Page 71 of Never a Bride
He froze, and in disappointment she pushed him away and pulled her bodice together, barely able to work the buttons. When she looked over her shoulder he had one hand braced against the wall, his head hung low.
“That is as good an answer as any,” she said. “You must go.”
“I know.” He lifted his head and his dark eyes smoldered. “Em, I have no plans to marry anyone.”
“Why?”
He simply shook his head. “I have no answer to give you that would make sense. But I’ll be back to tutor Max on Monday.”
She nodded wordlessly, then sank into a chair as he strode from the room. Sorrow tightened her chest. If he didn’t want to marry her, then the reason that he no longer came to see Blythe was because her sister would not give in to his seduction as Emmeline had done. She wanted to feel guilty—but she couldn’t. Her feelings for him overwhelmed her, and the more she discovered about him, the more he dominated her thoughts. He wasn’t at all what he showed the world.
~oOo~
On Monday Alex stood before Kent Hall, feeling renewed of purpose. He had spent the weekend wrestling with his desire for Emmeline, trying to drink and gamble away the indecision that wracked him. What was wrong with him? Shouldn’t her mention of marriage send him fleeing London, or at least into the arms of another woman?
But he hadn’t had another woman since he’d met Emmeline Prescott. He was shocked to realize it had been two months now. Had he ever in his adulthood gone that long without taking a willing woman to bed?
When he was finished with the project that was Emmeline, she would live her life free of the past and its sadness. He would find a new mistress, and life would go back to the way it was before he’d been the viscount, before his life had upended..
He felt confident that he had everything under control.
He greeted Emmeline, and Willoughby arrived soon after. Alex’s brows rose as Willoughby swept into a bow and kissed Emmeline’s hand with gusto. There was an unexplainable knot of tension in Alex’s stomach, until Willoughby looked deeply into her eyes—and the two of them convulsed with laughter.
His relief was like a sudden rush of pleasure. She didn’t laugh whenhelooked at her. “Nicely done, Max. Emmeline, do you wish to eat before resuming our work?”
She did, and he magnanimously allowed Willoughby to escort her into the dining chamber. While they were waiting for the first course, Alex said, “Max, tomorrow night is Lady Rutherford’s card party. We can practice today’s lesson there.”
Willoughby’s smile was not quite confident. “And what would today’s lesson be?”
“Touching.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Alex saw Emmeline flinch, even as she kept her gaze on her plate.
Willoughby’s face flushed. “I assure you, I do not wish to lose a lady’s respect by something so improper.”
Alex laughed. “I’m not suggesting yougropethe girl in question. But you must learn to take advantage of a situation’s opportunities.”
“As in?”
“The table is a good place to start. Emmeline?”
She jumped as if Alex had announced to Willoughby how much he’d already touchedher. Ah, how fond he was of her and her sweet innocence—even as he wanted to take it away, too.
“Emmeline, do be good enough to drop your napkin, and then reach to pick it up. Max, pay attention.”
While glancing at him in obvious bewilderment, she did as he asked. Alex reached for the cloth as well, and they bumped heads and brushed fingers. She straightened, clutching the napkin in her lap.
“Did you see that, Max?” Alex asked.
“Well, I saw you bump into her.”
“I also brushed my fingers along hers, and I smiled at her when we were but inches apart.”
“Surely that means nothing,” Maxwell scoffed.
Emmeline prayed that Alex would not ask what she had felt, for just the touch of his fingers had made her heart answer with a faster beat. Even when she knew she was being manipulated, she could only bask in the warmth of his apologetic smile, and overlook how contrived it all was.
Alex shook his head. “Max, my young friend, you have much to learn. Every touch means something. Look for every opportunity, even if it’s only your leg brushing her skirt. Come back to the parlor and I’ll show you.”
