Page 7 of The Duke's Inconvenient Bride
Emma stood and changed places with Violet. While Daisy began working out the tight curls, Violet met Emma’s gaze in the mirror.
“If I become a duchess, it will be the talk of the town.” She winced as the brush snagged in a knot. “Do you think the duke is very handsome?”
Entirely too much so.
But not the sort of handsome that was meant for Emma.
“He is,” Emma said. “But he seemed too cold to me.”
Violet cocked her head, scowling when Daisy repositioned her. “How do you mean?”
Emma shrugged. “Just that I got the impression he would be a difficult person to know.”
Violet’s eyes lit up. “A challenge. My favorite thing.”
Emma forced herself to smile and tried to forget the flare of interest she’d felt when the duke had looked at her. Really looked at her, as few people did.
It’s useless,she told herself.He wants Violet.
Violet delicately cleared her throat. “You know, you could make a good match too, if you tried a little harder. Maybe not a duke, but you could snare a title. I’m certain of it.”
Despite the backhanded compliment, Emma laughed. “I do not wish to snare a title. I want love.”
Violet pulled a face. “But why? With money and a title, everyone in the ton would respect you. You would be invited everywhere, and you could afford whatever gowns and trinkets you wanted. Or,” she added, perhaps sensing how futile that argument was, “all the books you could dream of.”
“A never-ending supply of books would be nice,” Emma acknowledged. “But not nice enough to change my mind.”
Daisy finished with Violet’s hair, and Violet bounced over to the bed and joined Emma.
“Good night, Daisy,” Emma said as the maid smoothed her skirts and left.
“Good night, my lady.”
“Explain it to me,” Violet said after the door closed. “Help me to understand why you want love over status.”
Emma slipped beneath the covers. “I just….” She tried to figure out how to put her desire into words. “I want someone who cares for me. Someone good and kind to whom I mean more than a healthy dowry or a pretty face who can play hostess. I want someone who likes and respects me.”
She pulled the blankets up and imagined her perfect suitor. “I want to feel butterflies in my stomach when I see him and for him to always kiss me before he leaves the house. I want endearments, sweet touches, and private jokes.” She sighed. Really, it boiled down to one thing. “I want to be the most important person in someone’s world.”
Violet gazed at her with an open mouth, and for a moment, Emma thought she might have gotten through to her, but then her sister flashed a mischievous smile.
“Then I will marry my duke, and you can marry your doting pauper,” she said. “We shall see who is happier.”
Violet made her way to the door and hovered in the doorway. “A piece of advice, though? You won’t find any match—love or otherwise—unless you put more effort into your appearance and manners.” She scrunched her nose. “I know you can be charming, and you are quite pretty when you try.”
Emma’s mouth was dry. Fortunately, Violet left, because Emma didn’t know what she’d have said otherwise.
The thing was, Violet wasn’t wrong.
But if Emma gave her all to finding a potential husband and failed, she didn’t know how she’d handle the rejection. At least for now, she could pretend that men might notice her if she tried her hardest.
If she showed her best self to someone and they rejected her, she’d be crushed.
CHAPTER 3
Emma gazedat the three new day dresses she’d yet to wear and ran her finger along the soft fabric of the pale blue one.
“What do you think of this?” she asked Daisy.
