The flowers began to arrive within the hour. An invitation to tea interrupted the flow of blossoms. Alice replied with a curt refusal together with an insistence Emerson cease sending her flowers.
At dinner that evening, Alice apologized for the uproar caused by the persistent Mister Blake.
“I’ve told him to stop, but he is determined.”
Carlton laughed. “You’ve underestimated him. Emerson is like a dog with his teeth in a new bone. He can be relentless.”
Her patience snapped. “I’m not a dog’s bone, Mister Whitmore. His proposal is ridiculous.”
“I wish you luck persuading him otherwise.” Carlton chuckled. “Tell her, Isabelle.”
Isabelle dabbed at the corners of her mouth with her napkin. “He’s right, Alice. Emerson can be most single-minded. But in truth, he’s a wonderful man. He’s the most eligible man in the county. You’d want for nothing. He’d make you a fine husband.”
Alice couldn’t believe she was hearing this. “I just became your governess. Now you want to marry me off?”
“Of course, we’d hate to lose you as our governess, but the opportunity to marry a man like Emerson doesn’t come along every day. We could still be the best of friends. We’d still see you all the time.”
The fish course was served. Brighton’s fish. Alice fiddled with her fork. How could she get them to understand short of telling them the truth? She’d need their help in dissuading Emerson from this ridiculous notion. She’d make as fine a wife to Emerson Blake as Rebecca’s fish would make a lovely pet.
Isabelle took a sip of her wine. “If he’s planning a wedding after the last harvest, that wouldn’t give us much time to make all the proper arrangements.” She turned to Carlton. “People would need sufficient notice and travel days. I suppose we could put some of the wedding guests up here.”
Alice muttered around the food in her mouth, “Wedding guests?”
“I’ll have to make a list for Cook. Oh, and we would need to contact the dressmaker at once. And the minister.” Isabelle shook her head at Carlton. “You men rarely think of the time it takes to plan these things.”
Trying to swallow and object, the bite of fish took a wrong turn in her throat. Alice choked and started coughing. Violently.
Isabelle was on her feet, “Carlton, do something.”
He rushed over and gave Alice several quick raps on her back, until, with eyes watering, she lifted her hands in surrender. She grabbed for her water and took a drink to clear her throat.
“Alice, are you all right?” Isabelle fussed.
“No,” Alice coughed.
“More water, Carlton,” Isabelle insisted.
Alice caught his arm and stopped him. “No, I don’t need more water.” She coughed once more and stood. Catching her breath, she pressed a hand to her stomach. “There will be no need to contact a dressmaker, or give a list to Cook. I’m not marrying Emerson Blake.” She dropped her napkin to the table. “I don’t care if he is mule-headed, nor do I care if he has all the money in the world and buys me gowns of solid gold. I don’t wish to insult a friend of this household, but I’m telling you, I’ll not wed him.”
“Foolish girl,” sputtered Carlton.
“Why ever not?” asked Isabelle. “Any other woman would jump at the chance to marry Emerson. Does this have something to do with your voyage here?”
“No.” Alice took another breath and fought the urge to scream.
Isabelle would not be quelled. “What reason could there be?”
Carlton held up a hand. “Isabelle, it is no business of ours. If the girl doesn’t wish to marry, so be it. For goodness sake, she was taken by pirates. She’s been traumatized. She’s hardly in her right mind.” He took his seat again. “If you’ll think about it, it is actually rather amusing. Watching Emerson Blake not get what he wants for the first time in his life?”
“Excuse me. I’ve lost my appetite.” She didn’t wait for a response, but left the Whitmore’s to the remainder of their dinner.
Entering her room, Alice was overcome with the dizzying smell of dozens of flowers that had been placed there. She opened all the windows and resisted the urge to hurl them into the back garden. After moving them into the hallway, Alice dropped to lie across her bed.
What in hell was wrong with men? Were they all daft or simply the ones she happened to cross paths with? When had the word no come to mean something other than no? When had yes become yes, but only for a day? Or a night? Do they speak a different language? How had so many words become convoluted? Want. Need. And what about love? Is it even in their vocabulary? Why were men either making her crazy or trying to kill her?
Alice sat before her mirror and pulled the hairpins from her hair. Tugging the braid loose, she attacked it with her brush. She shook the brush at her reflection in the mirror. “I know the fastest way to dissuade Mister Emerson Blake and remove the infuriating twinkle in his eye. He wants to get to know me? Let him get to know me. I’ll bet his fascination would shrivel like grapes in the sun once he learns his sweet, unassuming wife-to-be is actually a murderer, a thief, and a liar. It would serve him right to wed him. Perhaps I’ll wait until he carries me to our wedding bed before I announce he’s taken a pirate for a wife.”
No sooner had the words left her mouth, there was a quick knock on the door. If it was more flowers, she was getting her pistol. Alice opened the door to find Isabelle standing with a tea tray.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, but your light still burned and you didn’t eat much of your dinner.”
“That’s kind, but—”
“I wanted to apologize for our behavior earlier. I know we upset you. Please. I won’t sleep with this hanging between us.”
Alice stepped to one side and let her come in.
Isabelle set down the tray. “Are you sure I can’t tempt you? Cook sent along some of her delicious cookies.”
“I do love Cook’s baking.” Alice gave her a small smile.
The women settled into the matching armchairs. Isabelle went through the motions of pouring them both a cup of tea. “We did upset you at dinner, didn’t we?”
Alice accepted the steaming tea. “It wasn’t your fault. I’m frustrated that I can’t seem to make Emerson realize I’m not the right woman for him.”
“Don’t you want to get married? Keep a fine house? Have children of your own?”
Alice shook her head. “Marriage is not in my future.”
“But here is your chance.” Isabelle offered her a plate of cookies.
“It’s not that simple.” Alice bit into the soft molasses round.
Isabelle gave her a long look. “I bet I can guess the problem.”
Alice chuckled. “I’d be shocked if you could.”
Isabelle leaned forward and placed a gentle hand on her knee. “All women hope for a love match when it comes time to wed. You barely know Emerson. You don’t love him. But he’s a fine man. There’s a good chance for you to come to love one another. When Carlton proposed to me, I was still a child with fanciful ideas about love and marriage. I wasn’t in love with him on our wedding day. But our love grew as we came to know each other. We began to forge a life for ourselves. Then came the children.” Isabelle gave her a serious stare. “You do want children of your own, don’t you? You’re so wonderful with Brighton and Rebecca. You’d make a fine mother.”
Alice set her cup aside. Fear she might have carried Gavin’s child had already been dismissed. “Isabelle.”
“You could fall in love with Emerson as easily as you could fall in love with someone else.”
Alice took her hand. It was the one truth she could share. “I’ve already done that.”
Isabelle blinked with wide eyes. “You’re in love with another man?”
Alice couldn’t deny it.
Isabelle gave a little gasp. “I can see it in your eyes.” Concern etched her face. “Who is he? Why aren’t you with him? Did you leave him in England?”
“I can’t talk about him.” Alice chewed at her lip. “Caring for him the way I do, I couldn’t make promises to another.”
“Of course.” Isabelle tsked, and sat back to drink her tea. “How awful. For you both. Did you leave him with a broken heart, as well?”
Alice envisioned a stack of old, yellowed letters. She picked up her tea to sip away the sudden lump in her throat. “Yes, his heart was truly broken.”