Page 33 of The Duke and His Cinderella
By the time he had reached his room, his mind had already returned to the mysterious lady with the scar on her hand.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Eleanor sat on the edge of her bed, the events of the evening a whirlwind in her mind.
It didn’t take her long to come to the conclusion that she wasn’t going to be able to sleep any time soon. Her thoughts were too busy and too chaotic to allow her mind to settle. She got out of bed, pulled on a robe, and ventured out into the hall. Perhaps she would be able to find her sister similarly awake. Marina must also have a lot on her mind, she reasoned, given that her wedding was coming up so quickly. It was difficult to imagine that her mind could be at peace.
Of course, Marina had always had a more restful nature than Eleanor had, so perhaps Eleanor should have anticipated that Marina would open her door looking tired and very near to sleep. Still, her face became more alert when she saw Eleanor.
“What is it?” she asked. “Is everything all right, Eleanor? I thought everyone had gone to bed by now.”
“I couldn’t sleep,” Eleanor confessed. “May I come inside?”
“Well…of course, but don’t you think you ought to try to sleep, at least?” Marina asked. “Tomorrow will be just as full as today was, and if you don’t get enough rest, I can’t imagine how you’ll get through this week. I would hate for you to be so exhausted on my wedding day that you’re unable to enjoy the festivities at all. This should be a fun time for you as much as anybody else.”
Eleanor smiled at her sister’s kindness. “I’m sure that your wedding will be enjoyable for me no matter what,” she assured Marina. “There’s nothing that could ruin my joy in seeing you happy, even if I am a little tired. And you don’t need to worry too much about that either. I’m sure I’ll sleep before the day you say your vows. It’s only today that has me feeling a bit overly excited and unable to sleep.”
“Well, come in and tell me why,” Marina urged, holding the door open so that Eleanor could see herself into the room. She closed the door when they were both inside and went over to sit on her window seat. Eleanor was sure that Marina had been in bed before she’d come knocking, but it was very like Marina to choose the window seat while someone was here, even when that someone was her sister. Her intent would be to show Eleanor that she was a priority, that she was being listened to and that there was no serious risk of Marina going back to sleep while she was here. Eleanor appreciated that. She wanted to speak to her sister about what had happened tonight, and she wouldn’t have felt confident in doing so if she’d had to worry about keeping Marina from her rest.
“I was out in the garden tonight,” she began.
“Does Mother know that?” Marina asked.
“Of course she doesn’t. You won’t tell her, will you?”
“You know I won’t. I wasn’t sure if it was a secret, that’s all.”
Eleanor laughed. “So this time you don’t think I was doing something too dangerous to be allowed?” she teased.
“Well, I still think you shouldn’t go out alone at night! But when have you ever listened to me about what’s dangerous and what isn’t? At least you made it back safely. I’m grateful for that. And I suppose that if I threaten to tell Mother, you’ll do the same thing again, but you won’t let me in on it next time—is that about right?”
“Yes, that’s probably fair to say,” Eleanor admitted.
“Well, I’d rather you keep telling me what you’re doing in the future. If that means I have to keep it a secret from Mother this time, so be it, I suppose. What were you doing in the garden?”
“I went out there to think, and to get away from it all,” Eleanor said. “I wanted a break from worrying about what our parents might be thinking about me. I wanted to be where no one could see me or judge me—to simply be alone for a while. And I wanted to stop worrying about what sort of gentleman Father might select for me to marry.”
“That all makes sense,” Marina said.
“But I wasn’t alone out there. I met the Duke of Nightingale.”
“The duke!” Marina’s eyes widened. “He saw you?”
“He saw me, but he didn’t know that it was me,” Eleanor said. “I had my cloak on—you know, the one with the big hood that Mother hates because it covers my face.”
“Yes, I know the one,” Marina said. “You’re sure he didn’t know who you were?”
“If he did, he certainly pretended not to,” Eleanor said. “He asked me to identify myself, and he was frustrated when I refused.”
“Oh, Eleanor. You made him angry?”
“I didn’t say angry. No, I don’t think there was any anger. He was simply taken aback by it,” Eleanor said. “He wanted to know who he was speaking to, that was all.”
“So you had a conversation?”
“Yes, we spoke. He’s good to talk to,” Eleanor said. “He has a quick wit, and he’s a lot of fun. And that’s why I can’t get to sleep now, I’m afraid—he’s lingered a bit in my mind.”
“Theduke?”
