Page 61 of The Unfortunate Debutante
Luke turned towards her. “You are not allowed to leave the estate for the foreseeable future, and that includes no visits to Eliza,” he said in a tone that brooked no argument. “Do you understand, Emma?”
She nodded. “I do.”
“Do you understand why?” Rachel pressed.
“I do, but I don’t understand why Peter is doing this,” she answered. “We never had an understanding between us.”
“Men can lose rational thought when it comes to a beautiful young woman, such as yourself,” Pembrooke remarked.
Simeon rose. “With your permission, I would like to investigate this matter further.”
“Granted, but you are fired from guarding Emma,” Luke stated.
Simeon tugged down on the lapels of his jacket. “I’ve decided to decline your firing.”
Luke lifted his brow. “You can’t decline being fired.”
“I believe I just did,” Simeon replied.
Walking over to the door, Luke opened it and shouted, “Get out of my home!”
Simeon chuckled as he approached Emma. “I’ll be back later to call on you, Emma.”
“I might be too busy for callers,” she joked.
He grinned as he tipped his head towards her.
Emma watched as Mr. Pembrooke and Simeon exited the study.
“Those men are ignoramuses,” Luke mumbled as he sat down in his desk chair.
Rachel gave her a curious look. “That interaction with Simeon was rather telling.”
“In what way?” she asked.
Leaning closer, Rachel revealed, “He was smiling at you.”
“And?”
“Haven’t you noticed that he only smiles at you?”
She shook her head. “I hadn’t noticed.”
“Interesting,” Rachel said, leaning back.
Emma placed her hands in her lap. “You’re wrong. Simeon has already informed me that we aren’t friends.”
Smiling, Rachel remarked, “That’s even more intriguing.”
Luke’s grumpy voice came from his desk. “Leave it, Rachel. No ward of mine is going to marry Wentworth.”
Emma rose. “If there are no objections, I’m going upstairs to write my article.” She looked down at Rachel. “Would you mind reviewing it once it’s finished?”
“Yes,” Rachel said, rising. “I’ll be in the nursery with Matthew.”
Before she took a step, Rachel threw her arms around her. “I’m so relieved that you’re home safe. You scared me.”
Emma returned her embrace. “I’m sorry, Rachel. I truly am.”
