“Oh, Sophie! Are you—?” Belle seemed quite unable to utter the word “pregnant” in the company of a man. Sophie nodded vigorously, her face radiant with joy. “I am so happy for you!” Belle continued. “But how difficult for you with your husband gone.”

“Yes, Oliver doesn’t even know he’s about to become a father again. I wrote him a letter as soon as I knew for certain, but I doubt that he’s received it yet.”

“If you get lonely here by yourself, you must promise me that you and Charlie will come stay with us. We have plenty of room, and it might be terrible to be all alone when you’re expecting.”

“In case you had forgotten, Lady Arabella, Sophie does have relatives who care about her,” Alex said imperiously. “If she moves in with anyone, she’ll move in with me.”

Belle gulped. “Perhaps she will long for female companionship,” she said bravely.

“I’m sure his grace can provide plenty of female companionship,” Emma muttered. Then to her complete mortification, she realized that her unpleasant thought had been spoken aloud.

Alex was inordinately pleased at her obvious jealousy, but nonetheless asked sharply, “Would you care to elucidate that comment, Emma?”

“Um, actually, I think I’d rather not,” she said weakly.

Alex took pity on the shame and anguish he saw on Emma’s face and decided to let the matter rest. “If Sophie desires female companionship,” he declared, “she will move in with my mother.”

Sophie was also delighted by Emma’s jealous comment, wondering blissfully what color dress she’d get to wear as an attendant at the wedding. She did not, however, want to make Emma feel uncomfortable, so she said brightly, “A visit with Mama would probably be just the thing to lift my spirits during the next few months. I imagine we’ll head out to the country. The clean air will do me a world of good, and Charlie loves it so. I swear, he turns into a positive heathen once we get him out of town. He’s constantly climbing trees and I’m always fearful for him, but Alex does say I must be careful not to coddle him. However—”

“Sophie,” Alex said in an indulgent voice, “you’re rambling.”

Sophie sighed. “So I am.”

“But,” Emma put in gamely, “you were exceedingly interesting. I do so like trees.”

The three women laughed at the reference to Sophie’s earlier remark about Lady Summerton while Alex grumbled about being left out of the joke.

“Oh, Emma,” Sophie sighed with a smile, slowly regaining her composure. “I wasn’t the least bit interesting, but it was kind of you to lie for me.”

“It was no trouble at all, I assure you.”

“Perhaps it will also be no trouble for you to tell us all about yourself, Emma,” Alex cut in.

“Goodness, that would be tedious. I already know all about her,” Belle said archly.

Emma wondered when her cousin had grown so daring. “I wouldn’t want to bore my cousin.”

“I’m sure she won’t mind,” Alex ground out.

“By all means,” Belle said graciously. “I shall chat with Sophie. You wanted to show me your new harpsichord, didn’t you, Sophie?”

“I did? Oh, yes, of course, I did! Here, come with me, it’s in the blue salon upstairs.” Sophie quickly rose and headed for the door, Belle at her heels. “You two will entertain yourselves, won’t you?”

Emma wasn’t quite angry enough to wish that looks could kill, but she found herself hoping that they could elicit brief but startling pain.

“We’ll be just fine.” Alex was positively beaming.

“Well done,” Sophie whispered to Belle.

“I thought so,” Belle returned.

“Come along,” Sophie said loudly. “I can’t wait to show it to you.” With that, the pair slipped out of the room and headed upstairs.

“You must remind me to thank your cousin,” Alex drawled.

“You must remind me to throttle her.”

“Really, darling, is it so very difficult to be alone in the same room with me? You didn’t mind last night.” Alex strode across the parlor and settled himself right next to Emma on the sofa. Emma sighed in exasperation. Was there no situation in which he did not feel completely at ease? Here she was, her insides churning like an Atlantic crossing, and he was sitting next to her smiling as if he hadn’t a care in the world. It was his nearness, she decided. Strange things happened to her when he was close. It was time to get him to move.

“Umm,” Emma began hesitatingly, all of her decisive thoughts flying out the window. “I don’t mean to sound like a complete prig—”

“Then don’t sound like one.”

“But I really don’t think you should be sitting so close to me.”

“Oh, Emma,” Alex sighed. “Have they got your head full of rules and regulations already?” He pinched a lock of her hair between his fingers, unable to resist its fiery allure.

“Please stop, your grace. Belle and Sophie might return at any moment.”

“Those two conspirators obviously intended to leave us alone. And I’m sure they’ll let us know when they’re coming back. When they start descending the stairs, believe me, we’ll hear coughing fits like we’ve never heard before. I wouldn’t even put it past them to work in a scream or two.”

Emma bristled with anger. “I hate being manipulated.”