Nate was oddly cheerful when Emily went to see him in his study the next morning.
Everyone else had gone to town to do a little shopping and to cheer Allie up, but Emily had opted to stay behind with Nate. For the first hour, she'd read, but had gotten bored soon after and chose to go see Nate instead. She'd expected for him to be all in a huff about the situation with Allie from the night before and that she'd have to console him but, now that he was before her, he was acting oddly jovial and Emily suspected that she knew exactly why.
"I take it your visit with Mr. Bennett last night was satisfactory?" She asked amusedly, knowing that she'd hit the nail on the head when he smiled widely.
"It was better than satisfactory." Nate replied, closing the ledger he'd been perusing. "The man was quaking in his boots when I threatened him. He wasted no time in telling me that he would pack up and leave as soon as his affairs were in order. I told him that if he didn't leave by Saturday, I would have to return and my visit wouldn't be as pleasant then." Nate said gleefully, feeling no limit to his vindication at the thought of threatening the man who broke his sister's heart.
Emily couldn't help herself as she giggled, and Nate's eyes filled with further joy as he continued, "I wish I'd punched him. Unfortunately, I'm not exactly the best with my fists. The only fight I've been in was with this boy at Etonâ James Whittaker. The only reason I beat him was because his leg was already broken and he couldn't dodge me very well when I went at him." Nate admitted wistfully, successfully entertaining Emily even further.
"I can imagine the scene." Emily said with a short laugh, and Nate grinned even wider. "If you need any lessons, I'd be happy to teach you."
"Are you a good boxer, then?" Nate asked, leaning back in his chair as he abandoned his work entirely and focused his attention on her, which made her cheeks flush lightly.
"I have no idea." Emily answered, and his brows raised bemusedly before she added, "I have had neither formal training nor any opportunity to try but, from the sorry display you just described, I'm rather sure that even I'd be better at it than you are."
"Hilarious." Nate said petulantly, pretending to be offended as he pouted dramatically, as a child would. "Really, really hilarious. Comedic gold, I must say."
"It's not a joke." Emily informed him in faux seriousness, "But, rather, the truth. I'm sure I could best you in an instant."
"Have you seen my muscles?" Nate asked teasingly, flexing his rather bulky arms. Emily couldn't help but have her gaze flit to them, watching in awe and some level of admiration, entirely fascinated by the muscle and sinew that was rather evident through the thin white shirt he wore. Since he was at home and in his study, he'd taken off his coat.
"I daresay I have." She breathed, barely realising as the words slipped past her lips and flushing bright red in embarrassment the moment she noticed they had. That was such a foolish thing to say and she couldn't believe she'd allowed herself to say it. Just as she was about to stammer out some sort of response, there was a loud knock on the study door that saved her from Nate's penetrating, knowing gaze that did nothing to alleviate her embarrassment at her idiocy.
The door swung open, and a footman entered with a tray of tea that she'd forgotten she'd asked for. Along with the tea, there was a plate of scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream, as both she and Nate had inadvertently skipped breakfast, as she'd learned from the maid, Ella, who had been in to help her dress and had braided her hair for her.
"How did you know I hadn't eaten?" Nate asked, eyeing the tray once the footman had set it down and left the room with a short bow, closing the door again behind him.
Emily chose not to answer, and instead joined Nate as they dug in. Within five minutes, all the scones had been polished off as neither of them had realised just how hungry they were. The cook, whose name Emily still did not know, was absolutely brilliant with a whisk and some flour.
"That was lovely." She remarked, picking up her teacup and taking a sip of the now lukewarm tea. She preferred hers without any milk and sugar, but Nate took both. She watched him as he carefully measured out how much he wanted of each, satisfied only when he got the exact amount.
"Mrs. Davis is at her usual best." Nate agreed, and they both sat in silence for a little while longer until Emily chose to break it with a question that had been bothering her for a while.
"Is Alexandra alright?" She asked, and Nate stilled at the mention of his sister. "When I asked her earlier today, she said she was alright but I imagine that she is much more likely to confide in you than in me."
"She isn't alright." Nate answered abruptly, setting his cup down with a sigh. "But I pray she will be. She's always had a strong spirit, even if she's more used to using it to get me to buy her presents than.....whatever this is. It's been a shock to her somewhat delicate sensibilities that there actually are people in the world who aren't genuine. I must admit, I'd forgotten that such a thing was a danger. I was only focused on seeing my young, naive sister so happy when I should have been much more worried than I was about protecting her. I thought I would let her make her own mistakes, but I didn't think her heart would break in the process."
"You mustn't blame yourself." Emily insisted, tempted to reach out and take his hand but deciding against it in the end. "You simply can't."
"Who else is to be blamed if not me?" Nate demanded loudly, before lowering his voice considerably once he remembered who exactly he was speaking to. "I was the one who didn't take care of her well enough."
"Blame Bennett. He is the only one to be blamed in this situation. The only thing you are guilty of is wanting to make your sister happy, and that isn't a crime at all. If it is, then I'm sure I am guilt of far, far worse." Emily assured him firmly.
"Forgive me if I have overstepped, but Allie is still young." Emily continued, when Nate did not speak. "She is not truly in love with a man she has known for barely any time. She simply wanted to be, so she believed that she was. For now, it might seem like the most devastating thing that has happened to her and that will ever happen to her, but it isn't and it won't be. She has so much left to see of the world, and she will learn that soon enough. You aren't to be blamed for simply speeding up the process by a little. You can't protect her from every blow. She needs to feel a few for herself so that she might grow as a person. She's already lovely, but there's so much room for her to spread her wings and fly a little. That can only happen with time, growth, love and, perhaps, pain."
"Thank you for that." Nate said, once he'd processed all the words she'd thrown at him. "I think it was something I needed to hear. Even so, I can't help but feel guilty for not catching her before she fell. I want to give her even more time before she has to face the world with all of its horrors."
"That's the protective part of you speaking, not the rational part. I know how it feels to want to protect someone you love. I've felt it with my siblings, whom I love despite all that has happened between us, and with Cassie. She's the best friend I could have asked for and I would do anything in the world for your family, as you all have given me a place where I feel as if I am part of a family."
"You are." Nate reassured her, before taking the step she did not have the courage to take and reaching out to clasp her hand across the desk that lay between them and the feel of her fingers encased in his larger ones made her feel a sense of warmth flood her right to her very bones. "You are as much a part of this family as any one of us is, and you've done so much for us, for me."
"What have I done for you?" Emily asked, her breath catching in her throat as he ran a finger over her knuckles almost absentmindedly.
"You've made me happy." He confessed plainly, making no attempts at hiding behind false pretenses and veiled statements. "You've made me feel as if I were more than just a Duke, or more than just an older brother. You've listened to every word I've had to say and you've reassured me even before I myself realised I needed to be reassured. For that, I know I must thank you even though no words would ever be able to encompass the gratitude I feel towards you."
"There's no need to thank me." Emily spoke breathlessly, her heart having long since abandoned its steady beat and was now thumping wild and untamed in her chest.
"But I still will." Nate said calmly, capturing her gaze with a heated stare that blazed with the intensity of a hundred suns. Soon, however, it all became far too much for her. Even though she wanted to be trapped in that moment forever, she found herself averting her eyes and swallowing as she looked anywhere but at him. The moment having been broken, Nate dropped her hand with a small cough and she quickly retracted it, allowing it to fall into her lap.
"There's something I'd like to speak with you about." Nate said a minute later, breaking the awkwardness that had settled over them as he cleared his throat, waiting for her to respond.
"Yes?" She questioned, finding the courage in her somewhere to look up and finally meet his eyes, only to find that the previous earnestness in them had faded and melted into something much more serious and businesslike. She didn't know if she was relieved or disappointed at this. She should be relieved and, at the surface, she was. But, her heart had other ideas, as disappointment settled into its depths.
"Remember how I told you that my solicitor was visiting family and you offered to help with anything I needed?" Nate probed, waiting for her reply, which she gave in the form of a nod. "Well, I think I am going to have to take you up on that offer. Mr. Greene's visit to Northumberland coincided with a family emergency that he had to stay behind to attend to. I'd do it myself, but rental agreements and ledgers are rather difficult to read through and update, especially at this time of year, when people are flooding in to rent country homes."
"Say no more." Emily swore, a small smile breaking out onto her face. "Of course I'll do it. I make no promises when it comes to the legal aspect of it all, but I am rather good with numbers. When it comes to ledgers and accounts, I can certainly help you with it as much as you need me. It isn't as if I'm doing anything else with my time that is of any importance. I'd be glad to help you."
"Really?" Nate grinned roguishly, "This gives me an excuse to skive off work every once in a while." He joked, causing her to laugh before wagging a finger at him like an angry headmaster.
"Truancy on your part will not be forgiven, young man." She teased pompously, and he guffawed, letting out a snort in the process. At this, she could not help herself as she burst into a fit of giggles.
Finally, once they'd both sobered down, Emily decided she would leave him to his work for a while. She would start tomorrow, as he assured her that he did not have anything she could help with at the moment.
"I'll see you at about noon for luncheon, then?" He called, just as she was about to leave the study, and she looked over her shoulder to nod.
Once she'd left the room, shutting the door behind her, she found herself clutching at her pounding heart as she leaned against the other side of the door, having just arrived at a realisation.
She was in love with him.