Page 78 of Dancing with an Enigmatic Duke
“I shall aim to not disappoint,” Nash bantered back to her as he turned his head and placed a kiss on her forehead.
Emmeline felt the stirring of longing to be close to him. She hoped the feeling lasted forever. A love like her father and mother’s was all she had ever wanted.
***
The ride in the carriage was a slow meandering one. It took them so long that he thought perhaps that Emmeline had fallen asleep. As the carriage halted, she was swiftly up and looking around. “So, you had not dropped off into your dreams, then?”
“It was hard not to, but I was too nervous. We did not talk much of after the wedding and it has been weighing on my mind.” Emmeline looked out of the window with apprehension.
Nash frowned and said, “It is just my home, our home.”
“Our home,” Emmeline whispered.
As the door opened, Nash made his way out of the carriage first, and then turned to help Emmeline down. She gave him a look of amusement as he scooped her up instead of letting her down to the ground. “I need to carry you across the threshold.”
“Ah, I see,” Emmeline said. “If you drop me down the steps, then I shall be most upset with you, Your Grace.”
Nash raised an eyebrow at her. “If I drop you, it would be on purpose.”
“You are most cordial.”
“Welcome home, Your Graces!” said the doorman.
“Hello,” Emmeline said, giving him a wave.
The butler met them as they stepped into the entrance hall.
“Lady Torrington and I will be upstairs getting the rooms sorted. If you need me, please find someone else.”
The butler chuckled and nodded his head. “I understand very well, Your Grace.”
The stairs were quite tall and Emmeline complained, “You are not going to carry me up those, Nash.”
“I beg to differ.”
She hid her face in his shoulder. “I am going to die.”
“You have such little faith in your husband.” He was too amused at her fretting to be offended.
When they reached the top of the stairs, he allowed her to slide down to the floor. Only once her feet hit the floor, she showed no inclination to move aside. Instead, she stood right in his way and stared at him intently.
“What is it?” Nash asked in a soft rush of breath. Her nearness brought a hush down on him, making it sacred and secret despite the open hallway where they stood.
Emmeline leaned forward bringing her lips against his in a sweet, unsure gesture. Nash drew in a deep breath and with it the scent of her. “We should go,” Nash whispered.
She blinked at him. Her fingers curled around his hand. He led her down the hallway, their banter silenced for the moment.
“Home sweet home,” Nash said in conspiracy as he approached his set of rooms. He turned the knob and pushed the door open. Emmeline peered through the door, but neither of them took a step to go in. Nash chuckled and sighed. “Come on,” he urged as he pulled her into the room by her wrists.
There was a moment when he almost thought they were going to have a game of tug-of-war, but instead she just fell into him. He kicked the door closed and stood listening for a moment. She gave him a curious look.
“Was listening for Charles,” Nash explained. “He always seems to be lurking about.”
Emmeline nodded. “He is a ghostly thing that Charles. I never get to meet him.”
“That is because he mostly stays at my home and at the offices. You will see so much of him soon that you will wish he were elsewhere. Are you nervous?”
Emmeline shrugged. “A little.”
