Chapter 5

Chapter Five

“ O h, Lord Baine. I did not expect to run into you!” Emily exclaimed as she and Lord Baine collided briefly in the entrance hall.

“Miss Pembleton. I am sorry. I should have been more mindful of where I was walking.” Lord Baine looked away distractedly.

It had been a day since their walk in the gardens, and they had not had a chance to speak to one another since. Emily noticed that the man seemed rather more formal and guarded than he had been with her the day before.

“Is something the matter?” Emily asked.

“No, nothing is the matter.” Lord Baine’s voice was tired, and as he said his words, he could not meet her eyes.

“Then you will not mind if I walk with you to dinner?” Emily said brightly. Clearly something is the matter, and I mean to find out what.

She could see the tension in his shoulders. He seemed tired but also as though she were not present. There was a reluctance about his step and he did not seem able to look at her.

“I – um… Yes. I mean no, no I would not mind.” Lord Baine gestured in front of him.

“Good. Then we shall walk together. It will be nice to get some time to speak with one another without your brother. Is he always so…” Emily trailed off unsure of a polite way to say ‘overbearing’.

“He is protective of me, and well… He just wants to make sure that I do what is best for me.” Lord Baine explained, a faint flush of colour in his cheeks.

“And does he know what is best for you better than you know it?” Emily raised an eyebrow at him.

Lord Baine’s colour deepened. “Sometimes.”

“I doubt that is the truth.”

“He is older. And he knows more of the world than I do. He has always done his best to provide for me.” Lord Baine wrung his hands. “He has never led me astray.”

“You were not joking when you said you could not marry without his approval.” Emily’s heart sank. I was right.

Lord Baine looked at her, and she could see sadness in his eyes. “No, I was not. I mean, technically I could, but I would not want to.”

“I see.” Emily nodded.

Before she could say another thing, they reached the dining room. Lord Baine held open the door for her, and she followed him inside. Everyone else was already in the room.

Emily took a seat at the end of the table, choosing deliberately to have only one empty seat next to her. To her frustration, Duke Warren sat next to her, and Lord Baine gave her an apologetic look as he slid into a vacant seat between Marie and Jane.

“Your Grace.” Emily inclined her head towards him, refusing to let him see her irritation.

“Miss Pembleton.” Duke Warren answered.

“I am surprised you would sit here. Given your status.” Emily knew that by rights, the Duke should be sitting nearer the head of the table, as should she.

“From what I have understood neither Duke nor Duchess Emberly place importance on such things. Therefore, the proper thing to do would be to sit where I please.” The Duke replied calmly, which only fuelled her irritation.

It was at this particular moment that one of the children – Emily was fairly certain it was Arthur – flung a piece of potato at Natalie (one of Alexander’s other sisters.) There was a squeal and roars of laughter, while Alexander tried to keep the peace.

Duke Warren watched the exchange, confusion and something else on his face, but Emily could not work out what it was. Jealousy perhaps? But that makes no sense. Perhaps it is simply judgment?

That is probably it.

Rose stood and raised her glass. Silence fell across the table as she surveyed everyone with a smile.

“Now that we are all gathered, I would just like to thank our honoured guests for being here with us tonight. I am well aware of the busy schedule of a Duke, and appreciate greatly the respect you have shown us with your presence. I hope that this is the first of many such visits.” Rose bowed, and the table toasted to the Duke and his brother.

Everyone but the Duke and his brother stood, raising their own glasses and calling out, “hear, hear!”

The Duke drank from his glass and then stood, “I must thank you, Duchess Emberly for your kind and generous invitation. You have been exemplary hosts, gracious and most hospitable. I look forward to the coming days immensely.”

Emily struggled not to roll her eyes. It was of course, custom for someone to respond to a toast about them, but she had no doubt that the Duke was not looking forward to his stay at the castle.

As the table drank once more, Marigold, Jane’s daughter, flung something across the table at Peter who had been sticking his tongue out at the child.

“Marigold, you know better than to fling your potato at your uncle Peter!” Jane was saying to her daughter.

“Yes Mama.” Marigold said, chastened.

“If you are going to fling anything at him, it should be your peas. They will travel better.” Alexander added, laughing as Rose rolled her eyes and Jane shot him a despairing look.

Everyone was caught up in their own conversations. Even Lord Baine seemed distracted as he talked to Marie. Only Duke Warren sat silent and unspeaking, seeming to absorb everything that was going on around them.

“How are you finding your stay so far?” Emily asked the Duke politely.

“It is fine. Thank you.” He replied, briefly meeting her gaze before looking away.

“And your day? I notice that you and Lord Baine seem to have spent the day out of the castle.” Emily tried to keep her voice bright and warm. I will prove to him that I can be every bit as prim and proper as he is.

“Yes. We were exploring the grounds.” The Duke returned to his food.

Emily gritted her teeth, still trying to be civil. It would be easier to converse with a stone. “And what did you think of them?”

“They are well cultivated and pleasing.” Duke Warren said.

He lapsed back into silence, and Emily tried to think of what the next polite question to ask would be. Around them, the sounds of laughter filled the air, and she saw each of her sisters being rambunctious and rowdy.

A prickle of jealousy stole over her, and she pushed it aside. Everyone around her seemed to be having a delightful time, and here she was, stuck next to someone who might as well be a stone.

Her irritation got the better of her.

“What exactly is it about me that you feel is not worthy of your brother?” she asked without preamble.

Duke Warren turned slowly to her, raising an eyebrow as he did so. “Pardon?”

“You heard me. I wish to know why it is you are so against my marrying your brother.” Emily spoke firmly, but not so loudly that her voice would carry across the table. Not that it matters, the Rochesters are so rambunctious I am unlikely to be overheard.

“What makes you think I am against your union?” Duke Warren asked.

“It is obvious to see, and even more clear how much Lord Baine values your opinion.” Emily took a steadying breath, keeping her voice level and even. “I would know what is it exactly that I have done to set you against me. Do you not think I am intelligent enough for him? Am I not pretty enough?”

“It is clear that you are clever. Your wit is sharp and you are keenly observant.” Duke Warren said simply. “You are very pretty, though not vain. In those regards, you might be well suited.”

“Oh.” Emily felt her cheeks redden. Is he complimenting me?

“It is your impropriety that makes the match entirely unsuitable.” The Duke continued, erasing any semblance of warmth that might have been spreading through Emily.

The anger that spread through her, was hard to contain. Propriety. Ugh. “I may not be as proper as you, but I do not entirely eschew propriety.”

“Thus far, your behaviour has not indicated a great deal of respect for it.” Duke Warren pointed out.

Emily raised an eyebrow at him. “I respect what is necessary. I simply do not blindly follow the rules of society.”

“And that is exactly the problem. My brother must marry a lady, and I do not feel certain you would be able to act the part.”

“Are you calling me unladylike? That is a rather rude thing to say, your Grace. Hardly proper.” Emily needled, watching the Duke’s face for a reaction.

To her satisfaction, she saw his jaw tighten slightly and his already stiff posture become even more rigid. “I simply responded honestly to a question you asked. You must admit, your behaviour is hardly what one would call typical of a lady.”

“Oh is that so? And you have concluded that I am therefore incapable of ever being a proper lady.” Emily resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “And why exactly is following propriety more important than anything else?”

“Because it is what guides us to right action and morality.”

“And are you implying that those around us are somehow immoral due to their lack of propriety?” Emily jerked her head towards the chaos around them. He would not dare say yes, that would put him at odds with his precious values.

The Duke shook his head, his jaw tight even as his tone was nonchalant. “How another family chooses to live their lives is not of concern to me. It is only of concern when someone wishes to tie their name to my own.”

“I am not trying to marry you –” Emily pointed out, the thought making her blood run cold.

The Duke interjected, “- something both of us are thankful for, I am sure.”

“You are utterly infuriating.” Emily scowled at him.

“And you have just proved my point. A true lady would not let her temper get the better of her.” The duke smiled in satisfaction.

Emily opened her mouth to retort angrily, but closed it again. The duke continued to look smug and Emily clenched and then unclenched her jaw. She cast a look at him and then around the table.

“So, you think that we should all just follow propriety, no matter what? No matter how silly or inconvenient the rules are?” Emily asked.

“Of course. No rule is silly. It is there for a reason.” The duke frowned at her.

“Is that what you think?” Emily smiled at him, an idea starting to form in her head. “Well, we shall see about that.”

“What exactly do you mean?” Duke Warren’s brow creased even further and he looked at her searchingly.

Emily gave him her most innocent smile. She stood up and raised her glass. “I would also like to propose a toast.”

Her voice cut through the cacophony of her extended family. Everyone turned to look at her. She looked between Lord Baine and his brother.

“I would like to toast to our delightful guests, Duke Warren and his brother, Lord Baine. Thank you for joining us on this wonderful occasion.” She turned to face the duke, her eyes meeting his as she looked down at him. “You have both graced us with your immeasurable wit and charm. What joy and delight you have brought to these halls. Long may our acquaintance last.”

“Hear! Hear!” The table chorused.

Emily took the smallest sip of her drink, watching as the duke took a drink from his own glass. A servant appeared and hastily refilled it. Clearly he has not had much practice at multiple toasts. Excellent.

As she slid back into her seat, Lord Baine stood up. The smell of amber floated across her, and her sleeve brushed against his. The smell was surprisingly warm and yet it seemed to fit him. She moved further away, shaking her head as her heart sped up. Now he must compliment me.

There was a wonderful irony, Emily thought. Propriety would not allow the man to lie, but nor would it allow him to say anything unkind about her. He would have to find a genuine compliment, and she rather suspected that would irk him greatly.

“Thank you, Miss Pembleton, for your most excellent toast. Your kind words were most unexpected. Your eloquence is only matched by your charm and wit.” The duke held her gaze his eyes flashing as he bowed, signalling the end of his toast.

Everyone cheered and drank. Emily smiled, wondering how hard it had been for the man to think of something suitably nice to say about her in his toast.

As he reached for his food, she stood up once more and he placed his fork back on the table.

“Dear Duke, your words have inspired me to toast you once more. And a toast, just for you. It is only through your gracious disposition and open mindedness that we are all here today, and I must thank you for it. Though perhaps you would allow us all to express our thanks, Natalie, I believe you said you wanted to practice your toasting skills?” Emily smiled at Alexander’s youngest sister.

“Oh, yes I did.”

“I am sure the duke would not mind another toast in his honour.” Emily said encouragingly, knowing full well the duke would be unable to refuse.

“Very well. Um… A toast to Duke Warren. You um… You seem pleasant and you sit up more straightly than I have ever seen in my life.” Natalie blushed and bowed.

As Emily had predicted, Natalie’s twin, Peter, immediately stood and proposed his own toast. And then everyone seemed to want a turn. With each toast, she carefully sipped her drink, trying to keep a straight face as the duke’s glass was refilled several times.

I shall show him just how ladylike I can be. And I will make him regret every minute of it.