Free The Reluctant Duke (A Seabrook Family Saga) by Christine Donovan

of open water. Fortunately the
weather cooperated, and the seas were fairly calm. Deep down inside she
wondered what it would be like to sail in a storm. Part of her wanted to find
out. Another part of her was terrified at the thought.
    Most nights
they dined at the Captain’s table with several other passengers who were
prominent individuals, or so she was told by Wentworth.
    After a month
of the same, the novelty Emma had initially felt at being out to sea subsided.
Every day she woke up praying it would be the day she saw land again.
    ***
    Emma’s eyes
strained in their sockets as their ship traveled up the Thames. For the first
time she glimpsed the Tower of London, poking through the foggy mist. The
splendidly eerie scene brought forth visions of Anne Boleyn’s imprisonment by
King Henry VIII and, later, her beheading in the courtyard. There was nothing
so grand or frightening in America.
    How could the
duke stand beside her and not even blink an eye at the glorious sights? Did
nothing move him?
    During the
crossing of the Atlantic he had sought the solitude of his cabin most days.
Emma’s heart pained to think of the burden she must be to him that he could not
stand the sight of her. Could her papa have made a mistake in naming him her
guardian?
    Please, God,
don’t let it be true.
    Emma wanted to
be wanted.
    Needed to be
wanted rather than just an imposition or a responsibility.
    The duke and
his family were all she had in the world now. She needed them. Please let the
others be warm and understanding, welcoming her more than the duke had. Emma
did not know what she would do if they resented her presence, resented her
being thrust into their lives without warning.
    Her fears were
for naught. The moment His Grace helped her down from the carriage and escorted
her inside his three-story mansion, she found herself surrounded by his
enthusiastic family.
    Wentworth
pulled her forward and made the introductions. “Miss Emma Hamilton, this is my
mother, the Dowager Duchess of Wentworth.”
    Emma’s body
quivered with suppressed nervous excitement. Though she’d practiced on the
crossing she found it difficult to turn a graceful curtsy. “Your Grace, it is a
pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
    The Dowager
took her hand and patted it with both of hers, giving Emma a welcome smile that
somewhat eased her jumbled nerves. “We are pleased to welcome you into our
family.” Her eyes fell on her son, then back to Emma. “I can see the duke is
already taken with you.”
    Emma’s cheeks
scorched at the look that passed between mother and son. The duke certainly
didn’t look taken with her. If anything, he looked like he wanted to throttle
someone and throw the victim out in the street. “That is very kind of you to
say.” She lowered her head. “Your Grace.”
    “Let me
introduce you to my other son,” the dowager duchess began. “Miss Emma Hamilton,
may I present Lord Sebastian.”
    “Lord
Sebastian, it is an honor to make your acquaintance,” Emma said as she
curtsied. Nervous jitters danced around inside her stomach once again.
    Lord Sebastian
bowed, raised her right hand to his lips, and grinned at her. Her breath caught
in her lungs when she really looked at him. The resemblance to the duke was
astounding, if she ignored the hair color. They could almost be twins, except
when she compared their eyes. They had the exact same color; Lord Sebastian’s
held laughter and mischief. The duke’s were… jaded was the only word that came
to her mind. His life experiences must have been far different from his
brother’s. She presumed responsibilities must weigh heavily on the duke.
    “Miss Hamilton,
it is a great pleasure to make your acquaintance and welcome you to Wentworth
House.” Lord Sebastian stole a look at Wentworth, who glared at his younger
brother. “My brother did not do you justice when he described you in his
correspondence. You are a vision of beauty beyond mere words. And please call
me . . .