Page 41 of The Marquess' Disguised Heiress
“Beth, if someone is truly your friend, they will never be jealous of your health, wealth, and happiness. And if you do sense even the slightest bit of jealousy in their demeanour towards you, you must understand at once that they are anything but a friend. It is as simple as that. You are worrying too much over nothing. I think you are extremely lucky to have found a fairy godmother, and you must cherish everything she is sending you.”
“You are right,” she sighed, slumping against the tree bark behind her.
“Now, as for the matter of the stranger from the masquerade, have you come to grow a liking towards the man?”
Eliza blushed crimson at the question, unsure of how to answer it.
“I won’t call it liking the man, but I am simply intrigued about his identity. He gave no name and never removed his mask to show his face.”
“Ah.” George smiled as if knowingly. “Was he about my height and rather strong? Because I do recall seeing someone who matched your description.”
“Yes, for a second, I thought it could have been you.” She laughed softly. “But I dismissed the thought, knowing how could you be there at the masquerade dressed as a noble. It made no sense.”
“You are right,” he replied, “but I know who you are talking about. I ran into this enigmatic stranger when I came to pick up the earl in the early hours of the morning. The earl was still inside, and the man was just leaving, and we had a chance to have a little bit of a conversation.”
Eliza sat up straighter, completely shocked at the revelation. She could have never expected George to have met the stranger.
“Are you quite serious?”
“Absolutely.” George chuckled, “Do you wish to see the man again?”
“Do you know the man?” Eliza was taken aback.
“I do not know him, no,” he immediately said, shaking his head, “but I do happen to have excellent tracking abilities, and I can find him if you wish to see him again. I would do this for you. Moreover, I happened to see the two of you together in thegarden, and I believe he saw me as well, which is why he stopped to have a conversation with me so I do not get the wrong idea.”
Eliza was stunned.
“What were you doing in the garden?!” Eliza knew no one showed up to the alcove, especially at night.
“Well …” he shrugged. “I tried searching for you in the kitchen, but a servant told me you had gone outside. I couldn’t find you anywhere, so I came to the alcove looking for you.”
She could never have thought that George would end up seeing her with the stranger while she was asleep on his lap without even knowing about it. She had deliberately left out the intimate details of their encounter while telling George about him because it just felt wrong.
It almost felt as if she was cheating on George, betraying him one way or another. Although, he seemed completely comfortable with the conversation.
“Did you say something to him about seeing the two of us together?” Eliza asked.
“I simply warned him off for taking liberties with you, and the man claimed he only had honourable intentions and no untoward feelings or ideas towards you.”
Eliza had never been more embarrassed. She had met George at least twice after the masquerade, and he had not once mentioned this encounter, yet here he was, recounting all the details.
Her heart leapt out even more to him, for she knew he must have only hidden it from her to make sure that she was not embarrassed of the details.
“I hardly expected to find myself in the stranger’s arms upon waking up. I had slept on the bucket leaning against the wall, but he gathered me in his arms so I could sleep more comfortably.”
“He definitely did the right thing.” George smiled. “Besides, I am certain you will never do anything to taint your pristine reputation even one bit. I am simply glad he could make you comfortable enough to sleep leaning against him, for I know you needed that sleep after working tirelessly the entire day. If there is anyone who knows how hard you work at the house, it is me.”
Eliza’s belly fluttered at George’s intense gaze as he stared at her, her heart taking a leap in her chest. Something about the way George said things to her made her always want to simply sit down and continue staring at him with all the love she could muster.
He invoked feelings of care in her heart, and she wanted to spend all her time in his company, even if that were impossible.
She could never have expected herself to be one of those women who would fall for two men at the same time without hardly knowing either of them well enough.
She still had so much to find out about George, and the stranger from the masquerade was both nameless and facelessto her. For some reason, both of them felt oddly familiar to her, their aura comforting. Perhaps that was simply part of the charm they possessed, which drew Eliza in towards them like nothing else ever had.
“Beth?” he called out to her, waving his hands in front of her face. It snapped her back to her senses, and she looked at George.
“Yes?”
