Page 52 of The Hellion and the Captain
“I’ll follow up with him tomorrow.”
Emmaline could sense that Rhys was not overly concerned about how Tommy felt about the entire situation, but she supposed that was what made a good leader. Someone who had to say things others shied away from and be confident that he had done his best with the situation.
The carriage slowed as they arrived at Minnie’s parents’ home, a stately townhouse in the higher end area of Salford. Her parents were wealthy but didn’t have the entailed lands or varied estates as Lily and Emmaline’s parents did.
“Well, that was more fun than I’ve had in a long time,” Minnie said as Colin helped her out of the carriage. A wide smile covered her beautiful face as she flipped pieces of her blond hair behind her shoulder. “If there is ever the opportunity to join you again, I would love to do so.”
“Consider it done, Min,” Emmaline said. “And if you decide that you’re interested in Tommy, you just let me know.”
“I will,” she said, her cheeks flushing pink again. “Goodnight.”
They waited a few minutes for Colin to walk her to thedoor to ensure she was safely home, and he seemed pensive when he rejoined them.
“She does seem a good fit for Tommy,” he said as they drove away.
“Except that her parents would like to see her wed to a duke or someone of the sort,” Lily said wryly.
“I don’t know about that,” Colin said with a snort, “but I would encourage him to pursue her if it wasn’t for her suitor Emmett here.”
They all chuckled before Colin leaned back in the seat, his gaze flicking over to Rhys and then back to Emmaline.
“Whatever happened with you and Tommy, anyway?”
Emmaline could feel Rhys’s stare upon her, and she realized this wasn’t a situation he knew anything about. In fact, she would have preferred not even speaking to him about it, for she didn’t want it to become more of an issue than it actually was.
“We met up once with the intention of getting to know one another, and quickly realized that while we got on very well as friends, there was nothing more between us,” she said with a shrug. “No attraction.”
“Does Tommy know that you are Emmett?” Rhys said from beside her, his body having gone rigid, his voice dipping into that low, nearly threatening tone.
“He does not,” Emmaline said before conceding, “at least, as far as I know.”
“So, you’re not as good friends as you thought.”
“We had fun as friends,” she said patiently. Just that evening, she had been jealous of Rhys simply looking at Minnie so she could understand where he was coming from. She couldn’t help but admit that it felt good to know he cared enough to be bothered by the thought of her with another man. “That is the extent of it.”
“I see,” he said, although from his tone, he still didn’t seem entirely pleased about the situation.
At the end of Lily’s parents’ drive, the carriage stopped in the yard just beyond Lily and Colin’s little house.
“Are you sure you prefer to walk?” Lily asked. “The carriage could take you home and return.”
“I’ll find my own way back after I see Emmaline home,” Rhys said. “Not to worry. Thank you, Lily, Colin. And goodnight.”
When they stepped out of the carriage, Rhys placed a hand on the small of Emmaline’s back, walking her down the drive. She felt treasured, protected, in the hands of this big, gruff man, and her heart seemed to be beating so hard that it was jumping up to her throat.
It was hard to believe she had already been intimate with him, for she still felt so vulnerable in his arms.
“Did you enjoy yourself tonight?” he finally asked, breaking the silence, as they walked through the dim night, lit only by the half-moon and the surrounding stars hanging over them.
“I did,” she said. “Minnie is always a good time. But I still felt that I couldn’t be myself. That if I said too much or became too exuberant, I would receive too much attention. I don’t like holding back, but it seems necessary.”
He nodded thoughtfully, scratching his beard. “You are much more spirited as Emmaline.”
“Because it doesn’t matter. All I risk by being too much is someone not wanting me, and if no one wants me because they don’t like who I truly am, then so be it.”
“I can’t imagine how anyone would not want you.”
“That is kind of you to say.”
