Page 22 of Lady and the Scamp

“He was keeping score of everyone’s play, but I didn’t find him watching me so closely,” Lady Jocelyn said.

“Then at least he has some respect for the institution of marriage.” She watched the queen bowl and then clapped. As she folded her parasol to take her own turn, she said quietly, “It’snice to have a man’s attention, but he will be gone soon. I think that’s for the best.”

Lady Jocelyn looked less than convinced. Emily could hardly blame her as she hadn’t even convinced herself. Even after the games ended and the party went inside, she had trouble ridding her mind of thoughts of Mr. Galloway. She attended to her correspondence and helped the queen with her daily tasks and tried not to imagine what it would feel like to have Willoughby Galloway’s mouth on her skin. His touch had been so light and soft last night when he’d kissed her cheeks. Would he kiss her entire body like that or—

“Lady Averley?” the queen asked.

Emily looked up and around the parlor where they had all been sitting and sewing. Her embroidery was in her lap, and she’d been staring out the window.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I do apologize for not attending.”

Lady Jocelyn was gathering up her things, but she managed to toss a knowing look at Emily. The duchess glared at Emily accusingly.

“You should apologize,” the queen said. “You have not been listening to a word we said all afternoon. Your conversation has been missed. Can we rely on you at dinner or are we to be greeted by more long silences?”

“You may rely on me, Ma’am.” Emily realized it was her turn to assist the queen in preparing for dinner. “Shall I send your maid for your bath and choose your clothing for this evening? I was thinking of the rose blush gown. You haven’t worn it in some time.”

The queen seemed to thaw a bit at this suggestion. “Please do.”

Attending to the queen finally took Emily’s mind from Mr. Galloway. The queen did look lovely in the rose blush, and by the time her maid was dressing the queen’s hair, Emily and thequeen were talking and laughing as though there had been no rift earlier in the day. She excused herself to dress for dinner and surprised Pratt by choosing a deep pink gown, which would complement the queen. She still felt a shock when she looked in the mirror and saw herself out of mourning attire, but it did feel good to put on some of her pretty gowns. In fact, she should probably order new gowns so her wardrobe would be in the latest style.

She said as much to Lady Jocelyn as the two walked behind the queen on the way to the royal dining chamber. Lady Jocelyn begged to accompany her. She loved nothing more than fashion and had an eye for fabrics and colors.

“I would love for you to accompany me,” Emily said. “Won’t you wish to spend time with your husband and children?”

Jocelyn was the daughter of the Duke of Grafton. His dukedom had been created in 1675, and he was wealthy and powerful. Lady Jocelyn, whose given name was Mary, had married the younger son of the Duke of Lennox ten years before and had two boys, ages eight and nine.

Lady Jocelyn waved a hand. “Lord Jocelyn will be busy overseeing the planting at the estate and the boys are at Eton. I shall see them when the Lent Term ends for Easter.”

“And only a few weeks later your rotation at the palace will end, and you’ll be home.”

“Exactly!” Lady Jocelyn took Emily’s hand. “We should enjoy this time while we have it. I shall miss you while we are away.”

Emily would miss Lady Jocelyn as well. She’d miss the court. She did not have anywhere to go home to. Oh, she had a residence in Town and there was the dowager’s house on the Averley estate. But she didn’t want to go back to Averley Hall. She didn’t want to remember all the time she had spent there as the mistress of the beautiful home. Jack’s brother’s wife was its mistress now, and Emily would only be in the way or all alone.

Perhaps she should renew her friendships with some of the women she’d known in her youth. That would make staying in Town more bearable, and hadn’t Galloway reminded her that love and friendship could be a constant thing. Her friendships needn’t have ended because she left school or became a wife.

The doors to the dining chamber opened, and the queen entered. Emily and Lady Jocelyn followed behind the Duchess of Charlemont and the other more senior ladies-in-waiting. Unless the queen ate in her private chambers, dining at the palace was never a cozy affair, though the party was smaller than usual tonight. There were the assorted ministers and secretaries, including Lord Palmerston, but otherwise it was just those closest to the queen and the prince.

As Emily scanned the room, noting who was in attendance, her gaze snagged on Willoughby Galloway. The blond in his hair glinted in the light of the candelabra he stood near, and he stood tall and straight on the other side of the room, where he spoke with Lord Palmerston. He might as well be standing directly beside her because her senses conjured the scent of bergamot and oranges that she had come to associate with him.

Even as her gaze lingered on his handsome face, tracing the straight slope of his nose and his strong jaw, his eyes met hers and that lovely mouth of his curved into a smile. She felt a fluttering in her belly and quickly looked away. What was it about him that made her feel flustered and warm? Lord Palmerston was a handsome man, as was the prince and several other courtiers. None of them made her breath catch in her throat when they looked at her.

She thanked God Galloway stayed on the other side of the room speaking with Palmerston so that she might have a moment to gather her wits. When it was time to take her seat at the table, she was happy to see Galloway was not beside her.

Unfortunately, he was directly across from her.

Emily couldn’t allow his nearness to affect her. She made every effort to attend to the queen and participate in the conversation, but she could feel Galloway’s gaze on her. Strangely enough, every time she glanced at him, hoping to catch him and direct a scolding look his way, he was looking the other way. Was she simply imagining that he was watching her? Had she imagined he had any interest in her at all?

Finally, the Duchess of Charlemont claimed the queen’s attention, and Emily tried to focus on her plate.

“Are you not hungry?” Galloway asked.

She looked up and found his dark eyes on her, those flecks of gold glinting in the candlelight. She wondered if she would ever look at him and not be struck by his raw beauty.

As if in answer to his question, she ate a bite of potato. The truth was she was not hungry. She had been to so many of these dinners that she was no longer interested in the rich food. Not to mention, her belly was still fluttering with nerves at his closeness.

“You look lovely in pink,” Galloway said. Emily felt her face heat, and Galloway nodded to Palmerston who was on her left. “Are you not glad to see Lady Averley out of mourning?”

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