Her sisters had apparently decided to leave her be for the afternoon and had instead descended upon her this morning, filling the main drawing room of Julia and Guy’s house.

Julia had stopped by briefly the previous evening when she was eating supper in bed and had likely taken Emma’s exhaustion as a sign that the sting had taken its toll. Emma had not had it in her to tell her sister that it was something else that had had such an affect.

A smile threatened to curve her lips. She had found herself doing that ever since—remembering moments of their time together and smiling at the wrong moment. It had been so much more than she’d expected. Her body felt sore, her muscles tired, and her heart oddly full and warm.

“It’s absolutely fine now. I was sorry to ruin our picnic, though. I had so wanted Morgan to have a wonderful time.” Emma sighed.

“Well if it’s of any reassurance, the picnic was a lost cause once Mr. Bartholomew joined us.” Julia shot a look at Catherine who had been preoccupied with picking the cream out of a cake and licking it from her fingers.

Catherine paused mid-lick. “What? It worked, did it not?”

Amelia frowned. “It worked? Whatever do you mean?”

“As soon as Mr. Bartholomew arrived, Morgan looked terribly frowny.”

“Frowny?” Emma asked.

“How you three ever secured husbands, I do not know.” Catherine shook her head. “He was jealous.”

Emma blinked. “Of Mr. Bartholomew?” That idea was laughable. Mr. Bartholomew was dry and bland, and although he was not unpleasant, there was nothing appealing about him. Morgan was everything he was not. Exciting, attractive, charming, and funny.

“Yes,” Catherine said with exasperation. “Did none of you notice?”

They all remained quiet.

“Well, I did, and Morgan became instantly possessive over you, did he not, Emma?”

“I suppose...” Emma frowned and thought back. He’d been preoccupied with Mr. Bartholomew but she had not really understood why.

“If Morgan fears he will lose you to another man, surely he will do anything you say, including staying in the country.” Catherine offered up a smile that bordered on the triumphant side.

Emma scowled. “I’m not sure that’s a good way to start a marriage.”

“Nor I,” Julia agreed. “I have never seen Guy jealous and nor do I wish to.”

“Well, I do not see any of you doing anything useful.” Catherine stuffed the rest of the cake in her mouth and reached for another. “At least I was trying.”

“We were trying,” Julia protested. “We were showing him what the countryside has to offer without manipulating him.”

“You call it manipulation, I call it using everything to one’s advantage.” Catherine grinned and fingered another dollop of cream into her mouth.

“You always were a wicked child,” said Julia.

“And you always were an uptight—”

“That’s enough,” ordered Amelia. “But Julia is right. We must not manipulate him. We must simply continue to show him all the things that we love about living here.”

Catherine slumped in her chair. “Sounds like manipulation to me.”

“What else can we do?” asked Emma. “He does not want to be here for much longer.”

“Another summer party perhaps?” suggested Amelia. “Well, an end of spring party anyway. He enjoyed the one we held the other year, did he not?”

Emma shrugged. “I’m not at all sure. I did not pay much attention to him then. He always enjoys parties, though.”

Amelia nodded. “Maybe a small party then. Hopefully the warm weather decides to remain.”

“And you can do a few pleasant walks with him in the meantime. Show him the beautiful scenery,” Julia suggested.

“Yes,” Emma agreed. And that would mean more time alone. As generous as it was for her sister and her husband to host them, it did mean they had not had a single second to talk since the previous day. There was so much she wanted to say. Or at least she thought there was. It was hard to put her thoughts into actual words. Like, was that how it always was? Or would they do it again soon? Did he enjoy it? And would he ever stay in her bed all night? After a few more sweet kisses, he had left her to rest, only coming in to check on her a few times before going goodness knows where to sleep.

“What is it?” asked Julia, lowering her cup of tea onto its saucer. “You keep smiling.”

Emma’s gaze shot up and she forced her lips to straighten. “Nothing at all.”

“I know that look,” Julia said smugly.

“I think I do too.” Amelia smiled.

“You do not know a thing,” Emma protested.

“What is it?” asked Catherine.

Amelia waved a hand at her sister. “We cannot talk about it in front of you.”

“Oh, nonsense. You three do realize I am a grown woman, do you not? I know about it all.” Catherine huffed. “I might be smaller and younger than you all but I am not stupid.”

“Could have fooled me,” said Julia under her breath.

Catherine narrowed her gaze at their sister while Amelia sent her a reproachful look.

“So all is well there, anyway?” asked Julia.

“Yes.” Emma could not help but let that smile curve her lips all over again. “Yes, all is very well there. Except...”

“Except?” asked Catherine who had moved to the edge of her seat.

“Oh nothing.” Emma shook her head. As much as she appreciated her sisters’ support in trying to get Morgan to see how wonderful the countryside could be, she was not at all sure she needed them interfering in these matters. After all, some of their plans were not exactly the best plans one could come up with.

Catherine straightened. “Do I need to kick him?”

Emma laughed and shook her head. “No. You most certainly do not.”

“You don’t need to threaten everyone, Catherine.” Amelia placed her teacup on the center table. “What happens when you meet a gentleman you like? Will you threaten him too?”

Catherine licked the last bit of cream from her fingers and brushed the crumbs from her skirt. “I don’t like gentlemen. They’re all boring.”

Amelia straightened. “Nicholas isn’t.”

“Nor is Guy,” Julia protested.

Emma remained quiet. She knew Morgan was far from boring but she was relieved to have turned the conversation away from her time in the marital bed with Morgan. It was hard enough to process without her sisters interfering.

Catherine huffed. “Well they are the exception. Every other gentleman I’ve met is the dullest person on earth.”

“How is that possible? Only one person can be the dullest person on earth,” Emma pointed out.

“Well, just as I think I have met the dullest person, I meet another who can top him,” Catherine explained as though they were all simple indeed.

“If this is a hint that you are going to run off with some scandalous rogue, I don’t want to hear a thing about it.” Amelia mimicked covering her ears. “We can do without another Cousin Bess scandal.”

“Or an Emma one.” Julia chuckled.

Emma poked her tongue out at her sister. “It was not my fault, and everything is fairly smoothed over. Though I hate to think of what the gossip in London is like.” She gave a mock shudder. “The longer we stay here, the better.”

“I hope you do stay,” Amelia said softly. “Or at least return for the winter. I should very much like you to be around…” The words broke and tears shimmered in her eyes.

“Amelia,” Emma exclaimed. “Even if we fail, I will not be gone forever. It is only London, not the wilds of Africa!”

“I know.” Amelia pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and dabbed her eyes. “Forgive me. I am unusually emotional at the moment.” She sucked in a breath. “You see…I’m expecting.”

“Expecting what?” Catherine asked.

“A child, you silly billy,” Julia exclaimed. The words seemed to sink in suddenly and Julia leapt to her feet. “Oh goodness, a child! Finally. I thought it was never going to happen!”

Emma dashed over to Amelia and flung her arms around her sister. They all knew Amelia had been hoping to conceive for over a year. She suspected she was not alone in thinking it might not happen and if anyone was meant to be a mother, it was Amelia.

Julia wrapped herself around the other side of Amelia, and Catherine squeezed her head in between the two of them. “A baby? Now I really can be the spinster aunt.”

“It’s not always about you,” said Julia.

“I know, I know.” Catherine grinned and slung her arms around Emma and Julia’s waist to give them a squeeze. “It’s so exciting. The first Chadwick baby.”

“It’s not really a Chadwick,” Amelia reminded them. “If it’s a boy, he’ll be heir to the viscountcy.”

“Pish. We all know it will be a Chadwick through and through.” Catherine squeezed out from between them and sat back down. “How can it not be when we will be helping to raise it?”

Emma gave Amelia a quick kiss on the cheek and another squeeze. All her own problems of the countryside and whether Morgan would ever join her in the marriage bed seemed to fade. How could one worry about such trivial things when new life was going to be brought into the world?

“Have you told Mama yet?” Emma asked as she sat back down.

Amelia shook her head. “She’ll likely pass out from excitement. I have not quite figured out the best time to tell her.”

Julia shrugged. “Well she survived us marrying titled men and Emma being utterly scandalized in London.”

“She’ll have a fit if she knows she missed out on this announcement.” Catherine picked up another cake and prodded it with one finger.

“Then we must not tell her you already know.” Amelia scowled. “Have you not had enough cakes today?”

“Never.” Catherine stuffed the whole cake into her mouth and grinned around it.

Amelia gave an exasperated sigh. “Your teeth shall rot.”

“Save your mothering for your baby,” Catherine said through a mouthful of sponge and cream.

“It’s a fine job you weren’t the one scandalized by an earl,” commented Julia. “You would make a terrible countess.”

“I am not at all sure I’m fit to be one either.” Emma twined her fingers together. “I confess I am dreading returning to London and playing the role properly.”

“You shall be fine,” Amelia assured her. “You have better manners than Julia and she does well as a duchess.”  

Julia lifted her chin. “I shall have you know I make an excellent duchess.”

“Even when you argued with Lady Georgson at Almacks?” Amelia arched a brow.

“That woman is a fright.” Julia pursed her lips. “She deserved every word of it. And if anyone speaks ill of Emma, I shall not hesitate to give them a dressing down too.”

Emma chuckled. “Who would have thought Julia of all people would be a duchess? Now no one can argue with her. We should all be bowing and scraping before her.”

“You should follow my lead, Emma. No one will dare say a word against you if you hold yourself right.” Julia poured a tea and lifted the pot. “Anyone else?”

Amelia offered her cup. “You do think yourself high and mighty do you not?” She grinned.

Julia lifted her shoulders and affected a snooty tone. “When one is a duchess, one must play a certain role. It is expected of one, naturally.” She crossed her eyes and made a face before she slumped back in the chair. “And it is bloody exhausting sometimes. I do not blame Emma for wanting to stay in Hampshire most of the time.”

“I would even settle for Berkshire but Morgan will not even speak of the place. Goodness knows when we shall visit it.”

“It is odd that he has no plans to take you there,” Amelia mused.

“I shall have to ask Guy about it. He knows Morgan better than anyone,” suggested Julia.

“So long as Morgan does not catch wind of it.” Emma nibbled on the end of a thumb. “He would not like my prying I suspect.”

“A husband and wife should not have secrets,” Julia declared.

“Since when are you the expert on marriage?” Catherine asked. “Amelia has been married longer than you. Besides, many of the marriages within the ton are full of secrets. Everyone knows that.”

“If everyone knows that, then how are they secrets?” Julia pointed out.

Catherine narrowed her gaze. “You know what I mean.”

“Julia is right,” Amelia conceded. “It would help your marriage if you had no secrets.”

“You should find a way to talk about it with him,” Julia suggested. “Perhaps in the marriage bed,” she whispered with a glance at Catherine.

“I can hear you,” their sister declared. “And I know all about it, like I keep telling you.”

“I’m not sure much, um, talking would happen there.” Warmth filled Emma’s cheeks.

Amelia pursed her lips. “Make a bet with him then. Play chess and if you beat him, he must tell you something about himself.”

Emma shook her head. “You know I never mastered chess.”

“Sing to him and refuse to stop until he tells you about Berkshire. He’ll give in soon enough.” Catherine chuckled and Amelia shot her a warning look but Emma dismissed her sister’s words. Catherine was right, her singing had been terrible.

Julia grinned. “Or play the violin to him.”

“Or paint a portrait of him,” Catherine added.

“Julia. Catherine, enough,” Amelia hissed.

“It’s well enough. They are right. I am terrible at all of those things,” Emma conceded.

“You should try painting again,” Amelia proposed. “You have not done it for a few years now. Perhaps you will be better now.”

Julia took a sip of tea. “Or maybe sketching. That might be easier.”

“Embroidery again perhaps?” Catherine suggested.

“I did not think the card tricks were so terrible. Perhaps with time…” Amelia lifted a hand.

“Why must I do any of them?” Emma glanced around at her sisters who all shared a look.

“Well.” Amelia stared at the cup of tea in her hand. “Normally you would have…well, started something new by now. It is just a little…strange for us. For you not to be doing anything new, you see?”

“I suppose…” Emma nibbled briefly on her bottom lip. “I suppose I do not really fancy trying anything new.” In truth, she had given up. She would never find that one thing that she was passionate about, not like her sisters.

“Do not forget, she has a new husband to try. That shall keep her occupied for a while.” Julia winked at her.

“And a new niece or nephew soon enough!” Catherine reminded them all. “We will have quite the task ahead of us to ensure he or she becomes a proper Chadwick.”

Amelia rubbed her flat stomach and sighed with a grin. “Sorry, little one. There’s nothing I can do. They’re my sisters and I’m afraid we are stuck with them.”