Page 10 of The Mister I Married

Chapter Four

“The evening is going very well,” Emmy whispered to Tess three nights later as the two filed into the Keswicks’ drawing room behind her mother and the other women guests. “I daresay you’ve made a conquest or two already and the evening is only half over.”

Emmy and Lady Keswick had organized tonight’s dinner party in Tess’s honor, which was intended as both a show of support, as well as an opportunity to show her off to a handful of potential husbands. They’d just finished with dinner, and now the ladies would wait in the drawing room for the gentlemen to finish with their port and cigars—a tradition Emmy had never understood, but then, the ton did love its silly traditions.

“I admit, I did enjoy the conversation at dinner,” Tess said as they made their way to the refreshments table for a glass of sherry. “But I’m so nervous about performing in front of everyone.” She cast a glance at the pianoforte across the room, her brow furrowing. “I’ve only ever played for my father and brother. I’m not accustomed to playing for large audiences.”

Emmy hid her smile behind the rim of her sherry glass. She did not think a party of twelve qualified as large, but it hardly seemed helpful to point that out while the girl’s courage was flagging.

“You’ll do fine,” she said, squeezing Tess’s arm. “We settled on an uncomplicated piece of music, one you’ve played a thousand times before, and you shall play it beautifully, as you did only this morning.”

“This morning I played for an audience of one,” Tess pointed out.

“And I enjoyed the performance very much,” Emmy said. “Just as we all shall when you play the piece again tonight.”

Tess sighed before taking a large gulp of sherry. “I certainly hope you’re right.”

Emmy gave her arm another squeeze, and then she guided her to the empty sofa across from Lady Keswick and Tess’s aunt, Mrs. Lawrence, who sat chatting together in a pair of matching armchairs, their colorful gowns giving the appearance of two tropical birds perching on a tree branch.

“Tell me,” Emmy said to Tess, hoping to distract her from her nerves, “is there any particular gentleman who has caught your eye tonight?”

Tess pursed her lips. “Mr. Steffington is rather nice,” she said. “He doesn’t say much, but that doesn’t bother me. I am rather accustomed to laconic men, after all.”

Emmy sipped her sherry before asking, “Is your father as…taciturn as your brother?”

Tess smiled and it was both sardonic and affectionate. “Not quite, no,” she said. “But neither of them likes to talk for the sake of talking.”

Emmy nodded. Very few men did, in her experience, but Alex Whitcomb seemed especially self-contained, even for a man. In helping his sister these last few days, she’d spent a fair amount of time with him, and she could honestly say she had never met a better example of the strong and silent male archetype.

He was polite and pleasant, though, and aside from the brief flare of temper that first night they’d met, he was patience personified, even yesterday when he’d accompanied her and Tess on an afternoon of shopping, which included several stops and more than one return visit.

Without a doubt, he was the most controlled man Emmy had ever known, and she found herself thinking of him often, wondering what thoughts and feelings lay hidden beneath the placid mask.

Not that she had any intention of finding out. She was a naturally curious person, yes, and he was an unknown commodity, seemingly unknowable, and she could not deny that she found his…self-containment intriguing. Anybody would.

But she must keep her curiosity at bay, for he was not the Whitcomb sibling she was supposed to be thinking of, and she would do well to remember that.

“Ah, here are the gentlemen,” Lady Keswick said, rising from her chair as the men filed into the drawing room. Alex came in last, his expression typically unreadable, and Emmy wondered what he and the other men had discussed during their time in the dining room. A wry smile touched her lips. She could probably count on one hand the number of words he had uttered.

“Please, everyone, do take a seat,” Lady Keswick instructed, sweeping her arms wide. “Miss Whitcomb has a special treat in store for us all.”

Tess drew in a bracing breath and then forced a smile to her lips. “Well, it would seem the time has come,” she whispered, swallowing hard.

“You’ll do fine,” Emmy assured her. “And I shall be right here, cheering you on.”

Tess gave her a tremulous smile and then headed off for the pianoforte, her aunt following behind her with the intention of minding the sheet music for her.

Emmy’s mother reclaimed her seat, and the other guests followed suit, finding seats of their own. Alex sank onto the sofa beside Emmy, and she tensed when his shoulder brushed hers, the faint scent of spicy soap tickling her nose and tempting her to lean into him for more—which, of course, she did not do.

A hush fell over the room as Tess began to play, her fetching ivory gown with the mint green trim complementing her auburn hair to perfection. The first notes of Mozart’s “Piano Sonata No. Eight” trickled out in a hesitant plunking of keys, but with each passing moment she seemed to relax into the melody until she was playing with ease.

Emmy’s gaze caught hers and she gave her an encouraging smile, which Tess returned, a twinkle lighting her eyes as her fingers skipped along the keys.

She’d enjoyed spending time with Miss Whitcomb these last few days, getting to know her better, learning about her life in Berkshire and what she hoped her future would hold. She was a bright girl, innocent but not naive, and she possessed an inherent sweetness that made it impossible not to like her.

The final notes of the song filled the room and Tess looked up from the pianoforte as her audience applauded her performance with enthusiasm. She rose and curtsied, her smile both pleased and relieved as she edged away from the instrument.

Gradually the applause fell away, and conversation took its place as the guests began to mingle again. John Steffington and a second young man, Mr. Stephen Crandall, wasted little time in approaching Tess, and Emmy smiled to herself, more than a little proud of the way the evening was going so far.