Page 71 of Her Wolf of a Duke

Emma paused, and that alone was enough to silence the two ladies. She turned and looked at them, and in an instant they avoided her gaze and turned away, walking elsewhere.

“You must ignore them,” she said softly. “I suppose scandal has changed greatly since you were out in society.”

“No, it has always been this way. It was one of the things I had hoped would have changed by now, but it would appear not.”

“Do not pay it any mind. What they are saying is not true, and so we cannot give it any attention as though it is.”

“But it is true. I was accused of a most heinous crime when my husband passed away.”

“That does not signify. It is not true, and so we will not be listening to it. Instead, we shall enjoy our time here as Duchess and Dowager Duchess of Lupton, and we shall return home when it pleases us.”

Thankfully, her mother-in-law agreed, and they continued on their way. The whispers continued, but nobody was brave enough to say it to their face and so it was an easy time away. By the time they were in the carriage once again, Emma wondered if she might be late to dinner. Eloise seemed wary of it, too.

“You may tell him that I am to blame, if you miss dinner,” she assured her. “It is my fault, after all.”

“It is nobody’s fault. We simply enjoyed ourselves and lost track of time. He shall understand.”

They arrived just in time, and Levi met them in the hallway. He greeted them both politely, and they gave him a brief explanation as to what they had been doing. He listened rather intently before taking Emma to dinner, Eloise leaving to have hers in her own wing of the estate.

“The gowns were an excellent idea,” he said brightly. “I do not know how you convinced her, but it is precisely what she needs. I have been looking at those same gowns since I was a boy. I do not know how she still manages to wear them.”

“She told me that you have suggested such a thing before. She believes that she is undeserving of the finer things.”

“I suppose she regrets a lot about her behavior when I was a boy, and what she continues to do now.”

“Do you ever want it to be different? She certainly does.”

“Of course I do, but it will never happen. It has been this way for too long now, and though she has grown kinder since your arrival, you must know that a mere month ago she was still unkind to me. This is how she is now, and it is for the best that we avoid one another.”

“It is a shame, for I truly do think she wants to be a good mother to you. It would be nice for her to join us for a meal one day, perhaps?”

“I suppose that would be tolerable. We might also secure her an invitation for the ball. Now that she will have a few gowns to wear, she may well wish to accompany us.”

“I think that is a wonderful idea. Would you be happy for that to happen?”

“I cannot say that it delights me, but my mother deserves some grace. She did not have an easy marriage, and it is not her fault that she did not want me. My father did not give her much say in the matter, after all.”

Emma did not mention that he was doing the same thing to her, and not allowing her to discuss the matter of children, as he washappy and they were having an important conversation that she did not wish to ruin.

“I hadn’t expected her to change this quickly,” he continued. “You have been good for her. Somehow, you bring a maternal instinct out of her that I never could. I am so pleased about that. No one deserves to be locked away forever, even if they choose their own cage.”

Emma smiled, allowing herself to accept the compliment.

The invitation was easily secured, and Eloise beamed at the news. At once, she left to plan how she would have her hair, and which jewelry she would select. Emma had a far easier time with that task.

She would have her hair pinned up in whichever way her lady’s maid pleased, and she would wear her gold locket.

CHAPTER 24

When the three of them arrived at Balfour Manor, Emma was completely beside herself with anticipation.

She wanted to see her sister, and at last find out what she wanted to discuss, but also she could see her friends, as they would be in attendance too. She found Sarah in an instant. However, she did not like what she saw, and she approached quickly. She was speaking with the Viscount, fury in her eyes. The Viscount, meanwhile, was in utter shock, and Emma raced to find out who it was about.

“My answer is no, my lord,” Sarah said bluntly, turning from the Viscount.

“But I do not answer to you. I answer to your father, and he insists. You would be wise to follow suit and listen to him.”

“I will keep that in mind, I assure you, but for now my answer is unchanged.”

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