by Fanny Finch
Eleanor’s heart jumped as she heard those words and she chided herself.
I haven’t even seen him yet, dear heart, and you have already surrendered to so much action.
She had a kind smile for the maid servant who was known as Diana.
“Thank you, Diana. Please, make certain that Mr. Yates conveys to His Grace that I shall be down in a few minutes. We are done here after all.”
The girl curtsied again and with her head still slightly lowered, exited her chambers.
As she left, Eleanor rose from the chair by the vanity table and appraised her reflection in the mirror.
She had never been one to fuss over her looks. She knew she was fair, but no extraordinary beauty and that had never bothered her, not in the least bit.
However, tonight, she had to admit that she looked particularly lovely, and it was all thanks to Frances.
“You look like a dream, my lady.”
She turned to look at Frances who also looked lovely in her evening attire.
“As do you. Thank you, Frances. You have been more than a companion.”
Frances’s cheeks warmed as she responded with a shy smile.
“And you have been more than a lady to me, my lady. You have allowed me to be your friend and, in that manner, have enabled me to be yours.”
Eleanor nodded in agreement.
“Yes, you are right. I did hire you to be my companion, after all. Now, we must go. I do not think it wise to keep His Grace waiting for too long.”
Upon Frances’s agreement, they both left her chambers.
Chapter 16
For some reason, Charles could not put out his anxiety as he stood waiting for Eleanor in her waiting hall.
How many times had he done this for his mother, his sister when she was still unmarried? How many times had he done this for Elise?
Yet, never had he grown sweaty palms before. And his legs? They had never ached to pace so badly before. However, he managed to keep himself calm.
The butler stood by him, eyeing him carefully as though making an assessment of his person.
Charles knew it was only to be expected. Faithful butlers were often protective of their masters and mistresses.
So, he remained at a spot, and kept his hands locked at his wrists, behind him. Where no one could see her wet they had become.
Finally, noise of footfalls filled his strained ears, and he looked up to see the woman he had been unable to get out of his thoughts, or dreams for that matter, since the night before.
Of their own volition, his lips perked up in a bright smile. He truly could not recall the last time he smiled so freely, and so hard too.
He watched quietly as she descended the steps, a lady on her trail. He recognized the lady from the masquerade ball, the one who had danced with her brother - this Frances whom his mother had mentioned last night.
It seemed like an eternity, but they finally descended the steps and came to stop in front of him. He dipped into a bow, before they would sink into curtsies. As he rose, they sunk into shallow curtsies in return.
“My ladies,” he began, addressing both women. “You look particularly lovely tonight.”
He was rewarded by the shy smile which instantly graced their faces. His heart delighted at the hint of crimson he spied on their cheeks.
“You look quite dashing yourself, Your Grace, if I must confess,” Lady Grenshire said.
He was pleased by her words, truly pleased. So, he took one step forward, and requested her hand.
As she gave it to him, he brought it to his lips for a soft kiss. Her hands, he had come to learn, were truly soft.
He felt he could hold them for the rest of his life.
The rest of my life? Where had that thought come from?
His heart raced but he betrayed nothing as he released her hand and smiled even harder.
“It gladdens me to know that you approve my appearance. I had hoped you would.”
This time, her hand fan served as her shield, to hide her blushing cheeks from him.
Pleased, for he felt in control once more, he turned to the lady by her side.
“I do not believe we have had the honor of an acquaintance, my lady. Nonetheless, I have heard fond words about you. The only time I saw you, you had a mask over your face. How refreshing it is to see that the face is beyond worthy of the praises.”
The girl, who appeared to be shy, could barely hold his gaze as she gave him her hand. He felt nothing at the kiss, unlike the friction he often felt within a mile radius of the Countess.
“You are too kind with your words, Your Grace. You need not bother yourself with finding flowery words for the lowly companion.”
His eyebrow cocked in pleasant surprise. “I am aware that you do not know my person, Miss…”
“Jones,” Eleanor offered. “Frances Jones. She is my companion and best friend.”
“Ah, Miss Jones. I assure you, I am not a man who chooses who to honor and who not to honor according to the title they bear or their position in society. Every man and woman was created equal. Privileges do not alter that fact.”
The two women looked up at him then. Frances’ reaction was that of pleasant surprise.
As for Eleanor, it was quite apparent that she was impressed by his words. It made him happy to know that.
She was the one who spoke next. “Frances, this is His Grace, the Duke of Finchester, Charles Duncan.”
“An honor to make your acquaintance, Your Grace. I have heard honorable things.”
“I do hope I am able to live up to them,” he replied, but his gaze remained on Eleanor. The moment lasted a minute longer, then he remembered the opera.
“I am afraid we must depart immediately if we do not want to miss any second of the performance. Our box has been prepared and awaits us.”
Frankly, he had been looking forward to this evening with her and he was eager to get it started.
The three of them headed for his carriage that was waiting just outside Eleanor’s townhouse. As soon as he helped both ladies on, he joined them and they began their journey to the opera house.
Like the night before, this one went well. They settled into their box and the performance began shortly after.
It was Rosa Di Maria that performed that night, the Italian with the voice of a nightingale. She also brought along a group of other singers.
There was the octet first, then the quartet, then the duet, and finally, the solo.
She was powerful, just as she had been rumored to be. She sang so beautifully, spinning magic with her voice as it rang in the huge hall.
It was magic that held everyone entranced, watching with their heart and soul.
Everything, her voice, the emotions her face betrayed, the acting she rendered, the wordings of the songs and the tunes, it was all perfect.
It went straight to Charles’ heart and if he were not a man, he would have let a tear drop.
So enraptured, there was no time to converse like they had at the theatre. And as the singer finally hit the last note, the crowd stood up and went wild with cheering, clapping and whistling.
As the noise raged on, Eleanor turned to him. Her face glowed, as though a thousand gas lamps had been lit inside of her.
Her lips spread from one far end to another, and he feared her cheeks had to hurt.
Her eyes twinkled like the brightest star in the darkest night, even as they were hushed with tears that smeared the path down her cheeks.
When she spoke to him with her lovely, sweet voice, he felt more bricks fall off the walls he had built around his heart.
“Magnificent! Truly magnificent! I have never seen or heard anything like this in my entire existence. Glorious, goodness! I am so glad I decided to come after all.”
After all? Had she been unhappy about her decision?
Do not think too much of it, he advised himself. It may have been merely a figure of speech.
She was still applauding, and the crowd wa
s still cheering, and in that moment, nothing had ever looked more perfect to Charles. Nothing.
Now, he knew without a doubt that where Eleanor was concerned, he was truly at risk.
And there seemed to be nothing he could do to guard himself.
Effortlessly, she achieved a feat no woman had been able to achieve in so long. He simply smiled warmly at her, not trusting himself to speak.
Finally, the cheering stopped and people began to shuffle their way out of the hall. He waited until they were well outside, away from the noise and crowd, before he spoke.
“I am elated to know that you enjoyed the performance, my lady. It also gladdens my heart to know that you are happy with your decision to be my escort tonight.”
She had dabbed at her tears, and now her face and eyes were free from them. But she still glowed, and her eyes still twinkled. Her entire being radiated happiness.
“I am beyond happy with my decision as well. Rosa Di Maria makes the nightingale green with envy. She sings with such soul, you can feel the emotion behind every note, every single word…
“Music has always been a soft spot for me. It is my favourite expression of art. And to see it so beautifully done, impeccably…”
She sighed. “If I might add, you have no idea how much it means to me. I do believe I shall float on clouds for days to come. That is how long the effect of tonight shall take to wear off from me.”
He watched in awe and apt interest as she spoke so excitedly.
She was alive. For the first time since he had met Lady Grenshire, there was no hint of sadness in her voice or her eyes.
That he had brought her such happiness, such relief from the aches that plagued her heart, it meant the world to him.
On a final note, she added, “Thank you, Your Grace. If you had not invited me out, I would have been in my townhouse tonight, unaware of what I was missing.”
“I am the one who should thank you. Seeing you so glad has brought me immeasurable peace and happiness. I am sorry, it occurred to me whilst she sang that I had not asked if you understood Italian before deciding on this play.”
“I do. Besides there were some renditions in English too. Frances happens to know the language too, so there is absolutely no need to apologize. Not after you have done us such great kindness.”
His heart warmed, and he knew if he had never done anything right in his entire life, he had succeeded with this.
“I assure you the pleasure was all mine.”
Nothing more was said as they rode back to her home. There was simply no need for any more words. Silence reigned, but as it often was with Eleanor, it remained comfortable.
Soon, they arrived at her townhouse and after helping each lady down from the carriage, he walked them to the door where the butler stood waiting.
As they arrived there, he came to a halt, causing Eleanor to do the same. Then, they turned to face each other. She was the first one to speak.
“Once again, Your Grace, I… we thank you very much. It was a splendid evening. One I will not forget so soon.”
Only if she knew what she did to him, when she looked at him that way with those sunshine eyes, and spoke with her angelic voice.
Her words made him feel like a knight who had slain a thousand beasts to keep her safe.
“Once again, my lady, the pleasure is mine. I do hope you shall afford me the privilege to do this again another time.”
“Absolutely. I shall be happy to.”
He nodded, relieved that he had gotten a favorable response.
She opened her mouth to say something else, but he had already begun to talk. So, they both paused, and ended up smiling in embarrassment instead.
“Ladies first.”
“No, please, I would like to hear what you had to say.”
He stalled as he thought of how best to make his request.
He eventually decided to just say the words.
“I understand that you have been away from social functions. Now that you have sorted out the matters of your county, I was wondering if you would consider attending the next ball? It’s the Rootshords ball, and it would please me to have a few dances with you, my lady.”
She looked truly taken aback, and stuttered in response. “I… we… I…”
She paused and took a deep breath. As she let it out, she spoke again. “I would love to, Your Grace. I shall look forward to it.”
He took three steps back, and bowed. As he rose, he said his farewells.
“As shall I, my fair lady. The night deepens and I must let you go now. Do have a lovely night, I bid you farewell.”
She sunk into a shallow curtsy. “As do I, Your Grace.”
He nodded and waited until he saw her safely inside her house. Frances had gone up when they had stopped.
The butler nodded at him, and he nodded in return. Then, the man closed the door.
It was a fleeting moment, but some type of communication had occurred between them. He had gained the butler’s trust.
This night couldn’t have been any better.
Chapter 17
“Someone seems to be in better control of her nerves today.”
Eleanor stared at her brother. It was quite easy to do, sitting opposite him in the carriage.
As customary, she and Frances were seated on the seat that faced the rider, and Edwin as the gentleman, was seated across from them, facing the back of the carriage.
It was five days after that evening with Charles.
The Rootshords’ ball was finally here, and surprisingly, Eleanor was looking forward to it. If not for anything else, to see Charles, and of course, Rachel, once again.
In all honesty though, she was more interested in seeing Charles. Rachel had been by the house two days ago, and they had made small talk over morning tea.
As for Charles, believe it or not, she had missed seeing his face. He had delivered a letter to her the day before, expressing his regrets that he would have to meet her at the ball.
She was fine with that. She was more than pleased to ride with her brother and Frances. She only wished for peace and quiet.
“I would assume you would be happy about me being more in control today,” Eleanor told her brother.
“Oh, I am. Very, in fact. You have become a new person, Eleanor. You smile brighter, you laugh louder and there’s a certain joy that radiates from within. I can also tell that you are at peace.”
Eleanor smiled, pleased that her brother had noticed what she had been feeling on the inside for some days now.
“Yes, I am not quite there yet, but I believe I shall be, soon. I told you to be patient with me, brother. Now, see how far I have come.”
She only hoped that tonight would not ruin it all. This would be her first ball without her mask. She was also certain she would not be able to manage running into her stepmother.
However, she had chosen to keep her thoughts on positive, happy things, like Charles. Thinking of his smile gave her strength. Strange, but comforting, nonetheless.
“Indeed. I believe it shall only get better, dear sister. I do.”
She simply smiled in response, and afterwards, peace reigned.
Frances remained quiet by her side. She had spoken with Edwin a few days back, and he had offered the girl a heartwarming apology. Now, they were back on good terms and she was his official escort for the night.
Eleanor would meet with her Prince Charming at the ball. A friend, he is simply a friend, Eleanor.
Soon, they arrived at the Rootshords’ manor and as Eleanor’s heart began to race, she willed her nerves to remain in control.
As soon as they exited the carriage and began the walk to the ball room, she was aware of several heads turning in her direction. No doubt, those who knew her had recognised her.
As expected, the murmuring began.
“Oh my, isn’t that Lady Grenshire?”
“Lady Grenshire? Let me have a good look. Yes! It is her. My world! She finally returns to Lo
ndon!”
“I had heard she was in town, but I refused to believe it.”
“You should have. Many claim they have seen her at the theatre, the park, and the opera house. Although, they were not so certain.”
“Well, now they won’t be uncertain anymore. It is her, in all her glory. Oh, but she does look really lovely.”