Ice Cold Duke (Frigid Dukes #2)

Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

“ Y our Grace, a bouquet of flowers has arrived for you.”

Emery looked up from where she was reading on the settee in the parlor to see one of the maids standing in the doorway, looking excited.

“For me?” Emery repeated. “Sure you are mistaken. All of the bouquets we have received so far have been for Leah.”

“They are for you, Your Grace,” the maid said. “And oh what a marvelous bouquet they are! Some of the finest flowers I’ve seen in all my life.”

Emery looked around at where her sisters-in-law were sitting, embroidering or reading on the other sofas. Leah had lowered her embroidery and was looking wonderingly at Emery, while Eve and Celeste were exchanging conspiratorial glances.

“Why would someone have brought a bouquet for me?” Emery wondered out loud. “I am married and only danced with my husband all night.”

“Perhaps you have a secret admirer!” Eve gushed, her eyes sparkling.

“You certainly lit up the ballroom last night,” Leah said. “I wouldn’t at all be surprised if you had caught someone’s eye.”

“It would have been so lovely to see you,” Celeste said, setting down her book and gazing between Leah and Emery. “Both of you.”

Emery bit her lip. As much as she was pleased by the idea of receiving flowers, she didn’t want to distract anyone from Leah or take away the attention that she deserved as a debutante. What if Leah resented her for receiving flowers or thought that Emery had tried to upstage her? But when she glanced again at Leah, her sister-in-law was grinning.

“I for one really want to see these marvelous flowers! Bring them in, Hannah.”

The maid curtsied and disappeared back into the hall, and a few moments later, she had reappeared in the doorway, followed by a footman carrying one of the most lavish and beautiful bouquets Emery had ever seen in her life.

“Oh my goodness,” she whispered, her heart beginning to hammer and a strange, fluttering feeling filling her stomach. “They are gorgeous!”

The flowers were made up of the traditional roses, but also wildflowers in vibrant colors. Emery wasn’t even sure she could have named all the flowers in the bouquet. Some of them looked exceedingly exotic.

“They must have cost a fortune,” she murmured, standing and accepting the bouquet from the footman.

“Worth it for a duchess such as you,” Leah said with a wink.

“Does it have a card?” Eve demanded. “I want to know who got them for you!”

“It does,” Emery said, her hands shaking slightly as she detached it from the flowers. Peeling open the envelope, she pulled out the card and stared down at the writing on it.

At once, every inch of her seemed to come to light, as if she were a tree full of candles that had been lit all at once. It was from her husband.

Dear Emery,

I wanted you to have this bouquet of flowers--picked myself from the best flower shop in London--to show both my admiration for how well you did last night and to demonstrate my apologies for getting so angry at the sight of Henry with Miss Holloway and leaving so abruptly. I should have stayed with you and regret very much leaving. You looked so beautiful last night, and although the focus was on Leah’s debut, it was also your debut, and for that, I am immensely proud. Not only am I proud, but I am honored to have been the man who got to have you on his arm during such a momentous occasion. You were a diamond of the first water last night, and I congratulate you on your marvelous debut into Society. I know that as you come into your own as the Duchess of Dredford, that you will lead the ton with as much grace, warmth, kindness, and intelligence as you already lead your life.

My best regards,

Lucien

Emery stared down at the letter, hardly believing it. Her hand was still shaking, but this time, she knew it was for different reasons. He sent me flowers! He thought I looked beautiful last night! And he thinks I will become a leader of the ton !

“Well?” Eve demanded, her tone impatient. “Who is it from?”

“Don’t be so nosey, Eve!” Emery heard Leah say. “Perhaps she does not want to tell us.”

Emery looked up from the letter. All three of her sisters-in-law were now gathered around her, staring at her with hungry expressions on their faces. Even Leah looked deeply curious about the identity of the man who had sent the flowers, although Emery could tell she was trying not to show it.

“We won’t tell Lucien, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Eve whispered, giving Emery a mischievous grin.

“It would be alright if you did tell him,” Emery said, folding the letter back up and putting it in her pocket. “It is from him.”

All three sisters blinked, their eyes growing wider, as if unsure what to make of this.

“From Lucien…” Leah said slowly. “That is… very generous of him. These flowers must have cost as much as my most recent gown.”

“They are not so fine as those from Lord Burbrooke,” Emery said quickly, gesturing at a nearby bouquet. “Or from Mr. Thompson.”

In fact, the whole parlor was filled with bouquets from Leah’s many admirers, some of which were bigger and even more elaborate than the one Emery had received.

Although secretly, Emery thought none were quite as fine as hers.

Leah, however, was shaking her head, laughing. “Oh, I don’t care about that. I’m just pleasantly surprised that my brother is showing you the attention and care that you deserve. You are his wife, after all, and last night was your first ball. I know that you never intended to marry Lucien and perhaps would never have chosen him, but I hope that this gesture makes you feel at least a little glad that you became his wife.”

“Of course,” Emery said, the words strange and almost secretive-feeling. She felt as if she were letting her sisters-in-law in on the hidden feelings deep inside of her; the feelings she barely let herself acknowledge. “I’ve been glad for some time that Lucien is my husband.”

“You have?” Celeste asked, her eyes narrowed slightly.

There was a long pause, during which Emery knew she had the opportunity to tell the girls about the feelings that had been building inside of her. And she did consider it. They would understand! They might even be supportive or be able to help her.

But then she remembered Lucien’s words from the night before . I am your jailer. I am the one who took away your happiness. He did not have feelings for her, nor would he ever. That’s why he’d never wanted to marry: because he did not believe in love.

She swallowed, the tears burning in the corners of her eyes, and smiled at the girls.

“Of course I’m glad,” she said with false cheeriness. “Otherwise I wouldn’t have the three of you as sisters!”

This seemed to please Eve and Leah, who hugged her tightly, but when Emery finally released Eve, she saw that Celeste was still watching her with a thoughtful expression.

She knows. Or at least she suspects.

But knew what? That sometimes, Emery maintained a foolish hope that the moments alone with her husband--dancing in the ballroom, being cuddled by him every morning when they woke, dancing together at the Andersons’ Ball--actually meant something? It was silly, and she was only setting herself up for heartbreak. It was better to shove down the feelings, to ignore them, until they went away.

In just a few short months we will be living separately and then I won’t have to think about this anymore.

The thought made her stomach twist with dread.

“I should find your brother,” Emery said, “and thank him for the flowers. Bennet, is he at home?”

The footman nodded. “He is in his study, Your Grace.”

“Very good.” Emery bid goodbye to her sisters-in-law and headed out the door and down the hall to the study, where she knocked lightly before entering.

Lucien was sitting behind his desk, a large ledger open in front of him. He was pouring over this, quill in hand, when she entered, and he set the quill down carefully and leaned back in his chair, watching her carefully.

“Good morning,” he said, his voice low and a bit gravely.

“Good morning,” she said, suddenly a little shy. “I wanted to come here and thank you for the flowers from last night.”

Lucien’s face slowly broke into a smile, and his shoulders seemed to relax a little. “Ahh. So you got them. You are very welcome. They were a joy to pick out for you.”

“You got them this morning?”

“At first light. The shop was already full of gentlemen buying flowers for ladies, but I made sure to get the very best and most expensive.”

Emery laughed. “Well, I thank you for that. I just hope they didn’t upstage Leah.”

Lucien waved a hand as if to dismiss these worries. “Leah is a kind and generous person. She would never begrudge you flowers from your husband.”

“About the card…” Emery raised an eyebrow. “Are you really sorry about your reaction to Henry and Georgina yesterday?”

Lucien’s expressions sobered, but he didn’t look angry at all as he nodded. “I am. I realized on my way home that I was being a fool. There is no reason to be angry about something that has already happened and over which we have no control. Seeing them together was a shock, and yes, I am worried about how Henry will behave if he were to fall in love and marry this Miss Holloway, but he has also proved himself as a dutiful member of this family over the past few weeks. He has worked tirelessly to pave the way for a smooth Season here in London for Leah. And I suppose he is allowed to court whomever he wants--as long as she is an appropriate match and he goes about the courtship in a responsible manner.”

“That is very generous of you,” she said, watching him closely. “You have changed your tune even since we married, which was only a month ago.”

Lucien shrugged, as if trying to pass this off as no big deal. “I suppose that the partnership I have created with you has taught me that there is some truth in liking the person you marry. We got lucky, but if he already knows he pairs well with Miss Holloway, then I cannot begrudge him that.”

“Yes,” she murmured. “Our… partnership.” It didn’t seem that a mere partner, or friend, would send her the kind of flowers he had, but she didn’t know what else to say.

However, he seemed to sense that there was more she wanted to say, because he stood then and came to stand in front of her. For a long moment, he stared intently down into her eyes, and she felt as if her body had become as light as a feather. He was so tall, and she felt so small and fragile in front of him--something she wasn’t used to feeling.

“I suppose there was another reason for my anger last night,” he said at last, his voice a low hum.

“Oh?” she whispered breathlessly. “And what would that be?”

“I suppose I was a touch jealous.”

“Jealous?” Her heart felt as if it were in her throat.

“That Henry is in love and gets to pursue the woman who has captured his heart.”

She couldn’t think straight, not with him staring down at her like that, his eyes ablaze and his mouth quirked up into the smallest of smirks. “But you don’t believe in love,” she finally managed to get out.

The smirk on his lips grew wider. “Well, perhaps I am changing my mind.”

For another second or two, they stood there, teetering on the edge of something. Emery felt faint and lightheaded, and she wondered, wildly, whether he was going to try and kiss her again.

But then he laughed gently and turned away, heading back to his desk.

“You have shopping to do today, do you not?” he said, settling himself back at his desk.

“Er--yes.” Slowly, feeling was coming back into her body, and her mind was returning to its usual clarity.

“Well then, you better get going. And don’t forget to put those flowers in water. We want to make sure they keep blooming.”