The Duke's Dilemma by Nadine Miller

Author:Nadine Miller
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: RenegadeBooks
Published: 2014-11-29T00:00:00+00:00

Slowly, the gray fog swimming before Emily's eyes parted and the splotches of paler, muted color evolved into eyes and mouths and finally entire faces she recognized as Mr. Rankin and Lady Hargrave…and good heavens, the Duke of Montford.

"Ah, she is coming around." Mr. Rankin leaned over her, his eyes anxious behind his spectacles, and Emily realized she was lying on one of the loveseats in the Brynhaven music room.

She tried to push herself upright, but Mr. Rankin caught her shoulders in his two hands and gently pressed her back down. "Calm yourself. Give yourself time to get your wits about you," he said kindly.

"What happened? How did I get here?" Emily asked, feeling utterly foolish and disoriented.

Lady Hargrave edged Mr. Rankin aside. "You had an attack of the vapors and draped yourself all over the pianoforte. That's what happened. And the poor duke was obliged to carry you across the room.

The duke! Emily darted an embarrassed glance in his direction. The color had washed from his face leaving him ghastly pale and there was a strange, almost haunted expression in his silver eyes. Swooning women were obviously not his grace's cup of tea.

“Whatever could you have been thinking of, girl?" Lady Hargrave continued her tirade. "No sooner had Squire Bosley announced that dastardly outlaw had reaped his just reward, than over you keeled."

Emily gasped as once again the horror of the squire's words washed over her.

"Miss Haliburton has a gentle nature. Talk of such violence would naturally upset her," Mr. Rankin said quickly, searching her face with the same troubled expression he'd worn since she'd recovered consciousness.

"By Jove, I surely didn't mean to shock you with my blunt talk, ma' am," Squire Bosley boomed. "Don't know what possessed me to rush in here like I did. Should have known it would upset the ladies."

Lady Sudsley gave a disgusted snort. "Most ladies would rejoice in the news you conveyed. It appears to me there's a missish streak throughout the entire family." She gave the duke a meaningful glance. "Such things are known to run in families, if you know what I mean." Even in her dazed state, Emily could tell Lady Sudsley was implying the something running in the Hargrave family could be far more serious than a tendency toward vapors.

"Nonsense. A great, healthy girl like Emily. She's no more given to swooning than the kitchen cat," Lady Hargrave said indignantly. "It must have been something she ate at dinner. Probably the lobster. I have a cousin, once removed, who swells up like a toad with the first bite; likely Emily has the same problem."

"She ate lobster all right; I saw her do it." This from Lord Sudsley.

Emily sank back onto the pillow of the loveseat, grateful Lady Hargrave had come up with an explanation, no matter how erroneous, for her fainting spell. At the moment, she felt incapable of speaking on her own behalf.

Her relief was short-lived. No sooner had her head touched the pillow than she heard her aunt give a surprised gasp.

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