Page 41 of To Have & To Hold

Lady Moorfield gave a satisfied sigh. Emilia could tell by the pointed look in her eye that she already considered the matter settled.

“I knew you would not disappoint us, Emilia.”

Emilia tried not to let the words hurt, but she felt the sting of them just as she did the marks that now graced her skin where her aunt’s nails had dug into her wrist.

Lady Moorfield’s attention quickly turned to an uncharacteristically quiet Charlotte.

“Lady Charlotte, you must forgive me for not including you in our invitation,” she preened. “I was uncertain whether you had yet been formally presented.”

Charlotte responded with an exaggerated smile. “No offense taken, Lady Moorfield. I am grateful, for you have spared me the troubleof declining.”

Lady Moorfield laughed, but the sound was strained. “How very droll.” She turned back to Emilia. “We are looking forward to your reply.”

Emilia simply nodded in agreement before slipping her arm through Charlotte’s and leading her towards their waiting carriage. They had not gone more than a few steps before Charlotte leaned in close.

“You handled that remarkably well,” she whispered.

Emilia exhaled softly, smiling at the young girl. “And you showed admirable restraint. Thank you, Charlotte.”

“Of course,” Charlotte replied. “I am in possession of some restraint, despite what my brother believes. It is not my aim in life to cause humiliation…at least not publicly.”

Emilia laughed, and Charlotte’s grin widened. “Would you like to know what I wished to say?”

Emilia shook her head, “I have a feeling that I do not.”

Charlotte continued on, entirely undeterred. “I wished to tell her that invitations are better received when not twisted to feel like obligations. And if she so desperately wishes for the pleasure of your company, then perhaps she should have cherished it more when she possessed it.”

She turned to Emilia, her smile softening. “And should she ever dare to corner you publicly again, I am quite certain my brother will show far less restraint than even I.”

Emilia laughed nervously. “I imagine your brother has far greater things to worry about than my aunt.” Despite herobjections a fluttering feeling had already taken flight in her stomach at the thought of Nathaniel coming to her rescue.

Charlotte stepped up to the carriage, taking the hand of the waiting footman as she glanced back at Emilia. “I do not think he would agree,my dear.”

∞∞∞

Nathaniel did not immediately look up when the knock sounded at his study door.

“Come in,” he called, his attention still on the reports covering his desk.

The door opened softly, followed by the gentle scent of fresh roses that had been occupying his thoughts since the night he had held Emilia in the hedge maze.

“Am I interrupting?” She asked with a whisper.

Nathaniel closed the ledger and lifted his gaze to hers. “No, not at all.”

Emilia stepped inside his study, gently closing the door behind her. An uneasy feeling settled in Nathaniel’s chest. He knew that she and Charlotte had gone to town that morning, and her nervous demeanor was causing his mind to form far too many unpleasant scenarios.

“Emilia, is something wrong?”

“No,” she answered quickly, but she did not relax. “But there is something I ought to tell you.”

Nathaniel straightened slightly. “Go on.”

“My aunt and uncle extended an invitation some days ago, and I had intended to decline.”

His brows lifted. “Youhadintended?”

“I wrote a refusal, but I delayed sending it.” She winced slightly. “I was hoping to keep them in a state of suspense.”