both darkness and light into my life and have the adventure come to an end. Even the stories in the Bible have their ending.”
“Yes, all but the last one.” The Duke of Lox took a step toward one of the walls of books, hoping she would come along with him. When she kept in step with him, he continued until he was close enough to read the titles of the books. He walked slowly, scanning the books, his hands clasped behind his back.
“This is quite a selection.” He glanced behind him at her. “How many have you read?”
Emma looked at the books surrounding her. The room was tidy but the maid and housekeeper had been instructed to leave any open books where they were and not to touch them. Emma frequently read until she was too tired to stay awake any longer and left the room, her book open to where she stopped reading.
There were only two of them open on the tables by the window where she usually sat.
“I have not kept count,” she responded. “I like adventurous tales.”
The Duke of Lox looked over her shoulder. “Does the duchess restrict your reading?”
“What would give you that impression?” Emma tilted her head to the side curiously.
He shook his head. “She seems a very strict woman. I would hazard a guess that she is very strict with you. Many rules.”
“She does have her ways,” Emma nodded.
“Do you know why she asked us here this evening?”
Emma was surprised by the conspiratorial tone of his voice. She scanned his face, feeling a warm sensation slide through her. She liked that feeling. She wanted to feel it more often. “I was not told a specific reason,” she responded. “It is the season for dinner parties and balls. Could there be any other reason?”
“I think she is trying to match us up.” He did not sound opposed to the idea.
“I believe she is trying to match the Duke of Rabney with my sister, Katherine.”
The Duke of Lox averted his eyes, looking over at his friend, who was standing by the window with Katherine and the duchess. He turned his eyes back to Emma. “Oh? I do not think that will be successful.”
“Why is that?”
“My friend already has his eyes set on another woman.” The Duke of Lox grinned and Emma had a feeling she knew why.
“Is he interested in calling on Camilla?”
The Duke of Lox grinned wider. “That is correct. He spoke of her loveliness and the graceful way she danced with him for most of the night when we arrived home and I nearly had to slap him to make him stop.”
“Oh, I do hope you did not need to slap him.” Emma giggled at the thought of the Duke of Lox slapping the Duke of Rabney.
The man shook his head. “No. I did not. But I thought about it. Several times.”
He joined her in soft laughter.
“Truth be told, he would have been justified to do the same to me, as I was behaving in the same manner.”
Emma raised her eyebrows at him. She was enjoying the teasing banter between them. Could it be that she had become agitated with him too soon? She really should be more patient with him. “Oh? You were speaking too frequently about Camilla?”
He gave an abrupt chuckle and shook his head. “No, not Lady Fielding. I mentioned another woman several times. Someone I would like to get to know much better, if the opportunity arises.”
“Oh? Do I know this woman?”
He nodded. “You know her very well. Better than anyone else, I am quite sure.”
Emma giggled. “I shall pass a message on to her, if you like.”
“That would be grand. You may tell her that I believe she has the most pleasant smile and warm laughter that I have heard in some time. And I would like to call on her at her convenience.” He leaned slightly closer to her, his hands still clasped firmly behind his back. “It is you, Lady Wentworth. I am talking about you.”
A pleasant chill swept through Emma as she gazed into his eyes. “I would like that, my lord.”
“Good. It is settled then.”
Chapter Eight
Cooksey Castle was quite a sight to see. Generations before she was even a twinkle in her father’s eye, Lady Camilla Cooksey’s ancestors had dug into the side of a huge mountain and built rooms, creating one of the most unique home atmospheres in all the world. Cooksey Castle took up just a quarter of the space in the mountain it was built in.
Emma could not help leaning toward the window of the covered coach and gazing out at it. She could hear the rumble of lightning in the distance and glanced up at the impending dark clouds. Where the clouds did not cover, the sky was as blue as could be, as if the sun was battling for dominance but slowly being taken over by the drifting insistence of the water-filled clouds.
She liked to take in the castle as she got closer to it, amazed by the way it seemed entrenched in the side of the mountain so precisely, so neatly and yet jutted out as if the mountain had given birth to it… she was always fascinated by it. How creative Camilla’s ancestors had been! And how skilled in the craft of architecture and design. The castle had remained intact and in place, sheltering nearly sixteen generations of Camilla’s family.
The story never ceased to amaze Emma.
It had been two short days since the dinner party with the dukes. The Duke of Rabney seemed unsuccessful in convincing the duchess that he would be no more than friends with Katherine. At a loss, Katherine had gone to bed that night crying, though her mother did not know it.
Emma knew her sister felt obligated to do whatever her mother wanted. But the more she spoke to Emma about it, the more she convinced herself the Duke of Rabney was not a compatible match for her. Despite his wealth and good looks, Katherine could tell the man’s heart was already taken.
“He is distracted at times, Emma,” Katherine told her during their dinner party. “It is as though he goes into his mind and closes himself away, even for only a minute or two. It is very disconcerting.”
Emma wondered if the Duke of Rabney was distracted by thoughts about Camilla.
It was amazing what one dance could do.
The carriage pulled up next to the front doors but Emma’s carriage was behind another, and two young ladies were being helped down by young men. She and Katherine would have to wait their turn, even though they were closest in kin and friendship to the young lady of the castle.
Emma did not really mind but she was feeling anxious. She wanted to talk to Camilla about what her step-mother was plotting. If Camilla felt the way Emma suspected she did, she would want to fight for her opportunity to marry the Duke of Rabney.
She waited on the edge of the bench seat, one hand on the door of the carriage. When the carriage stopped moving and the footman reached up to open the door, she already had it pushing out toward him and was grasping for his hand so she could get down.
Katherine noticed Emma’s hurry and suspected she knew why the girl was acting the way she was. It did not sway her. She had told Emma so that word would go immediately back to Camilla and she had done it for one reason. She knew Camilla showed interest in courting the Duke of Rabney and she knew there was nothing she herself could do to stop her mother from doing whatever she wanted.
The only way the situation could change was if Camilla captured the attention and heart of the Duke of Rabney before the Duchess of Corning could have her own way. Katherine was not interested in taking the heart of a man Camilla longed for. She wanted a man of her own and did not want to ever question his loyalty to her.
At the same
time, Katherine wanted a man who had a heftier purse. Like her mother, she put a great deal of stock in how much the man made annually. It would need to exceed her expectations, if he were to be considered.
The Duke of Rabney was well off, to be sure. But he was not in the range Katherine had her sights on. She was more apt to run off with a ruffian with a great deal of money than a refined gentleman with a comfortable pension.
Emma hurried up the steps, trying not to be distracted by the enormous pillars to her left and right, the etchings in the outer walls of the castle, the statues and other artifacts that remained in place even after hundreds of years.
At times, she had wondered why Camilla ever left her castle. It was too beautiful for a normal human imagination. It was the thing of storybooks and fairy tales.
She was holding up her skirts as she swept up onto the porch and headed for the front door. It was standing open and the butler was to the right, greeting those who came in and telling a young man behind him the name of the guest being announced.
There were more people here than she had thought there would be already. She had thought it was just a get-together of friends, a luncheon to be enjoyed, not another ball where she was expected to dance and flirt. She was hoping for a more relaxed time.
Feeling a bit disappointed, she glanced at the butler, who ushered her in without giving her name for announcement. He knew she was there for Camilla. The young man assisting him had not returned from announcing the guest who had come in before Emma.
She did not feel the need to wait for him and dashed toward the parlor, where she was sure Camilla would be, standing near the pianoforte, waiting for someone to ask if she would play. She did so love to play but never did so without being asked first.
She passed the young announcer, who only glanced her way and continued on. She was well known in Cooksey Castle.
She heard the butler giving Katherine’s name to the announcer just as she went through the door to the parlor.