Page 106 of The Duke's Inconvenient Bride
CHAPTER 25
Essex,
January, 1820
An unseasonably warmbreeze stirred the air as Emma strolled through the gardens with Violet. The sky overhead was gray, but she felt no need for a coat as they explored the shrubbery.
Whereas the grounds of Ashford Hall were expertly manicured, the Mayhew’s estate was wilder, with fewer cultivated flowers, but no less beautiful. It was the sort of place Emma imagined could be a faerie glen.
“So, tell me how you fell in love with Mr. Mayhew,” Emma said. She had bits and pieces of the story, but not the whole thing, and she would like to know.
“I met him at a ball,” Violet said, lifting her skirt to step over a damp patch of grass. “It was the evening that you remained at home with a headache. I danced with him and found him charming.”
“But?” There must be a “but,” otherwise Violet would have declared her preference for him then.
Violet sighed. “But I’m selfish, and he was a handsome but untitled gentleman without a great fortune. I was enchanted by him, but I believed that I could just as easily become enchanted by someone with wealth and a title. When I met Ashford and we didn’t bond, I was surprised.”
“I thought you were quite enamored of the duke,” Emma admitted.
“I was enamored with the idea of him.” They rounded a hedge and emerged in front of the orchard. “I liked the prospect of being a duchess, and he fulfilled all the requirements I thought I had. He’s an attractive man—and I say that with no designs on him whatsoever—but nothing about him sang to me.”
Interesting.
Even when Emma hadn’t thought she liked Vaughan, she had been intrigued by him. His stern countenance, striking silver eyes, and his seriousness had made her want to know more about him.
“Ashford is not romantic like Mr. Mayhew,” Violet said. “He seems so… dispassionate. When I saw Mr. Mayhew again, I realized that the connection we shared was uncommon and that I’d been too quick to dismiss it.”
Emma nodded. Her sister had never been the most emotionally cognizant person, so she could see how she hadn’t immediately realized what she was feeling.
That didn’t mean Emma approved of her actions.
“You are happy now?” Emma asked.
“I am.” Violet stopped walking and turned to her. “I apologized for creating the situation you’ve found yourself in—although you may choose not to forgive me—but I owe you another apology. I knew you were interested in Mr. Mayhew, and yet I didn’t reveal my own interest in him. I hope we didn’t hurt you by eloping.”
Emma bit her lip. The apology was long overdue, but she found it mattered little.
“I appreciate that, but it’s just as well things turned out as they did. I would not have been well suited to Mr. Mayhew.”
Yes, Mr. Mayhew was romantic. There was no denying that. After all, he’d interfered with a duke’s engagement and risked the ton’s ire to win his bride, but he was too self-centered and self-congratulatory for Emma to have been happy with him.
She needed a kind man. One like Vaughan.
“I’m so relieved to hear that,” Violet said, touching Emma’s upper arm. “I have behaved poorly, but I do love you.”
Emma smiled, though it was strained. “I love you, too, sister.”
Violet pulled her into a hug. When she drew back, she was grinning with twin dimples in her cheeks and her eyes dancing. She hooked her arm through Emma’s.
“Let’s see if there are any apples to be found,” she said, guiding Emma toward the orchard. She glanced over her shoulder, then lowered her voice. “So, you used to believe Ashford was cold, as I did. I’ve begun to change my assessment after seeing him with you. Do you still believe him to be cold?”
Emma’s heart filled with bittersweet affection. “No, he isn’t. He has a very warm and loving soul, but he keeps it locked up where nobody can reach it.”
“I think you’re mistaken about that,” Violet told her. “You’ve endeared yourself to him, even if you don’t want to believe it.”
Emma shrugged. Perhaps she had, but it hadn’t done her any good. He wouldn’t change his mind.
“I’m glad I got to know who he really is,” she said. “Though I wish he were willing to give me more.”
