Page 11 of Never a Bride
He took her arm a little more tightly than he meant to and pulled her close to his side. Her breasts rose and fell with obvious indignation, and suddenly he wanted to see how far he could push her.
“Lady Emmeline,” he murmured, as they left the withdrawing chamber. “Perhaps you’d care to tell me the real reason you visited my home.”
“Your mother told you my reasons,” she said coolly.
“Come now, surely between us you can admit the truth.” He leaned nearer and felt her subtly trying to pull away. “You came to discover more about me from my own mother.”
“Our mothers were friends, Sir Alexander. I need no other reason than that.”
“Did you hope to see me?” He opened the door leading to the gardens down to the Thames.
“Of course not!” she said indignantly. “Wait—my coach is on the other side of the manor.”
“It is a lovely day. A stroll will do us good.”
Emmeline was breathing so deeply and angrily that her corset was digging into her flesh. Sir Alexander held her elbow, guiding her in the spring sunshine where he wanted her to go. She had too much respect for his mother to yank away from him and run, and he knew she was trapped!
“I did not think to see you here, Sir Alexander,” she continued as he drew her past a spraying fountain, “because I would naturally assume you to be in the lodgings you rent. Does your mother know about the Rooster?”
“It is no secret, Lady Emmeline.”
She glanced up at him, and saw that once again he was not looking at her face, but lower. A wave of shame heated her skin. She knew she did not have her sister’s fine figure, but that did not give him the right to remind her by staring so critically.
“My mother does not want me to ride home late at night,” he said.
She heard the laughter in his voice.
“So she approves of your drinking? And does she know that the Rooster is more dangerous than the streets?”
“I almost think you care about me, Lady Emmeline.”
“I care about my sister, and what danger you could bring to her.”
“And have you another letter for me from the fair Lady Blythe?”
“No!”
Oh, he was so arrogant he thought every subject was about him! When they came to the end of the stone manor, she pulled sideways and forced him toward the front drive, feeling triumphant at his obvious surprise.
Humphrey waited beside the coach, his cap in hand, his gaze obviously taking in how close they walked together. Emmeline pulled away, and literally stumbled because Sir Alexander let her go so easily.
“Tsk, tsk,” he murmured, taking her arm again with his strong hand. “Such clumsiness leads me to wonder if you can dance.”
“Oh, I can dance very well indeed,” she said, lifting her chin. My goodness, what was she thinking by practically challenging him?
When Sir Alexander laughed, she couldn’t even look at him for fear he’d see that his low, rumbling voice somehow…affected her. She climbed up into the coach, banging the door shut behind her and trying not to imagine dancing in Sir Alexander’s strong arms.
~oOo~
Alex thought about ignoring his mother altogether, but knew she’d only follow him to his bedchamber. Instead, he went back into the withdrawing room and smiled at her. She narrowed her eyes at him.
He felt too restless to sit for her probing, and found himself aimlessly walking about the room, running his hand over the carpets decorating the cupboards, pretending to admire the tapestries on the wall. He ended up at the lead-paned window that overlooked the gardens, almost wishing he’d taken Lady Emmeline deeper into the foliage, hidden away. What would she have done?
His mother cleared her throat. “Lady Emmeline is a lovelyseñorita.”
“I am actually interested in her sister, Lady Blythe,” he said, not turning around.
She hesitated. “Oh. The younger one, eh?”
