Master of None by Kate Pearce

Author:Kate Pearce
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: historical romance
Publisher: Kate Pearce
Published: 2018-08-17T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Emily paused at the door of her husband’s dressing room and discovered he was in the bath, his head against the back rim of the metal tub as steam rose gently around him. Even as she studied him, his eyelids closed, and he slowly exhaled. He looked exhausted, the stark lines of his face and purple shadows under his eyes all the evidence she needed that he was working far too hard.

She pressed her fingers into the doorframe and considered retreating. She’d barely taken a step back when he spoke to her.

“Is there something you want, Emily?”

She paused and went forward again, hovering uncertainly near the bath, her gaze on the curve of his throat and the faint black stubble on his chin. Eventually she sat gingerly on the edge of the chair that held his clothes.

“I suspect that you have enough to worry about without me asking you for things,” Emily said. Awkwardly, she reached out and smoothed a stray lock of his black hair away from his forehead. “In truth, I am worried about you.”

His smile was wry. “I’m fine, lass.”

“You are not. You barely sleep, you work all the hours available, and you are barely home.”

“That’s why I’m successful.” He turned toward her, catching her in his stare. “Would you rather I failed?”

“No, of course not.” She hesitated, and lightly rested her fingers on his wet shoulder. “But if you continue to work at this pace, you will exhaust yourself and become susceptible to all kinds of diseases.”

“And then you’d be a rich widow, lass.”

She drew back her hand. “That is hardly fair. I didn’t agree with much my father said, but he did insist that running the mills took more than one man—that he could not do everything, and that finding good, talented, ambitious men, such as yourself, was the key to success.” Emily paused, but for once he didn’t interrupt her. “You cannot do everything.”

“I’m used to doing everything by myself,” he muttered. “I’ve never been given preferential treatment.”

“Which is why my father chose you as his successor,” Emily agreed. “But owning the mills and attempting to deal with every single element of their day-to-day running is impossible.”

He closed his eyes again and ducked his head beneath the water.

Realizing she had been summarily dismissed, Emily rose from her seat and marched back into the bedroom, closing the door firmly behind her. Why had she even imagined that a man like Adam Blackthorn, a man her father had handpicked, would ever take advice from a woman? And he’d insinuated she was only concerned for his wellbeing for selfish reasons.

She retreated into her own dressing area and investigated her wardrobe, looking for a simple gown that would withstand the children at the chapel when she visited them tomorrow. When would she be able to stop wearing black? Was four months enough? She supposed she would need to consult her husband on that matter as well.

“Emily…”

She swung around to find Adam regarding her from the door of their bedroom.

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