“You didn’t mean any of it, did you?” she charged. “It was all a lie.”
He glowered at his brother. “Go away. Now. I must speak with her.”
“No.”
Nicholas took a menacing step toward Lt. Price. He leaned in and quietly threatened, “If you don’t give me some privacy, I will beat you to a bloody pulp.”
The brothers shared a heated visual exchange, then Lt. Price moved away.
Nicholas turned to her, and he looked altered from how he’d previously been. Any prior fondness had vanished, and she tried to figure out what she was witnessing instead. It wasn’t boredom so much as irritation that she was creating a scene, and he would have to deal with it before he could be on his way.
“Well . . . ?” she asked.
“I have to go, Em.”
“Why?”
“I never should have started in with you, and there’s no appropriate conclusion except for me to separate myself.”
“It’s awfully convenient that you didn’t arrive at this decision until after last night.”
“Trust me, this is for the best.”
“I don’t trust you, so you’ll never get me to agree.”
“I’m more experienced in these affairs than you.”
“Are you?” she derisively scoffed.
“We couldn’t keep on as we had been. I’m doing this for you, Em. You have to continue living here. You can’t have your reputation sullied because of me.”
“When was I supposed to learn that you’d left? How was I supposed to learn of it? Or were you hoping I’d hear the servants gossiping in the halls?”
“My brother was to confer with you this afternoon.”
“How kind of him,” she sneered, and she began to cry. She didn’t mean to, but she couldn’t hold her tears at bay. There were too many.
“I loved you,” she pathetically said.
At her repeating the foolish declaration, he winced as if she’d struck him.
“I told you not to,” he gently replied. “I told you I wasn’t worth it.”
“I thought you would marry me. I gave myself to you—because I believed you would.”
“It was the lust talking, Em. I’m a scoundrel. I always have been.”
If he’d taken out a gun and shot her, he couldn’t have been anymore cruel. She moaned with dismay and swiped at her tears.
“Em,” he murmured, “don’t be sad. I can’t bear it when you are.”
He reached out as if he might touch her, and his brother snapped, “Nicholas!”
The earl dropped his hand. The most awkward silence descended, and she wished the ground would open and swallow her whole.
She felt silly and ridiculous; she’d been tricked and deceived. It was an old story: the handsome, charming aristocrat seducing the unsuspecting, naïve girl. On a daily basis, it played out all over the kingdom.
“What have you determined about my situation?” she inquired. “Are my sisters and I moving out of the manor?”
Lt. Price came forward. “We’ll discuss it after my brother is gone.”
Gad, was she to be thrown out on the road? Could Lord Stafford really be that malicious? She’d imprudently consorted with him. Was eviction to be the price for her misbehavior?
Lt. Price gestured to the earl’s horse. “This attempt at farewell is horrid and pointless. Let’s get you out of here.”
Lord Stafford looked pained, as if he might try to defend himself or justify his actions, but she couldn’t listen.
She might have turned and run into the house, but she was distracted by the realization that there was a coach coming up the lane. Their conversation had been so gripping that they hadn’t noticed its approach. The three of them spun to gape.
It was a fancy vehicle, pulled by six white horses that trotted with matching strides. The outriders wore green livery, decorated with gold braid and buttons. There was an ornate crest on the door.
“For pity’s sake,” Lt. Price growled as it rumbled to a halt.
The two brothers shared another caustic visual exchange, then Lt. Price pushed the earl toward the conveyance.
“Go over and say hello,” Lt. Price instructed. “It’s not as if you can ignore her.”
“Who is it?” Emeline asked, but neither man answered.
“I’ll explain later,” the earl told her.
“No, you won’t,” Lt. Price huffed. “Your chats with Miss Wilson are over. I insist on it.”
“I hate that you had to find out like this,” the earl said to Emeline.
As if she’d become invisible, he whipped away and went to the carriage. Like an imbecile, she dawdled, watching him.
A young woman poked her head out the window. She waved and called, “Nicholas! Nicholas! Surprise!”
The earl was very formal. He stood straight and nodded. “Hello, Veronica.”
“I’ll bet you didn’t expect to see me.”
“No, I didn’t.”
“We were passing by, on our way to Fitzroy’s house party. Portia—you remember my friend, Portia, don’t you?”
“No.”
“You met her at my father’s supper? Anyway, she mentioned that we were in the neighborhood, and I decided we simply had to stop.”
“Welcome to Stafford.”
Covetously, she assessed the mansion. “It’s lovely. I’m sure I’ll be very comfortable here.”
“I’m sure you will be too,” he agreed.
A footman opened the door and lowered the step. The earl extended his hand, and the woman, Veronica, took it and climbed out. With her white-blond hair, big blue eyes, and Cupid’s mouth, she was the most beautiful, exotic creature Emeline had ever seen.
She was petite, but voluptuous, with a slender waist, impressive bosom, and numerous curves in all the right spots. From the extravagant cut of her expensive gown and the sparkling jewels on her neck, wrists, and shoes, it was obvious she was very rich.
Though she appeared to be seventeen or eighteen, she exuded a sophistication and aplomb that Emeline could never have matched. The earl was charmed, his attention fully riveted, and Emeline felt ill with alarm.
She glanced up at Lt. Price and nervously asked, “Who is she?”
“She is Lady Veronica Stewart. She is my brother’s fiancée.”
Lt. Price—bless him—had very quick reflexes. He caught Emeline around the waist so she didn’t embarrass herself by falling to the ground in a stunned heap.
“Steady,
