Page 10 of Her Wily Duke

Chapter Four

Emme was pleased with Lady Caroline’s progress. The girl was a joy to instruct, for she truly liked to sing. Today’s lesson was to be shorter than usual, for Lady Caroline hoped to see her newly returned brother, and was, thereby, rather distracted.

“Now, my Lady, one last song, and that will be enough for today – I know that you’re not really as focussed on singing as you usually are. Let me hear the song I taught you last week – I hope that you’ve been practicing it.”

“I have, Miss Mowatt. I do like it so much more than many of the other songs.”

Lady Caroline turned to face the window, staring out into the distance where the summer twilight made everything fade softly, as she usually did when singing – she claimed that doing so made it easier to concentrate on the words – and began, her beautiful voice rising gradually to fill the room. Emme looked away from her, turning her eyes to the door, and thinking only of the sound of the singing, taking note of areas where improvement could be made.

At least that was her intent, but a bare few lines into the song, the door opened slowly.

She tensed, expecting it to be the Duke, but it wasn’t. Instead, another man stood there, accompanied by Mr Wiggins.

A man she had only seen from a distance before, yet a man she instantly recognised. He was even more handsome than she remembered, and when his eyes met hers, she nearly stopped breathing. The impact of his gaze was so strong that, in those moments, she even ceased to hear the song – there was only him, his kind eyes meeting hers. They stayed that way for minutes, their eyes locked on each other – she knew that it was minutes, for Lady Caroline reached the end of the song. Why was he staring at her, not at his sister, whom he hadn’t seen for so long? It was strange… but certainly not unpleasant.

The magical stillness was broken when Lady Caroline turned away from the window.

“Miss Mowatt, how was that – did I manage all of the correct notes? Did I…”

Her voice trailed off, for she had turned far enough to see past Emme, to see to the door, and the man who stood there.

“Caroline! I am so happy to see you. I do apologise for interrupting your lesson.”

“There is nothing to apologise for, Adam – I had just finished the song.”

With those words, Lady Caroline ran across the room, and enthusiastically hugged her brother, who caught her, laughing, and spun her around.

As he did, Emme saw past them, and Wiggins, discerning that, for just a moment, the Duke had been there, in the hall, as if he had intended to come in, as he so often did during the lessons. But then he turned away. Relief slid through her, and she looked back to Lady Caroline and Lord Whitewell.

“You have grown so much in the year I have been away, Caroline, I swear that I almost didn’t know you. You must tell me all about it, very soon.”

“Of course. And you must tell me about London.”

Lady Caroline was almost bouncing in her delight.

He set her back from him then, looked past her to meet Emme’s eyes, and smiled.

“I will - but perhaps you should do the courteous thing, and introduce me to your teacher?”

Lady Caroline blushed pink, and hurriedly led him across the room.

“I’m so sorry for being rude… I present to you my brother, Lord Whitewell. Adam, this is Miss Emme Mowatt.”

Lord Whitewell took her hand, and bowed, as if they stood in some London ballroom, and she was a Lady. Heat spread up her arm from the touch of his fingers, and she found herself somewhat dizzy and breathless.

“I do apologise, Miss Mowatt, for disrupting the lesson. If my sister’s beautiful singing is the result of your tuition, then the interruption of a lesson is most definitely a crime. I am delighted to meet you.”

Now she really was dizzy, and just for a moment, the touch of his hand was the only thing that kept her upright. Then she blushed, and turned her eyes down, as a demure young Lady should.

“And I you, my Lord. I assure you, there is nothing to apologise for. Greeting your sister after a long absence is far more important than the final five minutes of a single lesson!”

He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to it.

“Thank you. Still, I must make sure to provide you recompense in some way, in the future.”

At those words, a number of positively scandalous possible interpretations of ‘providing recompense’ slipped through her thoughts, and she felt her cheeks flush scarlet. But she simply smiled, curtsied, and stepped back.

“I will leave you to your reunion.”