The Seduction of Sebastian St. James (House of Renwick #2)(36)

Sebastian steadied her with strong arms.

“Not now,” he said. “Later tonight, before I lose my mind with worry and curiosity, you will tell me what that was about, Emma. Now,” he pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her, “wipe your tears and put a smile on your face. Later you can cry. Right now you need to pretend everything’s fine.”

Emma laughed bitterly. Hadn’t she been doing exactly that since the incident? Pretending everything was fine when it wasn’t? Pasting a smile on her face because she couldn’t bear to see the disappointment in her parents’ eyes?

After Sebastian deemed her presentable, she walked in on his arm and was promptly seated next to Sir Belverd, who was more than happy to tell her stories of Sebastian and Nicholas’s wild days at University.





Chapter Sixteen


Emma tried to listen attentively as Sir Belverd droned on about Nicholas and Sebastian, but each time she raised her eyes to meet his, she would have the bad fortune to also meet Rawlings’ gaze, considering he was seated directly behind Sir Belverd at the head of the table.

Gulping down the last bit of wine in her glass, for it had been refilled at least twice, she managed a tiny smile as Belverd’s voice continued to fill the silence.

Sebastian, because he was the highest ranking guest, was seated away from her next to Rawlings, which was probably miserable for both of them, considering she knew they despised one another. She only hoped Sebastian hadn’t let his fork slip a few times, then again, maybe her appetite would return if she were to see Rawlings on the other end of a pointed fork or knife, making him nearly as uncomfortable as she.

Seeing him again was absolutely miserable. He hadn’t wanted anything to do with her for years, and now, suddenly, he wants to start fresh? As if the incident had never happened? Her stomach recoiled at the thought he would use the information he knew against her, to either hurt her or hurt Sebastian, both thoughts unbearable.

Course after course was served. With each one more anxiety piled onto Emma until she thought she might burst. When the last course was finished, the men adjoined to the study with their port and cigars, while the women took their sherry and ventured into the music room for some talk.

Emma wanted nothing more than to discuss tonight’s happenings with Sebastian and be on her way to bed. Exhaustion was quickly setting in. By the time she made it to the music room, all three ladies, Belverd’s wife and the two Richardson girls, were already seated, all eyes set on her.

Forcing herself to smile, she walked to the nearest seat and waited for the usual gossip. Instead, one of the Richardson girls, whom Emma believed was named Lily, cleared her throat and leaned forward.

“What is his grace like?”

Oh perfect, how was she to talk about Sebastian when even Emma found him to be a mystery at times. Naturally the girls thought she knew him better than she did.

“He’s lovely,” Emma said.

“Lovely?” Lady Belverd snorted. “Oh dear, it sounds to me like Emma has fallen head over heels for his grace.”

Emma was curious how her describing the duke as lovely sufficed as having fallen for him but decided it was in her best interest not to comment.

“Has he…” Lily bit her lip. “Has he kissed you, Emma?”

Her sister nudged her hard. Emma didn’t mind the question. Wouldn’t she be just as curious?

“Um, well, that is…I—”

“Now, ladies, that is between the duke and Emma.”

“What exactly is between us?” Sebastian swept into the room and bowed before the ladies. “I do hope you were saying good things, Miss Gates.”

Emma lifted her eyebrow as she took a tentative sip of the sherry in her hand. “Of course.”

Sebastian’s eyes never left her face as he announced, “I hope you don’t mind, ladies, but I was hoping to speak to my betrothed for a moment tonight concerning some minor details of our upcoming nuptials. I’m sure you ladies understand.”

Emma thought she heard a few muffled giggles, but couldn’t be sure since her eyes were fully locked on the temptation Sebastian St. James, Duke of Tempest, brought to her.

Dressed in a tight-fitting dinner jacket, his broad shoulders seemed almost too firm to be real. She was half-tempted to run her hands along the smooth fabric. Hadn’t she earlier today decided to enjoy being with Sebastian as long as it lasted? Or had time run out? Just how much had he overheard?

Before she knew it, Emma was being escorted outside onto one of the south facing balconies. Sebastian had no way of knowing it, but this balcony overlooked the Gates’ estate, and if one looked hard enough, it was possible to see the grounds of her parents’ country house as well as their stables.

A familiar longing fell over Emma as her mind went back to easier days. The time before the incident had been good. Her family had adored her and she was to have her first season, but not have to participate in the marriage fiasco it presented. After all, she already had her match.

And what a match Rawlings had been. If looks were to be the deciding factor, then he had those in spades. But he lacked heart, and the years at University had not been good to him. Each time he had returned to her he’d appeared haggard, tired, and debauched. Oh he had still been tall, dark, and handsome. With piercing blue eyes and brown hair, his looks favored Lord Renwick. One could believe them to be brothers. Yet, over time, Lord Renwick had battled his demons and won, while Rawlings was still entrenched in the fight, or had decided to give up. The permanent scowl or smug grin on his face told everyone within his vicinity that he was much too full of himself to be of any use to anyone. The boyish charm was gone. In its place stood a man who had seen too much in the world and come out the other end damaged, just like her.