Emmeline had vaguely known that was true, yet she'd assumed that it was simply a matter of difficulty with having her living with him. Then she was simply the most convenient woman around to flirt with. It was possible she hadn't gotten it entirely wrong; perhaps it had started that way and grown into something more, and she'd simply failed to notice.
She hadn't quite consciously decided how to deal with what he was saying. There was a whole load of emotions she'd never worked through before she discovered what she really felt for him, but the fact that her guard was lower around him than others, the fact that she'd been able to fit so comfortably into his life - that meant something to her. Even if she didn't know what it was, that didn't mean she wanted to crush it before it could grow.
"Well," she said, somewhat more seriously, though she was still holding his hand and looking directly at him. "You're very important to me, Kingsley. I might love you, I don't know. I've put so many bandages over my heart I can't always tell if it's there anymore." She gave him a sad smile, though it wasn't anywhere close to showing the grief - both for herself and for her late fiance - that she'd yet to deal with. "But you know that already, don't you? If you still find me remarkable despite all of that, then we might really have something."