“That ought to do,” she breathed. “Hopefully no one will notice that I’ve changed the style. I wear it like this most of the time anyway.”

A quick check of her dress revealed that while a few blades of grass had stuck to her hem, no permanent damage had been done. She plucked off the grass and left the blades on the counter with her hairpins. All the more mystery for the Lindworthys to enjoy the next day, she decided, consoling herself with the idea that she might be making her hosts’ lives a little more interesting. She scanned her hem for any more errant blades but finally gave up, figuring that if she missed any, at least her gown was green. It was more important than ever that no one suspect her whereabouts. It would not be so dreadful if it were whispered that she had been alone with Alex. But if anyone realized that she had been alone with Woodside— that, she could not bear. She still couldn’t believe he actually thought Belle would marry him. That must have been what he meant when he said they would someday be more than friends. Emma shivered with distaste, trying to put Woodside out of her mind.

She put her hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath to regain her composure. Her slippers were undeniably wet, but there was really very little she could do about that, so she stepped back into the dark hallway, hoping she could navigate her way back without further mishap.

When she returned to the noisy ballroom, she poked her head in, anxiously scanning the faces until her gaze fell upon Belle. Emma had never felt more relieved. A more careful scrutiny, however, revealed that Belle was accompanied by Alex and Dunford, and Emma resigned herself to the fact that she was not going to be able to talk to Belle in private. After about thirty seconds of making bizarre hand gestures and praying that nobody saw her, she finally caught her cousin’s eye, and Belle came scurrying over, the two men close at her heels.

“Where have you been?” Belle asked urgently. “I’ve been looking all over for you.”

“I was otherwise occupied,” Emma commented dryly, her eyes resting meaningfully on Alex’s face. Belle did not miss the silent interchange, and she also turned to Alex, hands on hips.

“Good Lord,” Dunford drawled. “I feel extremely fortunate that I am not on the receiving end of so many scowls.”

“I wasn’t scowling,” Emma replied, shooting Dunford a look that came dangerously close to a scowl. “I was merely giving him a pointed look. At any rate, it’s all over and done with and not very important.”

Alex studied her face, thinking to himself that it was, indeed, very important, and furthermore, it was far from over and done with.

“The point is,” Emma said, turning to Belle and directing her comments quietly to her, “that I’ve changed my mind, and I don’t feel like getting into an argument with Uncle Henry and Aunt Caroline about the dress.” Not to mention Alex.

“Good idea,” Belle agreed.

Emma turned back to the two men. “If the two of you would go fetch my shawl, I’d be most appreciative.”

“Don’t see why it takes two grown men to get a shawl,” Dunford pondered.

“Dunford,” Belle said determinedly. “Will you please just go?”

Dunford muttered something about hostile blondes, but he dutifully crossed the ballroom to fetch Emma’s shawl. And after a fair amount of subtle hints and downright nagging, Alex was persuaded to join him. They returned just in time, for it was only moments after Emma had wrapped the fabric around her pale shoulders when Lady Worth suddenly appeared, a wide smile brightening her features.

“I have marvelous news,” she said, turning to the two young women. “Eugenia has invited us all out to Westonbirt for a short holiday.” She tilted her head slightly so that she could address Alex. “Isn’t that marvelous?”

“Marvelous,” he replied with a tight smile, unable to decide whether he wanted to thank his mother or throttle her.

Caroline turned quickly back to Belle and Emma. “Henry has a headache, and I’m afraid that we are going to have to make our excuses immediately.” She looked back up at Alex and Dunford. “I’m terribly sorry, but I’m sure you understand…” Before either man could reply, Caroline had whisked her two charges away, and within minutes, the entire Blydon family was ensconced in their carriage.

Chapter 10

Seated in the plush carriage, Emma began to replay the past few minutes in her mind and decided that her aunt was acting a trifle strangely—she had certainly never before witnessed such a hasty excursion from a ballroom. She was afraid, however, that Caroline’s odd behavior might be a result of her having seen Emma disappear out into the garden with Alex. Emma wisely decided not to mention anything and sat back, waiting for someone else to make conversation.

Belle soon filled the gap. “I can’t believe that the dowager just invited us all out to the country on the spur of the moment. Well, maybe I can believe it,” she said, looking pointedly at Emma.

Emma looked pointedly away from Belle.

“I am sure we shall all have a marvelous time,” Caroline declared firmly. “Eugenia was particularly hoping to spend some time with the two of you,” she added, motioning to her daughter and niece.

“I’m sure she was,” Ned drawled, winking at Emma.

It was fairly obvious that everyone understood the real reason for the outing.

“Also, Sophie has been missing her husband dreadfully,” Caroline added. “Eugenia and I both thought that she would enjoy some feminine company, especially with her baby coming soon.” She turned back to her son, not wanting to give anyone a chance to point out that Sophie’s baby was not coming for another five months and that furthermore, her condition had very little to do with Eugenia’s motives. “You’re invited too, of course. Will you come, Ned?”