Page 67 of The Duke and His Cinderella
And that’s fine, but he might as well admit it out loud!
At least her father was making the best of the situation. He might be an opportunist, and rather shamelessly so, but that was better than what Eleanor’s mother was doing. She had such a scowl on her face, even now, that it was as if she had been told her own wedding had been canceled. “I still can’t believe we’re going to allow this to stand,” she said, directing her comment ather husband. It was clear to Eleanor that she was being excluded from the conversation, not that she particularly minded. She looked over at the duke, and he gave her a small smile, as if to reassure her that the two of them would find their way through this moment. She wished she could tell him that she knew, and that she felt more confidence right now than she ever had before in her life. She knew everything was going to be all right.
“What’s the trouble, Lady Crestley?” the duke asked solicitously. “I hope you won’t tell me that my interest in your daughter is in contradiction with your wishes. I would hate to cause conflict.”
“And yet we do have conflict,” Eleanor’s mother said. “I can see that you didn’t cause it deliberately, Your Grace, and I don’t blameyou, of course.”
“Who do you blame, then, Mother?” Eleanor asked. She was feeling emboldened by the duke’s presence and dared to say all kinds of things that she might not have found the courage to say under ordinary circumstances.
“You know that this is all your fault,” her mother said. “Perhaps Marina and the duke and even your father don’t see it that way, but I know that if you had been behaving yourself the way you ought to have been, Eleanor, none of this would have happened.”
“And you don’t want it to have happened?” Eleanor asked. “I know you don’t want a scene, Mother, but is it really the case that you don’t want me to have a potential courtship with the Duke of Nightingale? You must admit that it makes our familylook good. I know you care about the way things reflect on Marina. This reflects very well on her—and on you.”
“Eleanor is right, Sally,” her father said. “If the duke’s interest in her is genuine then it really doesn’t matter where it came from. What matters is that we have the ability at last to secure our daughter’s future.”
“Does this mean that you’ll consider my proposition and allow me to court her?” the duke asked.
“If it’s all right with Eleanor, it’s all right with me,” her father said.
“Of course,” the duke said. “I would never want any arrangement that didn’t suit Lady Eleanor’s wishes.”
And the difference was that when the duke said it, Eleanor actually believed him. If only the two of them could have spoken privately, away from the meddling interference of her parents—but then, if a courtship was going to happen, they would likely have plenty of opportunities to do just that. They would be able to get away from her parents without only a chaperone or two and truly get to know one another.
And it wasn’t as if they hadn’t gotten the chance to know one another already, she reasoned. Though her parents couldn’t know it, they’d spent considerable amounts of time in each other’s company. A courtship would be very enjoyable, but not essential in the same way it would have been if she had beengetting to know a stranger. She already knew that she liked the duke.
What an odd thought, she suddenly realized, but a true one—she would have been willing to marry him if he had asked. The two of them hadn’t yet reached that point, but she couldn’t imagine liking anyone more than she already liked him. She couldn’t imagine feeling more comfortable with another man. He was the right choice for her.
And her parents were going to allow it to happen.
Eleanor sat quietly as her father and the duke discussed the remainder of the details. Her mother still looked a bit distressed, but Eleanor knew that the matter had been decided the moment her father had decided it was a good idea.
In spite of everything, her sister’s wedding party week had ended in a successful arrangement for her.
Eleanor never knew later what it was that compelled her to leave her room that night and go down to the grounds. It was something she had done many times in the past, of course, but tonight felt different, somehow. She wasn’t upset, and she didn’t feel any need to escape the confines of the house. It was almost as if something was out there, drawing her out.
It was almost as if a part of her had known what she was going to find.
And sure enough—there he was, standing by the water’s edge and looking out as though he was waiting for her. He didn’t turn when he heard her approaching, but he spoke to her all the same. “I thought you might come tonight.”
“I guess I thought you might come too,” she admitted. “I don’t know what made me so sure.”
“We can finally look at one another plainly,” he said. “No cloaks, no masks—nothing standing between us. I don’t know how I could have stayed away, knowing that.”
“I suppose I feel the same way,” she agreed. She walked up and stood beside him. “My parents wouldn’t be very happy with me for coming out.”
“That’s never stopped you, though.”
“No,” she agreed.
He turned to face her and took her hands in his. She thrilled at his touch. “Lady Eleanor, I’ve had feelings for you for a very long time,” he said. “Today I told the truth about those feelings. And while your father has given his permission for our courtship, it means nothing to me until I’m sure of your feelings as well.”
“Can you still doubt my feelings?” she asked him. “Do you truly not know?”
“I have a fair bit of certainty after all our time together. But I wish to hear it directly from you, to be absolutely positive that I know your feelings. And what you said in front of your parents doesn’t matter to me. I know you were trying to make the right impression on them. But now I want to hear what you have to say to me. If you tell me now that this isn’t what you want, I’ll never trouble you again.”
“It is what I want,” she said. “I would have told you so a long time ago if I’d believed it was something I could truly have. Of course it’s what I want.”
“Then while I have you alone,” he said, “while we have this moment together, let me make you a promise. I don’t know what the future holds. But I’ll always do my best to see the person that you are and to honor and respect you. I’ll always love you the way you ought to be loved. For me, you will never have to make yourself fit into a box. You’ll never have to be what you think society wants of you. You’ll only have to be yourself. It will always be more than enough.”
