politely inclined her head, grateful for the praise, but more relieved that she hadn’t made a fool of herself in front of everyone in the room. She’d told herself when she’d sat down at the piano that she had wanted to make a good showing for Linette’s sake and that she hadn’t played the piece to impress anyone, but that wasn’t entirely true.
She had wanted to make a good impression. She had wanted to impress him.
‘Thank you, but it is one of the few pieces I play well,’ she said. ‘As indicated earlier, my repertoire is extremely limited.’
‘If you were only to play that one piece, you would find yourself welcome in any drawing room,’ Lord Stewart said.
The subtle words of praise had Emma raising her eyes to his; something she immediately came to regret. She didn’t want him thinking she cared, any more than she was willing to admit she did.
‘Play something else, Miss Darling,’ Peter implored. ‘You must have at least one other song with which to entertain us.’
‘What about “The Merry Piper”?’ Aunt Dorothy suggested.
Emma nodded. ‘Only if Linette will sing.’
Not surprisingly, Linette was delighted to sing and because they had performed the duet so many times, Emma knew they acquitted themselves well. The music was lovely and Linette’s sweet soprano voice made easy work of the lyrics. At the conclusion, they were again met with enthusiastic applause.
‘I say, the two of you must perform for our guests at the ball,’ Peter said. ‘I don’t believe I have ever heard a lovelier duet.’
‘Nonsense, Peter, musicians have already been engaged,’ his mother said. ‘It is hardly the thing for your … fiancée and her sister to entertain.’
‘In that case, I am delighted we were treated to the performance tonight.’ He moved to stand beside Linette and taking her hand, raised it to his lips. ‘Did I not tell you she was the most beautiful, the most gifted, the most remarkable young lady of my acquaintance?’
Emma hastily averted her eyes from the lovestruck look on her future brother-in-law’s face and promptly locked gazes with Lord Stewart—whose expression was anything but lovestruck. What was he thinking as he watched the pretty scene unfold? That it was hopelessly romantic? An emotional embarrassment? Was he counting the minutes until he could politely slip away? The half-smile on his lips might be one of amusement, but it could just as easily signify boredom or contempt. He didn’t strike Emma as the type of man who would find pleasure in such simple drawing-room entertainments.
‘Well done, dearest,’ Aunt Dorothy whispered as Emma sat back down beside her. ‘Your father and I could not be more proud.’
Emma managed a fleeting smile, aware of being able to breathe a little easier now that the performance was over. But she was far from happy with her silly need to impress Peter’s brother. Of what concern was it to her what he thought of her? The man was attractive, wealthy and heir to an earldom. He was no doubt used to women falling at his feet and to singing his praises in the hopes of attracting his attention.
Emma had no intention of becoming one of those women. She was not some simple-minded female easily swayed by good looks and an impressive title. She judged a man on the strength of his convictions, on the fairness of his mind and on the kindness of his words. What she had seen of Lord Stewart tonight was a man assessing a situation. One who had likely been asked to pass judgement on Linette and possibly on the rest of her family as well. Because when a man married, his bride’s family became his family. Her assets became his assets. And her liabilities became his liabilities.
Was that what Lord Stewart had been sent here to find out? Emma wondered. The extent of the liability his brother was really taking on?
Chapter Three
Not surprisingly, a great deal of speculation followed the dinner at Ellingsworth Hall. Linette suffered alternating bouts of exhilaration and despair over what Lady Widdicombe’s and Lord Stewart’s feelings about her might have been, for while she was encouraged by her performance on the piano, she was equally convinced that her conversation at dinner had fallen far short of what was expected and that their impressions of her had been tainted as a result.
Naturally, Aunt Dorothy was of the opinion that Linette had done splendidly and that, in her estimation, the evening had been an unmitigated success. She declared the countess to be far more gracious than expected, that Lord Stewart was an elegant and handsome gentleman, and that Mr Taylor was exactly the type of man one might wish to have as a son-in-law.
Mr Darling was more reserved in his comments. Though he didn’t say as much, Emma knew he believed that the real test of Linette’s suitability would come during the weekend house party when many of Mr Taylor’s friends and family would be in attendance and far more judgmental eyes would be focused on Linette than had been thus far.
In that, Emma tended to agree. Though Lady Widdicombe had been intimidating at the onset, by the end of the evening she had mellowed enough to give Linette a nod of approval and to tell her that she had played the pianoforte very nicely. Society, however, would take a far more critical view of the engagement and Emma felt sure there would be people at the ball who would be of the opinion that Mr Taylor could have done better. She feared a combination of ill will and jealousy would come together in the form of spiteful remarks that were neither fair nor warranted being directed towards Linette.
All of that she kept to herself, of course. Linette was anxious enough about the upcoming ball; there was no point in making matters worse by pointing out things that might happen. Besides, Emma had concerns enough of her own—not the least of which was the fact that the upcoming house party would again place her in the company of Lord Stewart.
She wished she could have said the thought didn’t bother her, but she knew it for the half-truth that it was. The man unsettled her, arousing emotions and feelings she was not at all comfortable with. Several times throughout the dinner, she had felt his eyes on her and had looked up to find him watching her, as though hoping to find something lacking in her make-up.
It must have been that because she refused to believe it had anything to do with his interest in her as a woman. Not when he was all but engaged to a lady whose blood was as blue as his. But was he wondering, perhaps, if she thought to gain notoriety from her sister’s success? To use Linette’s connection to Peter as a way to move into better society herself?
The unpleasant speculation no doubt accounted for the terseness of her reply when Linette chanced to ask her about the gentleman as they strolled through the garden a few days later. ‘What did I think of Lord Stewart?’ Emma said. ‘Why would you ask?’
‘No particular reason.’ Linette bent down to lift a slow-moving caterpillar off the path and settled him gently in the grass. ‘I simply noticed him watching you throughout the evening and wondered what your opinions of him were.’
Emma took a deep breath. So Linette had noticed it too. ‘I thought him … pleasant.’
‘Nothing more?’
‘What else would you have me say?’
‘That he was exactly what he seemed. Handsome, charming and highly intimidating.’
‘You found him intimidating?’
‘Never
