The Star-Crossed Bride (19 page)

So it was them, then. At last her banishment to Scotland was nearing its end. Emily eyed the open door warily. "Am I free now?"

The maid nodded. "There are guests in the 'ouse. The duchess 'as been asking to see you and your mother realized it would be awkward if she had to let 'er into your room with a key." In a low voice, the maid added, "It should make things easier for a certain 'handsome footman, as well." Nancy flashed a smile and Emily suddenly realized that the girl was pretty in a quiet way.

She had heard the rumors that Nancy and the newest footman were acting more friendly than was proper. Until now she had not considered the possibility. She damped down the sudden jealous flare that rose within her. What a foolish thing to worry over when everything else was going wrong. Valentine was handsome. And he loved her. He just hadn't admitted it. He was certainly not paying attention to the maid — not after he had already been burdened with a wife he didn't even want.

Despite her newfound freedom, Emily chose to remain in her room for the time being. Hopes of being released from both her engagement to Granbury and the castle itself had her in a state of agitation she did not wish to have her mother observe. The last thing she needed now was for the countess to become any more suspicious than she already was.

As she had hoped, Miranda came calling soon after the door was unlocked. "My reprobate brother has not rescued you yet, I see," she said with a mock frown which broke into a smile as she swept into Emily's room.

Emily hugged her swiftly and fiercely. "He has tried, but I would not let him."

Miranda looked at her in astonishment. "Is he not good enough to elope with now, Emily?"

It was all she could do not to say that they had indeed eloped already. But that was not information to blurt out without explanation, and her mother's maid was due to arrive to do her hair at any moment. "I can't run away now. We must see that the marquess harms no more women. He needs justice, and I am the lure to draw him to it."

Miranda nodded in understanding, but smiled ruefully as she commented, "Somehow I can't imagine Valentine agreeing to such a thing."

"He did so reluctantly enough."

"I read the letter. I passed it on to the duke, but he has not yet had a moment to himself. Your mother is quite determined that he give his blessing to Granbury, the odious wretch."

"Who? The marquess or your husband?"

Miranda blinked, obviously not able to tell whether Emily meant her words as a joke or an indictment of the duke. "Does that mean you have not yet forgiven him for halting your elopement?"

Emily relented. Now was not the time to take up old issues, especially not with her cousin's wife. "I know he meant only the best for me, but I wish every day that his horse had not thrown a shoe so near that particular inn on that very day."

Miranda answered pragmatically, "It wouldn't have mattered. Your maid had already alerted your father and you would have been caught."

"Perhaps not. Perhaps we might have got across the border before they — "

Miranda laughed. "And perhaps Snow White wouldn't have eaten the poison apple and needed the prince to kiss her and wake her up? And perhaps Cinderella wouldn't have lost her slipper at the ball . . . ?"

Emily sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if I will ever simply marry and settle to a calm life. I seem to spend my life wishing if only . . ." Emily had also begun to wonder if the nonsense she had spouted to Granbury was really true. Her life certainly seemed star-crossed at the moment.

"Enough of the past, then. Tell me, is my brother any closer to proposing to you right and proper? Or is the footman's disguise his way of earning your mother's approval in a new and quite distinctive way?"

Emily laughed at the thought of Valentine, in footman's garb, asking for her hand in marriage. "Do you think Mother would favor his suit more?"

"I suppose not." Miranda examined her closely as she asked her next question. "Has he suggested elopement again?"

Emily blushed, telling only a partial truth. "He does not wish to harm my reputation further."

"My brother can be gallant to a fault at times, I'm afraid." There was a touch of sadness in the duchess's expression. "Don't fear — I will bring him up to snuff before this visit is through. You two belong together. His pride can suffer the blow of not being able to shower you with gold and silks. And I expect you're hardy enough to survive a few less coals on the grate and a more sober attire."

Such a fate sounded heavenly to Emily. "After being locked up in this castle for years, I believe I should welcome rags and a scrub brush if only I could go where I please when I please."

"Then you ought not get married." Miranda laughed at Emily's shocked reaction to her statement, but became serious again immediately.

"Has it been as bad as all that?"

"Worse. Sometimes I feared I would go mad. In my despair, I was even looking forward to marrying the marquess to escape. My mother had lied to me. She told me Valentine had married."

"I did wonder why you accepted the man."

Emily shrugged, and quoted her mother, "A woman must be married to be a person." She found herself smiling ruefully. "I did try — but two of my prospective grooms did not make it to the altar, and Granbury is — I do not know how to describe him. Even before Valentine showed me the letter, I knew I could not accept him as husband, though he has no more glaring faults at first glance than any other man."

Miranda patted her hand in sympathy. "You have had some unlucky experiences these last few years. However, I am certain my brother will deal with them nicely, now that he has come to your rescue." She leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "I am almost glad that the duke and I were out of town."

Emily said with heartfelt honesty, "I am very glad that you were, as well. Your brother would never have come here if he thought the two of you would take care of me." And then they would never have eloped and she would have had no chance of winning him. Again, she thought of confiding in Miranda, but even as she tried to think of the words to say, Nancy came in to see to getting her ready for afternoon tea.

On her heels came Letty to dress her hair. She dared not risk being overheard and having the tale carried to the countess.

As if sensing that there was more to the story than she had yet been told, Miranda gave her another quick squeeze and said meaningfully "I shall go and change out of my traveling clothes. It will be good to catch up on all your news."

Valentine found himself constantly under the watchful eye of Soames. Interestingly enough, though the chaos in the hallway had not been his fault, he discovered that to those belowstairs it did not matter what caused a disaster, only who was nearest it at the time it happened. Because that unhappy soul had chanced to be him, he now had the butler, the housekeeper, and several other members of the household staff watching him to make sure he "caused" no more problems.

He reflected that, even if he were truly a footman he would have found the situation unfair and irritating. Since he now imperatively needed to find a way to speak to the duke, it went beyond irritation to frustration and then quickly into desperation as he found himself fetching, lifting, and hefting at the direction of anyone and everyone who needed something done.

It was not until dinner, when he was fortunate to be assigned to the dining room, that he even laid eyes on his sister or her husband again. And there was certainly no opportunity to talk to either of them there with the countess and Granbury present. Which might have been providence itself. If he had had the opportunity, he would have taken it to scold his sister for the way she shamelessly interrogated Emily.

All evening, his sister, under the guise of polite conversation, fired question after question at her. The first question seemed innocuous enough. "How does it feel to know that you will soon be leaving the castle as a wife at last?" If only Miranda's eyes weren't twinkling, a sure sign of mischief.

Emily looking more lively than she had at dinner any of the evenings Valentine had been present, answered glibly, "I dream of the moment every night."

"No doubt you do." His sister batted her eyes shamelessly at the duke. "Well I remember those days of waiting for the ceremony, don't you, my love?"

The duke's only answer was a noncommittal nod and a raised eyebrow. "What does your gown look like, Emily?" This said after Granbury, describing a recent horse he had purchased, had taken a breath in mid-sentence. The marquess did not look pleased to have his topic of conversation usurped when Emily, as if she had not noticed his ire, described the gown down to the last details of buttons and lace.

"What do you most want to see on your wedding trip, Emily?" And so it went. Miranda asking endless, seemingly innocent questions. Emily, with a brave smile, answering the questions in such a way that he had a definite feeling the two women were carrying on a conversation no one but the two of them truly understood the meaning of.

Unfortunately, Granbury also seemed to be of this opinion. Each exchange resulted in a further narrowing of his eyes until he was no longer even pretending to be eating the courses Valentine was setting before him. More than once he tried to wrest the conversation away from Miranda. Valentine could have told him he was wasting his time, as could the duke, who chose to remain admirably and tolerantly silent. Still, Granbury made a valiant effort until, after his fourth glass of wine, he abruptly ceased talking altogether and simply glared at his bride-to-be.

That glare reminded Valentine exactly how vulnerable Emily was, even now that the duke and Miranda had arrived at the castle. The marquess already had ample reason to doubt his bride. The blackmail notes had to be causing him unease, at the very least. To make Emily a further target for Granbury's rage was asking for retribution.

Despite the extra attention Valentine was drawing from Soames and the rest of the staff, he could not fail to show up in Emily's room tonight. If Granbury took it in his head to visit her in order to rebuke her for tonight's performance, Valentine would make certain to be there to prevent Emily from being hurt. He was relieved when Miranda, evidently at last realizing the extent of Granbury's agitation, chose to remove Emily from his presence by the simple expedient of asking her to walk in the night air with her.

"I'd not be comfortable if you ladies went unescorted," Granbury said, rising as if to accompany them.

There was hardly time for Valentine to tense or Emily to formulate an objection before the duke stood and said smoothly, "Let them take a footman, Granbury I have some questions that I must ask you and that business will only bore the ladies, I am certain." With the imperious certitude that he would be obeyed, which only a duke could carry off successfully, he gestured for Valentine to accompany the ladies. The countess, seeing Granbury's ire, but not understanding it, did not object. Happily she did not offer to accompany the ladies into the garden herself, either.

Though he was glad the duke had prevented Granbury from accompanying the women, Valentine was not as certain that he was happy to be the one chosen to escort the pair into the garden. It was a fortunate thing that a footman kept his distance, following a good ten paces behind. There was a glint of determination in his sister's eye, which did not bode well for his peace of mind tonight. He had no doubt that she had sensed earlier that he was keeping things from her. Which would only make her more determined to learn them.

If she didn't pry the truth of the elopement out of him, he was afraid that she would work it out of Emily for certain. Before they had gotten much away from the castle, he tried to act the part of older brother and ward off her meddling. "Miranda, Granbury is not a man to thwart. You have made him angry with Emily and there is no telling how he might punish her for the way you humiliated him tonight."

Quick to jump to the point, Miranda looked at Emily sharply. "Has he hurt you already, Emily? You did not say so before or I would have been more careful with my questions. I just could not bear to hear him speak as if he owned everything in sight, including you."

"Your brother is just being cautious — " Emily gasped when Valentine reached for her arm and rolled back her glove to reveal the livid thumbprint Granbury had left on her wrist.

His sister drew in a sharp breath.

"With good reason, Emily. Miranda must know the whole truth, or she will get us all into trouble." He rubbed the pad of his thumb over the bruise gently and dropped her hand when he felt her shiver. It was so easy to forget he shouldn't touch her.

His sister's glare held him. "Why is she still here?" Her gaze turned to Emily. He could see her busy mind working in a way he knew only too well and dreaded. She said briskly, "If the situation is that dire, you must leave then, there is no way to make certain — "

Emily defended him with more loyalty than sense. "Valentine would not let him hurt me."

"No, he would not, I am certain." His sister's glance was so pointed he looked away, afraid of what she might read in his eyes. "But his disguise limits his ability to be near you — to protect you when you are most vulnerable."

To his horror, Emily rose to his defense once again — with exactly the information he did not want Miranda to know. "I am not a fool. He spends the nights with me, just in case Granbury — "

"On the floor," Valentine interrupted to explain, at his sister's decidedly speculative glance between them. "To guard the door."

One glance at Emily's hurt expression made him regret the eagerness of his demurral.

"Oh." If he did not know it impossible, he would have said there was definite disappointment in Miranda's tone. But surely even his irrepressible sister would not believe he should take advantage of Emily's situation to force himself on her before marriage. Unless Emily had already told her — But no, then she would not be looking so hurt by his denial.

"It matters little to me, considering how matters now stand. I trust you both to do the right thing." Miranda's eyes held a hint of mischief, but she said nothing further on the subject, to his relief.