Page 13 of The Mister I Married

Chapter Five

The following morning, Emmy sat hunched over her brother’s large, mahogany desk, the scratch of pen on paper the only sound punctuating the silence in the otherwise empty study.

She should have replied to Olivia’s letter days ago, but something more pressing always seemed to interfere. Not that she put up much of a fight. She never had been very fond of writing letters, but now that her two dearest friends were married and likely to spend less time in London, she knew she would have to get used to it, necessary evil that it was.

Sitting back in her brother’s large leather chair, she huffed out a little sigh. Loath though she was to admit it, her life was different now, and it would never again be what it used to be. It would never be just the three of them—Emmy, Sophie and Olivia, the best of friends, inseparable since girlhood. Her friends were married now, the wives of noblemen, and with that came new responsibilities and priorities. None of which included her.

Not that she resented her friends for marrying, of course. She’d meant what she’d said to Alex last night. She was happy for them. They had found love, and while she did not believe her own future would hold the same, she would never begrudge her friends their happiness.

All the same, right or wrong, she did feel left behind.

Setting her quill pen on top of the half-finished letter, she propped her feet up on the desk and crossed one ankle over the other. Another sigh escaped her.

She missed her friends, dash it all. She missed their walks in the Park, the weekly trips to Covington’s Bookshop, the animated discussions on the latest piece of gossip. She missed Sophie’s wry sense of humor and Olivia’s infectious enthusiasm.

She even missed her brother. Annoying Griff had often been one of the highlights of her day.

But he was gone now, too, settling into married life with Olivia, and Emmy was still trying to grow accustomed to it all. Everything had changed so quickly, and for someone like her, someone who detested change, it was not an easy adjustment to make, and she wasn’t entirely certain she could manage it. But she knew she must try.

There was nothing else for her to do, was there?

Shoving the somber thoughts aside, she picked up her letter and read over the words she’d written so far. A smile touched her lips as she read through her account of last night’s dinner party.

The evening had been an inarguable success, and Tess was absolutely masterful, charming everyone around her with ease.

Emmy would not be at all surprised if this morning saw the girl inundated with gentleman callers.

She was just about to say so in her letter when the door swung open, and her mother breezed into the room.

“Here you are!” Lady Keswick said, throwing her arms wide in dramatic fashion. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, Emmy. What are you doing in your brother’s study?”

She came to a stop before the desk and plunked her fists on her hips, her pale peach skirts swishing about her legs.

“I like to pen my letters in here,” Emmy said. “It’s quiet, and this chair is the most comfortable seat in the house. Griffin can’t use it while he’s in the country, so I figured I would.”

“I’m not certain your brother would like you using his study, darling,” her mother replied. “And I certainly don’t like that you’re using his desk as a footrest.”

Emmy swung her feet to the floor and shot her mother a cheeky smile. “I won’t tell him if you won’t.”

Lady Keswick shook her head, an answering smile tugging at her lips as she changed the subject. “Do not forget,” she said, “we are expected for tea at Mrs. Grady’s this afternoon. We will need to leave in about an hour’s time.”

Emmy nodded. “I’ll just finish this letter to Olivia and then I’ll change my gown.”

Mrs. Grady was an elderly lady with no family left to care for her, so Emmy and her mother made sure to visit the old dear at least once a week to ensure she was eating well and keeping her spirits up.

“Did you mention last night’s dinner in your letter?” Lady Keswick asked, resting her palms on the desk. “I am sure Olivia will want to hear all about how well it went.”

“Oh, yes,” Emmy said, glancing down at the letter. “I was shamefully boastful, though a fair bit of it was on Miss Whitcomb’s behalf, of course. She was marvelous last night.”

Lady Keswick hummed her agreement, her gaze falling to her feet. “And did you make any mention of Mister Whitcomb in your letter?”

Emmy blinked up at her mother. “No. Should I have done?”

Lady Keswick gave an innocent flick of one shoulder, and said, “Well, you two did converse rather a lot last night.”

“Of course we conversed,” Emmy said, her brow knitting. “The dinner was held in his sister’s honor.”

Lady Keswick hummed again, her lips pursed in that telltale way which suggested she had many thoughts and was exerting great restraint to keep them at bay.