Splendid

Alex sighed despondently. He understood. But he didn’t like it. He’d gotten rather used to having Emma around. Westonbirt was going to feel unbearably empty without her. “I could order you to stay, you know. Legally you are my property.”

Emma’s spine stiffened as shock squeezed around her heart. “You wouldn’t,” she whispered.

Alex dropped his arms, deflated. “No, I wouldn’t.”

They stood facing each other for a long minute until Emma finally stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. “I have to be off now, darling. I want to get there before dark.”

Alex followed her through the house. “Is Sophie expecting you?”

“No, I thought I’d surprise her.”

“Oh. How many grooms do you have traveling with you?”

“Two.”

“I don’t think that’s enough. Better take a third.”

“Two is fine, darling. I’ll have a driver, too.”

He helped her up into the carriage. “It looks like it might rain,” he said, scanning the overcast sky.

“I won’t melt, Alex.”

He pouted, and in that moment Emma knew exactly what he had looked like as a small boy. “You’ll be back in a week?”

“One week.”

“You can come back early, you know. You don’t have to stay a week.”

“I’ll see you in a week, Alex.”

Alex leaned up and gave her one last kiss, so passionate that all of the servants discreetly turned their heads. Might as well give her a taste of what she’d be missing. It worked, he knew, because when he finally drew away, she was flushed and had that telltale unfocused look in her eyes, but unfortunately he was now on his way to becoming uncomfortably hard. Mumbling his good-byes, he reluctantly shut the carriage door and watched her disappear down the drive.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he walked back to the house, viciously kicking at some pebbles in his path. Maybe he’d take off and go to London for the week. Maybe he wouldn’t miss her so much there.

Sophie’s pregnancy had started to show, so she had packed up her London house and moved to the Wilding estate in East Anglia. Unfortunately, East Anglia always seemed to be the rainiest part of England, and by the time Emma’s carriage pulled up in front of Sophie’s country home, it was pouring.

“Oh my goodness!” Sophie exclaimed upon seeing her new sister-in-law on her doorstep. “Whatever are you doing here? Have you and Alex had a fight? Oh, this is dreadful, perfectly dreadful. He is going to have to get down on his hands and knees—”

“Hands and knees really won’t be necessary,” Emma interjected. “If I could just come in and get warmed up, I’ll tell you all about it.”

“Oh, of course! I’m so sorry. Come in, come in.” Sophie quickly ushered Emma into a parlor. “Lucky for you, I just had Bingley set up a fire in the fireplace.” She steered Emma into a chair near the hearth. “Just stay where you are. I’ll go see about blankets.”

Emma pulled off her gloves and rubbed her hands together near the fire, shivering as the flames chased away some of the dampness that pervaded her frame.

“Here we go!” Sophie called out, sailing into the room, her arms full of blankets. “I’ve ordered a pot of tea, as well. Nothing like tea to warm you up.”

“Thank you.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to change? I can have someone press one of your dresses for you immediately, or you can borrow one of mine. You might feel warmer once you get out of those wet clothes.”

“I’m not wet, just a little damp,” Emma replied. “And I don’t want to miss the tea when it’s still hot. I have never been able to understand why you English wait to drink your tea when it’s lukewarm.”

Sophie shrugged her shoulders.

“I suppose you’re wondering why I’ve come for an unannounced visit.”

“Well, yes.”

“It isn’t really a problem with your brother. Quite the contrary. I’m very happy in our marriage.”

“I knew that you would be.”

“The problem is that I don’t really have anything to do all day while Alex is busy. Before the marriage I busied myself with social engagements, but I really don’t want to get back into the social whirl just now, and besides, the season is drawing to a close.”

“Hmm, and you’re not very good with musical instruments, are you?”

“Sophie,” Emma said with dead seriousness. “I avoid the pianoforte out of sheer compassion for Alex, all of the servants, and every living creature at Westonbirt with ears.”

Sophie smothered a laugh.

“I don’t want to take up a hobby, anyway. I want to do something useful. In Boston, I helped my father run his shipping company. I kept all of the books, and he consulted me on almost all of his major decisions. I spent many days at the offices and in the shipyard. I really enjoyed it. In fact, I fought long and hard against coming to England because I didn’t want to leave the business.”

“Well, I’m certainly glad you lost the battle,” Sophie said. “But I see what you mean. Unfortunately, it’s rather uncommon for a gently-bred woman to run a business here in England.”

“It was rather uncommon in Boston, too,” Emma said despondently.

“Much as it angers me, I just don’t think many people would take you seriously. And if nobody takes you seriously, you are, of course, doomed to fail, because nobody will buy any of the products or services or whatever you’re offering. And then, of course, once you’ve failed, everyone will go about saying, ‘I told you so,’ and This is why I didn’t patronize her in the first place. ’”