Page 54 of The Marquess' Disguised Heiress
He did not want her to think that George could be snooping around the house, trying to steal something, because it would surely ruin her relationship and trust in George.
That was the last thing Alexander wanted.
“I had a really good time today, Beth,” he finally spoke, breaking the silence, “thank you so much for letting me come and making me feel so welcome with everyone.”
“I did nothing.” She glanced at him, appearing beautiful in the moonlight. “You are warm, kind, and friendly, and everyone was simply drawn by your aura. You truly know how to charm people, George, just the way you have charmed me.”
“I have charmed you?” He raised an eyebrow at her, unable to control the smirk on his lips.
To his surprise, Eliza rolled her eyes before she burst out laughing and began to shake her head as if she had just now realized what she had said.
He stopped walking just then after reaching the footpath between the two estates, exactly where Eliza had come to pick him up in the evening. He had definitely been looking forward to this night, and he couldn’t believe it was over this quickly.
“So, you haven’t answered me yet. I have charmed you?”
“Your home is right here. You must immediately head back,” she replied sheepishly, evading his question.
“Oh no, I must get my answer first.” He came a little closer to her, only a few inches between them. He could see her sharp intake of breath at the closeness, not wanting to pull away at all.
“Which answer might that be?”
“Beth, have I charmed you?” he almost whispered, realizing their closeness.
“You might have.” She shrugged, finally looking into his eyes.
A loud gust of wind breezed past them, a wisp of Eliza’s beautiful golden hair falling on her face. Without thinking about what he was doing, Alexander pushed away the strand from her face, lightly tucking it behind her ear as he stared deeply into her eyes.
Everything about her was beautiful, from head to toe, and he simply couldn’t get enough. He traced his thumb over her soft, pink cheek, a slight tremble running through her body. The two of them were so close that her breath fanned his hand, but Alexander still didn’t pull away, wanting to savour the moment.
“Really?” he whispered, his hands cupping the sides of her face. He pulled her face upwards, making her look at him, and leaned down slightly until the breath that had been on his palm only moments ago was now on his face.
The coldness of the night made him enjoy the warmth of Eliza’s skin, not wanting to pull away. Her eyes were already closed, and Alexander knew she was expecting a kiss. He closed his eyes, their lips just inches away from one another’s, and eventhough Alexander knew he shouldn’t be doing this, he had no desire to pull away when he was this close.
“BETH!”
As if waking up from a trance, the two of them immediately parted, Alexander almost cursing under his breath. He turned to look, noticing Amelia standing just a few feet away, her eyes on them.
“BETH! It’s late, let’s head back!” she shouted again.
“Coming!” Eliza replied, raising her hand to indicate she had heard her friend.
Alexander wanted to strangle Amelia for ruining their perfect moment, but a part of him was relieved.
He knew this was not the right time to let his feelings for Eliza come to the surface, especially when she did not even know the truth about his identity. He could not let his feelings for her ruin his plans to bring the truth to the surface.
All he needed to do was wait for a little while.
“Good night, Beth.”
“Good night, George.” She smiled at him, her blue eyes shining underneath the moon.
Waiting was indeed the right decision. He wanted to kiss her when she knew he was Alexander, her childhood best friend. He wanted her to know the complete truth rather than keep her in the dark.
She waved at him, beginning to walk away, as he stood there waiting until Eliza had completely disappeared in the darkness of the gardens. All he needed was a little more information to reveal the truth about the Russel family, and after that, he would make sure that he and Eliza were never separated.
Chapter 15
Eliza sat on the large log in the middle of the forest, George’s note clasped tightly in her hands. She had ventured out into the woods in hopes of finding him; instead, a note had been waiting for her by the stream, which said that the masked stranger would come to see her today.
