Sweet Love of Mine

Chapter Nine

I must apologise- I was going through previous chapters and noticed a lot of mistakes I didn't pick up on. Please note I only have myself as proofreader and I do try my best but sometimes- well, they just slip through. I have scoured this one thoroughly (I hope). Anyway, it's a long one and the fun moves to the Sinclairs' residence next :) 

Chapter Nine

Emily Weatherly was not prone to pining.

She had grown a stout disposition living with Sebastian and Sophie for as long as she had and she knew that one shouldn’t hide away when disaster struck. If anything it only made matters worse. So she learnt to take her blows on the chin, shake herself off, and plough straight ahead. Oh, disasters were so frequent in the Weatherly household she had become nearly immune to them anyhow.

Well, a little bit anyway.

Seeing her mother had rattled her senses and she could not doubt that it had been her that she had seen. All those lingering childhood worries and doubts, panic and fear, welled up within her again, making her heart clenched painfully with rejection. Although grieving, Emily did not allow the misery to overwhelm her. Instead, she arranged to attend a ball later that evening seeing as it was to be her last night in London for some time. Sophie had informed her that they were attending a sojourn in the country for a spell and she’d not accept any protest in the negative from her granddaughter. She did not receive any, either.

Emily was glad for the respite. Even though it was her mother she had seen outside the window earlier that day, the bitter fact remained that she had run from her. She had tried to evade Emily’s beckoning, which spoke louder than words. Clearly, she did not wish to make contact with her daughter and that stung most of all.

But Emily shrugged it off stoically and by late afternoon she was ready to face the people she loved most. In the end, she had been lucky. If Sophie Weatherly had not taken a personal interest in her well-being, then she could very well still be on the streets, pickpocketing and thriving in the filth of the London slums. No, she considered herself very fortunate indeed. The Weatherly’s had embraced her as a part of their family, not temporarily, but permanently and she adored them for it. Indeed, Emily could not imagine a life without a somewhat mad grandmother and a distantly brooding yet charmingly handsome… brother? Hmmm. No, she didn’t really like to think of Sebastian as her brother for some reason. It didn’t feel right anymore, not after the other night. Perhaps a distant cousin would be more akin to the tentative relationship they shared. Mayhap a long-lost acquaintance, actually.

Whatever it was, Sebastian Weatherly was not her brother. He’d made sure she was perfectly aware of that fact… and his nakedness. Lord, he had been decidedly naked, devastatingly so. What the devil was she doing thinking about him naked, anyway? How inappropriate. Goodness, she would have to be careful not to be alone with him again. Especially when he was naked.

Emily squeezed her eyes shut and massaged her temples. There she went again- Sebastian naked. Naked Sebastian. Out, out! A tingling blush blossomed over her skin and Emily lurched to her feet. Damnation, she’d have to distract her mind before another image of Sebastian nude drifted-

Drat.

Disconcerted, she marched purposefully down the hall towards Sophie’s favourite parlour, hoping to find the aged woman there. Her search proved fruitful and Sophie was indeed there, perched comfortably in her favourite floral patterned, high-backed armchair with her nose buried in a risqué novel of some sort- her favourite to read. Her monocle was pressed tightly to her discerning eye as she scanned her page, unaware of Emily’s presence in the room with her, until she cleared her throat meaningfully.