Page 25 of Dancing with an Enigmatic Duke
“I am fine. It is often cold and damp in Scotland. I do not think that I am going to perish from it.” Emmeline folded her arms. She sighed. “I do wish you would not treat me as a child.”
Francesca sighed heavily. “I only worry for you. With the stress of the season upon you, you seem frail.”
“Well, I am not. I am nervous, but that is to be expected.” Francesca would not gain any headway into treating Emmeline as though. she were coming down with some ailment. “I have told you this before.”
The maid shook her head at Emmeline’s reflection. “You are so stubborn. It is not a good quality for a noblewoman to have, My Lady.”
“I know,” Emmeline snapped. “My brother tells me that often enough.”
“Oh, do not be angry with me.” Francesca knelt down beside Emmeline’s chair. “It is my job to make sure that you are ready for the season. What should I do? Not be concerned for you?”
Emmeline looked down at the woman’s petite form. Francesca smiled. “I am sorry to be so difficult. It just seems as if my brother is more anxious than I am for all of this. I worry that he will not allow me to choose my husband.”
“It is his duty to find you a good husband. It is not his duty to allow you to follow your fancy. What if you choose a husband that is below you?” Francesca shook her head. “You should rely on your brother’s wisdom to see you through this. I am sure that he will allow you some say.”
She wished she had Francesca’s faith in her brother. She had, however, grown up with Harcourt. And while a lot had changed about him, his impatience had not.
“I shall try to listen to his advice. But he barely tolerates my words, Francesca. How can he listen to my wishes when he does not hear them?”
Francesca tapped her arm much as her tutors had when Emmeline was pouting about one thing or another. “Come now, My Lady. You must stop this brooding. It will make wrinkles. And then you will end up with a poor match.”
Emmeline laughed. “If only wrinkles were my only flaw.”
“You can do nothing for your stature. You must use it to your advantage. Your beauty might be different than others, but you can still bend men to your will.” Francesca stood up and shrugged.
Emmeline looked at Francesca with doubt. “I would just be happy not having to bend over to look at a man.”
“You do not have to bend over to look at Lord Torrington,” Francesca prodded. The woman had been quite curious and pestering since she spied Emmeline talking with him without a chaperone. She simply refused to accept that it was innocent.
Emmeline sighed and raised her arms helplessly. “I told you that he was looking for my brother.”
“And yet he left right after and did not go to see your brother.” Francesca began braiding Emmeline’s hair, pulling it tightly.
Emmeline winced. “That hurts.”
“Begging your pardon, My Lady.” The tugs grew gentler. “I forget that your head is so tender.”
She sat very still for Francesca to finish. When the woman finally tied off her braid, Francesca stood back to admire her handiwork. Emmeline had to admit that Francesca had done a wonderful job. “It looks beautiful.”
“Thank you, My Lady.”
The woman was a mystery to Emmeline, who had never been around the French, and she had no idea if Francesca was an oddity or a normal example of her countrymen. One moment she was practically gushing over Emmeline, and the next she seemed cold.
“I think I shall go and read for a while before we are called to the evening meal.” Emmeline rose. “There are plenty of books if you should like to find something for yourself.”
“No, no,” Francesca said, waving away the idea. “I think I shall just write a letter to my family.”
Emmeline accepted the excuse readily. She was far away from her own home, so she understood the loneliness of it. She left Francesca and headed to the library. Jasmine was in the hallway dusting. “Jasmine, how lovely to see you.”
“And I you, Miss,” Jasmine said with a grin as she paused in her work. “Are you headed off to the library?”
Emmeline nodded. “Shall you join me?”
“I have work to do, but that is very kind, Miss.” Jasmine sighed.
Emmeline felt bad that the girl was dusting, but itwasher job. “Can I help?”
Jasmine looked at her in surprise. “Oh no, Miss. His Lordship would fire me on the spot for putting his sister to work.”
