Her Reluctant Groom (17 page)

“
All right, young ladies,” she said, standing up. “Let's go see what’s in the nursery, shall we?”

“
I imagine it's full of dust and old books,” Drake offered from the door.

Emma whirled around and faced the smiling man. She stepped back as he told his girls he'd see them in a few days and reminded them to be on their best behavior for Miss Green.

“
Actually, they'll need to be on their best behavior for me,” Marcus intoned. “Emma, Mrs. Crofter is here to see you now. I'll take Celia, Helena, and Kate to work on their first official music lesson.”

Drake chuckled. “Do you have some cotton for your ears?”

“
No, and I don't believe I'll need any,” Marcus said smugly. “The other day I let them make merry with several of the spare instruments around here. You'd be surprised at the skill these three possess, especially, little Katie over there.”

Drake shot a disbelieving look at his youngest daughter, who smiled like a court jester.

“
Say, why don't we put on a performance for you when you come back next weekend?” Marcus suggested, an amused grin on his lips.

Emma nearly choked on her laughter. What she remembered from the time Marcus let them play those instruments, those girls were awful. Not that she was musically inclined, but one didn't have to be in order to identify others who weren't.

Drake nearly growled but then smiled at his girls. “Very well,” he agreed, shaking his head ruefully. “I suppose I deserve that.”

Emma didn't know what he was talking about. However, Marcus did, because he said, “Excellent. I shall work with them an hour a day so they can play the perfect song for their papa upon his return next weekend.”

Nodding, Drake agreed and said one more quick goodbye to his daughters before leaving.

Marcus slipped out of the room for a minute and came back in with Mrs. Crofters. “Miss Green,” he said, looking at Emma. “Mrs. Crofters is going to do your fittings in here while I practice music with the girls. I hope that's all right.”

“
That’s perfect,” she said with a grin, stepping back so two footmen could bring a dressing screen into the room. It wasn't appropriate for Marcus to be alone with the three young girls, nor alone with her. It was an odd situation, but if they all stayed in the same room with Mrs. Crofters present and able to go to both sides of the screen, it made the whole situation as acceptable as it could possibly be under the circumstances.

The girls ran over and each grabbed an instrument they fancied. Celia chose
Olivia's old three-stringed violin (the fourth one was broken, of course). Helena decided she wanted to plunk out an awful tune on the pianoforte. Kate thought it necessary to pierce all their eardrums with the flute, while Marcus accompanied them on the trumpet. Emma slipped behind the screen and disrobed with the help of Mrs. Crofters.

An hour later, all three adults were ready to quit the room and see Cook for a tonic for headaches then take a nap; all three little girls, on the other hand, only left the room after having their chosen instruments pried from their little fingers and receiving a promise of a double portion of dessert if they didn’t so much as play or sing another note until this time tomorrow.

Chapter 12

Getting time alone with Emma proved harder than Marcus originally thought. Following her fitting, she'd taken the girls up to the third floor to become familiar with Ridge Water’s nursery, and he didn't see them again until dinnertime.

After they ate, she helped them bathe and dress for bed before retiring to her room for the night.

Much to his dismay, on Monday he only saw her at breakfast and dinner.

At nine that night, his arms ached to hold her, his lips yearned to kiss her, and his eyes longed to see her so much so that his feet set out to find her.

By ten, he'd nearly given up his search when the door to the drawing room creaked open and a tired Emma stepped out. “Good evening, Marcus,” she said, looking slightly surprised, but mostly tired.

“
Why aren’t you in bed yet?” He put his arms around her and pulled her to him.

“
I had to come up with a lesson plan for tomorrow.” She rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes.

He rubbed her back with long, even strokes, slightly swaying her. “Do you need any help, or do you have it all done?”

“
It's done,” she said with a sigh.

He bent his head lower and kissed her soft lips. She responded instantly and opened her mouth to allow him entry. His hands tightened their hold on her as his tongue tangled with hers. She sighed against his mouth and he pressed his hard body against her soft, yielding one.

Her hands reached up and found his hair, twirling her fingers into the back. He groaned as she boldly pressed her hips into him, slowly grinding against his erection. Where had she learned to do
that
? “Emma.”

“
I love you, Marcus,” she whispered as his lips trailed kisses from her lips down to her ear.

He parted his lips and lightly nipped her skin. “I love you, too,” he replied, dying to show her just how much, even though he knew he couldn't.

“
Miss Green,” a four-year-old Kate called from somewhere on the stairs, startling them both.

“
Yes.” Emma stepped back from Marcus. Her face was flushed and her hair was all out of sorts.

Kate walked further down the stairs. “I had a bad dream.” She wiped a tear from her eyes.

Emma walked up to the girl and picked her up. “How about we go to the kitchen to see if we can find something to eat, and you can tell me all about it,” she said, holding the girl against her breast.

“
Mind if I join you?” Marcus asked.

“
Only if you carry me.” Kate reached out to him.

Marcus smiled and took the little girl from Emma. “Lead the way, Miss Green.”

Emma flashed them a smile and strode down to the kitchen. Marcus put the little girl down in one of the chairs surrounding the small round table. He took a seat next to her while Emma dug through the pantry until she found some treats for them to eat.

She set them down in the middle of the table and took the seat directly across from Kate. Marcus took one of the biscuits and handed it to an anxious Kate. She took the treat from him and ate it without another word.

Marcus grinned at her then turned his gaze to Emma. She was looking down at Kate, her brows knit in worry. Under the table, Marcus extended his foot in her direction and brushed her calf with his.

She looked his way and he immediately turned his attention to Kate. Though he wasn't looking at Emma, he could feel her eyes on him—he continued to brush her leg with his.

Emma reached out and took a biscuit. His gaze trained on Kate, he nearly jumped out of his skin when the side of Emma’s foot touched his ankle and made a slow, provocative trail up to his knee before descending back to his ankle.

His eyes shifted to Emma. She wasn't looking at him now. Her foot was still resting on top of his, but her eyes were resting on Kate. “Would you like to talk about your dream?” she asked, reaching forward to push a stray lock of Kate's hair off her forehead.

The little girl shook her head.

“
All right,” Emma said slowly. “Do you need anything to drink? Some water or milk, perhaps?”

“
Milk,” Kate said, snatching another biscuit.

“
Milk it is.” Emma left the room then came back with a little container of milk. She poured the little girl half a glass. “Will that be enough?”

Kate eyed the glass for a second before nodding. “It should do.”

Marcus and Emma both chuckled at her expression. “Would you like some, too?” Emma asked him.

He shook his head. He wasn't much of a milk drinker. Water, tea, and lemonade were his preferred drinks.

Emma sat back down, and the three sat quietly while the little girl finished her snack. After she was done, Marcus watched as Emma escorted Kate back up the stairs to put her to bed. It would likely be tomorrow night before he got to see Emma again, he thought sadly, walking to his bedchamber.

Fortunately for Marcus, it wasn't an entire day before he saw her again. After breakfast the next morning, she asked him if he had any mounts which would be suitable for the older girls. He closed his eyes and inwardly cringed. Ever since his accident, he'd been wary of horses and had only ridden when absolutely necessary, never for pleasure.

“
I believe so,” he said at last. He had a few old nags which were so slow, Kate could move faster than they could.

Together the five went to his stables, and he informed Larson, his head groom, that Celia and Helena would like to learn to ride. Larson ordered a groom to have two horses saddled. “Wot about the lil one?” he asked, glancing down at Kate.

“
She's too young,” Marcus said automatically.

“
Fer a big hoss, pr'aps. But we gots tat pony,” Larson said with a grin.

“
A pony?” Kate shrieked excitedly.

Marcus rolled his eyes. “She's only four. I don't think it's wise.”

Emma touched his arm. “Can we speak for a minute?”

Marcus followed her over to the fence and thought up his defense. He knew what she was about.

“
Now, Marcus,” she said, squeezing his arm affectionately. “I don't see the harm in letting her ride.”

“
You wouldn't,” he muttered.

She frowned at him. “I know about your accident. Everyone here does. But that horse you were riding wasn't trained, and you were riding much faster than you should have been. I've seen Polly. She's harmless.”

“
Polly?”

“
The pony,” Emma answered offhandedly. “The point I’m trying to make is that she's not going to get hurt.”

“
How do you know?” he countered, pinning her with his stare.

She dropped her gaze. “Caroline and I have let Celia and Helena ride Polly before.”

“
When?”

Emma’s eyes came back up, and she suddenly found something just beyond his left shoulder very fascinating. “I don't know,” she admitted at last, hesitation and uncertainly evident from her tone to her stance. “It's been a while. Two years or so. Polly is perfectly harmless.”

He continued to do nothing but openly stare at her. He couldn't hide the agitation that filled his voice when he finally spoke. “Then if you've made this kind of decision before, why did you even bother to ask my permission today?”

“
I'm sorry, Marcus. Caroline assured me it was all right.”

Pursing his lips, he said, “Well, it wasn't. In the future, nobody gets on a horse at this estate without my knowledge, understood?”

“
Yes, my lord,” she agreed with a mock salute. “But what about Kate riding Polly today?”

He glanced off into the distance for a moment before turning his attention back to her. “That's why you asked about suitable mounts for the others. You'd already planned for Kate to ride Polly,” he stated flatly.

She blushed at his accusation. “I won't deny it.”

Marcus clenched his fists and ground his teeth until his jaw hurt. He unclamped his jaw and blew out a deep, pent-up breath. “She can ride Polly today. But Larson is going to hold those reins, and if something happens to her, Polly's off to the glue factory, Larson's sacked, and I've yet to think of your punishment.”

Grinning and nodding, she said, “Agreed. But no need to think up a suitable punishment for me. Nothing's going to happen.”

“
I hope not.” Turning to Larson with a resigned expression, he said, “All right, saddle her up.”

***

Emma glanced at Marcus and bit her lip nervously. Perhaps she should have left Caroline's name out of it when she told him Polly had given the girls rides before. She shook her head. Nothing for it now. She watched as Larson helped Kate mount Polly. The little girl turned back to smile at Marcus with a playful grin only a four-year-old could have. He had to soften at that expression of joy, she thought as she reached over and rubbed his forearm affectionately.

“
She'll be all right, Marcus,” Emma whispered. Marcus had extreme reservations where horses were concerned, and rightfully so. But he couldn't be so worried all the time. It wasn't good for him.

He sighed and wrapped his arm around her. “I'd never forgive myself if something happened to one of them.”

“
I know.” She pressed closer against him.

“
Would you like to go sit over in the shade while we wait?” He gestured to some chaises and a table that were set up in viewing distance of the stable yard.

“
I'd love to.” She let him escort her over to the table and frowned down at the table top. “Is this a chess table?” Of course it was a chess table. She may not know how to play, but she did recognize the black and white squares.

“
Do you like to play?” He dropped into his chair and stretched a leg out.

“
I don't know how,” she admitted, tracing the grooved outline of the chess table with the pad of her index finger.

He slid a drawer in the side of the table out and started picking up the pieces. He handed her the white pieces and set the black pieces in front of him. “Put yours in the same position I put mine. When we're done placing them, I'll show you which two you'll need to switch, then I'll explain the rules.”