Emma & Edmund by Renee Lusk

Author:Renee Lusk [Lusk, Renee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-08-31T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

"Be careful!" William Tate suddenly clutched at Emma's arm, pulling her safely away from the slithering brown snake crossing their path, disappearing into the shrubs lining the forest's edge. "Would hate to take the chance, given your history with the creatures."

Belmont sat behind the pair, the edges of the estate's floral gardens sprawled behind them, freshly wandered by the two. Jonathan was even still stopping across the stone path, having not yet joined them on the lawn proper, his sour scowl trained on Emma's back. How dare she demand he behaves like a proper chaperone for one moment, coming as suddenly as William's offer for a walk together just after the breakfast buffet cleared.

It was the chance she had been waiting for, a moment to grow closer to the man while sober and under the watchful eye of her brother. Jonathan may be a lot of ungodly things, but he wouldn't allow a man to lay hands on his sister. At least, she hoped not.

She had only just barely been forgiven for her Lockhart-induced strangeness, the last thing she needed was rumors to turn on the family once more. Therefore, her very thinly veiled threats to her brother in an effort for him to behave were more than warranted.

"I can trust my own two feet far more than the awful beast that threw me." Emma's words did not come easy. She could only hope she didn't sound like the idiot her voice made her feel like.

"That gentle mare?" William laughed a hearty laugh, continuing their walk with her arm through his. "The poor thing came wandering back with this sad look in her eye, soaking wet."

"Oh wonderful, at least she felt remorse after abandoning me in the woods."

"At least she came back at all."

"I did as well, in my own time."

Rather than the reprisal of his laugh Emma had hoped for, a gasp from her gentleman companion nearly had one rip from her own throat in surprise. What in the world could have made him react like that? Was there another snake? Or, horrifically, had he spotted something odd in the tree line?

She hadn't seen Edmund in nearly five days, but that did not mean he wasn't there.

Nearly snapping her neck to Mr. Tate, Emma was almost just as shocked to see the grin furling up the tips of his whiskers.

"I just had the most wonderful idea. What if we went to pay respects to the woman who saved you?"

"What in the world do you mean?" Emma had to stop herself from scowling, internally sneering at the thought of William on the search for her savior.

"Take me to this cabin in the woods! I would like to thank this mysterious woman for saving your life. What do you say, Jonathan?" He yelled back to the mournful man following them.

"Anything to make this end faster, Tate," Jonathan's voice broke over the wind, his next breath taken with a cough.

"The pub fair will be mine tonight," William shouted again, his smile only broadening when the other Thompson finally straightened.

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