Free His Not So Sensible Miss (A Gentleman's Guide to Once Upon a Time - Book 3) by Jane Charles

called
after her. “This is not the end of the world. You might just enjoy
yourself.”
    “ Perhaps.”
     
    * * *
     
    It had not been not an enjoyable
evening so far. If the music continued in this vein, it just might
be the end of the world after all. Goodness, but the young lady had
so little talent. Here was evidence that a parent saw only the
delight in their child. If they could truly hear what Emily was
hearing, they would never let the poor girl sit at a pianoforte or
sing again. Thank goodness she was coming to the end of her piece
and Emily prayed it was the end of the performance.
    With a soft, trailing end, the young
woman lifted her fingers from the keys and smiled to her audience,
who applauded politely. A young lord, smiled indulgently,
approached her and escorted her from the seat. Emily was hard
pressed not to applaud the silence. Soon, the others in the room
began to mill around and converse with one another, though Emily
remained in her seat, trying to blend into the chair.
    “ Lady Aldridge is serving
refreshments, dear. Would you care to join us?” the duchess
asked.
    “ No thank you. I would
rather stay here.” She had no wish to join the guests headed from
the room. With any luck they would all leave.
    As the crowd thinned, Emily moved from
her chair to stand by the long window looking out over the garden.
It was as she had predicted and hoped. Nobody noticed her as long
as she wasn’t with the Her Grace. A duchess tended to attract
attention. Most of the guests had left the room for the promised
refreshments except a few couples who remained behind. One such
couple stood at another window. Emily could see the woman’s face,
which was softened with a smile and her cheeks were slightly
blushed. A blond head was bent, whispering in her ear. The lady
turned to respond to his words, and Emily was struck by the love
that shown in her eyes. It stabbed her heart to see such love and
she couldn’t help but wonder if the same was in her future. The
only man she had ever known was Dillon and she could easily love
him. It was a thought she quickly put aside. It would do no good
wondering about such a thing. They had promised each other nothing
and there was no guarantee he would still be free when she returned
in July. It was better not to dwell on how much she missed him and
concentrate on surviving the season. When she returned to her aunt,
then she would see if Dillon still held the same appeal or if he
was even interested in continuing their odd relationship. Emily
couldn’t even bring herself to call it a courtship since they
always met in secret and, no intentions had been declared. Only an
agreement to meet.
    The man turned to escort the lovely
lady from the room and Emily smiled, averting her eyes. She knew
him. It had been many years, but she did know him. Taylor,
something or other. Oh, yes. Qualls. He became Lord Sandlin before
he was out of school and had been a student of her father’s and her
first serious crush. He probably didn’t even remember her. Still,
it was nice to see a familiar face.
    Why hadn’t it occurred to her before
that she could meet her father’s former students in London? They
had been titled or heirs to titles then, which would put them in
society. She doubted anyone, other than Noah, would recall her, but
Emily began rethinking her position on attending functions. Even if
she didn’t ever speak with them, she would like to see what type of
men they had grown into and what type of wives they had
taken.
    Sensing a presence behind her, Emily
turned from the window and came face to face with
Taylor.
    “ It is you,” he
stated.
    “ It is I,” Emily returned
with a small smile. It was nice to be recognized by one of the
gentlemen her father had taught.
    “ Miss Emily Frasier,” Taylor
paused for a moment. “Is it still, miss?”
    “ Yes.”
    “ Miss Emily Frasier, may I
present my wife, Phoebe Sandlin.”
    Emily sank into a curtsey. “It is a
pleasure to meet