Page 89 of The Hellion and the Captain
“Mr. Lockwood,” her father said, shaking his hand as Rhys looked around him in confusion. He had expected to walk into a tense atmosphere, one in which he and Emmaline would have to defend themselves and their actions, but instead, her family seemed almost… welcoming.
Well, with the exception of Freddie and Richard, who stared at him with some distaste.
“Emmaline has shared with us quite the story of this football season,” her mother said, sitting back, her hands wrapped around a cup of tea. “I have to say, it was quite the tale. Shocking, although it shouldn’t be, considering this is Emmaline.”
“Do you remember when she was ten?” Freddie interjected. “We lost her for half a day. We looked all over the house and grounds, and she was nowhere to be found.”
“Where was she?” Rhys couldn’t help but ask, even though he really wanted to shout into this strange tableau and ask what had happened, what the family knew of his relationship and intentions toward Emmaline.
“She was hiding in a tree in the woods,” Richard said, chuckling. “We had been playing hide-and-seek. Freddie and I couldn’t find her, so we assumed she had gone inside. When we entered the house, there were cakes of some kind on the table, and we promptly forgot about looking for her.”
“So, she was stuck in the tree?” Rhys asked, slightly horrified.
“Not at all,” Freddie said with a smirk. “She was more than capable of climbing down. She was committed to the game and refused to come out until she was sure she had won.”
Rhys let out a surprised laugh, although the story made sense. That was Emmaline.
“How is your shoulder?” he asked. Her arm was still in asling across the front of her butter yellow dress, telling him she must have had help in addressing it.
“It is sore, but the physician returned and said I will be just fine.”
“Good,” he said, as Lord Daughtry leaned forward, his expression turning serious.
“I know how much you love football, Emmaline, but we do not want to see you hurt again.”
“I know, Father, and I am sorry for that,” she said, sobering. “I was only hurt because I was targeted by Victor Reeves.”
“Who is to say that you will not continue to be targeted?” Richard asked, frowning.
“I have made a decision, one I want to share with all of you, but most of all, you Rhys.”
“Of course,” he said, waiting, holding his breath.
“None of this should come as a surprise after our previous conversations. I have decided that I will no longer play with Manchester Central. It was the time of my life, and I will forever be grateful for you and all of the other men on the team – for looking out for me, believing in me, and sharing the pitch with me. But Reeves targeted me once, and it is likely that others will as well. It’s a cruel world out there, especially toward women.”
“However, we keep working toward change,” her mother interjected, her jaw set determinately.
“We will,” Emmaline agreed. “That is why, even though I will no longer play with Manchester Central, I am not going to give up on the women’s club that I would like to see formed.”
“Oh, Emmaline,” Freddie said, but she shook her head stubbornly.
“When I shared all with my family last night,” she told Rhys, “they were concerned about what I had been through, but, thanks to my mother, they understood.”
She smiled warmly at her mother, who inclined her head.
“That doesn’t mean I liked to see my daughter put in harm’s way, but I can understand what it means to fight for something that means so much to you.”
“My brothers,” Emmaline said with a glare toward them, “were not quite as understanding, but Mother and Father reminded them of how we were raised, and how important freedom is in our family. Isn’t that right?”
Her brothers mumbled their acceptance. It might not be truthful, but Rhys would take it.
“I know that people are not going to be accepting of our football club. At the very least, there will be mixed responses,” Emmaline said, holding her head high. “But maybe we start small. We play and practice in secret. We find other teams to scrimmage against. And we slowly work toward making change within the families of the women on our club. Of the general public, it will come eventually. It has to. Whether we will see it in our lifetime or not is another story.”
“One step at a time,” her mother said resolutely.
“There is another reason I will no longer be playing for Manchester Central,” Emmaline said, her eyes seeking Rhys as she smiled triumphantly at him. While Rhys loved every side of her, he thought that he loved this proud, confident, outspoken side the best. “I don’t want to cause any controversy when I marry the captain.”
“Emmaline!” Her mother’s empty teacup clattered onto the saucer on her lap. “What did you just say?”
