Scandal at Dawn (A Regency Rhapsody Novella) by Elizabeth Cole

water. “I like to make my own choices, especially for something so important.” He looked at her then. “I’m glad you’re here for the summer.”
    Emily hoped her emotions were not evident on her face. What did he mean? It would be easy to be angry at Robert, to think he’d only been passingly interested in her, and now was making a cold-blooded alliance with another family for profit. But she sensed he wasn’t keen to complete the marriage. 
    However, it was a practical match, and Emily could offer little that might be worth more. Her family was comfortably off. But they were not highly placed in society, nor did they have great wealth. Any rational observer would tell Robert that Nerissa was the superior choice.
    “I suppose,” Emily said, feeling sad all at once, “I should go back up now, before I am missed.”
    “Anyone would miss you,” he returned, his tone deliberately light.
    “Oh, stop teasing me and help me down, if you want to be useful.”
    He slid off the rock, then turned. Emily found there was no ladylike way to leap off a four foot tall boulder in a gown.
    “What’s the matter?” he asked. “Just take my hand and jump down. I’ll make sure you don’t stumble.”
    “You must not look,” she warned.
    “Take my hand, and then I’ll close my eyes,” he said.
    Emily did, and then jumped, finding it less demeaning than she feared. But then she was standing toe to toe with Robert, her hands in his. 
    “There. Back on the ground, and your dignity intact.”
    “I don’t know about that,” said Emily. “I feel quite foolish.”
    “Why?”
    “All this time, I thought I’d offended you. I know our meeting wasn’t…ideal.”
    “Circumstances, that’s all,” he said.
    “You could have simply written to me.”
    “I would have, but I had no privileges to correspond with you!” 
    “Your friend didn’t care for such rules when he pursued Olivia,” she argued.
    “Adrian has never cared for rules, and he’s never had to. You know I’m nothing like him. And besides, the one time I did send you a letter, you nearly took my head off for the impropriety.”
    “It
was
improper! You invited us to an
illegal duel!”
    “And you attended.”
    “I did it for Olivia, not for you.”
    “I suppose that’s true,” said Robert. “I was glad to see you, however.”
    “You didn’t even know me.”
    “I knew you immediately,” he said. “Your spirit was instantly recognizable—provoking, in the best sense.”
    “You are making things up,” she said, but without rancor. In fact, it would be lovely to believe the nonsense he was spouting. Especially as he was so close to her. He could have kissed her, if he tried.
    Emily tilted her head in an unconscious invitation. Robert responded to the gesture, leaning even closer. “Emily…”
    A sudden splash of water doused the mood, along with the edge of her skirts and his shoe.
    “Oh, bother,” she said. “Does this mean the tide’s coming in?”
    “That’s the sort of thing you’d have to ask a sailor.” He shook one foot, his expression disgusted. “Blast. Well, that’s in keeping with both my luck and my timing when it comes to you. One might say I was all wet.”
    “If this devolves into puns, I’ll have to leap into the sea to escape.”
    “Then I’ll not dampen the mood further.”
    “Mr Griffin!”
    “Yes?” he asked, too innocently.
    “
Stop
it.”
    “I like you better when you’re berating me, rather than when you’re silent.”
    “Don’t tease me. I’m all too aware I can’t keep my mouth shut.”
    “You’re so diverting it’s never occurred to me to wish otherwise.”
    “Speaking of diverting…” She pointed to a light on the water she just noticed. “What is that light?”
    Robert followed her finger. 
    The odd light bobbed and shook on the water, as waves partially obscured it for a second, then revealed it again as it crested.
    “A boat, I expect.” His voice became much lower. “A small