Page 18 of The Duke's Inconvenient Bride
Emma opened her mouth to reply but then stopped. Someone was walking in the hall. A moment later, Violet glided into view. She paused at the sight of them and arched one of her eyebrows.
“You two look cozy,” she said. “Are you gossiping?”
Sophie tensed beside Emma. “It’s nothing.”
Emma stroked the back of Sophie’s head, hoping to calm her. “Sophie had a question for me about Miss Austen’s work. She and her governess have been readingMansfield Park.”
“That’s right.” The tautness dissipated from Sophie’s muscles, and she relaxed against Emma.
“Where is Mansfield Park?” Violet asked, moving toward them so gracefully, Emma could have sworn she was floating. “Is that in Suffolk?”
Emma laughed. “No, Vi. It’s a fictional place in a novel by Miss Jane Austen.”
“Ah. A book.” She said it with the same distaste she held for asparagus. “I have something more interesting to discuss.”
She turned the chair in front of the mirror toward them and settled onto the seat.
“May I stay?” Sophie asked, since Violet sometimes preferred to dismiss her from what she considered to be more “adult” conversations.
Violet waved her hand breezily. “Yes, you may.” She touched her hair, as if to check whether it was all in place. “I would like to discuss love.”
“Love?” Emma repeated. She hadn’t expected that. “But why?”
Violet shrugged. “Because it matters to you, and I’m intrigued by the concept.”
Emma pursed her lips. “Just remember, I’m not an expert.”
Her lack of gentleman callers proved that.
“But you believe in it,” Violet said. “You want it.”
“I do.”
“I should also like to find love.” Sophie sighed wistfully. “Preferably with a handsome foreign prince.”
Emma’s lips twitched, but she hid her amusement.
Violet leaned forward, her bright blue gaze even more intense than usual. “What do you think love feels like?”
Emma was so caught off guard that she gaped at her sister. “I-I cannot be certain. I haven’t felt it.”
“If you had to guess,” Violet said.
Clasping her hands together, Emma tried to collect herself. “I would imagine that I’d feel giddy in his presence. That beingwith him would bring me joy. There is a quote by Miss Austen that you might appreciate.” She cleared her throat. “‘There could be no two hearts so open, no tastes so similar, no feelings so in unison.’ That’s what I believe love is. When two hearts are as one.”
She thought Violet might tease her, especially for reciting a quote from a novel by heart. In the past, she certainly would have done so. But instead, Violet’s eyes shone.
“That‘s beautiful,” she said. “I—”
A hiss from the doorway cut her off. “Lady Emma.”
All three Carlisle sisters turned toward Daisy, who blushed bright red.
“What is it, Daisy?” Emma asked.
“The Duke of Ashford is here,” Daisy said. “He’s asked to speak with Lord Carlisle.”
Emma’s heart sank. If there had been any doubt whether she’d imagined her brief moment of connection with the duke, it vanished.
