He wanted Athena for his duchess, but that could never be—not unless he turned against his mother and everything she had strived to do to build the duchy into what it was today. What a farrago! He rested his head in his cupped hand and shook it from side to side. A vicious pain twisted and tore at his insides, and a leaden weight in the vicinity of his heart dragged him down to the depths of despair.
He felt bereft, an empty, hollow shell of a man. How the devil was he supposed to go back to the Park and choose a bride from the silly girls assembled there as though nothing had happened? And yet, that was precisely what he must do, and his duty, the weight of responsibility he carried on his shoulders, had never felt more onerous.
Eli would do his duty, but he wasn’t going anywhere until Athena regained her wits. He didn’t care whom he offended with his absence.
Incredibly, he must have dozed. He jerked awake in the chair beside Athena’s bed, conscious of the first fingers of dawn light creeping through the gaps in the curtains. The sound of wheels and a horse whinnying had roused him. He immediately checked on Athena, feeling her forehead for signs of fever, relieved not to find any. But her eyes were still firmly closed. He hadn’t had time to decide if that was a good or bad thing when the door opened and Millie waddled slowly in, looking battered and anxious.
‘How is she, your grace?’
‘The same.’ He turned a bleak expression upon Athena’s loyal retainer. ‘I’m so glad you are here. I just don’t know what else to do for her.’
Millie checked her for herself. ‘There’s not much else you can do. If the blaggard kicked her in the head, then she will either recover or she will not.’ Millie wiped a tear from her wrinkled cheek. ‘To have come all this way, only to stumble at the last hurdle.’
‘She wouldn’t have been kicked if she hadn’t been trying to save me,’ Eli said bleakly, because he needed someone to know the truth. ‘Blake had a knife to my throat.’ He indicated the spot of dried blood on his neck. ‘I am absolutely convinced he would have used it, too, but for Athena.’ He clenched his fist and thumped it against his thigh. ‘Damn it, I should be the unconscious one, not her.’
Millie patted his hand, something only his mother had ever done before today. It didn’t seem to occur to her that he was a duke, she a servant, because their love for Athena put them on equal terms.
‘Don’t think that way. Athena would prefer to be the way she is than submit to Blake, you just take my word for that. She could have been living in luxury as his wife long since, but she preferred the existence we’ve been reduced to this past six months to that and wanted nothing to do with the blaggard.’ Millie squared her shoulders. ‘No, just so long as she knows the twins are unharmed, she will be content. She’s been mother, father, and sister all rolled into one for those two since her parents’ passing.’ Millie paused and fixed Eli with a speaking look. ‘No, she will be glad to have done what she did, especially since it was your life she saved, your grace.’
Eli dropped his head, too emotionally charged to speak for a moment. ‘How about you, Millie?’ he asked, when he recovered himself. ‘You were brutally attacked, too.’
‘Aye, Blake has never liked me. He blames me for turning Athena against him.’
‘Why would he feel that way?’
‘Because I opened her eyes to his true character. When he first came sniffing around Athena, he seemed charming and gracious. Well, he can be that way when he puts his mind to it, and she briefly considered accepting him. She has received no end of attention from men of all ranks, as you can probably imagine.’
Eli ground his jaw, consumed with a jealousy he had no right to feel. ‘Indeed I can.’
‘She takes after her mother, you see. She was a rare beauty, too. I was her mother’s childhood friend. We grew up together in the same village. I used to make lace, too, before my fingers got too stiff for the delicate work. Anyway, when Athena’s mother married, I went along with her and became a sort of maid-of-all-work, companion to Mrs Moncrieff, and nursemaid to the girls.’ She shrugged. ‘I was treated as a member of the family and still am.’
‘It shows,’ Eli said softly. ‘Athena and the twins hold you in great affection.’
‘Mr and Mrs Moncrieff were quite modern in their outlook. They knew Athena could make a living with her lace and didn’t insist she accept any of the men who applied for her hand, unless she was truly in love. They married for love, you see, and didn’t want anything less for their daughter.’
‘I do see.’ And it explained a lot. ‘But she considered Blake?’
‘At first. He noticed her before her father died, but I didn’t trust him even then. There was just something about him that didn’t seem right.’
‘I’ve always felt that way about him, too.’
‘I found I had good reason not to like or trust him. One of my tasks was to go around the women who made lace for Athena, collecting it and making payments. One lady I called upon was in a terrible state. Her daughter had been brutally attacked, you see, and she subsequently died from her injuries.’
Eli scowled. ‘Blake?’
‘Aye, and that’s not the worst part of it.’ Millie paused. ‘The child was just twelve years old.’
‘My God!’ Eli closed his eyes, waiting for the violent proclivities this intelligence engendered inside him to subside. ‘No wonder Athena was so worried about the twins.’
‘Exactly. I heard more stories about his tastes for young girls but, of course, no one could touch him because of his money and position. He seemed to think it was his God given right to have any child he fixed his interest upon, and that’s pretty much what he did all over Nottingham.’
‘But he wanted to marry Athena. Isn’t she a little old for his tastes.’
‘She is Athena,’ Millie replied, as though that explained everything. And to Eli, it did. ‘He was bewitched by her. Her father was still alive at the time. I told him what I’d heard about Blake, and he agreed Athena shouldn’t have to see him again. Then, shortly after, her father was murdered. I’ve often wondered about that but, of course, I have no way of proving Blake was behind it.’
‘Extraordinary. To think he got away with so much.’
‘He was indulged by his mother, could do no wrong in her eyes.’ Millie shrugged. ‘No good ever comes of such treatment.’
‘What I fail to comprehend,’ Eli said thoughtfully, ‘is why the uncle was so determined to destroy a successful business.’
‘To understand that, you need to know a little more about the interaction between the two families, Athena’s and her uncle’s. Athena’s father was an educated man, and he took delight in teaching his daughters.’
‘Ah, that would explain Athena’s love of books, the Greek names—’
‘Yes, he was a Greek scholar. Athena has an enquiring mind and absorbed everything her father could teach her, while at the same time learning about lace and herbs from her mother. The family spent a lot of time with the uncle, and Athena was thrown into local society from the age of fifteen. That’s where she learned to dance and how to behave in company. Her cousin was besotted with Athena, and his father actively encouraged him to pursue her. I think that was because he knew the lace production would eventually fall to Athena, and he could see how profitable it was.’
‘And, let me guess, Athena rejected the young cove, and the uncle took exception to that.’
‘Precisely. He reminded his brother, in no uncertain terms, that if it weren’t for him, Athena would never have been admitted to society in the first place. He all but ordered Athena’s father to force her into the union, which of course he refused to do. He placated his brother by making him the executor of his will and the girls’ guardian, never assuming it would be necessary for him to act in that capacity.’ Millie looked wistful. ‘I’ve often wondered if that was what got him killed.’
‘And explains why the uncle wouldn’t listen to Athena’s advice when he took control of the business.’
&
nbsp; ‘Yes, I’ve always thought so. He’s one of those men who thinks a mere female couldn’t possibly have a head for these things.’
Eli snorted. ‘The fool!’
‘Even before her father died, once Athena heard the stories of Blake’s activities, she wanted nothing more to do with him anyway. It wasn’t necessary for her father to ban him. Perhaps if he had not…but anyway, she was terrified for the twins as much as for herself. And after she sent him packing, her father wasn’t cold in his grave before he was back again. He thought he had her this time, since her uncle needed Blake’s money to bail himself out of the trouble he’d made for himself. Unfortunately for him, he failed to take into account Athena’s strength of character.’ Millie paused. ‘Blake blames me for encouraging her to run away, and told his man to kill me when they found me at the cottage. Athena doesn’t know that. There was no point in telling her, upsetting her even more. I survived, and that’s all that counts.’
‘How did you?’
‘Pure luck. I don’t think his man had the stomach for murder. He bashed me hard, and I had the good sense to stay down and play dead. He knew I wasn’t, but did nothing about it, and I live to tell the tale.’
Eli shook his head. ‘You’ve been through a lot.’
‘And I’m blessed with a thick skull.’ She touched the lump on the side of her head and offered him the ghost of a smile. ‘That helps. I used some of Athena’s herbs on it, and I’ll be as right as rain in no time.’ Her smile faded. ‘It’s our lamb I’m more concerned about.’
‘You and me both, Millie,’ Eli replied with feeling.
Millie struggled to her feet and straightened Athena’s bedding. ‘I’d best go and check on the twins,’ she said. ‘They tend to rise early and will be anxious about Athena.’
‘I’m sure they will be glad to see you.’
Before Millie could leave the room, the door opened and the twins burst in.
‘Millie!’
They threw themselves at her, and Millie opened her arms to embrace them both at once, even though Eli could see it hurt her battered body to do so.
‘How are you?’
‘We were so worried.’
‘How is Athena?’
‘Has she not woken at all?’
‘There must be something we can do for her.’
Eli said little, sitting back instead and watching the scene unfold, now seriously concerned about Athena. She had been unconscious for eight hours—too long, surely? Boris stirred, sniffed her hand again and whined.
‘He needs to go out,’ Eli said to no one in particular.
Before anyone could do anything about it, there was the sound of voices on the landing directly outside the bedroom.
‘I must see for myself.’
Eli’s heart sank. It was his mother.
Harry stuck his head round the door. ‘Sorry,’ he mouthed to Eli. ‘She insisted knowing what was going on.’
‘And you told her?’
‘Have you tried resisting her when she makes her mind up about something?’
Eli shrugged. His brother had a point.
‘Certainly I required to know.’
The duchess sailed into the room as though she owned the place. In a manner of speaking, Eli thought with a wry twist of his lips, he supposed she did. Millie stood up and managed a creaky curtsey. The twins, struck dumb for one, did the same thing.
‘This is the Duchess of Winsdale,’ Eli told them. ‘Mother, these are Miss Moncrieff’s sisters, Selene and Lyssa, but don’t ask me which is which.’
‘I am Selene, your grace.’
‘And I am Lyssa.’
‘It’s very nice to make your acquaintance, girls, but now, if you will excuse me, I require a word in private with the duke.’
Eli didn’t doubt it.
Everyone obediently trouped from the room, including Boris. Eli vacated his chair so his mother could occupy it, and perched one buttock on the edge of Athena’s bed, absently brushing a stray strand of hair away from her face.
‘How is she?’
‘Before you say anything more, Mother, she saved my life.’ He paused, in no mood for a parental lecture. ‘Again.’
‘I’m sure we’re much obliged to her, Eli. But it wouldn’t have been necessary if you had remained where you were supposed to be.’
‘Am I to take it you’re happy for one of our tenants to be attacked by a guest staying in our house and have me do nothing about it?’
Chapter Twenty
Discounting the throbbing pain in her head, Athena couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so comfortable. She drifted just outside of consciousness, aware of voices and activity around her, but remaining apart from it. People were concerned about her, and she wanted to assure them she was all right, but her eyes refused to open. Cocooned between crisp cotton sheets, she craved the touch of Eli’s soothing hand on her brow.
It was Eli’s hand. She recognised his touch, sensed his flowing masculine power, and fed from his strength. She heard Millie. She heard the twins, excited about living in this house, yet subdued because of her condition. What house? Had Blake got them again? No, they wouldn’t be excited about that. Lord above, was that the duchess she could hear? What was she doing here? Presumably, she had come to remind her son of his duty and forcibly remove him from her side.
Don’t go, Eli. I need you, my love.
‘I won’t leave until she opens her eyes, Mother, and nothing you can say will change that decision.’
More words were exchanged. She couldn’t make them out, but the duchess finally left. Eli did not. The twins came back. She had no real sense of time. How long had she been here? An hour, a day, a week? What had happened to Blake? It was all confusion inside her head, which ached from the accumulation of so many months of responsibility and worry. She was tired, so very tired.
They were alone again, just her and Eli. She could sense his sculpted torso and absorbed his unique masculine smell as he leaned over and kissed her brow. His hand gripped hers and squeezed.
‘Wake up, my love. We need you to come back to us.’
Athena tried, really tried, to force her eyes open. She had rested for long enough, and Eli sounded so desolate. She thought she had heard him sobbing at one stage. Surely not because of her? The thought of such a strong man reduced to tears revived her. This time her eyelids did as they were told and opened when she asked them to. Bright sunlight hurt her eyes, and so she closed them again, but remained conscious.
‘Eli?’
‘Athena?’ He leaned over her again. ‘Oh my love, you’re awake!’
His dear face, stubbled with a day’s worth of beard and creased with concern, was the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes again. This time they remained open. He placed a hand on her brow and a gentle kiss on her lips.
‘How do you feel?’
She smiled weakly. ‘Alive. Is Blake under guard?’
‘Don’t worry about him. He will never hurt you again.’
‘Good.’
‘Does your head still hurt?’
‘Not too badly.’
‘Don’t lie to me, sweetheart.’
‘Is Millie here?’
‘Yes, she’s with the twins, and much as I would like to keep you to myself, they need to know you are awake. They can do far more for you than I can.’
He’s anxious to go already. Athena’s heart now ached worse than her head. ‘How long have I been here?’
‘More than twelve hours.’
‘No wonder I feel so rested.’ She reached for his hand, and he grasped hers gently yet firmly, raised it to his mouth and brushed her knuckles with his lips.
‘I thought I had lost you.’ His voice shook with emotion. ‘You saved me again, but almost paid for it with your own life.’
‘And I would do it again, in a heartbeat.’
‘Oh, my love.’ He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. ‘You’re too weak to talk right now. I shall send Millie and the gi
rls to you. I must go back to the Park, but I will be back in the morning.’
Don’t say it unless you mean it. I don’t need false promises.
‘Promise me you will rest until then.’
‘Yes, I will rest.’
She said it to make him feel better, so he could leave her with a clear conscience. And leaving appeared to be uppermost in his mind. Athena’s heart broke at the prospect, but she reminded herself her life was now her own. She no longer had anything to be afraid of and tried to count her blessings.
‘Make sure you do.’ He ran his index finger gently along the line of her lips. ‘I shall know if you break your word.’
‘I doubt I will be allowed to do anything but rest.’
‘Good.’
He bent to kiss her again, and then pulled the bell rope. The twins exploded into the room almost immediately, whooping with delight when they saw she was awake. Millie followed more slowly, as did another lady who introduced herself as Mrs Walters. Athena was smothered with affection and spent some time reassuring her sisters she really was all right. Mrs Walters spoke of broth, and Athena agreed she would try some, even though she wasn’t hungry. Amidst all the attention she received, Athena still noticed Eli as he slipped from the room. He paused at the door, caught her looking at him, and sent her a smouldering smile that melted her insides. Then he was gone, and shortly thereafter she heard the sound of a horse cantering away.
I wonder if I will actually see him again, she thought. A hand painfully squeezed her heart when she realised she most likely would not, despite his promises. His mother didn’t approve of her, would almost certainly try to prevent it, and perhaps that would be for the best.
Athena did manage to eat a little and enjoyed being washed and having her hair brushed by Millie as she listened to the twins’ non-stop chatter. It seemed the ordeal they had suffered at Blake’s hands had had no lasting effect. Ah, the resilience of youth! But then, they were not aware just what a narrow escape they had all had and what would eventually have happened to them if they had lived beneath Blake’s roof. Athena vowed they would never learn the complete truth. At least she could protect them from that.
To Defy a Duke: Dangerous Dukes Vol 1 Page 24