Part 13 (1/2)
”Mrs. McKenzie-” Julian s.h.i.+fted in his chair to lean forward.
”Hus.h.!.+” Momma snapped, her eyes sparking with fury. ”You're to sit and be quiet until my husband arrives.”
The door opened and Emma swallowed a groan as Garrett stormed in, his topaz eyes blazing as if they were on fire. ”What the h.e.l.l did you do to my sister, McCallister?” he growled, grabbing Julian by the s.h.i.+rtfront to haul him up from his chair.
”Take your hands from me. Now.”
”Garrett, let go of him.” Emma shot up from her seat, only to be held back by her mother's hand on her forearm. ”Momma, make him stop. This is silly.”
”Silly? Hardly.” Momma snapped. ”This is as serious as it gets. Garrett, do you know what he did? Julian, do you know what sort of a scandal you've caused, compromising my daughter in the middle of a hallway during a party?”
”I heard, Momma,” Garrett a.s.sured her. ”I heard.”
Julian blushed. Had she ever seen him blush before? She didn't think so, and yet, now, Julian dangled from Garrett's fist, and a dull flush colored his cheeks. ”I meant to ask Captain McKenzie's permission for Emma's hand.”
Garrett's hand and jaw went slack at the same time. As Julian dropped back into his chair, Garrett turned to his mother. ”Are you going to allow this?”
”Momma, it's true. And Garrett, isn't he your friend? Why do you sound surprised that Momma might accept?”
”He is my friend-was my friend. He crossed the line, though, when he put his hands on your b-” Now it was his turn to blush, and he dropped into the nearest chair.
The office door banged open and her father stalked across the room to his desk. ”This is a disaster. At the Christmas Party, Julian? When the house was filled with people? You decide to go and disgrace my daughter in a hallway?”
Emma hated herself for blus.h.i.+ng, but she couldn't help it. It was sordid, of course, but her father had a way of making it sound even more sordid, and that made her lunge for the wastebasket once more. The lemonade gla.s.s found its way from her grasp as her back arched and every muscle locked up.
A gentle hand touched her back-Julian's she a.s.sumed, but then someone shoved it away and she knew it had been Julian's. A sweet-if futile-gesture, but if she ever stopped throwing up, she might smile from it.
When she sat back, she didn't know where to look. Garrett looked too frightening. If she let her gaze linger on Julian, it would only infuriate her mother more. And if she looked at Momma...
Not possible. Forget looking at her mother. Every time she did, it was a reminder of what her mother saw. Emma's gown open, her breast out, and Julian's mouth on it. Beyond humiliating, that's what it was.
Although she sat, her knees trembled under her parents' furious glares. She couldn't remember the last time either one of them looked so angry with her. But that wasn't it. Not entirely. And what else she saw filled her with a sorrow she'd never felt before.
The disappointment in their eyes was far worse.
She wanted to look at Julian, and when she did, she wished she hadn't. He didn't look any happier than she felt.
But he leaned back in his chair and calmly said, ”I have every intention of asking for Emma's hand. I had intended to do it all along.”
”Perhaps you should have done it before you took it upon yourself to paw her,” Garrett growled from his perch on the sofa.
”I didn't paw her.”
Garrett leapt to his feet. ”You didn't? Really?”
”Garrett, leave off.”
But Garrett ignored Papa's low warning. ”You think my sister is some barmaid you can grope in public?”
”Garrett.” Papa rose from his chair. ”Sit down.”
Garrett scowled, but halted his stride. ”She's too good for you, man. Papa, tell me you aren't going to give your blessing on this.”
Papa sighed deeply and ran his hands through his silver hair. ”I have no other option. Your mother and I are in agreement on this. Emma, you and Mr. McCallister will be married as soon as we can make the arrangements.”
Chapter Thirteen.
EMMA SAT CROSS-LEGGED on her bed, staring at the pale blue quilt beneath her. With a fingertip, she traced one of the embroidered yellow flowers, her heart heavy. Every time she imagined marrying Julian, it was never with her parents glowering and oozing disappointment in her. Nor did involve Julian's scowling and looking as if he'd rather be anywhere but Stonebridge.
After Papa had dropped the hammer, she'd stolen a glance at Julian. His clasped hands had rested on his knee, the knuckles white. His s.h.i.+rtsleeves were rolled back, and the muscles in his arms were whipcord tight up through his shoulders. He still wore his waistcoat, but the frock coat lay over the back of his chair, where it landed when he tossed it. His expression had remained neutral, but his eyes narrowed.
Even now, she swallowed hard just thinking about it. It was hardly the expression of a man happy to be taking a bride.
A bride. Julian's bride. Those words were supposed to thrill her, and yet...tears stung her eyes. She didn't want to be married this way. There were supposed to be tears of joy and proclamation of ”Welcome to the family!”
”Em?”
Emma looked up at Mary, standing in the doorway, her expression somber. ”Come in, Mare.”
”Everyone has been asking about you. I've been telling everyone you aren't feeling well.”
”That's true enough,” Emma replied softly, swiping at her eyes with the back of her wrist. ”I don't feel well. I feel sick to my stomach.”
”What happened? Momma is trying to act as if everything is just fine, but her heart just isn't in it. And Garrett and Papa both look as if they might kill someone.” Mary climbed up onto the bed to sit across from her. She looked worn out, with dark smudges beneath her eyes.
Emma glanced at the clock on the mantle. It wasn't quite ten yet, and the party would be winding down soon. ”Where's Drew?”
Mary shrugged. ”No one seems to know. He and Miss Monroe had a bit of a spat outside the ballroom.” Color crept into Mary's cheeks and she lowered her voice. ”Outside. In the garden.”
”What were you doing in the garden?”
The color deepened and Mary smiled. ”Ben Jacobs asked to court me.”
Mary looked so happy, and Emma wanted to share in that happiness, but the bitter unfairness of everything tempered it for her. She didn't want Mary to be caught, but it just didn't seem exactly fair that she and Julian had been. ”That's wonderful, Mary.”
Mary's smile faded. ”What happened?” she asked again. ”I saw Papa and Julian talking about something, and neither one looked happy. Next thing I know, Momma came hurrying by me, and she looked like she was about to cry. What's going on?”
With a heavy, heartrending sigh, Emma told her everything-from the first steamy kiss in Julian's room, to the compromising position in which they'd been found not an hour earlier.
”And now, he has to marry me,” she finished, drawing her knees to her chest and resting her chin atop them.
”But that's what you wanted, isn't it? And Julian was going to ask for your hand anyway, wasn't he?”