Page 42 of It's In The Duke's Kiss
Mary gave her a look of understanding. “Shall I go with you?”
Emma shook her head and made her way quickly to the retiring room. She entered to find Lady Caroline fixing a curl that had escaped her coiffure. Lady Peabody’s daughter was as much of a gossipmonger as her mother. She immediately swiveled around to face Emma.
“Lady Emmaline, you are my hero!” she exclaimed.
Emma wrinkled her brow. “I beg your pardon?”
Lady Caroline smirked. “Don’t pretend with me. My sister said that Mother told her that Lady Sullyard told Mother that Lord Tannersy said that the Duke of Blackbourne offered for you on the terrace of the Stockholms’ ball and that you turned him down and told him he held himself in far too high esteem to have room for a wife.”
Emma’s jaw dropped open in shock.That’swhat people were saying? How completely wrong they’d gotten it. She cringed, thinking about how furious Lucian would be. “It didn’t happen exactly that way,” she managed to say, though her throat felt awfully tight like it was closing up.
“Don’t be so modest, Lady Emmaline. I never really liked him. I’d marry him if he asked, of course. He is a duke, after all. But he always acted as if he was too above me to even consider me.”
Emma bit her lip on a giggle. She suspected it was Lady Caroline’s love for dramatics and not her pedigree that had caused Lucian to keep his distance.
Lady Caroline excused herself, and Emma lingered in the retiring room as long as she thought she could. No one would likely ask her to dance now. She didn’t truly care, except that she had wanted Lucian to see howlittleshe cared. How silly she was. She made her way to the ballroom and immediately found a nice large potted plant to hide behind. She refused to be forced to be a wallflower; this way, she was actively choosing the fate.
One dance passed and then another, and suddenly someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned and was astonished to see Lucian’s mother standing there. “You appear to be hiding,” the duchess said.
Emma squared her shoulders. “Certainly not. I was looking for my dance card. I dropped it.”
The duchess’s gaze slid to Emma’s wrist where her empty card hung.
“Er, I just found it.”
“How wonderful!” the duchess exclaimed. “I just saw your mother and she was searching for you because Lord Salisbury wishes to dance with you.”
Emma barely contained her groan.
Lucian’s mother smiled knowingly. “I told your mother I’d help find you so you wouldn’t miss your opportunity. One never knows what fate might have in store with a simple dance.”
Emma snorted. “Fate is for fools.”
“I’m surprised you’d say that given that I believe fate had a hand in saving you from death on the Serpentine.”
Emma frowned. “How do you conclude that?”
“It’s simple. If Edgeworth had not brought his wife to skate, then Blackbourne probably would have simply left after getting his mug of mead. But he stopped and talked to Edgeworth, and his cousin asked him to go say hello to his wife. That’s when Blackbourne heard you scream, saw Nathaniel standing there frozen in shock, and ran across the ice to save you.”
Emma’s heart raced at the duchess’s words and her recollection of Lillian also saying Lucian had saved her. Her world seemed to be spinning. She reached for the wall and the duchess grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Their gazes locked. Lucian’s mother had to be wrong about the facts. “But—”
The duchess drew up her eyebrows. “No,” she said in a firm voice.
Emma drew in a sharp breath. “But you don’t even know what I’m—”
“Going to ask,” the duchess finished. “I’m very wise, though not very old.” She gave Emma a stern look. “Never let it be said otherwise.”
A nervous giggle escaped Emma. “But Lucian said—”
The duchess let out a long sigh. “I know what my foolish son let you believe.”
“Which son?” Emma said, feeling rather daring. Perhaps it was her shock or fear that she may have ruined her own perfect fate.
Lucian’s mother laughed a rich, deep laugh. “Touché, my dear. Both of them. I know Nathaniel led you to believe he rescued you, and Lucian allowed the lie to remain.”
Emma gulped, rather loudly she feared. “I suppose Lucian didn’t want to discredit his brother.”
The duchess gave her a sympathetic look. “I suppose you’re absolutely correct. But he also thought to protect you.”
