Page 24 of The Marquess' Disguised Heiress
The house was a bustle of activity, and she hoped her absence wouldn’t be noticed for a few minutes. As she stepped onto the staircase, she almost screamed, her eyes falling on the stranger who was comfortably seated at the top stair as if it was perfectly normal for him to be present there at this hour.
“What are you doing here?” Eliza whispered, looking behind her to see if anyone else was following. Thankfully, no one was there.
“Did I not ask you to meet me inside the house? Since you made no attempts to find me, I had to find you myself, of course.”
“How did you even know I was going to be here?!” She had never been more shocked.
It seemed as if he knew the house almost as well as she did, and he even knew her whereabouts. Who was this man, and why did he know so much about her? Eliza should have felt terrified of the intimate knowledge he had of her, but once again, the comfort of his presence transcended any and all fear she might have been feeling.
All that was left was confusion and curiosity.
“I know you, My Lady. I already told you that in the garden earlier.”
Her belly fluttered as he called her my lady, butterflies coursing through her blood. A part of her reminded her that she had never felt this way around a man, but rationality continuedto scream that almost every woman in England would react similarly to him, including all those ladies and even Amelia. She was no different than the rest, his handsome mystery appearing to be charming. Although, what confused her was the way he kept addressing her as my lady and how he had left the ball where he was much wanted to come see her instead.
A mere servant.
“What do you want from me, My Lord?”
“Your name.”
“My name is Beth,” Eliza said, sighing deeply, “Now that you have it, please return to the ball before someone sees you here with me and ruins my reputation. I cannot handle that one bit.”
“No one is going to raise a single finger at your character, and your reputation will remain intact,” he assured her, the confidence in his voice making Eliza feel strangely calm. “Now you must tell me your name again, and this time I would like to hear the truth.”
Eliza was confused. What did he mean?
“I do not understand,” she frowned, “My name is Beth, My Lord.”
“It is not.” He stepped down a few stairs to stand beside her, his hands placed on Eliza’s shoulders as he held her tightly. “You are Lady Eliza Gordon, the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Grafton. I already know the truth, so please do not try to deny it and insult both me and you. I am sure you can do better than that.”
Eliza was stunned. This was the last thing she had expected to hear from the handsome stranger in front of her, for she had thought he was merely curious about her identity. However, whoever this man was knew her real name.
But how?
“You must not speak so loudly and never utter that name in front of me ever again.”
The colour from her face must have faded at the revelation from the man, and Eliza felt all the energy leaving her. Tears tugged at her eyes as she heard someone address her in this manner after so many years, but she did not allow them to leave her eyes. She was not going to cry in front of a man she did not even know.
“Why must I not?” he asked, still holding onto her. Eliza removed his hands from her shoulders, backing away slightly.
“I do not want anyone to hear you say that. I do not care what is it that you think you know, My Lord, but you must keep it to yourself and maintain distance from me.”
“Why would you want that, Eliza?” She felt elated as he said her name again as if it was the most casual conversation in the world.
“That is just the way it has to be,” she replied. For now, at least.
“Eliza, I need to know what happened to you after your parents died. How did your situation change so much that you had to become a servant from the lady of the house and even assume a new name? None of this is right, Eliza and I cannot stand here silently watching you suffer in this manner.”
Who is this man?
“Why do you know so much about my life? Who are you?”
“I am just a curious passerby with more questions than answers. But I need those answers from you so I can stop this cruelty from going on. You must tell me the truth about all things.”
Eliza was almost on the verge of telling him the truth, but something stopped her from revealing her biggest secret. What if all of this was just a trap?
She wondered if the man had been sent by Uncle Edgar or Aunty Beatrice or one of her cousins to see if Eliza would betray them and reveal the truth about herself to a complete stranger.
