Well, whoever said it would be easy?
Of course it would be difficult; very difficult indeed. Emily had already accepted that. There was simply no way of avoiding her own destiny. But it was still worth trying, and as she smoothed the front of her dress, she assured herself that everything would be just fine. Never mind the fact that she was nearly suffocating from how abominably tight her corset was, or the fact that she felt bile rising to the base of her throat. What mattered was her getting this over with, so she could return to her room and be alone.
Emily Thornton was never a quitter. And she would prove that today.
“Stand up straighter, dear,” her mother said. “He’ll be here any moment.”
Emily tried to straighten up even more without risking the unfortunate complication of hav
