The Reluctant Duke (A Seabrook Family Saga)(43)

Both sisters looked at each other and then at her; redness scorched their cheeks. Before either of them answered her, their mother spoke.

“Do not listen to my daughters. They have a more than generous allowance for clothing, although the duke increased it to include several new ball gowns.” Her eyes widened at her daughters. “Your brother has been most generous.”

Emma’s eyes narrowed in puzzlement. She sensed the duchess was not telling the whole truth. She would ask her newly acquired sisters about it later. Meanwhile, she enjoyed her breakfast until Sebastian entered the room and smiled at her.

His eyes, the exact color of his brother’s, sparkled, letting her know he remembered their encounter the afternoon before. Emma’s pulse quickened. How could she have forgotten her intimate time with him? How he had declared he wanted her.

Dear Lord, how was she to manage living in this home surrounded by two brothers, both of whom had let her know they wanted her? Sebastian was every bit as handsome as the duke. Why could her heart not flutter for him? He would be the perfect husband for her.

From this moment on she would not think about the duke. She would try to think about Sebastian instead. Her brain screamed to her that Sebastian’s feelings regarding her were honest and that he would treat her with respect. His intentions were honorable. Wentworth’s, on the other hand, were possibly quite scandalous and could lead to ruin.

“I trust this morning finds you ladies well?” Sebastian sank down in the chair opposite Emma and winked. She genuinely smiled back at him because how could she not? He was so likable.

Unlike someone else she could name. If only all men had his easygoing nature, or at least if only the duke had some of that.

“Indeed the morning is lovely, Sebastian, thank you for asking,” replied Emma. Bella, Amelia, and the duchess responded the same.

He winked at her again, and Emma lost the battle not to blush; she scanned the table wondering who saw. Bella fluttered her eyes and smiled at her knowingly. Did she think she and Sebastian were . . .

“Has Thomas risen yet?” Sebastian asked.

“How many times do I have to tell you, you should call your brother Wentworth. That is his name since taking the title,” Sebastian’s mother reprimanded.

Sebastian groaned, “Mother, Wentworth is too formal. Surely as his family, we are allowed the use of his Christian name? If we don’t and everyone refers to him as Wentworth, he will likely forget his own name.”

“Nonsense,” his mother replied. “His name may be, Thomas Seabrook, but he is Wentworth. Enough of this nonsense,” she said, rising as did everyone else. “I am retiring to my rooms.”

After she left, Sebastian, Bella, and Amelia burst out laughing.

“What do you find so humorous?” Emma questioned.

Sebastian wiped his eyes with his handkerchief. “Nothing, just Mother and her old-fashioned ideas about rules and etiquette. Thomas is our brother, for bloody sake.”

Bella gasped. “Do not let Mother hear you curse.”

“Excuse me.” Sebastian grinned. “Thomas is our brother. For plum’s sake, we need not be so stuffy in our own home.” He snorted.

“We aren’t,” agreed Amelia, “Just in front of Mother.” Then she turned to Emma. “Are Americans as formal in their homes?”

Emma pondered her answer. “No. Most noblemen dropped their titles, especially the ones in exile. Otherwise they’d fear for their lives. Some of them still refer to themselves as Lord So and So. Most Americans are just Mr. and Mrs., except for those in the military. It’s more wealth than title that is noticed there.”

She sighed. “I must admit that last night and the previous night, my head hurt from remembering who was a duke, a marquess, an earl, and so on. Never mind duchess, countess, and marchioness. How do you remember it all?” She inhaled dramatically after her long speech.

“When you grow up surrounded by it, it’s easy,” Sebastian answered. “The dukes are the easiest as there are very few of them.” He put his index finger on his chin and tapped. “I believe dukes number somewhere around twelve, at present.”

Emma’s eyes widened. “That few. I had no idea.” If she had thought the duke out of her league before, she realized it fully now. Emma would just have to ignore the attraction she had for him and accept that nothing could come of it.

That afternoon the drawing room would once again be filled with suitors paying their respects. Until then, she would retire to her room and put pen to paper. She needed to write to Amy. Then, she reminded herself, she also needed to continue with her writings, because if she didn’t write her stories, who would she become? Today she would find time to write. “Please pardon me; I think I’ll retire to my room.”