Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“It looked as if you two were having an interesting night,” Madalene said coyly.
It was the next morning, and as had been their routine for the last week, she and Ellen were walking arm in arm toward the dining hall to break their fast.
“Interesting,” Ellen echoed, her thoughts racing back to the night before.
“That is…one way to put it, I suppose.”
Madalene sighed as she shook her head.
“I cannot get a grasp on what you and my brother are,” she confessed.
“You both say that this marriage is a deal of sorts. Yet last night I saw you two. On the stairs when he had his arms around you. On the dance floor as he led you. There is a spark between you two. Yet you both seem insistent on denying it.”
Ellen’s mind churned with several thoughts, all leading in differing directions.
“It was a play of sorts,” she said after a moment.
Madalene chortled.
“A play,” she repeated. “Well, be careful, my darling. It seems you're both blurring the lines between your characters and your true selves.”
Madalene’s words gave Ellen pause, but she said nothing as she walked into the dining room. Perhaps her sister-in-law was right.
“Well, well,” Madalene mused. “Look who has finally decided to grace our table.”
Ellen looked up then, and was surprised to find Laurence sitting at the head of the table. He looked dashing as always, sporting a mint green jacket, white shirt, and cream trousers. He looked up from his newspaper, his eyes going first to Madalene before settling with a quiet intensity on Ellen.
“Good morning, you two,” he greeted, not taking his eyes off Ellen.
“Good morning, brother,” Madalene returned.
She left Ellen’s side, leaving her to stand alone before the table, and walked over to her brother.
She ruffled his dark hair with affection, grinning fiendishly as he scowled at her, and took a seat to his right.
His scowl quickly shifted into a smirk, however, as he smoothed back his hair and turned his gaze back to Ellen.
“Going to join us?” he asked, raising a curious brow.
Ellen jolted at the question, then bowed her head as she hurried to the table, taking the seat on his left.
“Did you want to join us?” Laurence asked, leaning down so that he could look up at her downcast face.
She furrowed her brows in annoyance as a blush heated her cheeks, and said nothing as servants came forward to place plates of food and cups of tea in front of them.
“What are you taunting her for, brother?” Madalene asked with a bored sigh as she picked up her teacup.
“I have a lesson to teach the new member of our family,” Laurence answered, not once looking away from Ellen’s narrowed stare.
“I need no such lessons,” she hissed, scowling at him.
“What is this?” Madalene asked, raising an amused brow.
Ellen finally looked away from Laurence’s intense stare and found Madalene looking repeatedly from her to Laurence.
“Your brother believes I need to learn how to say no,” Ellen huffed, picking up her own cup of tea.
“Oh,” Madalene breathed, then took a long sip from her cup. “I agree.”
Ellen’s brows shot up as she looked at Madalene, her eyes speared with betrayal.
“I—I do not!” she insisted. To her surprise, Madalene laughed.
“Oh, you certainly do,” Madalene countered as she set down her cup. “You allowed me to take you dress shopping even when you did not want to go.”
Laurence’s taunting grin was wide and instant, clearly satisfied with Madalene’s siding.
“That is because you pressured me,” Ellen countered, giving her an exasperated look. “I said no at first!”
“Yes,” Madalene admitted. “But then you let yourself be dissuaded into abandoning your own wants to suit mine. You start by saying no, but I would wager that you always allow others the power to make the ultimate decision.”
The heat in Ellen’s cheeks rose even higher. She parted her lips to deny the accusation, then decided to give it some thought.
Two years ago, she had told her father a hundred times that she was not going to go to his dinner party.
Yet in the end she went, and in doing so had attached herself to Judith.
She had said no to the masquerade party Judith had pushed her into last month as well, yet she’d still found herself trussed up in an awful gown and ugly mask.
She had said no to Benedict’s proposal. But instead of staying and making him understand that her decision was resolute, she had chosen to run away.
The consequences of this had put not only herself but others in danger.
Ellen’s shoulders drooped as she frowned down at her plate, suddenly not at all hungry.
“Oh, Good heavens,” she muttered. “I do give in, do I not?”
She raised her eyes to Madalene, who was giving her a sad smile. Then she looked to Laurence, who, to her relief, had shed his smugness and was once more looking at her with that usual quiet intensity.
“Alright then,” she sighed, throwing her hands in the air. “Teach me your lesson.”
“Oh, I want to help!” Madalene said, clapping her hands excitedly.
Ellen groaned, feeling more embarrassed than ever.
“Let her,” Laurence insisted gently. “We will make it fun, I promise you.”
Ellen looked up, her gaze darting from Laurence to Madalene, then, with a sigh, she nodded.
“Very well,” she muttered.
An hour later, Ellen found herself giggling with Madalene as Laurence chuckled.
Despite being sure that the lesson would be anything but fun, the brother-and-sister duo had proved otherwise.
Madalene had started by asking her to list her favorite foods in front of them and the servants before they ate.
Then Madalene motioned one of the servants over to her, whispered something into his ear, and he disappeared.
A short time later, he returned with a full platter of steamed trout, hard-boiled eggs, porridge, and stewed greens.
Ellen had wrinkled her nose at the plate, as she had been looking forward to two-minute eggs, buttered toast, and sausage.
Still, she reached for the platter, figuring that any food was better than none at all.
Her fingers were just about to grasp the silver tongs when Laurence leaned forward and slapped her hand away.
She had looked at him, startled, and was met with a stern look.
“Give. Yourself. What. You. Want,” he’d said, emphasizing each word.
So she did. She pushed the platter away, and instead of relying on someone else to speak for her, she told the servant precisely what she wanted. A while later, her favorite breakfast was set before her, and she’d received her first round of applause from Madalene and Laurence.
The lesson continued as they broke their fast. Madalene had asked more questions about her likes.
What colors she preferred, what fabrics she thought felt best. What books she was inclined to read.
This time, though, Ellen was prepared for the lesson, and as Madalene sent servants to fetch other things, Ellen stopped them and politely asked them to bring her what she wanted, not what Madalene had chosen for her.
“I think this has been a good lesson for the day,” Madalene sighed.
“I agree,” Laurence added, smiling as he looked down at the small, torn-up velvet pillow sitting in front of Ellen.
It had been the last test. Instead of listening to her request, to bring her the embroidery she’d been working on, a servant, whom Ellen assumed had been told to purposely disobey her, brought her the small pillow wrapped in purple velvet.
Ellen responded by taking her knife and shredding the fabric to pieces, sending fluff and bits of thread floating through the room.
“I apologize for ruining your pillow,” Ellen replied, offering them both an apologetic smile as she nudged the ruined thing.
“No need; that thing was ghastly,” Madalene said as she rose to her feet. She winked at Ellen as she added, “I do not like velvet either.”
Ellen beamed, grateful that her show of hatred had not gone too far.
Madalene rounded the table and bent to give Ellen a kiss on each cheek.
“I am proud of you for finding your fighting spirit,” she praised as she rose back up to her full height. “But now I must take my leave. I have a few friends meeting me in town at the jeweler. Do you wish to join us?”
Ellen’s smile widened, knowing she was being goaded with one last trick.
“No, thank you,” she said with an assertive nod. “I wish to stay here.”
Madalene winked at her, then turned to leave.
“Have a pleasant day, you two,” she called over her shoulder. “Try not to ruin any more pillows!”
Ellen giggled as Laurence chuckled, but as they were left alone, the silence became palpable.
“Shall we continue our lesson in my office?” he asked. He waved a hand toward the messy table between them. “I believe the servants need the opportunity to clean up this little mess of yours.”
Ellen tilted her chin slightly at the invitation, feeling emboldened and empowered; not at all diminished by his slight taunt.
“Yes, we should,” she agreed. “I am curious to see how far this lesson is going to go.”
Laurence’s eyes darkened as the air between them suddenly filled with static.
“As am I,” he replied, a seductive tone slipping into his deep voice.
A shiver of excitement raced down Ellen’s spine as Laurence rose from his seat and offered her his hand.
Sparks flew off her fingertips as she slid her palm into his and allowed him to help her.
He let go as soon as she was on her feet, but before she could even give in to the disappointment from his loss of touch, she felt his warm hand press into her lower back and guide her out of the dining room.
They remained quiet as they walked down the hall toward his office, but the moment the door was closed behind them, Laurence pressed her back to it, his hands tight around her waist. At once, Ellen’s heart began to pound against her ribs, caught between confusion and relief.
“Tell me to stop touching you,” Laurence commanded, smoothing his firm hands down her waist and to her hips.