Alex looked up in surprise.

“But be aware that I am granting my blessing to this marriage not because you have seduced Emma and not because you say it’s what Emma wants. I give you my blessing because I really do believe that this marriage is the best thing for my niece. I think that you are one of the few young men I know who is worthy of her, and I think that she will make you a good wife.” And then, almost as an afterthought, he added, “I also think that Emma really does want to marry you, but, as you said, she can be a bit muleheaded, and we may have a bit of trouble reminding her of that fact. For your sake, I hope we’re successful because I’m not going to force my niece to the altar with a pistol pointed at her back.”

Alex smiled weakly and drained the rest of his whiskey.

Emma was staring out the window when Caroline entered her room, but her eyes refused to focus on the scene.

“This is a fine mess you’ve gotten yourself into,” Caroline said as she let the door shut with a loud click.

Emma slowly turned around, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I’m so sorry, Aunt Caroline. I never meant to shame you or your family. Please believe that.”

Caroline took a deep breath. Emma needed comfort and support right now, not the scoldings she obviously expected. “What is this talk of my family? I only see our family.”

Emma smiled tremulously.

Caroline sat down in the chair at Emma’s dressing table. “It seems to me that you are going to have to make some serious decisions rather quickly.”

“I don’t want to marry him, Aunt Caroline,” Emma said very quickly.

“You don’t? Are you sure?”

Emma’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t think I do.”

“That’s very different.”

Emma moved away from the window, kicked off her shoes, and sat atop her bed. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Why don’t you tell me why you don’t want to marry Ashbourne?”

“He’s so domineering. Do you realize he didn’t even ask me to marry him? He just stated it as if it were a fact. He didn’t even consult me!”

Caroline took a deep breath, noting that her niece had regained a bit of her customary spirit. “Would this have been before or after you were, er, compromised?”

Emma turned away. “After.”

“I see. And do you not think that it was a fairly logical conclusion on Ashbourne’s part to assume that you, a gently bred young woman, would want to marry him after you had intimate relations?”

“He could have asked me.” Emma clamped her lips shut in defiance but inwardly winced at how petty she sounded.

“Yes,” Caroline agreed, “that was certainly remiss of him, but I’m not certain it is a good enough reason to refuse his offer.” She paused and leaned forward. “Unless, of course, you have another reason for rejecting him.”

Emma gulped and caught her lower lip between her teeth.

“Do you?”

When Emma finally spoke, her voice was barely audible. “No.”

“Well, that’s a start,” Caroline said efficiently, rising and walking over to the spot by the window that Emma had so recently vacated. “But then again, one ought not marry someone just because there aren’t any reasons not to. There ought to be a few good reasons why one should, don’t you think?” She took Emma’s silence as an affirmative and continued. “Is there any reason why marrying Ashbourne would be an extremely intelligent thing to do?” She looked Emma straight in the eye. “By intelligent I mean that it would be the next logical step in securing your future happiness.”

Emma blinked a few times under her aunt’s scrutiny and nodded.

“I thought so.” Caroline crossed her arms. “Do you love him?” she asked bluntly.

Emma nodded, a tear running down her cheek.

“Do you realize how close you came to ruining your chances of marrying the man you love?”

Emma nodded again, feeling slightly sick inside.

“Well, then, you might want to tame that stubborn and prideful streak of yours,” Caroline advised, sitting down next to Emma and pulling her into a motherly embrace. “Although I wouldn’t tame it altogether. You’re going to need some of that pride and stubbornness in a marriage with a man like that.”

“I know,” Emma said, sniffling.

Caroline placed a kiss on Emma’s forehead. “Dry your eyes now, dear. We need to go down and inform the men of your decision.” She stood up and walked to the door.

“But what about my father?” Emma said suddenly. “I cannot marry without his permission. And the company…” That, she realized, was a feeble excuse, considering that she had been the first one to propose, a fact of which she had no doubt Caroline would soon be aware.

“I think you’ve always known that Dunster Shipping was not your destiny. And as for your father— well, I’m afraid he is just going to have to trust our judgment. We might not have very much time to spare.”

Emma’s eyes widened in horror as her gaze dropped involuntarily to her abdomen. Dear Lord, she hadn’t even considered a baby!

“I see you catch my meaning.”

When the two women entered Henry’s study a few moments later, Henry and Alex were sitting in companionable silence, nursing their whiskeys. Emma’s eyes narrowed slightly as she surveyed the scene. It didn’t appear as if her uncle had done any ranting or raging on behalf of her lost virtue. She sighed softly. Oh well, better to start her marriage off on a peaceful note.