Page 75 of Never a Bride
And then she saw Viscount Thornton speaking to their hostess, Lady Rutherford. She studied him thoughtfully, amazed at their identical looks, then looking deeper for their differences. He held himself with a formal, straight bearing, where Alex always seemed casually relaxed. As he spoke his expression was serious, and the smile he finally showed seemed restrained. This was not a man who freely gave in to his emotions.
And then Lady Rutherford was leading him toward Emmeline, and she saw for herself that the banked wickedness in Alex’s eyes was absent in his brother’s.
And she missed it. In Alex there was always the promise of wildness and unpredictability.
“Lady Emmeline?” Lady Rutherford said. “I would like to introduce you to Lord Thornton.”
Emmeline curtsied deeply, then looked up into the interested eyes of Alex’s brother.
“Lady Emmeline,” he said, “I asked for this introduction because I had to meet the woman that my…mother spoke so much of. I understand she and your mother were friends.”
“Yes, my lord. And how is your mother doing?”
“Quite well, thank you. I’ve just escorted her back from the coast. We had a pleasant visit together.”
Oh, he was nothing like Alex, so formal, so polite.
“Congratulations on the birth of your child, Lord Thornton. I understand it was a boy? And your wife is well?”
“Thank you, yes. She was not up to traveling yet, but I’m sure she can’t wait to meet you.”
Emmeline tried not to frown. “But…why? I am merely a friend of your broth—mother.”
“I guess it was because of the message my brother asked me to relay to you.” His smile was full of chagrin. “Regretfully I cannot say it in so public a place. It is a rather private request.”
She didn’t know what to say as Lord Thornton took her arm. What could Alex have said to him?
Before she knew it they were in a small library, where a fire was rapidly becoming only embers. She turned in confusion to Lord Thornton, and found him closing the door. He leaned back against it, watching her.
“My lord,” she began cautiously, “what could Alex have needed to say that he could not say himself?”
Instead of speaking, he reached for both her hands. He suddenly yanked her against him, and wicked amusement spilled from his eyes. She only had a moment to breathe, “Alex,” before he kissed her.
As always, his passion threatened to overwhelm her, but Emmeline fought the pleasure stealing over her by pushing him away.
“Alex Thornton!” she gasped.
The courtly bow he gave her was exaggerated with a flourish. “My lady.”
“I didn’t even guess—I didn’t see—”
“No one ever does,” he said, still laughing.
But she was uneasy at his laughter, at…something.
“I have not met your brother, but you were very successful at not portraying yourself. I can see why you fooled so many people.”
“Not just ‘so many people.’ I fool everyone.”
“Even your mother?”
“Well, no. But you, Em, you believed it.”
And though he smiled at her, made a joke of it all, she felt a sympathetic chill move through her. Somehow, she knew he had wanted hernotto be fooled, to know him anywhere. And she’d failed.
She didn’t think that he even knew it had been some sort of a test. She suddenly realized that Alex used laughter when anything cut too deep to his emotions. So many things made sense now.
Emmeline forced a smile, but all she felt was sadness. Living as his brother must have changed him in ways he didn’t want to face. Instead of seeing himself as but a man doing a job, he must have thought of himself as somehow less than Spencer. Had such feelings always been a part of him?
