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Tyrone expelled a breath. If he let himself, his thoughts would easily take him to dark places. He needed to avoid those places.

For a moment, people crossing the room blocked his view of his wife, and the next minute, she’d disappeared from his view. His mother did too.

Pausing his steps, he scanned the crowd and finally caught a glimpse of his wife exiting the ballroom with his mother in tow.

That didn’t look good.

Whatever was going on, it was time for a confrontation.

Emily led the dowager away from the prying eyes. She’d agreed to have a short conversation with her. She owed her this much. But she refused to do it before the eyes of her distrusting husband.

They chatted about the weather and other inconsequential things on the way, but as soon as they stopped on the ground floor, under the grand staircase, the dowager asked, “How is your relationship with my son? He seems… content.”

Emily clasped her hands together. She didn’t know how to answer that question honestly, and she wasn’t certain she owed honesty to the woman before her regarding such an intimate subject. So, she answered simply, “It is as good as it can be.”

The dowager smiled. “I am glad to hear that. The truth is, I was worried he wouldn’t be able to make an agreeable match. And if he didn’t, I’d feel it was my fault. For a long time, hearing about his debaucheries, I was even afraid he would turn out like his father. But he has goodness in him that flourished despite our failings.”

“He is not a perfect man.” Emily let out a chuckle. “Far from it, in fact. But I agree. His heart is pure.”

The duchess glanced at her with a strange curiosity in her gaze. It seemed like she was about to ask a question, and Emily’s stomach flipped in anticipation. But she shook her head, murmuring something to herself. When she faced Emily once more, there was a blank expression on her face.

“Could that possibly mean that I have a chance at mending my relationship with him as well?”

Emily cleared her throat and looked away uncomfortably. “I don’t think he is ready for forgiveness. He has a lot of healing to do. I realize you’re anxious to get to know your son better and to be part of his life. But you need to give him time and possibly space.”

“We have lost so much time already,” the dowager countered.

“Yes, because of your choices whether right or wrong. Now that you’ve shown yourself and made it known that you wish to see him, the choice to reconnect with you should be his.” Seeing the duchess's pained expression, Emily added, “It hurts him to see you, I can tell. And I don’t want him to hurt anymore.”

A shuffle of approaching footsteps sounded above the staircase. Emily glanced upward but couldn’t see anyone.

“Are you telling me to leave town?” the dowager asked.

“No." Emily shook her head. "It is not my place to demand that. What I am telling you is that it hurts him to see you. The rest, you can decide for yourself. If you do decide to leave, you can write him a letter expressing your thoughts and feelings and I shall pass it along to him. He can read it at his leisure and contact you when he’s ready. That’s as much as I can do for you. I have sympathy for you, I do, even if I can never understand your actions.” Emily placed a protective hand over her belly. “I can’t imagine what you lived through and I know you did what was necessary to survive. I wish I could help you get over the pain. But you’re not my priority right now. My husband is.”

The dowager smiled for the first time with a genuine smile although her eyes glistened with tears.

“I understand,” she said softly. “And I am glad my son found a wife who loves him so deeply. Thank you.”

Without waiting for Emily’s reply, the dowager turned and walked toward the exit. She was leaving the ball. Good. It meant Alec didn’t have to see her.

Emily let out a deep breath and slowly scaled the steps back to the first floor. She raised her head halfway up and noticed her husband standing on the landing, one hand gripping the banister.

Her cheeks heated, her stomach flipping in joy at the sight of him. “Alec, what are you doing here?”

He swallowed. “I was looking for you, actually.”

Had he overheard her conversation with his mother? Her heart started racing faster. “What for?"

A quick frown graced his features before he relaxed. “I was hoping for a dance and then I noticed you weren’t in the ballroom, so I came out to look for you.”

A smile tugged at Emily’s lips. “You looked for me just to ask me for a dance?”

He stepped closer. “Perhaps. Or perhaps I missed you.”

He reached out his hand and Emily took it, her own hand shaking. His fingers closed around hers, enveloping her in familiar, calming heat.

“I missed you, too.”