Page 65 of The Hellion and the Captain
He had questions, however. One way or another he was going to find out what had caused her such fear.
And he was going to fix it.
Eton? They were going to play Eton?
Emmaline had been swept up after the game, following her teammates into the bathhouse without a thought as to how she was going to avoid the situation. She excused herself to use the facilities, and when she returned, they were almost all fully dressed, thank goodness.
She felt rather than saw Rhys watching her, but she knew they had to be careful. They were likely being watched, and if anyone found anything suspicious, suddenly winning the next game to advance would become the least of their problems.
She kept her distance until they reached the King’s Head after the match. She put in some time as Emmett until she left, only to round the red brick building and enter the back door, changing in the powder room where Lily had stashed clothing. She washed her face, allowing her to return as Emmaline for the final hour or two of the night.
“Emmaline,” Rhys said, sliding into the chair beside her, a wide grin on his face as he wrapped his arm around the back of the chair. “It is so good to see you.”
She smiled impishly at him, a smile that she had to hide on the football field, as much as she wanted to send it his way. “Same to you. It has been far too long, has it not?”
“It is always too long when I’m away from you,” he saidsoftly and her cheeks flushed. He leaned in. “Are you going to tell me what the matter is?”
She bit her lip, looking from one side to the other to make sure that no one was listening in.
“You said we would play Eton next.”
“I did,” he said. “And we will. Is there a problem with Eton?”
“Only that my brother plays for them.”
Rhys sat back in his chair as his mouth dropped open.
“Your brother?”
She nodded grimly.
“He has attended Eton for years, but this is the first year he is playing for their football team. He always said he was too busy with his studies to play seriously, but apparently, he feels he can handle it this year. They are quite good, as you know. I never considered that we might ever match up against him.”
“Does he know?” Rhys asked in a low voice, not needing to clarify to what he was referring.
“No.” She shook her head. “He discouraged me from even attempting to start a women’s club. I can only imagine what he’d say about… other things. He always used to support these kinds of ideas, but it seems that school has changed him, for now he’s keen to tell me what a young lady should and shouldn’t be doing. As though he’s the expert.” She scoffed.
“I see,” Rhys said, stroking his beard. “Well, then. We will have to work extra hard to make sure that he doesn’t discover anything he shouldn’t.”
“But how?” she asked morosely. “He knows me better than anyone, save for my mother and Lily.”
He stared at her, and despite his relaxed body position, his feet stretched out before him, his gaze was intense.
“Perhaps someday I’ll make that list.”
Why did she like how that sounded so much?
“Perhaps you shall,” she said with a quick grin, hiding how much his words affected her. “Until then, I must find a way to make it through the game undetected. Where will we play?”
“In Berkshire, I believe. We will travel by train,” he said, reaching out a hand and placing it face up on the table, inviting her to take it. “We’ll make a plan, Emmaline. We will get through this. I promise.”
“Get through what?”
Tommy turned a chair around and sat on it backwards, facing the two of them, his head swiveling from one of them to the other. “What’s wrong? You both look so serious. How’s it been, Emmaline?”
“Just fine, Tommy,” she said. “And nothing is wrong. We were discussing the club’s chances in the next game.”
“Never bet against us, Emmaline,” Tommy said, sipping his drink. “Never. We always find a way.”
