{"id":1240,"date":"2019-02-14T23:44:49","date_gmt":"2019-02-15T04:44:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/read.whitefire-publishing.com\/?p=1240"},"modified":"2020-06-01T09:05:39","modified_gmt":"2020-06-01T13:05:39","slug":"if-i-loved-you-less","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/if-i-loved-you-less\/","title":{"rendered":"If I Loved You Less"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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If I Loved You Less<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

by Gina Welborn<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on Emma<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hotel heiress Emmeline Travis knows true love. After all, thanks to her, her former governess is now happily married to the livery owner who works next to her father\u2019s hotel. Austin banker Noah Whitley knows Emmeline. He has no qualms with insisting that his best friend\u2019s matchmaking skills are more coincidence than reality. While Emmeline is determined to prove him wrong by matching her lovelorn prot\u00e9g\u00e9 with someone besides the local beet farmer, Noah realizes telling her to do something is one thing. Stopping her is another. When Emmeline\u2019s schemes implode and her own heart is broken, Noah knows confiding the depth of his feelings to her would be far easier . . . if he loved her less.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t

Chapter 1<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Seldom, very seldom does complete truth belong to any human disclosure;\nseldom can it happen that something is not a little disguised, or a little\nmistaken.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

~ Jane Austen<\/em>, <\/em>Emma<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pecan Street & Congress Avenue<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Austin, Texas<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

February 1, 1882<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy ability to recognize one\u2019s true love, and I say this in all humility,\nsurely must be a gift.\u201d Emmeline Travis stopped at the front of the new desk\nshe\u2019d insisted would fit perfectly in Noah\u2019s office. She sat her open-top\nwicker basket next to the Noah Whitley,\nPresident, Whitley-Crawfield Savings & Trust nameplate, and then without\ntaking care to remove her white gloves, she withdrew a handkerchief-covered china\nplate. Paused. Waited. She looked expectantly at the man across from her, sitting\nbehind his desk, as handsome as ever in his ebony, high-buttoned coat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noah stopped reading what looked to be another dreadfully dull banking\ncontract, although he didn\u2019t put down the papers. His light brown brows rose to\nconvey a silent finish what you came here\nto say<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmeline grinned. She adored how accommodating he was. \u201cIf <\/em>you had asked\u2014and I forgive you for\nnot\u2014I would have told you Anne Fairfax was unsuitable for you. Trust me, Noah.\nI know<\/em> suitability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He leaned back in his chair, a slight indent along the left side of his\nmouth. He bore not the disposition of a man recently spurned by the love of his\nlife. He appeared quite delighted. Amused, vaguely so, at her announcement.\nNothing could be more suspicious. In Noah\u2019s case, looks were deceiving at times\nbecause she knew him and knew what he thought. That seemingly amused look was\nreally one of pray tell me why Anne\nFairfax isn\u2019t suited for me. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A myriad of reasons why rolled around in Emmeline\u2019s mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most obvious being\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHer heart is too cold to love,\u201d she said, still smiling because talk of\nAnne Fairfax would not ruin her high spirits. \u201cAnd yours is\u2026 Well, for\ngenerations Whitley men have been known for their passionate devotion. Anne\nFairfax has the emotional<\/a> range of a block of ice. I know the most\nincomprehensible thing in the world to a man is a woman who rejects his offer\nof marriage\u201d\u2014he winced as she\u2019d expected a man with a broken heart would\ndo\u2014\u201cbut you, my dear friend, are best to forget her.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And forget giving her any more flowers,\nreplacement violins, or bushels of beets because you heard she likes them.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not wanting him to think she was jealous\u2014and she wasn\u2019t\u2014Emmeline withheld\nthose thoughts from the man she considered an older brother, though they shared\nno blood ties, only the fortune of having siblings wedded: his younger brother\nto her older sister. Theirs was the first of two true love matches brought\nabout by Emmeline\u2019s insight into marital bliss potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noah\u2019s lips parted and\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmeline added, \u201cAnd do not say this insight of mine stems from the jealousy\nyou think I have of Anne Fairfax, because it does not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whatever he muttered under his breath, she could not decipher. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nor did she wish to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If something wasn\u2019t worth saying aloud, it wasn\u2019t worth being heard.\nWhich was why she kept silent her grumbles about Anne Fairfax. Anyone with\nreason would agree that Austin Abbey\u2019s instrumental music teacher was merely\ntoo cold of a person to <\/em>like. And how\ncould Emmeline like Anne Fairfax, considering they had not a single thing in\ncommon other than them being females with brown hair? That was not completely true,\nfor Emmeline\u2019s hair was more red than chestnut. Instead of Anne Fairfax for a\nwife, dear Noah deserved someone less\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmeline paused as she balanced the luncheon plate on her upturned palm\nand gave her thoughts a good dose of concentration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps instead of someone less,<\/em>\nhe deserved someone more<\/em>. Of course, more of what<\/em> she wasn\u2019t sure at the\nmoment, and she may have to spend a day fasting to gain clarity. Doing so would\nnot be the first time she sought the Lord on Noah\u2019s behalf. Nor would it be the\nlast, she suspected. Of what she was confident, was that if anyone were to know\nthe best woman for Noah, she, Emmeline LeNoir Travis, his closest and truest\nfemale friend, would be that person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anne Fairfax was not suited to Noah Whitley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since Noah wasn\u2019t adding anything to the conversation\u2014not that she\nexpected him to since he generally waited a good five minutes to speak after\nshe began any conversation with him\u2014Emmeline rested the luncheon plate in the\nonly spot on his polished-to-a-shine desk free of banking papers. How he found\nanything, she would never know. She deftly removed the linen handkerchief,\nexposing the leftover food from the book club gathering last night at her home.\nLeftover<\/em> because her father and Noah\nelected to have a lengthy dinner elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without<\/em> notifying her ahead of\ntime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noah\u2019s lips parted again, and he looked like he might speak. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell,\u201d she prodded, \u201chave your say. I am all ears.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His left brow rose. Smugly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmeline did her best not to growl. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNoah, do not look at me as if you know my thoughts, for I promise you do\nnot.\u201d She snatched three silver utensils from the basket. \u201cCucumber mint\nsandwiches, raisin scones, and strawberries.\u201d She leaned over his desk to\nneatly set the silverware in their proper place settings. \u201cMrs. Collins shared\nher grandmother\u2019s recipes. Hattie and I made everything with our very hands.\nThe sandwiches and scones, that is. Not the strawberries. Father had them\nshipped in from Florida.\u201d She straightened, smoothed the long-waist bodice of\nher emerald moir\u00e9 gown, and waited for Noah to start on his meal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A warm grin teetered on the edge of his lips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Noah wanted too, he could charm the rattle off a snake or, considering\nhe was a bank president, Scrooge out of his last dime. Any female would thrill\nto have his finely sculpted elegance turned upon her. He was not angelically\nhandsome like Garrison Churchill, but Noah\u2019s looks combined with his height, rugged\nindependence, kindness to all, and that deep-seated contentment in who he was,\nwas enough to draw notice whenever he entered a room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He merely continued to watch her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmeline reached up to pat for stray curls (none). She checked the placement\nof her hat (pinned straight). Nothing askew in her appearance, which could only\nmean he was trying to rattle her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWould you please eat?\u201d she pleaded, even though she knew he\u2019d only\neat\u2014or talk\u2014when he was good and ready. \u201cI vowed to our concerned siblings that\nI\u2019d ensure your recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy recovery from what?\u201d he finally spoke, his tone and face perfectly\nbland. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a moment she could do nothing but stare. He wasn\u2019t the type to drift\naway in his thoughts. \u201cDid you pay attention to anything I said?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He gave her a cheeky grin. \u201cYou think\n<\/em>you know true love.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHave you ever been in love?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\u201d Emmeline couldn\u2019t quite manage an offended tone in time to cover\nhow clever she felt at adding, \u201cI\u2019ve never been a bird, yet I can recognize\none.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noah burst out laughing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmeline plowed on. \u201cFood always heals a broken heart, or so Mrs. Collins\noften says. Yes, you would be correct to assume by my figure that I\u2019ve never\nexperienced a broken heart either. Still\u2014I grieve for yours.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He gave her a look to say my heart\nisn\u2019t broken<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou may deny all you wish,\u201d she continued, \u201cbut your well-being speaks\nto me. And if you aren\u2019t going to see to its care, then as your dearest friend\nand almost sister, I shall.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He blinked several times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmeline clasped her hands together before her. \u201cI do not fault you for\ndenying your inner pain. You, after all, aren\u2019t the first man to have his\nattentions spurned by the block of ice named Anne. Like many, you may need more\nthan a meal and a bottle of wine to forget your heartache.\u201d She paused as the\nidea blossomed. Why hadn\u2019t she realized this sooner? \u201cWhat you need is\u2014\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2014a party.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmeline\u2019s heart fluttered over the brilliance of her idea. No one in\nAustin organized parties like she did. Of course, she would invite the most\njovial and engaging people in town to ensure Noah was well cheered and heart\nhealed\u2026even if he boasted his dislike for parties. And dancing, which further\nemphasized his predilection toward dullness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOn that note,\u201d she announced, \u201cI received a letter from Mr. Garrison Churchill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noah slapped the papers he held onto his desk. \u201cA true knight in shining\narmor.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmeline did her best not to glare at him. \u201cI show compassion for your\nheartbreak and<\/em> bring you lunch, yet\nyou offer cynicism toward the very man who lost his precious mother the day I\nlost mine. Garrison and I share a bond.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo I\u2019ve heard ad nauseam since you were twelve. You don\u2019t need to remind\nme he is a loving and dutiful nephew either.\u201d Noah frowned slightly as he\nturned the plate of food, the strawberries now in the twelve o\u2019clock position\nand the triangular cucumber sandwiches at six. \u201cThank you for the lunch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy pleasure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He lifted a bread wedge to expose the thinly sliced cucumbers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou will eat it all,\u201d she ordered. \u201cWithout complaint.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat may be impossible. What is the point of making these this small?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey were for ladies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He bit into the cucumber sandwich. His upper lip curled, yet he chewed\nthen swallowed. \u201cYou too often assume attachments which don\u2019t exist. That is a flaw,\nnot a gift.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh Noah.\u201d Emmeline walked around his desk. Considering her in-heels\nheight barely reached his shoulder when he was standing, that he still sat put\nthem closer to eye-level. She rested her hands atop his immaculately combed\nlight brown hair. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She released a weary breath. \u201cYe of wee little faith.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t about faith. It\u2019s about\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow you exasperate me!\u201d she cut in. She paused for a dramatic moment. \u201cI\nhave been your closest friend since I can remember. My father should not be\nyour sole confidante.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a good listener,\u201d he said promptly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBetter than I am?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His brow furrowed. \u201cWhat do you know about anticipatory hedges?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNothing,\u201d she answered in all honesty, \u201cand I prefer to keep it that\nway, but I do know last night you two did not discuss banking hedges all two\nhours of dinner. Papa told me this morning you were distraught about a recent\nproposal that did not end as you\u2019d wished.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou immediately assumed<\/em> that\nreferred to Anne Fairfax.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cThere\u2019s no need to get into a\nsnit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEm\u2026\u201d Noah released a loud sigh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He claimed her hand and cradled it between both of his, surprising her\nwith his action. Other than when he\u2019d assisted her in or out of a carriage or a\nstreetcar, she couldn\u2019t remember a single time he\u2019d ever held her hand. That\nthought left an ache deep in her chest, which made her want to cry. Even her\neyes felt warm and watery. Only she wasn\u2019t the type to cry. Or flutter. Or\nfaint. Or do any of those silly things that Hattie had done when she thought\nshe was in love with Mr. Martinez and now as she loved Mr. Belton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Love shouldn\u2019t be dramatic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Love should not make a person giggly or weepy or blind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It should make a person feel\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, she had no idea. She supposed there had to be a hundred different\nways to be in love, yet in all her twenty-three years, she\u2019d never experienced\ndeep passion, a distracting attraction, or even an unspoken tendre<\/em>. It was sad, really. She\u2019d like\nto know love once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEmmeline?\u201d Noah squeezed her hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blinking to regain her focus, she knew she\u2019d needed to say something, yet\nher mind was blank. She looked at him, his familiar blue eyes intent on her. All\nair disappeared from her lungs, and she stood there feeling, seeing, and knowing\nwith all certainty the thoughts in Noah\u2019s mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019d say, I am sorry I confided in\nyour father instead of you.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then she would respond with, Apology\naccepted.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And all would be as it normally was between them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome things,\u201d Noah said, breaking the silence with that melodic voice of\nhis that oddly couldn\u2019t carry a tune, \u201care best left unsaid, even between\nfriends. Thank you for caring enough to see to my welfare. I would not survive\nwithout you to feed me minty cucumbers.\u201d He winked. \u201cI may also not survive\neating them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She tried not to smile. And failed. It was difficult not to in his\npresence. \u201cDo you think being charming will sway me to forget how exasperating you <\/em>are?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt always does.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmeline responded with a pffft<\/em>\nand a withdrawal of her hand from his. \u201cYou are insufferable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He grinned, and Emmeline couldn\u2019t believe Anne Fairfax had actually\nspurned his proposal. With his classic features, strong chin, and\nas-blue-as-her-dress eyes, Noah Whitley would give any woman beautiful babies.\nJust not Anne Fairfax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWould you like to hear about Garrison Churchill\u2019s letter?\u201d Emmeline\nblurted to redirect the conversation. She couldn\u2019t help grinning in delight over\nthe news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noah shifted in his chair, turning to where he could directly face her. \u201cWhat\ndoes Churchill have to say?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cSeems his ailing adopted aunt,\nMrs. Churchill, has agreed to allow him to attend Austen Abbey\u2019s Saint\nValentine\u2019s Ball.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd on Monday, February thirteenth,\u201d Noah replied in that patronizing\nolder-brother tone of his, \u201cMrs. Churchill\u2019s health will turn for the worse,\nand your beloved friend will have to cry off visiting Austin again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, no, he\u2019ll be here this time. Any day, in fact.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople don\u2019t change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe depth of your cynicism truly astounds me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The corners of his mouth indented ever so slightly. \u201cIt is not cynical to\ncall a duck a duck or to say a duck will return to the pond it calls home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmeline ignored his comment, letting her silence be all the response\nhe\u2019d get.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe clever girl you are knows I\u2019m right.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite his smugness, she still said nothing. Unlike Noah who prided\nhimself on his analytical abilities, she did not always feel so entirely\nconvinced that her opinions were right and her adversary\u2019s wrong, but now was\nnot the time to concede him the victory. Mr. Garrison Churchill would<\/em> attend Austen Abbey\u2019s Saint\nValentine\u2019s Ball, and when he did, she would be gracious to Noah and not gloat\nlike he would over the victory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmeline motioned toward the food she\u2019d set out. \u201cEat, please.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leaving him to attend to his meal, she stepped to the French doors\nleading to a small, two-person balcony. She drew open both doors, exposing the\nrich blue sky of winter, allowing in a pleasant afternoon breeze. The\nsecond-story view enabled her to see all the traffic, people, and businesses on\nthe corner of Pecan and Congress. Directly across from Whitley-Crawfield\nSavings was the Imperial Restaurant where she, her father, and Noah enjoyed\ndinner every Monday night, instead of their usual meals at Papa\u2019s hotel. Beyond\nthe restaurant, she could see in the distance the empty Capitol Square where\nconstruction would begin soon on the new Capitol building. In the opposite\ndirection was the beautiful Colorado River. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Was there anything she didn\u2019t love about living in Austin? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmeline glanced up at the weather thermometer attached to the bank\u2019s\nwhite limestone wall. Sixty-two degrees. In February! She breathed deep and\nsmiled. Her favorite type of winter, indeed. There was nothing like staying at\nhome for real comfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She looked over her shoulder. Noah sat on the edge of his desk, facing\nher. He held his plate, ate a strawberry without using a single utensil, and\nlooked completely uncaring that all could walk by his open office door and see\ntheir distinguished bank president behaving like his eight-year-old cousin. Emmeline\ntensed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The very cousin who wasn\u2019t anywhere in Noah\u2019s office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The very cousin who Noah should be keeping an eye on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The very cousin who couldn\u2019t attend school due to his ailing stomach and\nwho Emmeline was to take home and attend to his \u201cillness.\u201d This wasn\u2019t good.\nNot good at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s Hank?\u201d she said, her heart beginning to race. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noah\u2019s gaze shifted to the wall clock. He finished another strawberry.\n\u201cAt this moment, he\u2019s in Austen Abbey\u2019s dining hall.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cHe\u2019s supposed to be ill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe was hungry, and Miss Fairfax\u2019s music lessons begin a quarter past\nnoon.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAusten Abbey is a finishing school for young ladies, Noah. Ladies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo be polished and shined to perfection,\u201d he muttered as if it were\nsomething she said ad nauseam, and she knew quite well she did not. He tossed\nthe strawberry\u2019s leafy top onto the plate. \u201cI sent him over to the Abbey early\nso he would have time to eat first.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy? He is not a student nor taking lessons.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know you were bringing food.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmeline gave him a pointed look. \u201cNoah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEmmeline.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI do not care for your patronizing tone. You did not answer my\nquestion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He ate a cucumber sandwich in response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmeline let out an irritated exhale. \u201cLet us set aside the fact Hank is\nsupposed to be ill, and yet clearly isn\u2019t. The last time he was at the Abbey he\ntormented\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHank has seen the errors of his ways.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She doubted that. \u201cPeople don\u2019t change\u2014you said that yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople don\u2019t.\u201d He bit into the last strawberry. With the side of his hand,\nNoah wiped the juice off his bottom lip. \u201cChildren will, with the right and\nfirmly placed motivation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDid you check his pockets for crickets, ferrets, or toads? Did he have\nhis slingshot with him?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noah shrugged. \u201cHe\u2019ll be fine. I sent a note with him to give to Mrs.\nCollins.\u201d At her he will not be fine<\/em>\nlook, he added, \u201cHank knows better than to incite the headmistress\u2019s wrath a\nsecond time. I told him you\u2019ll meet him at the Abbey in an hour to take him\nhome.\u201d He took another bite of the cucumber sandwich and grimaced before\nswallowing. \u201cMusic calms Hank. There\u2019s no harm in him sitting in on a music\nlesson this one time. Besides, he\u2019s in love with Miss Branch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMiss Branch!\u201d Emmeline closed the distance between them, which wasn\u2019t\nmuch because the balcony was barely six feet behind his desk. \u201cMiss Eliza\nBranch? The very girl who sat next to me last night during the book club\ngathering and had an opinion on\neverything<\/em>? That Miss Branch?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noah finished his sandwich then grabbed another. \u201cShe\u2019s a lovely young\nwoman,\u201d he said between bites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, but\u2026\u201d Emmeline hesitated. Noah Whitley was the last person she\nwould ever accuse of being a romantic. \u201cEliza Branch?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe plays the lyre,\u201d he said in a tone conveying this<\/em> was enough of a reason for his young cousin to be in love. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe lyre?\u201d she repeated even though she knew full well what instrument\nEliza played, which was probably too generous of a word. Eliza definitely\nshowed more enthusiasm than skill, yet she played out of love for music, and\nthis Emmeline found quite admirable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noah picked up the last of his sandwiches. \u201cHank needs a woman who knows\na lyre from a harp. I say he chose wisely.\u201d He resumed eating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s eight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noah pointed the triangular sandwich at her. \u201cBut he won\u2019t stay eight\nforever, my dear. One day he\u2019s going to find a woman who will make him want to\ncharge the castle, slay the dragon, and leap across parapets. I\u2019d rather he\nlearn now<\/em> the difference between a\nMaid Marion and a Jezebel. Eliza Branch is a lady of the finest character.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmeline blinked repeatedly. \u201cEliza is ten years older than Hank. Ten!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He shrugged again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHank\u2019s parents entrusted you with his safe-keeping until they return\nfrom their tour of the Mediterranean,\u201d she said without pausing for a breath.\n\u201cYou\u2019re foolish to encourage a relationship which will come to naught but\nheartache for a child who yearns for nothing more than to be loved by his parents.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His gaze bored into hers. \u201cAge should never come between true love. I\nwould have thought with your gift<\/em>,\nyou\u2019d know that.\u201d Sarcasm dripped from his voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t about Hank and Eliza. It\u2019s about putting me in my place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnly because you need it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmeline opened her mouth and shut it as quickly. In one look he could\nwin an argument. A trait she admired in him\u2014when the look <\/em>wasn\u2019t cast upon her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The silence between them deepened, intensified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noah lifted a scone to take a bite, only to return it to the plate.\n\u201cWould you rather I give you flattery or honesty?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmeline stiffened. She wanted neither when he was being so disagreeable.\n\u201cYou did not believe me when I insisted Hank was pretending to be ill in order\nto skip school. Therefore, whatever ill befalls us today because of Hank is\nyour fault.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNothing will befall us,\u201d he said with that swoon-inciting (according to\nMrs. Collins) smile of his. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmeline rolled her eyes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, she was aware of his charms. Not that Noah was a flirt, at least not\nthat she\u2019d ever seen. What she had<\/em>\nseen was the way he looked at a woman with undivided interest, even when she\nwas speaking of fashion, afternoon tea, or the latest thing she\u2019d read. He\nlistened and encouraged, never judged. No one was better than him at changing\nthe conversation when it verged upon gossip. If his contentedness with his\nbachelorhood wasn\u2019t so well-known throughout Austin, women would be clamoring\nover one another to garner his attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noah shifted on his desk, and the toes of his boots brushed against her\nskirt. Despite the layers of silk and muslin, she didn\u2019t merely feel his boot.\nShe felt him. And she wanted to move. Or not move. Or perhaps rest against his\nshoulder. He would say all would be well with Hank. He would say he was sorry\nfor being critical of her. He would say love was the most wonderful feeling in\nthe world and that someday she would know grand passion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or maybe that wasn\u2019t it at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe she had the autumn doldrums. Only, she didn\u2019t feel melancholy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She felt\u2026 She wanted\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmeline released a ragged breath. Well, she really had no idea what this\nwas or what she was feeling or wanted or why or how. Later\u2026tonight\u2026when she was\nalone, she\u2019d sort it all out and decide it was nervous expectation over the\nupcoming Saint Valentine\u2019s Ball and Mr. Garrison Churchill\u2019s arrival. Yes, that\nhad to be it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSomething is bothering you,\u201d Noah said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She met his concerned gaze. \u201cI was thinking of the Saint Valentine\u2019s\nBall. You are coming, whether you wish to or not.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He grimaced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMiss Travis!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the wail in her prot\u00e9g\u00e9\nHattie\u2019s voice, Emmeline looked past Noah, who was also looking over his\nshoulder at his open office door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standing at the threshold, with her blond curls springing erratically\nfrom her chignon, Hattie held her hand to the bodice of her favorite calico\ndress as her chest rose and fell. Her bonnet dangled down her back, held on by\nthe haphazard knot at her neck. A month of personal instruction on decorum by\nEmmeline gone in a moment\u2019s outburst. Sophistication clearly didn\u2019t come as\nnaturally to Hattie as being pretty did. While Hattie chose to continue wearing\nMrs. Collins\u2019s cast-off calicos despite the elegant dresses Emmeline had bought\nher (which Hattie insisted on saving for special occasions), Hattie also had a\nteachable spirit and extraordinary ability to be dedicated to those she bonded\nwith. In summation, Hattie\u2019s strengths were far superior to her minor flaws,\nwhich Emmeline found quite admirable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood afternoon, Miss Smith.\u201d Noah spoke politely as he always did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miss Smith finally looked to Noah. Her hazel eyes widened. She blushed\nthen immediately curtsied as if he were a British aristocrat instead of a man\nwho spent his day denying and approving loans. \u201cMr. Whitley,\u201d she said, her\ntone heavy with surprise, \u201cI didn\u2019t realize you would be here. The receptionist\nsaid I could find Miss Travis in the navy and gold office at the end of the\nstairs. I\u2019ve never seen such a magnificent room except at Miss Travis\u2019s hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noah put the luncheon plate down on his desk, right next to his\nnameplate. \u201cThe odds of finding me in here are rather high. Why do you think that\ncould be?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmeline pinched his thigh. He didn\u2019t flinch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hattie\u2019s gaze shifted to the nameplate. \u201cOh.\u201d She cringed. \u201cIt\u2019s your\noffice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHattie, why are you at the bank already?\u201d asked Emmeline in concern.\n\u201cYou\u2019re supposed to be delivering the remaining book club food to Miss Gates\nand her mother.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hattie twisted her hands together. Her gaze nervously shifted to Noah\nthen back to Emmeline. \u201cMr. Belton\u201d\u2014her voice caught\u2014\u201chas returned.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmeline released a sigh in both delight over the news and in relief it\nwasn\u2019t as dreadful as she\u2019d first thought. While the good headmaster\u2019s attentions\ntoward Hattie had diminished prior to his departing for San Antonio, with his\nreturn two weeks sooner than expected, absence clearly made the heart grow\nfonder. By Saint Valentine\u2019s Day, Hattie would be engaged to a respectable,\nGod-fearing man. Emmeline would see to it. Just as she would see to it that\nNoah married any woman besides Anne Fairfax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She moved around Noah to reclaim her basket; he grabbed the back of her\ngown just above her bustle, stopping her. She glared at him. His attention\nnever wavered from Hattie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmeline returned her gaze to her prot\u00e9g\u00e9. \u201cWhat wonderful news!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s dreadful,\u201d Hattie countered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emmeline\u2019s smile fell. \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe returned\u2026\u201d Her shrilly words increased in volume, drawing the\nattention of what looked to be every person on the second floor of the bank.\n\u201cWith a wife<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n