He kissed the end of her nose, then set her aside as if she were a dear, but annoying, child. "I"ve given you my opinion of how we should go about this. Now it"s up to you."
After one last glance at the night sky, he left her alone.
Chapter 12
Emma was fuming by the time she"d finished breakfast. Once again, Kenny had left to practice before they"d made plans for the day. Her research schedule was falling sadly behind. He kept forgetting that he was supposed to be working for Once again, Kenny had left to practice before they"d made plans for the day. Her research schedule was falling sadly behind. He kept forgetting that he was supposed to be working for her her.
The phone rang twice, and a moment later Patrick called down from the second floor, "It"s for you, and I think I"m going to faint. The man says he"s a duke!"
Finally! Beddington had heard about last night, and he was calling to break off the engagement! She flew across the kitchen, took a deep breath, and picked up the wall phone that hung near the counter. "Good morning, Your Grace."
"Emma, my dear, I"ve heard some distressing news."
Her muscles tensed with antic.i.p.ation. This was it, then. Within minutes, she"d be free of him, and, if luck was with her, St. Gert"s would still be safe.
"Word has reached me that you were seen purchasing a tabloid newspaper. A small point, I admit, but still troubling. I had no idea you read garbage like that."
She frowned. Buying a tabloid had been her least scandalous activity. What about the rest?
She waited for him to mention the other purchases she"d made or comment on the fact that she"d misbehaved at the Roustabout. What about the fact that she"d kissed Kenny in front of the drugstore?
"If you must read those awful rags, would you at least get someone else to buy them for you?"
She held her breath and waited for him to comment on the pregnancy kit, the condoms, the lice lice shampoo! shampoo!
"I nearly forgot. My sister asked me to tell you that she"s found a gown for you to wear to the engagement party. She"ll have it waiting when you get back."
She sank down on one of the chintz-covered barstools at the counter, trying to think what to say. "Are-are you having me followed?"
"Followed? Of course not. I simply have my sources."
"And that"s all your sources told you? That I bought a tabloid newspaper?"
"I can"t think why you"d be interested in such drivel. Still, if that"s your worst sin, I"m sure I can live with it. Anne, my second wife, was fond of the tabloids." There was a pause as he turned away from the receiver to speak with one of his aides. "I have to go, Emma; I have another call waiting. And from now on, please try to remember that whatever you do reflects on me."
He broke the connection before she could reply.
The blueberry m.u.f.fin she"d enjoyed for breakfast clotted in her stomach as she sat on the stool, receiver in her hand, telephone cord twisted around her fingers. How could he know about the tabloid, but not the rest of it? She tried to sort out her thoughts, but nothing made sense.
Patrick came into the kitchen, eager to hear the details of Emma"s connection with a duke. She gave him a highly abridged version, and he was just beginning to press for more information when Torie entered from the front hallway. "Hey, Lady Emma. Let"s get hoppin"."
She wore white jeans along with a light blue T-shirt, and her fashionably untidy hair tumbled from a bright yellow banana clip at the crown of her head. She was also working away at a piece of gum.
"Where are we going?"
"Driving lesson." Torie spit her gum into the trash and immediately pulled another stick out of her pocket.
"I don"t have any desire to learn how to drive."
"I know, but you"re going to anyway." She plopped the fresh piece in her mouth.
"Really, Torie-"
"Haul a.s.s, Your Ladyship. My royal chariot"s waiting. Or are you chicken?"
"Of course I"m chicken! Why do you think I"ve gone all these years without learning to drive?"
"All you have to do is steer up and down Kenny"s driveway. You can steer, can"t you?"
"Probably, but there"s no point."
"There"s always a point to spitting in the devil"s eye." Torie"s familiar green eyes held a challenge.
Patrick took Emma"s arm and drew her off the stool. "Do what she says, Lady Emma. Life"s too short to spend it bogged down by phobias."
Emma could fight one of them, but not both, without looking completely spineless. "All right," she said reluctantly. "Up and down the drive. But that"s all."
It wasn"t all, of course. After half an hour in the drive, Torie somehow managed to bully her into pulling out onto the road by promising that hardly anyone ever used it.
Emma found herself with wet palms and a damp T-shirt, driving a car with the steering on the wrong side. As her fingers gripped the wheel, she fought the memory of that terrifying day when she"d been ten and she"d watched a bright yellow lorry come barreling toward the car.
She crept too close to the center line and jerked the wheel.
"Relax," Torie said. "You"re fingers are going to start cramping up."
"Stop cracking your gum!"
"d.a.m.n, you"re cranky. By the way, in this country we drive on the right side of the road instead of the left."
"Oh, G.o.d!" Emma wrenched the wheel to the right, but didn"t straighten in time to keep the tires from biting into the gravel on the shoulder. Finally, she managed to maneuver the car into the proper lane. "You should have told me at once! I think I"m going to faint."
"Take deep breaths."
"I can"t believe you talked me into doing this! Oh, Lord, Torie, there"s a car coming up behind us!"
"As long as you don"t slam on the brakes, you"ve got nothing to worry about."
"Why are you doing doing this to me?" this to me?"
"I decided to stop smoking, and I need a distraction. Making somebody else miserable seemed like a good idea." Torie"s voice grew belligerent. "And I"m giving up cigarettes for myself, not for anybody else. So if anybody says anything to you about the fact that I"m not smoking, you tell him to mind his own gee dee business!"
"I can"t do this much longer. I want to stop."
"There"s a diner in town. We"ll stop there."
"Town! I can"t!"
"Now that you"ve got your tendency to drive on the wrong side of the road straightened out, you"re doing just fine."
"I don"t-I don"t have a license."
"I"m good friends with most of the cops around here. Don"t worry about it."
"I"m not worried. I"m terrified!"
"We"re both still alive, so that should count for something."
Somehow she made it into town and managed to pull into a large s.p.a.ce next to the diner. She turned off the ignition and leaned back against the seat in relief.
Torie grinned. "Proud of yourself?"
Emma scowled at her.
"Come on, admit it. You"ve done something you didn"t think you could do."
Now that her heart rate was beginning to return to normal, maybe she did feel a little proud. Being unable to drive limited her life in so many ways. Not that she could drive now. "I"ll admit I"m happy we"re still alive," she said begrudgingly.
Torie laughed. "Come on. I"ll buy you coffee to celebrate."
Inside Jimmy"s Diner a model train chugged along a track that ran just below the ceiling. Chrome chairs sat around tables covered in black-and-white-checked oilcloth, and two ceiling fans spun overhead. A blackboard near the entrance listed the day"s lunch special: chicken-fried pork chops, stewed okra, along with a carrot and "raisen" salad. Emma was uncomfortable with the idea of a young child coming in and seeing that, so she requested a piece of chalk from the woman at the register and corrected the spelling.
Torie hooted and hugged her.
They sat at a table that held A-1 Steak Sauce and Tabasco, along with the more usual condiments. On the wall next to them hung a painting of a rooster and a red lantern. As the model train pa.s.sed over their heads, she saw that each car was painted with the sign of a local business.
While Torie sipped the coffee the waitress brought and Emma waited for her tea, she thought back to her conversation with Beddington. Why hadn"t the burly man told him everything he"d seen? What kind of incompetent spy had Hugh hired?
"Good morning, ladies."
Dexter O"Conner approached the table. This morning he wore a yellow oxford shirt instead of blue. He looked pleasantly rumpled, a bit distracted, and rather adorable. She smiled at him. "h.e.l.lo, Dexter."
"Emma. Victoria."
"That"s Lady Emma to you," Torie snapped.
He lifted an eyebrow at her. "I see your att.i.tude hasn"t changed. You might as well go ahead and order your wedding dress."
Emma expected Torie to leap all over that, but instead, she seemed to make an effort to pull herself together. She even managed to give Dexter a rather stiff smile. "I don"t think that"ll be necessary. If it"s all right with Lady Emma, you can join us."
"Of course it"s all right with me."
Dexter smiled and took a seat at the end of the table.
"You"re not working today?" Torie said with forced politeness.
"I"m on my way. I"ve been staying late every night for weeks, and I decided to take some time off. What about you two?"
"I gave Lady Emma a driving lesson."
"You don"t drive?" Dexter asked.
"She does now," Torie replied.
"Only a very charitable person would describe what I was doing as driving." Emma gave Dexter a lighthearted description of what had happened on the road, but instead of laughing, he encouraged her. Once again, she thought how nice he was, and, at the same time, she began to wonder if a match between Torie and Dexter was quite as outlandish as everyone seemed to think. They were both intelligent, attractive people, and each of them had something the other needed. Dexter"s stability could easily turn to stodginess as he grew older. And Torie seemed to need an anchor in her life.
The conversation drifted to other topics, and gradually some of Torie"s stiffness eased, until Emma began to believe she might even be enjoying Dexter"s company. That changed when Emma made the mistake of mentioning that Torie had stopped smoking.
Torie glowered, then stuck her finger in Dexter"s chest. "I"ve been planning to quit for months. It has nothing to do with you! Got it?"
He regarded her steadily. "I certainly do." Ignoring the French-manicured fingernail implanted in his shirt-front, he turned to Emma and asked about her plans for the day.
With one eye on Torie, Emma told him she"d hoped to go to Austin. "I wanted to spend a few hours at the University of Texas library, but Kenny seems to have disappeared."
"I"ll be happy to take you," he said.
"Don"t you have to work?"
"Our main office is in Austin, and there are some people I need to see. I can do that while you"re at the library."
"Are you certain about this?"
"I wouldn"t have offered if I hadn"t wanted to."
"Well, then, I"d quite love to. You don"t mind, do you, Torie?"
Torie frowned. "Why should I?"
Torie was obviously displeased, and Emma hesitated. Then she remembered her driving lesson and decided she wasn"t the only person who needed to look the devil in the eye. It might be good for Kenny"s sister to discover that not every woman found Dexter unappealing. "Excellent, then. I have my notebook in my purse, so I"m ready to go." She thanked Torie for the driving lesson, then let Dexter lead her from the diner.
Torie scowled as she watched the door close behind them. Fine! Fine! She hoped the two of them bored each other to death. She hoped the two of them bored each other to death.
Through the plate-gla.s.s window, she caught sight of Ted Beaudine. He walked up to Dexter and Emma, and they all chatted for a few minutes. The next thing she knew, Ted was climbing into Dex"s Audi, too, and all three of them were heading off to Austin. Without her.
"You want more coffee, Torie?" Mary Kate Pling called over from the counter.
"Uh, no. No, thanks." She leaned back in her chair and thought about how much she liked Lady Emma. Still, n.o.body would ever call her drop-dead gorgeous. So how had it happened that she had just managed to drive off with Dex and Ted, while Torie Traveler, unanimously regarded to be the most beautiful girl in town, had been left behind?
She scowled, gazed down into her empty mug, and chalked her bad mood up to nicotine withdrawal.
Kenny was furious. "What do you mean mean, Emma went off to Austin with Dex?"
Torie climbed out of his pool and wrapped a towel around the three sc.r.a.ps of amethyst nylon that were pa.s.sing for her bathing suit. "Ted went along, too."