Page 33 of A Duke Reformed
"Courtship is of no interest to me," he said. "What I truly need is a lesson on how to avoid it altogether. The mamas are relentless. Every time I so much as glance in a lady's direction, I can feel their watchful eyes plotting my future. I need to avoid that."
Emma folded her arms, unimpressed. "Yes... how dreadful for you, Your Grace, to be pursued, admired, and sought after."
Solomon caught her sarcastic tone and squinted his eyes at her. "My point still remains that I have no desire to be caught. Which is why I require your expertise."
Emma gave him a long, withering stare. "My expertise?"
"You must admit, you are uniquely qualified for the task. You're a spinster, untouched by the madness of courtship. Who better to instruct me in the fine art of evasion?"
Emma went utterly still. A slow, burning heat crawled up her neck, not from embarrassment, but from sheer, unfiltered vexation.
The man was impossible.
How dare he? How utterly absurd for him. A man who could have his pick of any debutante, who moved through ballrooms with ease, who was pursued, admired, fawned over, to stand before her and suggest that they were alike in this. As though she, too, had spent years avoiding marriage. As though she had chosen to be left to the side while others danced and courted and wed.
Did he truly believe she possessed some grand strategy for evading suitors? That she had navigated society with effortless skill, dodging proposals and suitors simply because she wanted to?
She wanted to laugh. The notion was so absurd, so insulting, that she nearly did laugh. But the sound caught in her throat, trapped beneath the sharp sting of something far more unwelcome.
He would never understand.
They could not be more different.
She was vexed. Utterly, and without any doubt, vexed.
And for some unfathomable reason, Solomon took an inordinate amount of pleasure in that fact.
It wasn't rational. It wasn't even particularly gentlemanly. But there was something exceedingly satisfying about watching Emma's carefully composed expression begin to crack. She was always so rigid, so composed.
Perhaps he had grown too comfortable with her.
It was an odd thought. One he hadn't truly considered until that very moment. He was not a man who grew comfortable with people. He was not charming, nor was he easy going, or pleasant to people. And yet, here he stood, thoroughly enjoying the way Emma's fingers curled at her sides...the way her breath came slightly uneven, the way she was struggling, not just for words, but to contain them.
That, perhaps, was what fascinated him most.
"Are you upset with me?" he asked quietly. "Have I said something to vex you?"
They stood close now...too close. Close enough that he could see the rapid rise and fall of her chest, that he could hear her breathing. A maddening thought crossed his mind, unbidden and entirely unwelcome.
He could reach for her hand. A simple touch, nothing more than a brief, reassuring squeeze. An apology...perhaps. But the thought lingered longer than it should have, unsettling him in ways he did not care to examine.
"No," she finally say and stepped back. "I just...realized something, is all."
Solomon was tempted to ask what it was, but he stopped himself. "Did you ever court anyone?" he asked her and crossed his arms, somehow wishing that she took a step forward again so she was back to where she was previously standing.
Emma exhaled sharply. "No."
The answer was swift, almost clipped, but before he could remark on it, she lifted her chin and added. "Not for lack of desire, mind you. My circumstances simply did not allow it."
Solomon studied her. "Your circumstances?"
Emma squared her shoulders. "Once I restore my dowry and ensure my sisters' future, I fully intend to seek a husband."
His eyebrows twitched. "Have you not been doing so until now?"
Emma exhaled slowly, as if steadying herself before she spoke. "I never had the luxury of courtship," she admitted in a quiet voice. "My debut year, I was... shy. I didn't have the courage to step into the light, so I was always in the background. Standing by the wall, hoping that the time would fly by so I could go home and read my favorite books."
A faint smile crossed her lips. "Then the second year came, and I did the exact same thing. I was afraid, and soon, I started to believe that perhaps it was simply not meant for me. That I was not the sort of woman men sought after. My mother also passed away and I naturally had to take care of my siblings."
