Honor and Redemption (Regency Love Book 4) by M.A. Nichols

Author:M.A. Nichols [Nichols, M.A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-08-05T18:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Guilt twisted Norman’s heart as he watched Emmeline’s mouth slacken into an ungainly gape, her eyes widening as Eloise’s words dug deeper into his wife’s heart. Though he did not wish for Emmeline to receive such a hardy blow, he was grateful to see any emotion written on her face. It was a rare enough sight that even this heartbreaking moment was welcome. There was even a tremble of her chin, and that blasted mask of hers cracked and crumbled before their eyes.

Mina stepped forward and touched Emmeline’s shoulder, but his wife jerked away as tears trailed down her cheeks. Simon stepped forward, but Mina stopped him and herded her family away, giving Norman a farewell nod as they left.

Lowering herself onto the bench, Emmeline gathered herself enough to properly mask the pain once more, but there was no life in her eyes as she stared into the distance.

“Emmeline?” But he received no response.

The slam of a bedchamber door echoed through the townhouse, and Norman held in a sigh. Something needed to be done, though he had not a thought about what that was. Deciding it best to face Eloise first, Norman slipped out of the garden and went in search of his daughter.

“Go away!” was the answer he received when he knocked on her bedchamber door.

“Eloise, please let me in,” he said.

“If you are here to force me to marry Mr. Godwin, I shan’t do it!”

Leaning his head forward, Norman sagged against the door and wished he had a better understanding of how to handle such scenes. There was a time when Emmeline had quite a temper, but he had never been successful in calming it. The best he could do was simple nods at appropriate intervals while she vented her spleen about whatever troubled her. Perhaps that was all he needed to do now.

Once he got past the door.

“I would never force you to marry anyone,” he said. “Please, let me in.”

The door flew open, startling him, and he saw Eloise storming back to the center of the bedchamber to continue her furious pacing.

“And I will not apologize to her.” Eloise did not pause in her march. Jabbing a finger in the general direction of the garden, she said, “She is forever browbeating me, and I have every right to be upset.”

Coming over to her bed, Norman took a seat, stretching out his legs and crossing his ankles and arms. Silently, he watched his daughter. Her movements and tone were so like Emmeline in a high temper that it struck Norman as quite funny, though he hid his amusement; such a display would not be welcomed.

“She deserved it,” said Eloise, stopping at the window to scowl at the world.

Those words struck Norman.

Though he was not blind to the strained nature of their relationship, he had not thought that Emmeline and Eloise were at such odds with each other. Frowning at nothing, Norman thought back on his own behavior and wondered if he should have done more to intervene.

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