men.” Simon pulled up his legs and let his arms rest on his knees as he stared out to the pond. Perhaps she was rebelling against all the rules forced upon young ladies. But that didn’t make what she was doing right.
“Like yourself?” she whispered.
He closed his eyes and nodded.
“I suppose that makes some sense. It’s still not fair. If women must curb their longings, why shouldn’t men?”
He laughed cynically. “Because most have no ability to do that.”
She sighed. “What am I supposed to do with my life, Mr. Kingsley? A viscount rejected me because my sister married your brother, and before that, your natural father killed Tessa’s husbands.”
“Find a decent man and marry him.” That sounded rather hollow to his ears. But what advice could he give her? Ladies weren’t allowed to have positions. They were told to listen to their husbands and obey his commands. It truly was unfair.
“A decent man,” she scoffed. “I am not certain such a man exists. All the men who attempt to court me are only doing so to get at your brother’s money.”
He wasn’t sure a decent man existed either. Most of the gentlemen he’d seen escort her to the dance floor did covet the large dowry she would bring to the altar. “What do you want, Emma?”
“It doesn’t matter what I want,” she muttered bitterly. “It never has.”
Remaining in his position, he watched her stride toward the horses. He smiled as she attempted to jump and grab the reins from the tree. “Would you like some assistance?”
She shot him a glare.
With a chuckle, he moved to give her the reins to Belle. After placing her back on the horse, he followed her back to his brother’s elegant home in silence. He entered the hall behind Emma as Louisa walked down the stairs. A frown marred her face as she looked between Emma and Simon.
“Where have you two been?” she asked, reaching the bottom step.
“What does it look like, Duchess,” he snapped, unsure why he felt a pinch of anger. He wasn’t angry with Louisa or Emma. His ire stemmed from Emma’s answer at the pond. The idea that she felt it didn’t matter what she wanted bothered him. And he had no idea why. It was the norm for young ladies. They were only supposed to do what their parents expected. Their wishes did not matter.
“Riding, Louisa. Mr. Kingsley offered to accompany me since I am not an experienced horsewoman. Does that satisfy your curiosity?”
Louisa arched a brow. “I suppose it will have to.”
As he sidestepped his sister-in-law, he heard her whisper to Emma, “What happened out there?”
“Nothing,” he said harshly to her. “Believe it or not, I am not that much of a scoundrel that I would take advantage of your sister, Duchess.”
“I apologize, Simon. It is just that Emma looks close to tears, and that is very unlike her.” Louisa took Emma’s elbow and led her away.
“Hide the angel from the devil,” he muttered, earning him a sharp glance from Louisa.
Chapter 10
After breakfast, Louisa finally caught her. Emma had been saved earlier by a hungry infant after returning from her ride with Kingsley. Not her best idea, she’d realized. It would have been far better to have ridden with a stableboy than accept Kingsley as her escort.
He asked probing questions to which she had no answers. Why did she go to Hell? What did she want?
“Emma, I asked you a question.”
Emma blinked, trying to remember her sister’s question. With no idea what the query was, how could she answer? Instead, she looked askance toward Louisa.
Her sister sighed. “I asked why you rode off with Simon.”
“I needed someone to accompany me,” she replied with a shrug.
“We have plenty of grooms to accompany you on a ride. Simon is not the sort of man you ask to go anywhere with.”
Emma wondered at that. While he tended to frighten her sometimes, lately, she wasn’t so fearful of him. “Why?”
Louisa sat in the brocade chair next to her. “Why? He’s....”
“Yes?” she inquired as her sister’s voice trailed off.
“He’s a rogue, Emma,” she said with a frown. “Have you forgotten the first time you want to Hell with me? What he was doing with that?”
Emma knew she would never forget that sight. Nor would she forget the uncomfortable sensation in her belly as she watched his face while they fucked. Where did she learn that word? Louisa rarely apologized for swearing, and yet, Emma was certain she’d never heard that word from her. How