Page 49 of A Bride for the Devilish Duke
Damien did not smile, nor did he make his last words a question.
Once away from Charles, Damien found some open space and nudged his horse to a trot, scanning the area that Emma had disappeared into. No use following her into those trees, he could ride past her and not see her. Instead, he turned the horse to the north, heading towards the Oxford road. He would intercept her there if that was where she was making for.
And he was determined to get some answers from her this time.
He reached the edge of the park, doubling back and following the walls of Kensington Gardens. His strategy was rewarded as he saw Emma step out of the trees in front of him, looking back over her shoulder as though she expected pursuit. When she turned and saw him, she froze dead in her tracks.
There were fewer people in this part of the park. A couple hundred yards away was a group of children being marshaled by two governesses. A few promenading ladies and gentlemen walked arm in arm in the middle distance, the ladies carrying brightly colored parasols that made Emma’s fit look quite mute in comparison.
Still, she was a study in beauty and grace, and as Damien looked down at her, she glared back defiantly.
“Good day to you, Lady Emmeline,” he smirked.
“Good day to you, Your Grace. Are you returned to the formality of titles then?” Emma bit back.
“Not at all. Not for my sake, anyhow. But your recent behavior has made me wonder…”
“Recent behavior?” One brow shot up.
“You pointedly refused to allow my modiste to measure you for your wedding dress,” Damien declared bluntly, “the finest in London. Formerly of Paris. Most brides-to-be would welcome the opportunity to wear aRousseaufor their wedding. What is your objection?”
Emma colored wild crimson and Damien stamped on the instant flare of attraction he felt.
I do not wish to be blinded by beauty. She is radiant though, by heavens she is. How that natural radiance would be magnified by a gown made by a master crafter…
He regretted at that moment that the marriage was to be one of convenience only. Her exquisiteness would make him the envy of mankind. Make any man the envy.Howhad she not been snagged off the marriage mart yet?
“I...I...” Emma stammered, “I simply do not want to be measured for a dress. I have enough that are perfectly serviceable.”
Damien swung down from the saddle and walked toward her, leading the horse.
“You cannot marry me in aperfectly serviceabledress, Emma. You must look the part,” Damien reproached gently. “The Regent shall be in attendance, as will the entire ton. There is no way that this can be done quietly. Not if it is to achieve the desired effect.”
“So you wish me to wear a new dress simply to impress the Regent,” Emma said flatly.
“No!” Damien responded at once. “Because you will appear seraphic. Even more so than you already are, and that is considerable. I want you to look a study in elegance. A vision in grace. A perfect example of English womanhood that every other lady present shall envy for eternity.”
He was breathless by the time he finished and felt his own cheeks coloring. It had been far more than he had intended to say.
Emma blinked, lips parting slightly. “Oh my. You have never been… so emotive.”
Somehow they had moved closer as they spoke, though Damien had no conscious memory of doing so. The scent of her lily soap—soft, floral, maddeningly innocent—wafted towards him in a stray breeze. It dizzied him and he could not refrain from inhaling deeply.
“It is not typical of me,” he said gruffly, “but you always seem to drag the words from me against my will.”
“I am sorry that they had to be dragged, but grateful that they were there in the first place,” Emma replied with the ghost of a smile.
“I am not an ogre,” Damien chuckled lowly. “I realize that this marriage is not what you had planned, but alas, here we are. You stand to benefit from it, as does your family.”
Emma looked away. Damien thought she looked disappointed.
“Yes, I can see that. It is my duty to them. I realize as much,” she murmured in a dispassionate voice.
“But I hoped that being married in a celestial gown, surrounded by beauty, and being the envy of every lady in London, would be at least the most feeble form of compensation…” Damien began.
“Rosie and Josie would adore it. I care little for the thoughts of the ton,” Emma sighed wistfully.
“Nor I. But I understand the power they wield. Impress them and your sisters will have doors opened to them that previously would have been closed. Impress the Regent and you will have avenues of opportunity to achieve anything you desire. What are your ambitions?”
