Page 97 of Sense and Suitability
The room fell silent, the weight of her words settling like dust. A small ache pressed into her chest, and she stole a quick glance at Thomas. She’d known he couldn’t fix the situation—she hadn’t expected him to. But a small part of her had hoped he would offer some divinely magnificent solution, some eloquent remedy. Instead, his quiet only needled the impossibility of it all deeper into her heart.
“My mother’s family in Yorkshire invited me to stay with them for a few months.” Emme kept her focus on the horizon. “I plan to take them up on the offer now. It will give me a chance to see a different part of England, write another novel, and perhaps make decisions about using my writing funds to become independent.”
At his silence, she looked over at him.
For a moment surprise flickered in his eyes, but it was quickly masked. “So you’re going to leave me here to deal with Mother’s failure to procure you a husband, are you?” His gentle grin almost inspired hers. Ah, he’d accepted her choice without argument. “That is not very gracious of you at all.”
“You know as well as I do that within a few weeks, she’ll be so overcome with the birth of her first grandchild, her disappointment in my romantic future will be duly eclipsed.”
“For now.” One of his brows quirked upward.
Emme smiled faintly, then turned back to the window. Perhaps her perfect match would always remain a dear memory—or a fictional creation, but nothing else.
“Emme.” His gentle voice carried a note of reprimand. “You sound as though you’re giving up on matrimony altogether.”
Was she? Her heart ached at the thought, and she closed her eyes for a moment, steadying herself. “Perhaps I should shift my focus away from matrimony for now. My name is already tainted, and I’m certain the gossipmongers are weaving new, unflattering tales this season. And leaving will allow Simon to focus on his future instead of being plagued by his past feelings for me.”
Thomas nudged her shoulder with his, a look of mock reproach on his face. “I feel certain ‘plague’ is not the descriptor Lord Ravenscross would use in regard to his feelings for you.”
Her lips quivered upward at the corners. “Regardless, after the Ruthton Ball on Tuesday, I leave for Yorkshire. Sometimes, no matter the affection between two people, we cannot get what we want. And then... well, we must turn to a different dream.”
Thomas slowly nodded, though his gaze remained locked with hers. “And will that different dream be enough to overthrow the old one?”
“It must, Thomas.” She lowered her head onto her knees, a prayer for help in her mind. “It must.”
Willoughby was a scoundrel.
Simon had taken up the book after putting Fia to bed, and thenhe had finished some evening correspondence and business interactions, with the intention of reading only a few minutes while he awaited his meeting with Aunt Agatha. An hour later, he sat staring at the book, wondering if Marianne would live, if Edward would follow through with his loveless marriage, and if Colonel Brandon and Elinor might end up as a pair.
Books should not cause such emotional distress. These people weren’t real! Why were they taking up so much of his mental faculties? It was ridiculous.
A rap on the door pulled him from the pages and alerted him to the time. He’d planned to speak with Aunt Agatha about Emme a half hour ago. He needed to send a letter to his steward in regard to Mr. Arden’s approved lease of the buildings as well as take up Emme on her advice regarding Mr. Jenkins’s needs before anyone else reached out to him. Those would be two large leases along with the—hopefully—growing number of tenants on his property.
How could he have gotten lost reading... fiction?
He gave his head a shake and stood from the desk, calling for the person to enter.
To his surprise, Charlotte and William stepped over the threshold, their faces both sober as they entered.
“Aren’t the two of you supposed to be in bed?”
Lottie shot her brother a look before stepping farther into the room. “We... we needed to speak to you, Simon.”
Simon’s body shot to alert, but he’d learned over the past few months to guard his reactions. These two siblings were incredibly observant and incredibly responsive to his moods. He gestured toward the chairs nearby, taking their request as seriously as their expressions communicated. These two siblings had grown up the most in the last months.
Perhaps because he’d grown too.
“What would you like to discuss?”
Lottie looked over at Will and he nodded for her to begin, so she straightened her posture and gave Simon a very businesslike look. “First of all, we wanted to tell you how much we like Mrs. Lane and are looking forward to her starting as our governess.”
Praise, indeed.Simon managed a small smile. “I’m glad to hear it. I certainly want to ensure that you are as invested in your future as I am.”
Lottie gave a curt nod. Will smiled.
“And we know finances are bad,” Lottie continued.
“And you must rely on Aunt Aggie’s allowance,” Will chimed in with equal seriousness... and bluntness.
