Page 31 of Her Wily Duke

Adam spoke absently, as though the horse, and its mysterious rider, was the last thing on his mind.

“I can’t believe that you seem not even curious, now that he has gone past us. Did you at least get a good look at him? Although, I suppose that there’s not much to indicate who he is, given the mask.”

But Adam didn’t answer – he stared ahead, guiding the curricle almost absently, as if deep in thought. More and more Emme found his silence both confusing, and a little irritating, almost frightening in its own way. She turned on the seat, and looked back up the road behind them, but the rider had disappeared from sight, as if he had never been there at all. She shook her head, wondering for a moment if she had imagined it all, but no, she was certain that he had been there.

They continued down the road, each deep in thought, Emme thinking about the highwayman, and Adam’s reaction, and Adam… thinking about something, something which Emme had absolutely no concept of.

Presently they reached a quiet brook lined with apple trees in full blossom. A couple of swans were dabbling in the cool shade, and the air was heady with the smell of the blossoms. A more picturesque pastoral scene could not have been hoped for, but Emme failed to understand why Adam was slowing the carriage — in the dozens of times that they had driven this path since last November, they had always made the journey without stopping.

They drew up off the road, under the trees, and Adam turned to Emme.

He looked almost nervous as he looped the reins over the hook on the side of the seat. Then he reached out and took her hands in his.

“Adam? Why have we stopped?”

“Emme… Emme. I… I need to ask you a question.”

She looked at him, utterly puzzled, even whilst a tiny tendril of hope curled within her – for there were not many questions she could think of which he might be nervous about asking her…

“A… a question?”

“Yes. Just now, I know that you noticed that I haven’t much been vexing my mind over the question of the rider in black, since he passed us on the road back there. That’s because my mind has been occupied with another question entirely. One which I think is far more important, and that is — Emme, will you marry me?” It was not how she had expected the sentence to end, and for a moment she was so surprised that she scarcely knew what to say. Obviously, he took her silence as a possible negative, and he began to speak again. “I know that I haven’t said much to you about my feelings – I tried, but…”

Emme laughed, shaking her head at him.

“You didn’t need to – there were enough indications that I was nurturing the hope. And… I have come to care for you too, but I was never brave enough to speak of it – after all, you’re a Lord, and I’m just….”

He leaned forward, bringing his lips to brush across hers softly.

“You’re just the woman I love…”

She stared at him, savouring the words, shocked and delighted at once.

“Yes,” she said at last, fighting back tears. “Yes, Adam, I will marry you, nothing would make me happier!”

Chapter Thirteen

Their first order of business was to inform Emme’s father, who was surprised, but not unhappy, to learn that his only daughter had agreed to be married. He was, more than anything else, amused that his independent and often stubborn daughter had so captivated a well-respected Lord that he had simply asked her, without going through the traditionally expected steps of getting her father’s permission first.

Adam spent several hours that evening in the parlour at Emme’s house, working out the terms of the betrothal and marriage settlements with her father and discussing a date for the wedding. By the time that Adam left their house that night and began his journey back to Foxridge Park, it was already dark.

He had discussed with Emme, briefly, how it might be best to approach Frederick about this latest development. Emme had reasoned that Frederick was likely to respond with scorn and jealousy, and that perhaps the longer giving him the news could be put off, the better. Adam countered that there was no reason to withhold information from Frederick that he would eventually learn, and that, by informing him now, they might by degrees get him adjusted to the idea of their marriage in time for the wedding. For they both agreed that it was entirely within the scope of Frederick’s personality for him to create a dreadful scene of some sort at the wedding, just out of spite.

They could not, however, reach an agreement about exactly how to tell him, or when, but as Adam drove through the Foxridge Park gates that night, after having spent the entire drive mulling it over further, he resolved to tell Frederick and the rest of the staff immediately. He felt too happy to wish to hold back, and if Frederick was going to be unpleasant, Adam wanted to get it over with, as early as possible.

He left the curricle with the grooms, and went into the house. After asking Wiggins to gather the servants in the corridor outside the parlour, from where they could follow to whichever room Adam’s siblings were in, he went in search of them. To his surprise, both Frederick and Caroline were in the main parlour, rather than Frederick being hidden away in his study. He waved Wiggins to keep everyone outside the room, but close enough to listen, then took a deep breath, trying to steady himself, and prepare for almost any reaction. At least, with Caroline present, Frederick was more likely to behave reasonably.

He stepped into the room, and both of his siblings looked up at him – Frederick with a scowl, and Caroline with a broad smile.

“Ah… Good Evening. I have something to tell you.”

They looked at him expectantly as he walked across to the sideboard, and poured brandy for himself and Frederick, and a small sherry for Caroline, whose eyebrows rose dramatically when he handed it to her. Frederick looked at him with suspicion, but took the glass anyway. By this point Caroline could not bear the suspense any longer.

“Well? What is it that you need to tell us? Please, don’t keep me mystified like this.”

Adam smiled at her, but then turned his eyes to Frederick as he began to speak. Best to say it as baldly and simply as possible.

“This afternoon, Miss Emme Mowatt did me the honour of agreeing to become my wife.”