Page 30 of A Duke to Steal Her
Juliana looked up from where she was selecting jewelry. “She’s been like this since she returned. Distracted.”
“I’m not distracted,” Emily protested.
“Aren’t you?” Juliana moved behind her, meeting her eyes in the mirror. “Yesterday, you put sugar in your tea three times because you kept forgetting you’d already done it.”
“And you’ve been staring out windows with the most peculiar expression,” Ava added. “Like remembering a particularly vivid dream.”
Emily’s cheeks warmed. If only they knew how accurate that observation was. “I’m simply adjusting to being back.”
“Adjusting to what, exactly?” Juliana’s tone was carefully casual as she fastened a sapphire necklace around Emily’s throat. “The countryside where you recovered was very quiet, I imagine.”
“Very quiet,” Emily agreed, watching her sister’s hands in the mirror.
“Quiet can be restful,” Ava said thoughtfully. “But I’ve always found too much solitude rather lonely. Were you entirely alone during your absence?”
The question hung in the air like a carefully baited trap. Emily met Ava’s eyes in the reflection, recognizing the subtle interrogation for what it was.
“I had excellent care,” she said carefully.
“From whom?” Juliana’s hands stilled on the necklace clasp. “You’ve been rather vague about the details of your recovery.”
“Because the details are hardly interesting.”
“I disagree.” Ava leaned forward, her expression intent. “Two weeks is a long time to spend anywhere. Surely something of note happened.”
Something of note.Emily’s heart skipped as memories flooded back unbidden—a strong hand tightening on her wrist, green eyes filled with mirth, the way his voice rumbled low in his chest when he sat next to her on the piano bench, and of course, the heat in his gaze during those charged moments before he’d pulled away.
“Emily?” Juliana’s voice was gentle but insistent. “Where were you?”
“I’d rather not share my story again,” Emily said firmly, standing to escape their scrutiny.
The words came out sharper than intended, and both sisters exchanged glances. Emily turned toward the window, needing a moment to compose herself.
“Em.” Juliana’s hand touched her shoulder. “We’re worried about you. Ever since you returned, you’ve been… different. Sadder, somehow.”
“I’m not sad.”
“Then what are you?” Ava joined them at the window. “Because something’s happened. Something has changed you.”
Emily closed her eyes, fighting the urge to tell them everything. To confess that she’d been held captive by a man who infuriated and confounded her but also challenged her mind and made her feel more alive than she ever had before.
“Some experiences can’t be easily explained,” she said finally.
“Can’t they?” Juliana’s reflection appeared beside hers in the window glass. “Or won’t they?”
Before Emily could answer, a knock at the door interrupted them. A footman entered with a silver tray.
“A note for Lady Emily, Your Grace.”
Emily eagerly took the envelope, her heart leaping at the elegant handwriting. She couldn’t quite hide the change in her expression the moment she realized it was merely an invitation from Lady Worthington for an afternoon tea.
“It’s from Lady Worthington,” she said aloud, trying to keep the disappointment from her voice.
“How lovely,” Ava said, though her tone suggested she was still focused on their unfinished conversation. “She’s harmless enough for a gradual return to society.”
As Emily set the invitation aside, she caught Juliana watching her with knowing eyes.
“Whoever he was—the person who aided you while you were away—" Juliana said quietly, “he must have been remarkable to leave such an impression.”
