Page 65 of The Duke's Ultimatum

“Simon?”

His eyes drifted to hers.

“Thank you.”

He simply nodded, and Eleanor’s stomach dropped. He was her one hope to get out from under the Duke, and she may have just ruined it by dancing with said Duke.

“I don’t think he likes me.” Hountshire’s voice was cold.

Eleanor swallowed. Etiquette taught her to diffuse situations, but it also taught her not to lie. “I like you.” It wasn’t a lie; she didn’t mind him. Her body just didn’t ignite every time they touched. That could be something she could live without, right?

Hountshire’s eyes softened. “I’m glad to hear that, Lady Eleanor. I like you, too.”

Eleanor smiled and took a sip of her punch.

She hoped that liking each other was enough to make a marriage work. Unfortunately, there was a growing part of her that felt it wouldn’t be.

CHAPTER 19

Eleanor’s heart was racing. Every door she tried was locked. She chanced looking behind her to see if she was being followed. Nerves danced in her belly as sweat began to bead on her forehead.

Door after door was locked, and she knew she was running out of time.

“Eleanor? Are you down there?”

The Viscount!

Eleanor turned to run towards the voice. Or was she running away from it? Blast these hallways all looked the same. Didn’t she just come from this direction? She heard shuffling and voices coming from behind a door. She stopped and turned the doorknob.

“Eleanor? Where are you?”

Anxiety took over her body, and her hand began to shake. The noises behind the door quieted.

“Is someone in there? Please open up!” She banged her fist on the door.

With one push, the door gave way, and she stumbled into the room. She regained her footing, closed the door behind her, and looked around. The room was darkened with sheets covering old furniture. It didn’t look like anyone had been in this room for years. So, who was making the sound that caught her attention?

“Hello?”

A knock from the door behind her made her jump. “Who’s there?”

“It’s me, Simon. Open the door. Are you ok?”

Eleanor heaved a sigh of relief. She rushed to the door to open it, only to find it jammed. She shook the handle, hoping to jar it open.

She heard muffled voices coming from further in the room behind her, and her body froze. Chills ran down her spine as she turned and…

Eleanor woke with a start. She wiped the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand as she sat up. She took deep breaths, hoping to calm her racing heart.

This was the third night in a row when she couldn’t sleep. She couldn’t shake the feeling of being chased. Whatever her dream was about, it caused her heart to pound within her chest.

She rubbed her face and took another deep breath. It was just a dream. Nothing to be concerned about. She told Sarah about her dreams, and she surmised Eleanor’s dreams represented her timetable for finding a husband. Eleanor ignored her sister’s idea. Things seemed to be going well with Simon, despite his reaction to her dancing with the Duke.

Eleanor could tell he was unhappy with her for her actions that night; thankfully, he didn’t let it spoil their evening. Other than that, the rest of the evening was quite pleasant.

She saw him several times over the past few days, albeit the Duke was there for each occurrence, but the two men at least were civil to each other.

The times when she was alone with Simon—with her mother chaperoning, of course—she realized they had many things in common. Normally knowing such things would pacify her nerves, but she couldn’t help but feel like something was missing when she was with Simon.

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