Lady Evan Wins the Day, The Cousins Book Two (Rough Draft)

Chapter Ten

Tears glistened in Emily's eyes. "Rosalind, where is this coming from? Why are you acting as though I have done you some wrong?"

The emotional response startled Rosalind. "Emily, are you feeling well?"

"I'm fine." Emily brought out a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes. She managed to a shaky smile as she did so. "See? Nothing is amiss. Write your letter. Don't mind me."

Resigning herself that she would not finish her letter just then, Rosalind focused all of her attention on her cousin. "Fustian," she said bluntly. "It's not like you to be a watering pot like this."

Emily gave a shaky laugh. "You know me too well." She heaved a sigh and leaned back in her chair. "I suppose I have not been myself since we returned to Waverly Place. It's a wonder Adrian has put up with me as emotional as I've been."

As she studied her cousin, Rosalind decided it was time to get it in the open. "You're with child, aren't you?"

"Yes." Happiness shone in Emily's eyes as she said that one word. "How did you guess?"

Rosalind laughed, reaching out to grasp her cousin's hands. "You were hardly subtle in your letter when you invited Evan and me here. And seeing you teary-eyed just now confirmed what my husband first pointed out to me."

"Your husband guessed first?" Astonishment rang in Emily's tone.

"He is not simply an agreeable, titled gentleman, you know. There are times when he displays remarkable insight into matters one would not expect him even to be aware of. It is most intriguing."

For some reason, Rosalind's words seemed to strike Emily as being amusing for she bent over with laughter. "Do you know, I had to tell Adrian twice and then ask Dr. O'Connor to confirm it," she said once she recovered herself. "And your husband guesses at one line in a letter!"

With a chuckle, Rosalind nodded. "I am so happy for you, Emily. You are going to be a wonderful mother, though I suspect any child of yours is doomed to be a literary one."

"I wouldn't stand for anything else," Emily said with a giggle. "Before you leave, you must help me with the nursery. It has gone unused for so long, and Adrian has left it all up to my judgment. It needs all the attention I can give it."

"I will be happy to. Is this why you decided to host a party during the Season? Because you will not be able to do so later this year?"

"No. I decide to host a party because I missed my dearest cousin and a party was the only sure way of drawing you and Lord Evan away from the city."

"You don't mean that. Surely, you must have known I needed no such incentive," Rosalind said with a frown. "A simple invitation to come visit for a fortnight would have been enough."

"I did not know any such thing. After all, I know you were having a splendid time in London with your new family. How was I to know you were not enjoying yourself with your husband?"

Rosalind dropped her gaze. "On the contrary, I was drawing ever closer to giving the cut direct. I was looking for any reason to get out of London so I wouldn't have to do something so rude."

"The cut direct? You? Surely not."

"If you'd ever met Mr. Rowley, you would understand."

Emily frowned. "The name is not familiar. What did he do to offend you so?"

With a sigh, Rosalind capped the inkwell. "To be blunt, he flirted with me on every occasion and tried to insinuate that I might find his company more enjoyable than Evan's."

"What is so wrong with that? Some gentlemen are flirts, and no one takes them seriously."

Flexing her fingers, Rosalind tried to relax her tense muscles. "That may be true, but don't such gentlemen cease when it is made clear their attentions are unwanted? Do they persist in making inappropriate comments on every occasion? Do they make insinuations and hints that would offend any woman?"