Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

Evan

T he air in Hyde Park was crisp, the sun hanging low in the sky, casting golden rays over the manicured paths that curved through the park. Emma walked beside Evan, her heart lighter than it had been in days. They had just left the orphanage, where she had seen the children’s bright smiles and heard their laughter, a sharp contrast to the harsh realities they faced. But what had truly stayed with her was the way Evan had interacted with the children—his quiet, thoughtful manner, his unspoken concern for their futures. It had been a side of him she rarely saw, and it had made her heart stir in ways she didn’t want to fully acknowledge.

She glanced up at him now, surprised at how comfortable the silence between them was. It wasn’t that he had changed, not exactly—but something about their time at the orphanage had shifted. There had been no pretensions, no walls between them, just a shared understanding that had seemed to bridge the gap. And now, walking through the park with him, Emma felt a sense of contentment that she hadn’t expected.

“Thank you for letting me come along,” she said, breaking the silence as they walked side by side. Her voice was warm, but there was a trace of curiosity in her tone.

“Of course. I thought it might be rather nice to walk together after I am finished meeting with my associates. It is rather boring, I am afraid, so if you do not mind entertaining yourself, perhaps with a walk on your own?”

She smiled at him. “I had no intention of interrupting your meeting.”

“That is not what I meant. I would rather like to introduce you to my associates. I simply do not wish to bore you with talk of tariffs and such. It will be short, I promise you,” he said and then nodded ahead. “There they are.”

“Jonathan?” she said. “I mean, Lord Weston? I did not know you were in business together.”

Evan nodded. “We are, at least in some of them. He is one of my partners in a business exporting sugar and tea from India.”

Emma looked up. “I did not know you imported your sugar from India. My father was always involved in the sugar trade -at least for a time- but it came from the Caribbean.”

Evan grimaced. “I do not support the manner in which sugar is produced in the Caribbean. I do not support the slave trade either. My father’s sugar investments were in the Caribbean but when I became Duke, I made changes immediately.”

She looked at him with genuine admiration, not having realized this about him. He had moral that ran far deeper than she’d ever imagined.

“Admirable,” she said. “I am impressed. My brother Alexander also thinks this way. I had no idea you were so concerned with issues such as these.”

Evan’s expression softened, his eyes momentarily distant as he considered her words.

Then, as though shaking off the brief vulnerability, he turned his gaze ahead, the faintest of smiles still playing on his lips. “There’s more to me than meets the eye, Emma. I don’t always show it, but I care about a lot of things—more than most people would believe. I do understand what my reputation is, but I am more than that.”

Emma’s chest tightened slightly at his words. She didn’t want to let herself get too attached to the idea of him. But standing here, sharing this moment, seeing a side of him she hadn’t known existed, it was hard not to feel the pull between them. There was something undeniable about the way he made her feel—something that, despite her best efforts, she couldn’t ignore.

“I admit, I had misconceptions about you.”

“As I did about you,” he said with a shrug. “I’m glad you’re getting to know me, Emma,” he said, his voice lower now, the words almost a quiet confession. He met her eyes for a fleeting moment, then looked away, as though the intensity of the moment startled him.

The shift between them was palpable, the air thick with the unspoken feelings they were both trying so hard to suppress. Emma wanted to say something—anything—that would bridge the growing distance between them, but before she could open her mouth, Evan spoke again.

“There they are now,” he said as the reached the group standing by the river.

Emma braced herself as they approached, having never met anyone from Evan’s circle before.

“Gentlemen, there you are. I would like to introduce you to someone,” he began, his voice carrying a commanding authority, “This is my wife, Her Grace Emma Haddington, Duchess of Wells. Your Grace, these are my associates. You know Lord Weston of course.”

Jonathan stood and immediately offered Emma a warm smile, his eyes glinting with his usual charm. “Your Grace,” he greeted, bowing slightly. “A pleasure to see you again.”

Beside him stood two other men, both dressed in dark suits and looking every bit the part of businessmen accustomed to power and influence. One tall and thin, with a sharp nose and narrow eyes that seemed to calculate everything. “This is Mr. Thomas Abernathy,” Evan introduced him, his tone respectful but distant. “A partner in several of my ventures.”

Mr. Abernathy nodded stiffly, giving Emma a brief, polite smile. His handshake was firm but devoid of warmth, as though he had more important things on his mind.

The third man, who stood to Abernathy’s left, had a broad frame and a booming laugh that echoed across the park. “And this is Lord Percival Wren,” Evan continued, his voice lighter with a hint of camaraderie.

Lord Wren extended a hand to Emma with a smile that reached his eyes. “Your Grace, it’s an honor,” he said warmly. “I trust you're enjoying the day?”

“I am, thank you,” Emma replied, her smile polite but reserved.

Evan turned to her, his voice shifting slightly, a touch of pride in it. “We have just returned from the Society for the Promotion of Benevolence. My wife does excellent work at the institution,” he said, his voice full of genuine admiration.

It and the mention of her involvement in the orphanage made her chest tighten with a surprising amount of warmth. She wasn’t used to being praised in such a manner, and Evan’s words, though casual, seemed to carry a weight that she hadn’t anticipated.

Before she could respond to thank him, Mr. Abernathy raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into a subtle smirk. “Ah, charity work,” he said dryly, his voice tinged with humor, “I do hope that’s not what we’re here to discuss today, gentlemen. I’m afraid I have a much more pressing matter at hand?—”

Emma immediately picked up on the tone of the conversation and, though she wasn’t one to shy away from a bit of banter, she wasn’t about to stay and entertain such offhand comments about women in business. With a polite smile, she cut him off smoothly.

“Of course not, Lord Wren. Forgive me, gentlemen,” she said, her voice carrying a quiet elegance. “I’ll leave you to your work. I’m sure I’ll find something else to occupy my time.”

Evan looked at her for a moment, his expression unreadable, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes—approval, perhaps, or understanding—that made her feel reassured.

“Of course,” he said, giving her a slight nod. “I will find you once we have concluded our business.”

“We will not keep him too long, Your Grace,” Abernathy said with a grin.

With a small laugh, Emma gave a courteous nod and stepped away, feeling a weight lift from her shoulders as she moved farther from the group.

As she walked down the path, the sound of Evan’s deep voice in conversation with his associates faded, and for a moment, she allowed herself to simply enjoy the quiet of the park, her thoughts drifting back to the earlier warmth between them.