No, she told herself, she had absolutely no reason to feel uncomfortable, but she was wasting precious time she could be putting to much better use. Although, if the duke really didn’t mean to increase her rent, she would be saved the time and inconvenience of looking for a new abode. Under the circumstances, the very least she could do to repay the mysterious duke’s kindness, was to help his sister in her hour of need.
She glanced out at a pretty garden that was completely unstructured, at direct variance to the strict maintenance of the formal gardens they had driven past on the way in. Athena thought this one far prettier. There were wild flowers mixed with azaleas, peonies, and honeysuckle. The perfume must be divine when they were all in full bloom, and she would give much to walk through it at that time.
Having risen with the dawn, Eli had been unable to settle to any occupation since. Anyone invited to help at Winsdale Park, especially when the request came directly from a member of the family, would ordinarily trip over their own feet in their haste to oblige. Athena, with her fear of whatever it was she was running from, was altogether another matter, and he had no idea how she would react to his—no, his sister’s—summons. Bairstowe had damned well have been at his most persuasive, because Eli refused to take no for an answer. If he had to go to the cottage himself, reveal his true identity in less than ideal circumstances, and forcibly drag her back here, then that was what he would do.
Put simply, Athena Defoe intrigued him, and thoughts of her lovely face occupied his mind to the exclusion of almost everything else. He had planned to get through this damned party of his mother’s in a permanent state of near intoxication. Now intoxication of a very different variety held him in its thrall. He could hope for nothing more than her friendship. For he was a duke and would never be free to follow his heart. But he could and would resolve her problems, whatever they were. She had saved his life, and he would return the favour by ensuring she could live hers, free of fear.
Fortunately, collecting her himself had proven not to be necessary, because Eli had the satisfaction of seeing Bairstowe’s curricle bowling up the driveway, an immediately recognisable goddess seated beside him. She glanced up at the building, holding her bonnet with one hand as she tipped her head backwards. Eli was convinced her gaze was focused exclusively on the windows to his suite of rooms. She must have discovered who he really was and could feel the heat of his gaze burning into her profile.
‘Idiot,’ he muttered as the curricle moved away, and he could no longer see her.
Eli buried himself in his study, trying to concentrate on estate business. He dictated letters to his secretary, Jessop, a young man of good family and straitened circumstances, who was proving to be both intelligent and resourceful.
‘There are a few requests for your consideration, your grace,’ Jessop said, when Eli finished his dictation.
‘When are there not?’ Eli rolled his eyes. ‘All right, let’s hear them.’
It was the usual mixture of disputes, problems, and excuses that required resolution. Eli dealt with them quickly and, he hoped, with a fair hand. Jessop took extensive notes, and Eli knew his instructions would be carried out to the letter.
‘What do you know about handmade lace, Jessop?’ Eli asked, leaning back in his chair and pinching the bridge of his nose.
‘Nottingham,’ Jessop replied immediately. ‘That’s the place to go for it.’
‘But it’s in decline, is it not?’
‘That it is, your grace. A man by the name of Heathcoat invented a bobbin net machine that produces complex lace designs far quicker than they can be made by hand. It is my understanding that handmade lace, if it’s made by skilled craftsmen, can still fetch a high price, but the machinery has put a lot of people out of work.’
Eli raised a brow. Jessop’s supply of ready information on the most obscure subjects never failed to impress. Mind you, Eli championing the handmade lace now for sale in Miss Dawson’s establishment would be known throughout the house by now, probably raising more than one speculative eyebrow. He doubted whether there was a single scullery maid or humble under-gardener who didn’t know of the interest he had taken in it. Jessop might have had reason to anticipate Eli’s question, but Eli still admired his ingenuity.
‘Send someone to Nottingham to make discreet enquiries, Jessop, with the emphasis on discreet. Choose a person with experience whom you trust but who can’t be linked directly to me.’
‘What should he look for, your grace?’
‘I want to know if anyone is missing from a family or business renowned for producing handmade lace. Specifically, a woman of about four-and-twenty with younger twin sisters.’
‘I shall make the arrangements at once.’
‘See that you do.’ Eli flapped a hand in dismissal, and Jessop stood up to leave. ‘Oh, and Jessop. This is between you, me, and the person you send. Absolute discretion is called for. If anyone else hears of it, you will pay with your position.’ Eli fixed the young man with a firm gaze. ‘Understood?’
Jessop stood in the doorway, looking serious yet resolute. ‘I understand absolutely, your grace.’
The door opened behind her, abruptly pulling Athena out of her tangled reflections. She turned to see a very pretty young woman of no more than nineteen, standing in the doorway. Dressed in a beautiful morning gown of pale pink muslin and with a profusion of dark curls, she smiled at Athena, immediately putting her at her ease.
‘Mrs Defoe. How kind of you to come. I’ve heard so much about you.’
You have?
The lady stepped forward, hand outstretched. Athena took it, and then remembered to curtsey.
‘Lady Susan,’ she said.
‘Please sit down. Archer, some tea if you please.’
‘At once, my lady.’
Athena glanced up and saw the butler in the doorway, regarding her with open curiosity. What did everyone find so intriguing about her? Her clothes were plain and dowdy, especially compared to Lady Susan’s. Perhaps that’s what it was. This stately butler obviously didn’t approve of the tenants conducting business with the family. The thought amused Athena, driving away her residue doubts about being here.
Lady Susan was regarding her quizzically, head tilted to one side, a lively smile lighting up her features.
‘I think I begin to understand,’ she said, almost to herself.
‘I beg your pardon?’
‘Oh, nothing.’ Lady Susan shook her head. ‘I am so very glad you could come. I impulsively volunteered to liven up the barn for the dance, but I am really not qualified to do it alone. I thought it would be so simple, you see.’ She wrinkled her brow, still smiling. Her good humour was infectious, and Athena found herself smiling, too. ‘But it’s not nearly so easy as it looks. I hope you have some inspired ideas that will save the day, Mrs Defoe.’
‘I’ll certainly try. I often use berries and fruits from the forest to liven up my cottage. This is the same thing, except on a much larger scale, I suppose. I shall need to see the barn, of course, before I can offer any advice.’
‘Naturally. Ah, here’s tea. Thank you, Archer.’
Lady Susan poured tea into exquisite bone china cups and handed one to Athena, who thanked her, revelling in the luxury of drinking from such fine china. It had been a long time, and she had forgotten how good china could change the entire taste of the beverage it contained.
‘I’m sure you must have an extensive orchard here, Lady Susan,’ Athena said, when her companion paused in her chatter for long enough to allow Athena to get a word in. ‘We could core apples and string them along the sides of the barn, and—’
‘And make Chinese lanterns from pumpkins, too.’ Lady Susan clapped her hands. ‘You see, I knew you would be able to help me.’
‘Well, it might not work, but—’
‘Of course it will. Come, have you finished your tea?’
Athena hastily put her cup aside, although she would have enjoyed taking a second.
‘Good, we will go and inspect the barn right away.’
Lady Susan was a whirlwind, reminding Athena of the twins at their liveliest. Having decided to visit the barn, she was up from her chair and out of the room in seconds. Athena almost had to run to keep up with her.
‘Here we are,’ she said breathlessly when they had negotiated yet another gravel path that led from the other side of the house to a large, recently harvested meadow. The barn was cavernous. Decorating it would be both a challenge and a thrill. It could definitely do with it. ‘We have trestle tables in here for ale and lemonade. The landlord from the Ram’s Bottom in the village supplies all of that. Then we have more tables over here for food for people to sit. Provided it doesn’t rain, the family and our guests eat on the terrace, and there are tables laid out on the lawns for everyone else. The dancing takes place around the barn. In that corner over there we have musicians, also supplied by the villagers, and it’s very jolly. It’s impossible not to dance when you hear the fiddler strike up a jig.’
Athena tried to imagine it all, her mind already alive with possibilities. ‘Hmm, you have certainly set yourself a challenge, Lady Susan.’
‘But, surely it’s possible?’ Her face fell. ‘I’ve quite made up my mind to do something memorable, you see.’
‘And so you shall.’ Athena resisted the urge to reassure Lady Susan by giving her a swift hug, as she would have done with the twins if they were discouraged about something. Athena bit her lip to prevent herself from laughing. Hugging a duke’s sister was hardly good form, she was absolutely sure about that. Even so, she liked the young woman immensely, despite the disparity in their situations, and would do all she could to help her. If money and labour was no object, then anything was possible. ‘Now then, if we were to string—’
‘Susan, are you there?’
‘Oh, that’s Eli.’ Lady Susan sent Athena the most extraordinary smile. ‘In here,’ she called out.
The vague sense of unease Athena had felt since arriving at Winsdale Park intensified. It appeared she was about to meet the mysterious duke, and for some reason she was reluctant to turn in his direction, even when she sensed a large presence looming in the doorway.
‘Mrs Defoe has been kind enough to come to my rescue, Eli,’ Lady Susan said.
‘I’m sure we’re all much obliged to her.’
No longer able to avoid doing so, Athena turned to look at the duke. He was impeccably attired in a green superfine coat and waistcoat in pale green and cream stripes. He wore an air of authority as elegantly as his coat sat on his broad shoulders. The only thing marring his appearance was the white bandage circling his head that thick black hair spilling across it couldn’t conceal. Athena gasped, her legs wobbled, and she quickly leaned against the wall for support. She had survived no end of set-backs since leaving Nottingham without ever once losing her senses, but this was one shock too many, and she seriously doubted if she had enough strength to remain standing unaided.
‘You!’ she gasped.
Chapter Seven
‘Mrs Defoe.’ Eli offered her an engaging smile. ‘Welcome to Winsdale Park.’
Athena continued to stare at him, looking totally stunned. She swallowed several times, deathly pale and so bewildered, Eli felt wretched for having deceived her. She made no response to his greeting as a kaleidoscope of conflicting emotions passed across her lovely features, none of them especially encouraging. She was not only shocked, but angry with him.
Very angry.
Eli wondered if she knew just how endearing she looked when in a high dudgeon. She was simply magnificent in her justifiable rage and clearly not the slightest bit intimidated by Eli. Silence sucked the atmosphere dry as she continued to fix him with a penetrating gaze of focused fury. Susan, equally bewildered by the chilly silence, cleared her throat and sent Eli a speaking look. It broke the spell, and Athena finally acknowledged his presence.
‘Your grace.’ She imbued the words with sweet sarcasm as she dipped an elegant curtsey.
‘I am very glad you were able to come to my sister’s aid.’ He waved a hand around the cavernous barn, treating her as though she had just spoken with the upmost civility. ‘She was quite at her wit’s end over all this.’
‘I was?’ Susan looked surprised to hear it.
‘I am no longer sure I can be of any help,’ Athena said, a determined jut to her chin.
‘Susan, I believe Mother needs you.’
‘No she doesn’t, Eli. She is discussing menus with Mrs Coulton.’ Susan sent him an impish smile and leaned her chin in her cupped hand, making her intention to remain with them patently clear. Eli supposed he couldn’t blame her. Susan, the little minx, would be eaten up with curiosity about his connection to Athena. ‘I should only be in the way.’
‘You’re in the way now,’ Eli replied, through gritted teeth.
‘Me?’ She elevated her brows in innocent surprise. ‘You must excuse me, but Mrs Defoe and I are in consultation about decorating this barn. If anyone is in the way, it’s you.’ She settled herself on a stool and sent him a sweet smile. ‘But don’t mind me. If you have matters to discuss with Mrs Defoe, I shall find something to occupy me.’
‘Mrs Defoe.’ Eli held out an arm. ‘Do me the goodness of taking a turn around the lake with me.’
His goddess sent him a lofty glance from beneath her fringe of thick, curly lashes. ‘Do I have any choice in the matter?’
‘Absolutely you do,’ Susan replied before Eli could. ‘No one ever dares to say no to Eli. He will bark at them, and intimidate them if they attempt it, you see. But you are my guest, not his, and it’s high time someone put him in his place.’
‘Susan, are you absolutely sure there isn’t something you ought to be attending to?’
‘Thank you for your concern, Eli, but I believe my morning is completely my own.’
‘Mrs Defoe.’ Eli again proffered his arm, an edge to his voice. ‘Please oblige me.’
She inverted her chin, expelled a disgruntled sigh, and moved elegantly across the space that separated them. Eli felt victorious when she placed her small hand on his sleeve, even if she did so with obvious reluctance.
‘Pray excuse me, Lady Susan,’ she said. ‘I will not be gone for long.’
‘Take all the time you need, Mrs Defoe,’ Susan replied with a mischievous smile. ‘I shall busy myself ordering the cutting of the blackthorn and elderberry branches you suggested.’
‘Make sure they know to cut them as long as possible. These decorations need to be on a large scale in order to show to their best advantage.’
‘Yes, I understand.’
Eli led Athena away in the direction of the lake. She looked straight ahead, but he could sense the fury in her fixed expression and rigid stance. What else could he have expected? He was unsure how to proceed or what to say to win her around, and so thought it best to wait for her to break the brittle silence that sprang up between them. It was several minutes before she did so—several of the longest minutes of Eli’s life.
‘I dare say you enjoyed a good laugh at my expense,’ she said through tightly compressed lips.
‘Quite the contrary, I do assure you. I’ve never felt more obliged to anyone.’ He sent her a candid smile. ‘You saved my life, and asked for nothing in return. I don’t think you understand how remarkable that is.’
‘Why did you not tell me who you were?’ She stopped walking and glared at him, a rich burn turning her eyes the colour of molasses, her cheeks flushed delightfully pink with indignation. ‘Or did you prefer to entertain yourself by making me look foolish?’
‘What would you have done if you had known?’
‘Sent word here at once.’
‘Precisely.’ He started walking again, compelling her to remain with him by placing his free hand over the one still resting on his other arm. ‘And I couldn’t have that.’
‘You would rather sleep in a…just a minute.’ She snatched her hand from beneath his and covered her
mouth with it. ‘The repairs to the cottage, selling our lace so easily, this request for help from your sister…that was all your doing?’
‘Yes, I wanted to repay you in some small way.’
‘So Miss Dawson wasn’t impressed by our lace.’
She looked endearingly discouraged, and it took every last vestige of Eli’s self-control not to pull her into his arms and kiss away the hurt.
‘Oh, I believe she was,’ he said in a languid tone. ‘She ought to be. Even I can see that it is exquisite, and I’m told she has every expectation of it selling well.’
‘It should. It’s far cheaper than it ought to be.’
‘Why is that?’
She shook her head, and it was obvious she didn’t plan to say anything more.
‘This may come as a surprise to you, your grace, but I was perfectly happy to help you, just as I would have helped anyone I found on the ground bleeding to death. You didn’t have to interfere in my life in some obscure attempt to repay me.’
‘Believe me, the ladies at my mother’s house party will be in alt over your lace, so you have done me another favour. Besides, I’m persuaded you would have sold it without my help. As to the cottage, I had no idea it had been let, until yesterday.’ He curled his upper lip. ‘I wouldn’t allow a dog to live in such conditions.’
‘I suppose it must be difficult for a man in your position to keep track of all his interests.’
‘You have no idea.’
Although Eli fully intended to keep very close track of the interest currently walking beside him. The heady herbal perfume he associated with her assailed his nostrils, sending his mind on a sensuous detour of aspiration and regret. He knew what he wanted from this beautiful, fiery, wilful lady, but also knew she would never agree to it. He grabbed her hand and returned it to his sleeve. He was encouraged when she didn’t attempt to remove it again.
To Defy a Duke: Dangerous Dukes Vol 1 Page 8