Page 66 of The Botanist’s Improper Bride

Sighing, he resigned himself to looking at the plants without doing anything, and after a while, he began to feel more in control of himself.

He walked back to the carriage with more purpose than he’d had when originally departing and told the driver to take him home. During the journey, he mentally composed his letter to Seraphina. He hadn’t told her about his plan to confront Emerson this morning, which meant that she needed to be informed before she found out some other way.

Upon arriving at Wembley House, he put ink to paper and gave the letter to the butler with a request to have it delivered with all possible haste. He wouldn’t put it past Emerson to try to use his visit against Seraphina somehow.

“Have you heard anything about Mr. Emerson’s footman and whether the story about his nephew is true?” he asked.

“Not yet. I’ll let you know once I do.”

“Thank you.”

That done, he checked on his banksia plant, which seemed to be thriving in its new habitat, and distracted himself from thoughts of Seraphina’s predicament by sketching the strange flowering system. There must be a non-Linnaean way to classify the plant, and he would determine the best method eventually.

Unfortunately, even studying the banksia couldn’t take his mind off Seraphina, and after an hour, he gave up and decided to call on her. It was the only way to reassure himself that he hadn’t ruined everything.

He asked for the carriage to be readied again and paced back and forth in the entrance hall until it was brought around. His leg jiggled up and down, and he counted the seconds until they arrived at the Dalton residence. He had no idea why his need to see her was suddenly bordering on frantic, but he leapt from the carriage as soon as it came to a halt and rushed over to bang the knocker.

Smithers looked taken aback as he opened the door, and his gaze lingered at Trevor’s neck, where the cravat no longer was because he’d forgotten to put it back on.

“Is Miss Dalton home?” Trevor asked, hoping the butler wouldn’t mention his oversight.

“I’ll go and see, but allow me to accompany you to the drawing room first.”

Smithers escorted Trevor to said drawing room and waited until he sat. Trevor couldn’t help wondering if the butler wanted him out of view.

A bare few minutes later, Seraphina burst into the room, her cheeks flushed and her eyes dancing. “Tell me you didn’t try to intimidate Mr. Emerson into leaving me alone!”

Trevor rose, his own cheeks heating with discomfort at the memory. “I did.”

She laughed and glided over to him, smiling broadly. “I can’t imagine it worked.”

“I don’t think it did,” he agreed regretfully. “But I thought it was worth a shot.”

“And I adore that you tried.” She shook her head, then laughed again and flung her arms around him. “You really are the best future husband I could possibly have.”

She stretched onto her tiptoes, and he instinctively tilted his head down, and as his lips brushed hers, delight sparked through him at their velvety softness.

“Get your hands off my daughter!”

The shout cracked through the room like a gunshot.

Trevor looked up, his hands on Seraphina’s shoulders. Mr. Dalton’s frame filled the doorway behind her, a dark glower twisting his features.

He stomped forward, his eyes flicking from Trevor to Seraphina. “How dare you take such liberties beneath my roof?”

Trevor’s stomach sank, and he glanced at Seraphina, hoping she might know how to manage her father’s temper because the man looked ready to blow off Trevor’s head.

CHAPTER 23

Oh dear. Her father had that look about him that said he might like to whisk her away to a nunnery.

She gently shrugged Trevor’s hands from her shoulders so as not to add insult to injury and adopted her most insipid smile. “Can’t some liberties be taken between a woman and her betrothed?”

Her father gave her a cutting look, and she ducked her head, chastened. “If you didn’t have a failed engagement behind you, I might agree, but in these circumstances, it’s absolutely out of the question.”

“My apologies, Mr. Dalton.” Trevor bowed to him, and her father drew in a sharp breath, shocked by the display of deference by someone of higher status than he. “I allowed myself to get carried away by emotion. I’ll be more careful in future.”

Mr. Dalton turned from Trevor, and his gaze burned into the top of Seraphina’s head, but she pretended not to notice.