Page 45 of The Marquess' Disguised Heiress
“It is time for me to leave, but you must wait here. George asked me to let him know once I left so he could come see you, too.”
“That sounds reasonable.” She smiled. “Will we see each other again?”
“If you wish to see me again, I promise you I will come meet you. Do not worry one bit.”
“I look forward to it.”
“I am glad.” He smiled at her, definitely in no hurry to leave her.
“I have another question,” she said.
“What is it?” His eyebrows furrowed underneath the mask, and for a second, he felt that despite the mask, she could easily read his expressions, their connection one of the soul.
“Does George know?”
“About the truth of your identity?” he asked, immediately understanding what she meant.
“Yes.”
“It is not my secret to tell, Lady Eliza,” he replied, “George knows nothing except what you have told him about yourself. He only knows you as Beth unless, of course, you wish to tell him who you really are. He will never hear it from me, I promise.”
“Thank you.” She smiled at him, and Alexander felt as if everything in the world was right again. The power of her smile made him feel a thousand things, and one of those things was a sense of peace in the world.
“Until next time, My Lady.” She nodded wordlessly, keeping her hands back in her lap.
He stood up and walked slowly away from her, only beginning to run once he was certain she could no longer see him. He quickly needed to change clothes and meet her as George, and he needed to do it all in a manner where she did not suspect them to be the same person.
He knew he had only made things more difficult for himself with double identities, both of them false, but this was the only way to come close to Eliza.
This was the only way to bring justice to her, and he was on his path to do just that.
Chapter 12
The peace of the woods around her made Eliza feel a lot calmer once the masked stranger had left her, but she could still not stop thinking about him.
He looked just as handsome and polished as he had the night of the masquerade, his dark allure even more pronounced because of the mask.
Eliza could feel her heart go out to him as he had been immensely loving and understanding towards her, making her feel as if everything she had gone through had been completely unjustified.
No one had ever shown her this support in the past, and she could feel the man getting under her skin. Although, George had got under her skin just the same, and she could certainly not forget about him either. Just then, she heard quick footsteps approaching, and George stumbled before her, a wide smile on his face.
“Beth!” he greeted her enthusiastically despite looking a little breathless.
All Eliza could focus on was his hair, which was slightly wet and drawn open, his curls even more pronounced because of the moisture. She could not help thinking how much more handsome he looked with his hair in that manner and had the urge to touch it, to see how it would feel underneath her fingers.
“George,” she said, smiling, “I was waiting for you.”
“I apologize for being late,” he quickly replied, his gaze following Eliza’s eyes, which were trained on his pronounced curls.
“Did I keep you waiting long?”
“Not at all.” She smiled. “He has only been gone for ten or so minutes. You are right on time.”
“I am glad,” George sighed, sitting down on the log. “Did you enjoy my surprise? I hope I did not offend you in any way by sending him here before consulting with you. I just wished for you to meet him again, and I thought you would be happy seeing him.”
“I am not offended at all.” Eliza smiled. “I am certainly glad you sent him here. I was actually quite happy to meet with him.”
“Thank goodness.” George laughed.
