This was no longer so for Elise. Doing things for herself and doing things which a butler might do had taught her she was far more capable of an astonishing range of activities than she had ever thought possible. Indeed, she had found herself moving ladders and paint cans last week, when they had been in the way and in danger of tripping ladies up.
She had washed dishes, made meals when Mrs. Brown was not in attendance in the kitchen, and had made dozens of pots of tea. None of those activities, or any of the even stranger tasks she had turned her hand to in the last few weeks had inflicted any damage upon her person. They had not reduced her in any way.
In fact, she was far more independent in spirit as a result of them.
She realized she had let her thoughts drift when she heard the footman’s steps returning from the library. She turned with a smile, on the verge of telling the footman there was no need to hurry, that she would find a cab for herself.
The words she had been forming faded, unspoken, for it was Danyal coming towards her. He did not smile back at her. Instead, his hand caught hers and he moved to the other side of the hall, where all the morning rooms and sitting rooms were located, bringing Elise with him.
Elise’s heart zoomed. She guessed what he intended, for it was what she wanted, too.
Danyal pulled her into a darkened room. Elise was not familiar enough with Lydia’s house to know if this was a morning room or a sitting room. She saw the silhouette of a sofa, heavy drapes drawn against the cold outside and nothing more. Danyal closed the door behind them, but did not latch it, for that might bring a footman to investigate.
He did not release her hand. Instead, he pulled her toward him. “I have not been able to think of anything but this, all evening,” he murmured, his lips very close to her. “Just one,” he added, and kissed her.
It was easy to let herself slide into the power of the kiss. Like Danyal, she had been thinking of little else for a very long time. Seeing him tonight had made her sensitive to the possibility of another kiss. It was as if her body had stirred to life and clamored for that which was so close.
Her mind, which had been firmly telling her that another kiss was out of the question, fell silent. Her body sighed and softened against him. She felt oddly safe in his arms, even though his hands drifted toward places where no gentleman’s hands should ever go, according to the matrons of society. His fingers stroked her nape, making her flesh sizzle and sending sparks of pleasure through her, before sliding down her décolletage, leaving hot trails behind.
He pressed his mouth against hers, then let his lips drift, too. He pressed his lips against her cheeks and her chin and her temple. It felt as though he was sampling her.
Elise had no thought of halting him. It was far too delightful to make him stop.
Danyal seemed to have no intention of stopping, either. He did not tear himself away as he had before. Eventually, though, he gave a great sigh and lifted his head, removing his mouth from hers. Delight held her, for he did not loosen his arms around her.
He spoke the realistic, cold words she knew must come next. “I suppose this is boorish behavior,” he murmured. “I simply could not let you go without kissing you one more time. Despite everything we have agreed upon, even knowing there is no future in this, I still cannot help myself. Forgive me.”
“It is my fault,” she said, keeping her voice down to hide the trembling it. “I did not think for a moment that posing as my sister would put me in your presence. I am sorry for that.”
“If your sister and Lydia are such good friends, I am astonished Lydia has not noticed the substitution. I knew the moment I saw you that you were not Ann.”
“Lydia rarely sees Ann in person. We have such different lives from hers, these days.”
His fingers stroked the back of her shoulder, just below the edge of Ann’s evening gown. “And I am putting off the moment I must let you go,” he breathed.
Elise shivered in his arms. She did not want him to release her any more than he did. “The problem is, when you are not nearby, all I can do is think about how nice it would be if you were. When you are here, all that contemplation builds into an irresistible force.”
Danyal gave a sigh that was heavy enough to be a groan. His arms loosened. He stepped away from her. “Yes, it is the same for me.” His voice was very low.
Elise hid her disappointment that he had brought himself to letting her go. She pushed at her hair, feeling for stray locks and tucking them back into place. “I was standing in the front hall, thinking about all the strange things I have done lately, and how they have benefited me. I was on the verge of going out and finding my own cab, because I can do that now.”
“I am quite sure you are more than capable of doing such a thing,” Danyal said. He did not sound bemused. He sounded…drained.
The idea struck her with a jolt. Elise grew still. She dropped her hands from her hair. “Then, that is what we should do.”
“Hail a cab?”
“We should do a very strange thing, because doing so will perhaps give us the fortitude to do what we must and never see each other again.”
“Are you proposing something indecent, Miss Thompsett?” This time, he did sound bemused.
“Good Lord, no! Although, I was thinking about something similar,” she said. Before he could interpret that and make another suggestive comment, she said quickly, “The problem is, while you are not nearby, I think about you. You just said the same thing about me. Given those two things, does it not make sense that we should stay nearby at all times, so we don’t think about each other?”
She could not see his face well enough to tell what Danyal’s reaction was. Yet she could feel the sense of what she was saying. She hurried on. “When we are apart, we think about each other, so that when we see each other, it is as if all that thinking has built up such weight, that this happens.” She spread her hands to indicate their close proximity. “If we were to linger near each other, then that weight could not build up.”
“I am afraid, Miss Elise, that if you think standing this close to you at all times will calm my fervor, then you do not understand gentlemen at all.” This time his amusement was more than evident.
Elise shook her head. “No, you do not understand. What I mean is, I don’t know you very well at all. You do not know me, either. You were surprised when I spoke about managing a household. I was surprised to learn all of your sympathy for the Balkan Separatists. One could say that both those points are off-putting, yes?”
“I suppose, in one sense, one could say that.” His tone was patient.
“Then, by spending more time in each others’ company, we would learn all the off-putting aspects about each other. Once we have learned enough about each other, I am sure that neither of us will ever want to kiss the other one, ever again.”
“You mean, we should drive each other apart by familiarity?”
“They do say that familiarity breeds contempt.”
Danyal turned and walked a few steps, then came back to her. “I am astonished to find that I cannot argue with you. From experience I can confirm that intimacy usually eliminates any ardor one feels. Although the type of intimacy I have in mind is not quite the same as what you are proposing.”
“And I am not proposing the intimacy you consider appropriate,” she said quickly.
“I would be disappointed if you did,” he assured her. His voice was low with meaning. “Very well,” he said. “I have yet to hear from Buckingham Palace, so my time is my own for now. I will put myself at your beck and call. When you go, I go. A few days of it will be enough for us to thoroughly detest each other, I am sure.”
Elise put her fingers to her lips, to hold in her laughter, which seemed entirely inappropriate. “Oh dear, I have just realized that if you are to stay within my presence at all times, then you will need to trail me up and down the stairs and around the house.”
“I think I should like to see you in the role of butler,” he sai
d. “I shall arrive for breakfast tomorrow morning, very early. I presume that you are an early riser, as you must be out of bed long before anyone else in the house, yes?”
“Oh dear, and I must explain this to Great Aunt Annalies.”
“As I will be at the breakfast table, I will help you with that,” Danyal said. He opened the door and held it for her. “Tomorrow morning, then,” he added. “Would you like me to hail a cab for you, or would you prefer to arrange your own?”
“As I am perfectly aware of the fact that I could arrange my own if I needed to, it would be nice if you did that for me,” she said. “Do you know how to hail a cab?”
“As it happens, I have never had to,” Danyal admitted. “Although, the butlers make it seem quite straightforward. Let us see if I can impart the same authority with a wave of my arm as they do.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Her proposal to Danyal had seemed very simple on the surface. Elise discovered the next morning, though, that the arrangement would be more complicated than she had anticipated. The difficulties began almost from the moment she opened the door and stepped aside for Danyal to move into the house.
He took off his hat and gloves and handed them to her with a gleam in his eyes. She closed the door behind him and waited for him to remove his coat, too.
“Great Aunt Annalies is already at the breakfast table,” she said. “Come through this way, Your Highness.”
Danyal followed her to the dining room, his tread heavier than she was used to hearing on the old floorboards. He was the only man in the house. It felt different to have a man here and for the first time, Elise questioned the wisdom of her proposal. This was a very feminine house. He was providing an odd note. Would the other ladies in the house resent his presence?
And what would Ann say when she found Danyal sitting at the breakfast table?
Great Aunt Annalies looked up from her newspaper. Her brows lifted above her spectacles. “Good Lord! Prince Danyal!”
“Good Morning, Princess Annalies.”
“Great Aunt Annalies, Danyal is here for breakfast, and to…” Elise searched desperately for an explanation which would not sound completely inappropriate or outlandish. Only, no explanation came to her.
Great Aunt Annalies studied her, her expression was calm. “To…?”
Nothing came to her. Finally, Elise said simply, “He is here to learn so much about me that he grows to detest me.”
“I see,” Great Aunt Annalies said. She did not look shocked. Instead, she moved her gaze thoughtfully from Elise to Danyal. “And you believe that this will work?” She asked him.
“It must,” he said firmly. He made no move to seat himself, but instead remained standing at the other end of the table from Great Aunt Annalies. He did not look uncomfortable, or apologetic, or even uncertain. “I have found that time and familiarity have always erased any hint of charm, in the past.”
“Does that mean there is charm to be erased in the first place?”
“Charm…and inappropriate attraction,” Danyal said flatly.
Great Aunt Annalies sat for a very long moment, considering him. Then she stirred and put her newspaper to one side. “You had best sit down and let the butler serve you breakfast.”
Elise turned over a cup upon its saucer on the sideboard and placed it and cutlery in front of Danyal, where he sat beside Great Aunt Annalies.
“I have always found that gentlemen eat far more than ladies, as a rule,” Great Aunt Annalies said to Elise. “Have you accounted for the increase in your household budget?”
Danyal paused with his hand in midair, as he was reaching for the teacup. He lifted a brow. “The household budget is so precise that an extra person will upset it?”
He is to see the worst of me, remember! Elise reminded herself. She nodded. “Great Aunt Annalies relies upon the rent her borders pay to run the house. It is a delicate balance.”
“Then, as this is a temporary arrangement, I will not have your household upset by the experiment,” Danyal said. “I will contribute to the household budget so you are not left wanting.”
“I am sure Elise and Ann will appreciate the contributions,” Great Aunt Annalies said. “I confess that having them manage the house has been an interesting trial. They have found some creative solutions to issues which have plagued us for a while.”
Mrs. Brown sailed into the dining room with the heavy tray and put covered platters upon the sideboard. She glanced at Danyal, then gave him a startled second look. She nodded at Elise and took the tray away again.
Elise took the lids off the serving platters and picked up the first plate. “Liver and onions, or kippers, Danyal?”
“Both, please. Are those eggs?”
“Scrambled, yes.” Elise put a serving of each upon the plate and put it in front of Danyal. “Great Aunt Annalies?”
Great Aunt Annalies gave her a small smile. “Just eggs, please, as usual.”
Elise gave Great Aunt Annalies the small serving of scrambled eggs she preferred. She refilled Great Aunt Annalies’ cup with tea from the new pot and returned it to the sideboard.
Danyal was already eating. “How many lady borders do you have, Princess Annalies?”
“Elise?” Great Aunt Annalies said.
“Twelve, including Ann and me,” Elise said.
“Would more borders make the household budget less precarious?” Danyal asked.
“Yes and no,” Elise told him. She poured herself a cup of tea but remained at the sideboard to drink it. It was a compromise between what a butler would do and what a guest or family member would do. “Additional borders mean additional food is required. Additional everything, really, including gas for the lights. Plus, there is only one spare room left which could serve as bedroom.”
“You are not thinking of the attic, surely?” Great Aunt Annalies said.
“It is a perfectly lovely bedroom. Did not Uncle Iefan use it as his bedroom for many years?”
“He did, but he was not a paying guest.”
“I am sure that a welcoming bedroom and this excellent food would more than make up for the fact that the accommodation is in the attic.” Danyal put his knife and fork upon his empty plate.
“Would you like some more?” Elise asked him.
“Yes, indeed, I would. Your cook is a treasure.”
Elise made a second serving for him. As she was placing it in front of him, Ann arrived. Her sister paused at the door, her eyes widening as she took in Danyal’s presence.
Elise’s heart pattered.
“Danyal!” Ann said. “This is quite simply the last place I ever expected to see you.” She pulled out a chair on the opposite side of the table.
Elise poured Ann a cup of tea and put it in front of her, along with the sugar and cream. Then she turned to the sideboard and heaped liver and onions upon a plate, and put that in front of Ann, too. There was no need to ask her what she wanted for breakfast.
“It is just as unexpected for me,” Danyal replied. He picked up his knife and fork.
Ann’s gaze shifted from Danyal to Elise and back to Danyal. She made no move to eat her breakfast, even though it was her favorite.
The silence thickened.
“Elise theorizes that if she and Danyal remain in each other’s company long enough, they will grow to hate each other, which will remove all complications between them,” Great Aunt Annalies said, as she pulled her morning’s correspondence in front of her and picked up the top letter.
Ann spooned sugar into her teacup, barely looking where she placed the spoon. She glanced at Elise. “Because no association is possible, yes?”
“Yes,” Elise confirmed, relief trickling through her. Great Aunt Annalies had reduced the situation down to the simplest possible explanation. Yet Elise waited while Ann considered the arrangement, staring thoughtfully at the tablecloth. A furrow sat between her sister’s brows.
After their conversation in the front hall, after Ann had seen Danyal kissin
g her, Ann knew there was no possible future for Elise and Danyal.
Ann lifted her cup and sipped. “Learning to hate each other seems like a sensible idea, under the circumstances. Then you are to return to Pandev, Danyal?”
“Once I have secured my appointment with Queen Victoria and pleaded my case, then yes, I am free to return home.”
“You are waiting for a summons from Buckingham Palace?” Great Aunt Annalies’ voice rose with interest.
“I am.” Danyal scooped a forkful of kippers with alacrity and said nothing else.
“You should explain it all, Danyal,” Elise said. “If we are to properly detest each other, we must be perfectly frank, no matter who overhears.”
“I suppose public embarrassment will enhance the effect,” Danyal said. He looked at Great Aunt Annalies. “I am sure you are aware of the family history regarding the Blackawton title, yes?”
“Painfully so,” Great Aunt Annalies said.
“I am seeking to sever my family’s association with the title,” Danyal told her. “Not only has the title stained our family’s reputation, but it irreversibly connects the family to Britain, which these days is a detriment.”
“Ah, you are a separatist at heart,” Great Aunt Annalies said softly.
Danyal paused with his fork in midair, his eyes widening.
Great Aunt Annalies laughed. “I am not ignorant of the politics and economics in your corner of the world,” she told him. “My father’s principality was not much farther west than yours.”
“Yes, I had forgotten about that business,” Danyal said. “I’m very sorry for your loss.”
“I am not sorry at all,” Great Aunt Annalies replied. “Because of that revolution, I met my husband. My life has been considerably happier than it might’ve been, had I continued the family line as I was supposed to.”
Danyal returned his attention to his plate. “I had not thought of it that way,” he admitted. “Then you are not upset that I seek to sever my family’s association with Britain?”
Her Rebellious Prince (Scandalous Family--The Victorians Book 2) Page 6