by Emma Brady
"Remind me not to sneak up on you in a dark alley." Alex let out a slow whistle. "You were never this skilled before. You have become a new man."
"A better one, I hope."
"Certainly more agile." He heard Alex reaching for one of the practice sticks he had leaning against the wall. "How about you teach me a few of those fancy moves? I might need them to fight off the creditors if they come calling."
It had been awhile since his instructor left London and Thomas hadn't had anyone to spar with since. Turning slowly it made him grin to have a moving target. "I should warn you, my other senses have been heightened and I won't hold back because you are a friend."
"I should warn you that I tend to cry like a girl."
Chapter 5
THE THEATER BUZZED with excitement and the chatter of the crowds. It was the opening night of a new play by a favorite playwright, so everyone of importance was there. Even in the seclusion of the duke's private box, Eloisa heard the noisy crowd of people. Her own cousin was chattering away about the actress who was starring in tonight's performance. She was relatively new but vastly popular. Sarah couldn't say enough good things about the woman's talent.
"I think that might be her over there, next to the brightly dressed gentleman." Sarah pointed to a red haired woman in a dress designed to draw attention. The sight of such an ample bosom barely contained made Eloisa think of her own and sigh. Some women were gifted with too much, but she wasn't one of them. "Do you think that man is her protector? He looks like he could provide well for a mistress."
"We aren't supposed to know about such things, but we shouldn't be discussing it if we do."
"I'm simply asking the question you were quietly wondering about."
Leaning a little further out of her chair for a closer look, Eloisa did wonder if the young man kept her in that way. If so, she was well worth the price. The actress wore no rouge, but her face was already beautiful and didn't need the enhancement. Her hair was swept up in curls, giving clear vision to the glittering jewels she had wrapped around her elegant neck.
"She might not be anyone's mistress," Eloisa said. "Being an actress doesn't make her a fallen woman."
"According to my mother they are."
"Your mother is just repeating something she heard. Gossip is rarely the truth."
Eloisa knew firsthand how unfair gossip could be to someone. She had never been the target of anything scandalous, but she had listened to enough about others when she was invisible. Women who were perfectly innocent often were ruined by the words of one person that had spread like water, filling everyone's ears. It was just another reason she was grateful to be escaping London.
"I wish I was like her." Sarah's voice was so soft that Eloisa thought she hadn't heard it correctly. "She gets to have the whole world looking at her."
"Everyone looks at you. You are the success of the season."
"This season. Next season I will be married and forgotten."
Sarah’s eyes looked like those of a lost child. Eloisa had never asked her how she felt about finding a husband and getting married. It was just assumed that she was happy to marry well and follow the rest of society.
"Do you want something else?" Eloisa found she wanted to know.
"No, I just want something more."
Eloisa leaned over the railing as much as she could in the tight evening gown she wore to get a better look at the crowd. There was something that excited her about watching people when they didn't know they were being observed. No one ever noticed she was there, so she always had the best vantage point. That was the best way to learn who people were behind the image they portrayed.
"See anything interesting in the gallery?" Sarah asked, letting her own eyes skim over the people in the other private boxes. A few had their curtains closed but most of them were open. People spent too much time and money on the way they looked not to be on display.
"I believe a few of your more amorous suitors down below are trying to catch your attention."
Beneath their balcony was the general crowd and among them were a handful of the young gentlemen her cousin had met. They were nice boys, mostly without titles and of only modest means. Her good looks gave them the confidence to keep pursuing her cousin even after she had let them know she wasn't interested. She enjoyed their company, but none had captured her imagination.
"I wish they would be a little less predictable. I always know what they will say before they say it. For once I wish someone would surprise me." Sarah gave them a little wave when they started shouting up at her.
"If you picked one of them, you wouldn't have to carry on with the charade of a season," Eloisa said. "I don't know what you’re hoping to find in the marriage mart. All men are created the same."
"What about your father? He doesn't fit the description of most gentlemen."
"Which is why he had to leave London."
"I was so jealous of you when you left." That was something Eloisa had never heard her cousin say before and it left her speechless. "I was trapped in a life controlled by my parents, while you got to go off to exciting places and have adventures."
"I lost my mother and then I was shuffled from one strange place to another. It’s not as romantic as it sounds."
"No, but it gave you a chance to find yourself. I have no idea who I am.”
The two of them sat their quietly, neither wanting to say the wrong thing. Finally, Eloisa couldn't take the heavy feeling any longer and tried to bring some humor back to the box. "Do you know what my mother said made her fall in love with my father? It wasn't his money or his title, since he had neither. She said it was because he was a terrible dancer."
One of her cousin's eyebrows came up. "Your mother wanted a man who couldn't dance?"
"She said he was a complete mess on the ballroom floor. Couldn't stop stepping on his own toes."
"That's hardly ideal."
"He hated to dance, but he would do it for her. He was willing to embarrass himself to make her happy. That's when she knew he was the one."
The memories Eloisa had of her parents were the ones that she held closest to her heart. They had been the only example of true love she had ever seen. Watching them laugh together and kiss when they thought she wasn't looking had taught her to appreciate real affection. That was part of the reason her only season failed. It was hard to find anything real in society.
As she made her own debut in society, Eloisa learned that everyone thought her mother had made a mistake. She could have done much better for a husband and they pitied her choice. Eloisa knew better because she was the only witness to the depths of their love. She was also the only one who saw how her father suffered when he lost that love.
Before Sarah asked anymore questions, Eloisa decided to change the direction of their conversation. It was easier to talk about things that weren't so personal.
"It was kind of the duke to offer us seats in his box as an apology. I wouldn't have expected him to be so considerate."
"Unexpected for sure."
"Perhaps there is more to him than what we read in the papers?" Eloisa suggested, but her cousin pursed her lips in response and shook her head a little.
"I tried to convince father to get us a box for the season." Sarah was speaking to her, but kept her eyes focused outside the box, scanning the crowds. "He said it was a waste of money, since I'm not likely to meet eligible bachelors in a private box."
"Your father has always been a pinch penny."
"I never understood why. He has more than enough money to be generous."
"Uncle Mortimer never believes he has enough money."
The Marquis was the type of man who assessed the value of everything. He didn't spend unless necessary to portray the right kind of image. Society's perception of him was of the utmost importance to him and his equally ambitious wife. Everything they did was careful and calculated, designed to further their position, especially in regard to their daughter. Sarah was seen as their best
chance to rise further up in society's ranks.
"My mother always used to make jokes about her brother in law being that way, but I never understood how deep it went." Eloisa sighed and gave her cousin a light pat on the shoulder. "I wish he was a little less stingy with his own offspring. You deserve to indulge in a few luxuries while you can."
One of Sarah's elegant eyebrows lifted. The plan had worked even better than Eloisa had anticipated. Regardless of her low opinion of the duke, Sarah held the theater in high regard. She was willing to suffer through anyone's company to enjoy it.
"Perhaps he won't be here at all." Sarah said, shifting in her seat to get a better view of the stage. "The show will be starting any minute now."
It wasn't unusual for someone of the duke's status to arrive late, it was even considered fashionable. Eloisa silently prayed he had not been detained for some reason. If he didn't show up she couldn't honestly consider this a point in her favor. They didn't have enough time as it was, so she needed every opportunity to move things along. As if answering her thoughts, a large shadow was cast from the doorway.
"I apologize for being late," said Thomas, his broad frame filling the doorway. "I had forgotten how crowded the streets get on an opening night. My poor driver had the worst time managing my carriage."
Once again Eloisa was reminded of how he had gotten his notorious reputation. The man was more attractive than anything an imagination created. Not even a wicked one. Dressed in black evening attire, his fine figure was even more accentuated. She wondered if his tailor had difficulty making jackets that fit such broad shoulders. His golden blond hair was brushed back so that his eyes could be seen with dazzling clarity, even if they focused on no one in particular.
He waited for a response and when none came he moved further into the box. "Am I still welcome to join you?"
Sarah appeared flustered as she stood up and took his arm, leading him to the seat beside Eloisa. "Of course you are, it is your box after all."
"I was worried I might have stepped into the wrong one."
He smiled with those sensual lips of his, giving her a glimpse of shining white teeth. Eloisa was embarrassed to realize she had been watching him with her mouth open and snapped it shut.
"Have you seen this play before?" said Eloisa.
"No," He answered her, but kept his face directed at Sarah. She in turn had her back to him, pretending to be fascinated with what was going on around the stage. This was not going to be easy.
"Have you seen others then? It's such a beautiful box to keep," Eloisa tried again.
"It's mostly for my mother and her friends to use."
Again the box was silent and Eloisa was beginning to panic. Thomas was acting like a perfect gentleman but Sarah refused to give him the slightest reprieve. When Eloisa glanced sideways at him she noticed his jaw clenched so tightly it created a white line around his mouth. The man was radiating his anger. In the dim light cast by the stage, she tried to focus on the actors but was distracted by his tension.
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize my cousin would still be acting so childish." She leaned close and whispered to be sure he was the only one who heard it. "She was so happy about coming tonight, I assumed she had gotten past her previous opinion of you."
"What opinion was that?"
"A negative one, I'm afraid."
"Based on what?"
Eloisa hesitated, worried it was only going to make him angrier. He was sensitive to criticism and wouldn't appreciate being told his arrogance had cast him in a bad light. Yet, if he didn't recognize the problem he would have no hope of correcting it.
"The rumors about you being too quick with the ladies."
Something caught in his throat and he choked for a moment. Out of concern she gave him a hard pat on the back. "Too quick?"
"Yes, you change lovers with alarming speed, or at least you did prior to you accident."
"Oh, yes, that."
Ignoring his odd response, she continued to try and explain things to him. "She doesn't want to be just another woman in your vast collection."
"A woman with her beauty is afraid of being cast aside?"
It was hard to believe, but Sarah was never fully confident about her appearance. The way her parents treated her kept her constantly in doubt about her place. They told her she was beautiful but with a never-ending supply of suggestions for improvement. It had been instilled in her that her beauty was the only thing of value she possessed, so without it she had nothing.
"All women fear losing a man to another woman."
"Has that ever happened to you?"
That was a far more personal question than she was prepared to answer. Clearing her throat, she would ignore anything he asked about her. This was supposed to be about Sarah after all.
The actors on stage were illuminated by lights. They moved back and forth while reciting their lines. The audience was riveted by it, almost all eyes locked on them. Inside the picture frame of the stage, they told a story that was both funny and romantic. The only one not watching them was Eloisa, who was too busy staring at the man who sat beside her.
The lights from the gas lamps at the edge of the stage cast shadows across his beautiful face. It only appeared that much more golden in the illumination. Blond hair and bronzed skin was not considered fashionable, but he was able to make it appealing. It reminded her of the stories she read about Greek heroes. Only Thomas was nobody's hero.
After a few minutes, she felt him beginning to grow restless. Without a word, he stood and fumbled his way out of the box. The night had been a disaster and Eloisa needed to find a way to convince Thomas not to give up on their plan. Sarah was so riveted by the show that she didn't notice her following after him.
"Go back," he said as she approached him in the theater’s hallway.
"You can't just storm off like that," Eloisa said, catching up with him. "I know things didn't go well tonight, but you didn't have to be rude."
He spun around, and not expecting it, Eloisa ran directly into his chest. On instinct she reached out to steady herself, pressing her palms against his chest. The fabric of her long evening gloves met the starched surface of his shirt, but all she could feel was how firm the body beneath it was. When she realized how intimately she was touching him, she snapped her hands behind her back.
"I'm not the one who blatantly ignored the other people in my company." The intensity of his expression pulled his features tight. Those blue eyes were narrowed on her, making her skin tingle. "She’s lucky all I did was leave. I had half a mind to toss her out of the box entirely."
That would have been much worse. It was his box after all, so it would have been within his rights to do so. Grateful it hadn't reached that point, Eloisa knew that an apology wasn't going to be enough to fix this. She was going to have to plead with him.
"Please don't give up on her." She said with as much earnest as possible, watching one of the most eligible man in London throwing a fit.
"There are more than enough ladies to choose from. They would be more than happy to spend an evening with me."
She could just imagine the type of ladies who spent their evening in his company. Not the kind of women who would be a respectable wife. She kept that thought to herself.
"You might be able to find someone who was more eager to wed you, but that won't give you what you want. To win back your place as a leader of the ton you are going to have to marry the most desirable woman of the season. Anything less would be a waste of your time."
His eyes closed and she almost heard the curse words rolling through his mind. This was not the type of man who was comfortable with rejection and he had gotten it twice in as many days. "I do realize, Miss Noble, that you are simply saying this to manipulate me."
"Of course you do, but it's still the truth. Lady Sarah is the only one who can gain back what you lost."
"Any well-bred lady would make a good wife. I don't need to chase after her skirts."
The
tone of his voice was snide. No doubt he was being a bit vulgar just to unsettle her, but she didn’t flinch. She had heard worse during her travels.
"No, if you marry the wrong woman they will pity you even more than they do now. You have to find your equal in order to earn their approval."
"You are hardly the authority on what society approves of."
"True, but my mother married beneath her and society never forgot. That makes me knowledgeable on what they will cut you for."
The lines of his mouth twisted with words he wanted to say but didn't. It was his gentleman's upbringing at war with his rebellious nature. The conflicting emotions played out across his face.
"You just want her married off before the end of the season so you can earn your large fee. You are selling her like property and pretending to be her friend."
The sound of his voice vibrated in the tiny hallway they were standing in. His words shocked Eloisa and she required a moment to gather her thoughts. When she did, her thoughts were all murderous. Leaving before she acted on them would be best for them both.
"Fine. This whole idea was ridiculous. I wish you well in your pursuit of easier prey."
Her triumphant departure was halted when she felt him grab both her arms and before she could yell out he had his hand over her mouth.
"Someone else is coming down the hallway." He whispered in her ear. "I don't think either of us wants to be caught here alone together."
The reminder that social ruin was so close made her stop moving and freeze against him. Being found alone with a man like this would not only ruin her reputation, but it would reflect badly on Sarah as well. Scandal was not something she wanted to inflict on her cousin, so she allowed Thomas to pull her behind one of the long draperies decorating the hallway.
With her back against the wall and Thomas against her chest, Eloisa found it difficult to breath. It didn't help that her mouth was pressed into the fabric of his jacket. She tried to push him back for more air, but he refused to budge. Finally, she turned her head enough that air reached her lips.
"Don't move." Again Thomas was whispering in her ear, making the tiny hairs there dance.