A Dangerous Game (Regency Spies & Secrets Book 2), Laura Beers [i read books TXT] 📗

go on a carriage ride through Hyde Park this afternoon with me?”

He watched as Emmeline’s lips curled into a smile, causing his eyes to linger on them. He had kissed those perfectly formed lips before, and he hoped it wouldn’t be the last time.

“That sounds delightful,” she replied.

“Wonderful.” He cleared his throat and took a step back. “Then I shall see to the preparations.”

Chapter Nine

“I am so pleased that you are here.”

“As am I,” Mary replied, smiling. “Although, I daresay it might take months before I can navigate my way through Hawthorne House.”

“I must agree with you there. It is rather enormous.” Emmeline smoothed down her pale blue gown with its square neckline. “Furthermore, I am relieved that you brought my gowns with you.”

“I imagined that would be the case.”

Kneeling next to the trunk, Mary reached inside as she asked, “How have you been enjoying being married?”

“Frankly, I don’t feel any different.”

“No?”

Emmeline sat down on the settee. “It isn’t as if this is a true marriage,” she replied. “Oliver has been kind, at least when he is around.”

Mary gave her a curious look. “Why do you say that?”

“When we arrived back in Town yesterday, he left to spend time with his friends and didn’t come home until this morning.”

“Oh, dear,” Mary murmured.

“He told me that he was with his friends, and I want to believe him,” Emmeline said hesitantly. “But I would be foolish to dismiss his reputation as a rakehell.”

“Do you think he was with a woman?”

Emmeline winced slightly. “I don’t, but I am not naïve enough to think that might not change one day.”

Mary removed a gown and placed it on the floor next to her. “What can you do about it?”

“Nothing,” she replied honestly. “I am his wife, and I am completely at his whim.”

“There must be something you can do.”

“Hawthorne House is my home now,” Emmeline said with a sigh. “I have nowhere else I can go, since my aunt and uncle have disowned me.”

“Do you want to leave Hawthorne House?”

“Not really,” Emmeline admitted. “I enjoy spending time with Oliver’s family. They have been nothing but kind to me.”

Rising, Mary reached down and picked up the stack of gowns. “That is good to hear,” she said. “You deserve to be happy.”

“How are my aunt and uncle faring?”

Mary huffed. “They are furious at you for eloping,” she informed her. “I don’t think I have ever seen Lady Taylor in such a fit of rage before.”

“I imagine my elopement came as a surprise to them.”

“You could say that,” Mary shared. “When I informed them that you weren’t in your room and handed them the letter that you wrote, Lord Taylor threw a vase across the room, shattering it against the wall.”

“Truly?” Emmeline asked. “That doesn’t sound like my uncle at all.”

Mary put the gowns on the bed. “He ordered the coach to be brought around, but he soon realized that he had little chance of stopping you and Lord Oliver from marrying.”

“I hope one day they will understand my reasons for marrying Oliver.”

“Sadly, I don’t think they will.”

Emmeline let out a sigh. “That is a shame, since they are the only family that I have left.”

“That is not entirely true,” Mary pointed out. “You have a whole new family here at Hawthorne House.”

“That is true, and I am grateful for that,” Emmeline acknowledged.

Mary gave her a knowing look. “You don’t sound grateful.”

Glancing over at the door that led to the sitting room, Emmeline said, “I just wish I could trust Oliver.”

“These things take time,” Mary encouraged.

“Do you believe that?”

“I do.”

Emmeline brought a smile to her face. “Then I suppose I just need to be patient.”

Eyeing her curiously, Mary asked, “Do you intend to make this a real marriage between you and Lord Oliver?”

“No,” she declared with a shake of her head. “I can’t change the terms of our agreement now. That wouldn’t be fair to Oliver.”

“But if you could, would you want this to become a true marriage?” Mary prodded.

Emmeline pressed her lips together, then admitted, “I suppose it would be nice.”

“You have developed feelings for Lord Oliver, haven’t you?”

She nodded before she lowered her gaze to her lap. “How could I have done something so foolhardy?”

Mary walked over and sat down next to her on the settee. “I believe it is natural for someone to develop affection for someone that they spend so much time with.”

“But we only just started spending time with one another again.”

“Not only did you know Oliver in your youth, but you were alone in a coach for days as you traveled to Gretna Green and back,” Mary pointed out. “I would imagine you spent most of the time conversing with one another.

Emmeline bit her lower lip. “That is true.”

“You must be patient with yourself,” Mary said. “Allow yourself time to explore these feelings that you have for your husband and learn to trust your heart.”

“And what if Oliver never develops any true affection towards me?” she asked, voicing her greatest fear.

“Then you will be in the unfortunate situation of pining after your husband,” Mary said. “But I am of the mindset that Lord Oliver is sensible and will see the added benefit of making this a true marriage.”

“I hope so.”

A knock came at the door that led to the sitting room and Mary rose from the settee. She walked over, opened the door, and dropped into a curtsy as Oliver stepped into the room, holding a bouquet of flowers. He was dressed in a blue jacket, maroon waistcoat, white linens, and buff trousers.

Oliver offered Emmeline a charming smile as he approached her. “I brought you some flowers from our garden,” he said, extending them towards her.

She accepted the flowers and replied, “That was most thoughtful of you.” She took a moment to admire them. “They are beautiful.”

“They pale in comparison to your beauty, my dear wife.”

Emmeline arched an eyebrow. “Are you truly resorting to flattery now?”

“I am only speaking the truth.” His words were spoken in a