His grip tightened against her arm but she struck him once more, finally causing him to back away. Emma’s handprint glowed on his skin.
“How dare you strike me?” he exclaimed. “Who do you think you are, woman?”
Emma’s chest rose and fell in anger as she stepped closer to him, drawing a deep breath. “I may be a woman, but I know many powerful people who can crush you in the blink of an eye. Harass me again, and I will personally see to it that you are humiliated to a degree where there is no recovery. You shall run with your tail between your legs like the cowardly dog you are.”
The young man narrowed his eyes and stepped away from her, his cheek still crimson from her slap. He glanced around and pointed briefly at Emma.
She tried not to show a single sign of fear, despite her heart beating ferociously in her chest. As the young man turned and finally walked away, Emma exhaled slowly, tears immediately filling her eyes.
“My lady,” came a familiar voice from behind her, and as she turned around, her heart plummeted into her boots.
Chapter Sixteen
William had witnessed the horror of Emma being harassed and attacked by Lord Niall, with whom he had unfortunately spoken on more than one occasion.
Lord Niall was notorious for being an insensitive brute who objectified women and discarded them as soon as he was done. William was quite impressed at the force with which Emma had slapped her attacker – twice – that had made the man stumble backward. But he still wished to ensure she was unharmed.
He was uncertain whether she would accept his assistance or not, but it did not matter. It made him want to call the other man out, watching the woman he loved be attacked in such a vulgar manner. But Emma had surprised him with her aggressive display of anger towards the miscreant.
William had assumed Emma could take care of herself. She was more than capable of speaking her mind and handling any given situation that was thrown at her, but it did not mean that she should have to.
Or it did not mean he wished her to. She deserved a man who stood up for her in such situations, a man who would prevent her from being in those situations in the first place.
William rushed across the street, in the direction he saw Emma storm off, and called out her name. Emma, however, did not turn towards him, and he did not blame her in the least.
“Emma!” William called out one more time in desperation.
At the mention of her name, Emma spun around, but as soon as she saw William approach, she sighed, her shoulders slumping considerably.
“What do you want?” Emma asked.
“I simply wish to see if you were harmed,” William said.
“I am perfectly fine,” Emma scoffed.
“If you are as perfectly fine as you claim to be, why are there tear stains on your cheeks?” William asked.
“That is none of your business, my lord,” Emma muttered.
“In actual fact, it is, my lady.”
“And how do you figure that?” Emma inquired with a furrowed brow.
“Every moment since the first time we—”
“Please, stop,” she interrupted and raised her hands at him, silently begging him to stop speaking.
“Allow me to speak, Emma, even if it is only this once,” William persisted, pressing the palms of his hands together.
Emma crossed her arms over her chest and glanced defiantly at him. But she didn’t say anything more, so her silence gave him the freedom to speak.
“Everything that has happened has been because of me, and I am sorry that it has affected you so greatly, I wish that there was something I could do to make things right,” William explained sincerely, his heart aching in his chest.
“Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do, my lord. My reputation is ruined, I have lost all my friends. People whisper whenever I am present, and their judgmental stares have made me reluctant to leave the confines of my parents’ home. I had hoped things would settle down and people would forget the tales that have circulated about me, but they have not. I find myself being harassed and attacked by men who think I am a light-skirted woman, which I am certainly not,” Emma answered.
“Of course, you are not!” William agreed.
“I have grown tired of being a walking target for men who think they can take advantage of me. I have grown tired of people whispering and not wishing to have anything to do with me, while those same people have done precisely the same thing. I simply do not have the strength to deal with such hypocrisy any longer,” Emma muttered wearily.
Pain struck him across the chest, seeing her so sad. So... defeated.
“It pains me to see you this way, Emma.”
Emma scoffed and shook her head. “You have an odd way of showing it. A proposal out of pity, a week’s absence, and then suddenly my lord wishes to swoop in and come to my aid. Again, completely uncalled for.”
“I only wish to ensure you are all right, and no harm had come to you,” William answered, beginning to become rather impatient.
“I am perfectly fine,” Emma muttered and lowered her gaze. She winced slightly as she closed her hand into a fist, and William noticed the reddened skin on her palm.
“Can I take you home?” William offered and Emma glared at him. “It is most certainly the least I can do.”
“The least you can do is leave me be. Have I not made myself perfectly clear that I do not wish for you to come anywhere near me?” Emma hissed.
“I only wish to help.”
“It is not your duty to help me or rescue me. You are not my savior. There is absolutely no reason for you to go above and beyond to assist me,” Emma pointed out.
“You and I both know very well there is a reason, my lady. Quite a
