Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
“ I t is unlike you to join me for dinner. Have your mistresses let you down?” Eloise quipped as she shook out her serviette and placed it on her lap.
“Something like that,” Felix muttered.
He couldn’t quite meet her gaze. He didn’t need to; he already knew every inch of her face which had loomed in front of him while he had tried to bed Miss Jones. Even now, his body cried out for her. He resisted the urge to bend her over the dining room table and devour her for his pleasure.
“Potted shrimp, Your Grace?” the butler asked, placing the ramekin on the mat in front of him.
Felix nodded, the rich buttery scent reaching up to him. It was delicious as all their meals were. Felix had somehow managed to find the best cook in the whole of London.
They ate in silence, the only sound that of their cutlery scraping against the porcelain and the occasional moan of culinary delight. When he finished, Felix let his fork clatter into the ramekin then sat up and looked around, hoping for a refill on his wine. He frowned when he discovered not only was the butler not there, but neither were the footmen nor any of the maids.
“Where is everyone?” he asked, blinking in surprise.
“Mmm?” Eloise asked, looking up from the shrimp she had been devouring with immense pleasure.
“Everyone has gone.”
Eloise giggled, putting her pot on the mat and looking around. “Do not be silly, Felix. They are just… oh!”
With the realization that they were indeed quite alone, the atmosphere in the room rapidly became dense. Felix inhaled a deep breath. “Even the door has been closed. I do not think I have seen that door closed in my entire life.”
Eloise looked around her, equally bewildered. And then, to his surprise, she laughed.
“You do not think they have done it on purpose, do you?”
He couldn’t avoid looking at her now, acutely aware of her every movement—the subtle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, her fingers toying absently with the stem of her wine glass.
Eloise laughed again, easy and confident. “Well, it appears they have all abandoned us,” she murmured, amusement playing through her voice. “Though I suspect it is not out of neglect. While I have not been here long, I already know for certain that they are not negligent.”
Felix leaned back, the corners of his mouth quirking into a reluctant smile, his gaze lingering on her. “They think this is romantic.”
Eloise’s cheeks flushed, but she held his gaze, her chin lifting slightly as if daring him. “How absurd,” she replied with a small laugh though her voice faltered at the end. She reached for her wine, taking a deliberate sip, feeling the warmth of the drink settle in her chest. “As if dinner alone would somehow encourage us.”
“Encourage us to what, Eloise?” he interrupted. His eyes never left hers. He had missed the determined, daring Eloise he’d played with before she had become his wife.
Could I have both?
She froze, the glass halfway to her parted lips, and she flicked her gaze at him as he had taught her. He shifted in his seat, repositioning his breeches.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said, shaking her head. “I very much doubt that you would welcome any form of encouragement.”
Felix’s eyes darkened, and he leaned forward, his voice a low murmur. “Do not assume what I would or would not welcome, Eloise.” His rebuke lingered in the air between them.
He lowered his eyes to the neckline of her gown, tight against her heaving breasts. When he looked up and met her eyes again, she spoke.
“Then perhaps you would care to clarify, Your Grace,” she challenged. “Since you seem to know what I should not assume.”
He watched her, his eyes intense, the hint of a smile tugging at his lips. “If I did, I doubt either of us would leave this room unscathed.”
“So, you are saying we are trapped, then?” she said, her eyes twinkling with delight. “By the clever scheming of our own staff?”
“Exactly,” he replied, his voice a rough murmur. “And unless you are planning to escape through the window, I believe we have little choice but to endure this… situation… we have found ourselves in”
Mrs. Thorpe knocked on Eloise’s study door a few days later wearing a barely concealed smile.
Eloise furrowed her brow as she looked up. Though the pair had grown somewhat fond of one another, it was rare that the housekeeper would disturb her.
“Your Grace,” Mrs. Thorpe said with a small curtsy, “His Grace has requested that you attend his chambers directly.”
Eloise’s brows lifted. “He wants me to go to his chambers?”
Has he finally come to his senses?
The housekeeper’s small smile glimmered again, and Eloise narrowed her eyes. She had noticed as of late that the staff were constantly finding creative ways of drawing her and Felix together. Part of her thought she was imagining it, but it was happening with increasing regularity as time passed.
“Yes, Your Grace. He asked you go immediately.”
“And did he say why, by chance?”
Mrs. Thorpe opened her mouth to speak, but she clearly had not thought she would be questioned. “I… well, I believe it has something to do with the estate’s accounts. He is aware that you have been examining them.”
“With his permission,” Eloise mumbled.
She had only wanted to make herself useful.
“Indeed.” Mrs. Thorpe gave her another encouraging nod. “Excuse me for saying, Your Grace, but I really do think you ought to go immediately , as he requested, otherwise you might miss… er…” Mrs. Thorpe cleared her throat. “I mean to say, otherwise you might anger His Grace.”
What are you up to?
Eloise watched the housekeeper’s agitated movements for a moment longer, then gave a quick nod, curiosity bubbling as she rose from her desk.
“Well very then.”
She smoothed her gown, ignoring the tiny flutter that flew in her chest at the thought of seeing him alone in his private chambers.
He had avoided her since she had approached him in the hallway, and she had been so embarrassed at her failure to lure him that she had not sought him out again.
Eloise approached his rooms with excitement and trepidation. There was certainly something the housekeeper had been hiding. Eloise only hoped she wasn’t about to make a fool of herself again.
The door stood ajar. She took a breath, gathering her composure as she gently rapped on the open door.
“Felix?” she called softly, as if scared she was going to disturb him. “Mrs. Thorpe said you requested my presence?”
There was no answer, but she could hear the subtle sounds of movement inside.
Assuming he hadn’t heard her, Eloise took another deep breath then pushed the door fully open and stepped inside.
She gasped at the astonishing sight before her, one startled hand flying to her mouth.
Oh… what has that brazen Mrs. Thorpe done this time?
Felix stood with his bare back to her, his shirt tossed onto a nearby chair. His skin glowed in the fading afternoon light. His shoulders were broad and toned, his back a landscape of muscles, each one shifting subtly as he ran a towel through his hair, droplets of water catching in the soft light.
She caught her breath, frozen in place, quite unable to look away.
Sensing a presence, Felix spun around, his towel paused on his head. He locked eyes with her, his mouth dropping open with surprise.
“Eloise,” he breathed.
For a moment, neither said a word nor made any attempt to move.
He looked her up and down with the same intensity he had shown before they had married. She allowed him to run his eyes across her body, enjoying his prying, proprietorial gaze.
Eloise also took a long, lingering look at his sinewy arms, the downy hair that glistened with remaining water droplets on his well-muscled chest and the enticing line of fur that ran from his taut belly to a place hidden by his breeches
After all, he is my husband.
Eloise licked her lips. His breeches hung deliciously low on his hips. Her eyes were riveted on his rippling lower stomach muscles where they disappeared behind the flimsy fabric.
It felt to her as though hours had passed before he spoke, yet barely ten seconds had elapsed. Whatever had caused him to pause—surprise, desire, hope—was now gone, and he let the towel dangle from his hand.
“What can I do for you, Eloise? Is there something you need?” His voice was rough and low and colored with longing and denial.
What do I want…
You know what I want.
“I… er…” She cleared her throat. “Mrs. Thorpe told me that you had requested my immediate presence in your chambers. I…” She could not drag her gaze away from his chest. “I am sorry. I did not realize you were not ready for me.”
She cleared her throat again, and as she did, he said, “Mrs. Thorpe told you that?”
Eloise nodded. “And that I was to come immediately.” She tilted her head and openly ogled him. “Tell me, are you often in a state of undress when you conduct business?”
His gaze lingered upon her a few moments more as his detached expression became a smirk.
“Of course, she did,” he said with a chuckle. “And yes, of course, I do, quite often in fact.”
He stepped more closely to her, and she could feel the warmth radiating from his body. She remained perfectly still, not backing down or moving away. Not leaning forward to run her lips across his bare chest as her body screamed for her to do.
He bent over, his chest brushing lightly against her, and retrieved his shirt from the chair beside her. He smiled as he straightened up, his head tilted to one side.
“Do you think this was yet another one of the staff’s clever schemes?”
She blinked, feigning. “I… don’t know what you mean.”
She did know, though. This was not the first time the staff had been so conniving, and it seemed to be getting increasingly inappropriate. Had she not been curious about Mrs. Thorpe’s odd request in the first place?
“Oh, I think you do,” he replied, his amused gaze now tracing her face as his breath came in raspy sighs.
“I do?”
“After dinner last night, I am sure they were all wondering how I would react to you walking into my room while I was half naked. I can almost hear them snickering.”
Eloise’s lips twitched into a smile. Yes of course she knew, and in many ways, she was grateful to them for their devious little interventions.
“I am certain of it,” she laughed lightly. “Maybe they thought you would be unable to control yourself.”
“And what if I cannot?” he asked, his eyes deepening and his jaw tightening.
Eloise’s breath became ragged, her gown straining against her breasts as her chest rose. Was this the moment when he would, finally, lose control? When he would take her as he had implied?
She swallowed, not pulling her eyes from the hard muscles that rippled on his chest.
“What if you cannot?” she repeated breathlessly, her words barely more than a whisper.
The narrow space between them crackled with their unmet desires. Eloise longed to close the distance and see where it would take them. She felt the increasing moistness between her thighs and silently begged him to release her from the agony.
Did he not say that he desired a marriage full of refusal and denial? He may have laid down this rule, but I will be the one who ensures that he suffers under it.
“Might I remind you, Your Grace,” she said, raising her eyebrows, “that you were the one who set certain boundaries in our marriage?”
She swallowed again, wishing that she possessed the power to rid them of this idiotic restriction, and he would claim her as she had so often dreamed.
Felix’s eyes glittered with barely concealed hunger, but he stepped back, widening the distance between them again.
“It is true,” he admitted, his tone strained. His eyes trailed over her body once more. “But that does not make it any easier to resist you.”
“If it is that difficult,” Eloise said, narrowing the gap with a step forward, “then perhaps it is futile. We are married, after all.”
She looked into his eyes, silently pleading with him. She could feel every fiber in her body humming with the need to feel his touch. Eloise held her breath, waiting for his reply.
He said nothing, instead raising his hand and brushing it gently across her cheek. His lips had parted slightly, and his eyes had not left her mouth.
“It is all right,” she whispered.
But that had been the wrong thing to say, for he leaped back as though her words had just burned him. He turned quickly, shrugging on the shirt that he held in his hand.
“That is not part of our agreement,” he said, shaking his head fiercely as if to clear it. When he turned back to face her, he had once again hidden his emotions behind an impassive mask. “I believe that I have made that clear to you, Eloise.”
Eloise felt her entire body sag with disappointment. She had thought this was the moment when she would get through to him and finally make him see the light.
I want him to want me again.
But he was frightened by something that wouldn’t allow him to be near her in that way.
She nodded slowly. “I understand.”
She watched a moment longer as he went about his business, picking up the towel and puttering around the room as if she was not even there. She nodded again, more to herself this time, then turned to leave.
Eloise closed the door to Felix’s chambers and exhaled a long, slow breath. Her hand lingered on the polished wood of the door to steady herself, but the warm flush on her cheeks remained, refusing to fade.
I was so close.
As she turned to leave, she nearly collided with Mrs. Thorpe, who held a tea tray in her hands and a knowing gleam in her eye.
“Oh! Mrs. Thorpe!” Eloise gasped as she tried to conceal her expression. The housekeeper’s knowing grin indicated that she had already seen how flustered she was.
“Your Grace,” Mrs. Thorpe greeted, offering a polite smile, “I was just about to bring His Grace’s tea. I do hope I have not interrupted anything.”
Eloise brushed at her gown, the familiar, steady confidence she felt with the staff faltering slightly. “Not at all,” she replied. “Though, of course, you knew I was with him, seeing as you suggested I go to his chambers. Did you not say that he asked to see me immediately?”
The housekeeper blushed, caught out in her lie, though her eyes sparkled with mischief and hope. “Did I? Oh, pardon me if I misunderstood His Grace’s order. I sometimes get a bit muddled.” She let out a forced giggle. “I do hope it was not too much of an inconvenience for either of you.”
It was Eloise’s turn to blush, and she looked down at the red carpet that ran the length of the landing. “Not at all,” she said quickly. “It was… I mean, I am always happy to attend to His Grace.”
Mrs. Thorpe’s eyes sparkled, delighted by the words. “He is fortunate, indeed, to have a wife as dedicated as Your Grace.”
“That is very kind of you to say,” Eloise said, looking back up at the woman. She smiled softly, feeling almost as though she had found a co-conspirator of sorts in the housekeeper.
And no doubt with the rest of the staff also.
“Yes, I can see that quite plainly, Your Grace. As do all of us. You are both so dedicated to this household and the duchy in general. In fact, we were just saying in the servants’ dining room this morning what a breath of fresh air you have been, and how… nice it would be for His Grace to have someone as warm and kind as you by his side as a… as a real wife.”
Eloise was both touched and taken aback by the unexpected encouragement. “I… I am truly flattered, Mrs. Thorpe, but the Duke and I are quite set in our arrangement,” she replied carefully although the slight tremor in her voice betrayed her.
The housekeeper tilted her head, giving her a kind smile. “Of course, Your Grace. But even the strongest arrangements can soften over time. Sometimes, all that is needed is the right opportunity.”
She gave Eloise a final, meaningful look before offering a slight curtsey and carrying on down the hallway, tea tray in hand.
Eloise watched her go, her heart a maelstrom of emotions. Despite her efforts to tuck away her feelings and resign herself to a marriage in name alone, she had known all along that it would not be enough. Mrs. Thorpe’s words only confirmed it.