It had been one week.

Emilia supposed that she should say that it had been one week since the prince's funeral, or perhaps a better determiner of time would be that it had been one week since Theo had gotten engaged to a royal princess.

It also might be appropriate to say that it had been one week since Emilia had received her first gentleman caller in many years. Though she was not certain if that counted, seeing as the gentleman had called on her when she was alone in the home of another gentleman.

Regardless, many things had happened since that day one week ago.

But Emilia was not counting the days since the prince's funeral or Theo's engagement. No, unfortunately, she was counting the days since Will had walked away from her. Again.

In a way, it was worse than the first time he had done it. Then, Emilia was lost in her anger. Now, it was merely a raw ache. Emilia had not seen or heard from Will since that day he brought her back to Kingfield House. She pondered briefly on the vagueness of the word later in the phrase 'see you later.'

Emilia tried to look forward instead of dwelling on her memories and wishes. And in truth, her new situation with Lord Trevor was helping a great deal. True to his word, Lord Trevor had called on her that morning, exactly a week after their conversation at Will's townhouse. Emilia could hardly refuse to accept his call, so they had sat in the parlor, ate cakes, and drank tea. It would have likely been a pleasant visit except for the presence of their chaperone.

Theo.

Everything had begun relatively benign. Theo walked into the room, shaking Lord Trevor's hand with a mighty grasp. It was a proper greeting. They had all sat down together, and that was the moment when her brother must have lost his mind. Two minutes into a morning call on a sunny London day, Theo Shepard, the Duke of Kingfield, could have been a contender for an insane asylum.

"So, Trevor," Theo began. "Has your father finally decided to cut off your gambling funds, or to what do we owe this pleasure?"

"Theo!" Emilia hissed, shocked at his words. While her brother could be overbearing at times, typically in occasions of polite conversations with guests, he was respectable and genteel. Perhaps even soft-spoken. When he chose to be, that is.

He was not choosing to be.

Trevor did seem to know what to say, and Theo seized on the opportunity.

"Her dowry is substantial, but with the losses you have been known to make...well, you might still require your father's help." Theo flashed Emilia a mischievous smile, and she felt her lips flatten into a thin line. "Emilia, darling, since he enjoys wagers, let us say we make one," her brother said lazily.

"Let us not, Theodore," Emilia ground out.

"Come now," Theo continued. "Do you reckon he is here for your dowry or for your—"

"I am here," Lord Trevor cut in, to Emilia's great relief, "because Lady Emilia is one of the loveliest ladies that I have had the pleasure of speaking to. You do your sister a dishonor, Your Grace."

Emilia felt a tingle of pleasure at his smooth words. She thought they might shut Theo up, but he was unrelenting.

"Do not lecture me in my own house, Lord Trevor. I know exactly the worth of my sister. It is my job to ensure that others do as well."

"You have a funny way of going about it," muttered Lord Trevor.

"And you have a funny way of showing your interest," Theo shot back. "I heard that you followed Lord Trotten and my sister to his townhome."

Emilia grit her teeth. This was getting to be all too uncomfortable.

"Your Grace, I would not have done so if you had shown any care for your own sister. You did not ensure her safety when she went with that prig."

Emilia frowned and actually opened her mouth to defend Will, but Theo didn't allow her to speak.

"Prig!" Theo laughed. "Well, Trevor, would a prig really give me any cause for concern where my sister is regarded?"

"I do not—"

"You continue to insinuate that I do not know how to care for my sister. That is not an accusation I take lightly," Theo cut in, glowering at the other gentleman.

It was true; that was a chord Trevor should not have struck with her brother.

Emilia watched as the men seemed to be at a stalemate, eyeing each other from across the room. She should say something. She was not one to let gentlemen speak over her, especially when it regarded her, but she had no idea of what words to use in a situation such as this.

Finally, Lord Trevor relented.

"You are right, Your Grace. Of course, I do not wish to injure your perception of yourself." It was a slight dig, but Theo seemed unconcerned. Lord Trevor paused and then finished with, "I only intend for you to know that my intentions are pure."

Theo took a cake from the tray and stuffed it in his mouth, chewing rather ungracefully. Emilia's jaw dropped open so far at the sight that she could have fit three of those cakes in her mouth at that moment. But unlike her brother, she did not dare insult their guest so.

"Try to convince me all you want, Trevor," Theo said between bites, "but do not forget to convince her of that, as well. You might find that I am not your biggest obstacle."

Emilia found herself in possession of both men's gazes, and her face grew hot. She was not sure how to address the last comment that Theo had made, so she decided to evade it altogether.

"Lord Trevor," she said, directing her gaze toward him. He gave her a little tilted smile that she found appealing. "Perhaps we can start anew?"

His smile grew as he said, "I would like that very much, my lady."

Beside her, Theo frowned.

Later that evening, her brother hedged into her bedchamber.

Emilia looked up from a game of patience she was playing before immediately turning her attention back to the cards at the sight of him. "I do not want to talk to you," she said firmly.

He saw her face and threw his head back in frustration. "You cannot honestly be sticking up for that prick, Emilia."

"I have witnessed no evidence to suggest that he is one. A prick, that is—you, on the other hand. You were totally and completely out of line, Theo. I have never in my life seen you act so criminally rude."

"You have not seen him at White's," Theo pointed out, mumbling.

"No," Emilia agreed. "But neither have I seen you at White's. Can you honestly tell me that you remain gentlemanly whilst you gamble and drink?"

"I—" Theo began and then switched course. "Do you wish to see him again?"

Emilia opened her mouth but then was not sure what to say. Did she want Lord Trevor to call on her? After Theo's disastrous beginning, they had actually moved on, having a lovely conversation. Some might have called it a bit humdrum, but Emilia thought it was fine. Regardless, Lord Trevor was nice, handsome, and respectable, at least from what she could tell. Like Will, he was a viscount, being that his father was an earl. And so, one day, he would be the Earl of Sommers, too.

Not that Emilia cared much for titles.

"I wish that Addie was here," Emilia grumbled.

Theo sighed. "I know. I do too, but she needed to resume her place at Buckingham." He walked further into the room and sat beside her.

Emilia loved her brother, but she needed someone decidedly less male to talk to this about. Or perhaps just less biased.

"I often wonder what mother would have thought about what has become of my life," Emilia said, thinking about the only female role model she had ever had.

Theo sighed. "You say that as though you think she would be disappointed."

Emilia rolled her eyes over at her brother. "I am practically a spinster, Theo."

"She would not have cared about your marital state. She would simply wish for you to be loved. All our mother cared about was love, Emilia. So much so that she died from a broken heart."

"You cannot die from a broken heart, Theo," Emilia droned. Lord, how her brother had changed in the past year. She never would have imagined him speaking so sentimentally before.

"No," Theo agreed. "But you can die from losing the will to live."

Emilia contemplated that, resting her chin in her hand. Theo continued.

"She could have recovered from that chest cold had she not been already devastated in loss from our father's death."

Emilia sighed deeply, her face compressing even further into a squashed state in her hand. She did not wish to fault her mother, but how awfully unfair was it for her to give up on a life that had her children in it? Perhaps it was a selfish thought, but Emilia could not help but wonder how much easier her life would be if her parents were still alive.

"You can tell me what you are thinking, Emilia," Theo interceded her thoughts.

"I am thinking," she replied carefully as she made up her mind, "that I should call on Lady Worthington and see if she would be willing to chaperone in the rare occurrence of any more gentlemen callers or afternoon drives."

Theo heaved out a breath and said, "I do not believe it will be a rare occurrence, my dear."

As it turned out, Theo was right. It was not a rare occurrence.

It took no more than a day for Lord Trevor to reach out and arrange an afternoon drive. Emilia had to give him some credit for the fact that he hadn't been bullied away by her brother.

"I do apologize for the behavior of His Grace," Emilia began after Lord Trevor had helped her into the seat beside him. They sat in the viscount's open-topped Phaeton, and the sun beat down upon them. How uncommon it was to see the sun in London.

"Do not worry yourself over it, Lady Emilia," Trevor replied.

"You must understand the ways of overprotective brothers, my lord," Lady Worthington piped in.

Emilia had visited the elderly matron the previous day to ask for her services as a chaperone once again. She was simply overjoyed with the invitation. After all, Lady Worthington loved nothing more than to have first-hand knowledge of the most scintillating gossip available, and Emilia venturing out in society with a new gentleman would likely be the most exciting news to hit the ton in many months.

Today the lady sat across from Emilia and Lord Trevor wearing a large-brimmed mauve hat over her sleek grey hair, and she appeared very pleased with herself indeed.

"Certainly, Lady Worthington," Lord Trevor agreed. "I would never fault His Grace."

Emilia found that very hard to believe since Theo was very much at fault for how he had behaved the other day. But if Lord Trevor was willing to put it out of his mind, then so was she.

"Have you any siblings, my lord?" Emilia asked politely. "I'm afraid I am unaware."

Lord Trevor's ruggedly handsome face smiled down at her. "No, Lady Emilia. I was blessed as an only child."

Emilia laughed lightly. "My brother might be a pain, but I am grateful for him. He practically raised me after my parents passed."

"This is why I cannot fault the duke, for I know that he has taken care of you for so many years. Though his methods may seem unconventional to me, he assuredly knows what he is doing. What a lovely young woman you are."

"Well," Emilia said breathlessly, "I have not been without my blunders. As I am sure you know. But none of that was Theo's fault."

Lord Trevor brushed his hand against hers in a motion she could only assume was meant to be reassuring. "We all make mistakes, my lady."

"Yes...mistakes," Emilia repeated, her words trailing off into the summer air. She was not certain if she could ever bring herself to regret her past, disastrous though it was. Emilia was confident that Trevor wouldn't understand that, however.

"Oh!" Lady Worthington exclaimed, opening her fan suddenly and waving it madly in front of her face. "You are such a gentleman, my lord."

Trevor flashed a smile at the elderly matron. "What a compliment coming from you, Lady Worthington. You are the epitome of fashionable and courteous society."

Lady Worthington hit her fan playfully on the viscount's knee. "You'll make me blush, Lord Trevor."

Emilia was trying very hard not to roll her eyes, or God forbid, make an ill-suited comment for the conversation. She thought it would behoove her to at least attempt some restraint. Even though she was still uncertain about Lord Trevor, it would surely be good practice for any other potential suitors. It was unlikely that Emilia would find another man who was willing to overlook her oddities.

How she wished that she did not have to change to appease others and find a husband, but Emilia had learned that men often do not like what they do not understand. So she would attempt to be biddable because that is one thing every man tends to comprehend: a woman who listens and does not make cutting retorts.

Emilia bit her lip, glancing around the Phaeton at the surrounding streets of London.

She was really, very unsure if she would ever be able to be a good wife.

"London does get so very warm at this time of the year," Emilia commented, shifting in her seat. She felt herself growing sticky beneath the layers of her peach-colored day dress. Her bonnet was tied tightly beneath her chin, and Emilia wasn't sure if it was helping to keep her cool or trapping the heat in upon her head.

"It does," Lord Trevor agreed. "I am surprised that you are still in town and not at the Kingfield country estate. Surely the weather might be more agreeable there?"

Emilia almost sighed, thinking about the rolling hills of Northampton. It might not be any cooler there, but it would feel better than here. There would not be any crush of people amongst the streets, nor would there be the stifling smell that so often wafted into the air when London's temperatures reached this high. Even here in the fashionable Hyde Park, the air felt thick with unpleasantness.

"I should like to return to Northampton; however, it has been nice to keep my brother company lately. And he does not often leave London." Emilia doubted that she could convince Theo to leave London, even for a week or two. Or more accurately, leave the city where Adelaide lived.

"Do you have a home outside of London, Lord Trevor?" Emilia piqued.

"I do, my lady," he said warmly. "The family estate is in Norfolk. My mother and father typically spend their summers there. I have thought that perhaps I will visit them at the month's end."

"That would be very nice of you," Emilia replied rather blandly.

For a time after that, a companionable silence fell over the carriage, only interrupted by the beating of Lady Worthington's fan.

It was so quiet that Emilia hoped her gasp wasn't too loud when she connected with Will's dark, brooding eyes from across the street.