Page 55 of The Marquess' Disguised Heiress
Even though she had not been expecting this sudden meeting, she was looking forward to seeing him. He was the only one besides Ralph and Lara who knew about her true identity and wanted to talk about her life.
It was refreshing.
With him, she felt like she could simply be her real self and talk about the things that truly saddened her heart. He understood her troubles like no other, making her feel close to him.
She knew she had felt an inkling of attraction towards him, which made her feel torn between him and George, but Eliza knew she was just thinking too much. Neither of the two men had actually confessed their feelings towards her, which simply meant she could like them both.
It was not as if she was pursuing either one of them, and she wasn’t even certain if they liked her too. Hence, she was not going to think too much about it.
But George.
She had not been able to stop herself from thinking about George. Eliza sighed deeply, remembering how the pair had almost ended up kissing the other night, making her feelings for George only grow more.
She was certain he had wanted to kiss her too, and if Amelia had not called her from a distance, they would have ended up kissing. Perhaps that would have solved a lot of problems for her, but then she would have felt guilty about her feelings for the masked stranger.
Everything was too complicated, and her thoughts were beginning to frustrate her.
She ran a hand through her hair, turning around sideways and almost screaming as she noticed someone sitting at the other end of the log, silently staring at her.
“My goodness,” she sighed, realizing it was no one but the masked stranger, “you almost made me shout out loud in fear.”
He chuckled, his voice deep and masculine, pulling at Eliza’s heart. Something about him just felt familiar and affectionate, confusing Eliza even further. Dressed in a deep blue morning coat with breeches, he looked extremely handsome in his perfect dress.
His hair was slicked back as usual, making him appear even more gentlemanly, and his face was covered with a mask. Eliza sighed, the mystery almost annoying her, but she knew he wished to maintain it.
“I have been sitting here for the past five minutes, simply staring at you. But you, My Lady, have been so lost in your thoughts that you completely refused to either notice or acknowledge my presence.”
“Pardon me,” she quickly replied, realizing she indeed had been lost in thought, “my mind was elsewhere.”
He stood up from the other end of the log and came to sit right beside her, the cinnamon of his perfume becoming all-consuming.
Today, he smelled a little like birch, but rather than being earthen, even the scent of wood seemed fancy, suiting his polished appearance. Everything about the man screamed nobility, making Eliza realize the differences between them. Despite that, she had never once felt self-conscious in front of him since he recognized her for who she was.
“What is troubling you? Is it a matter of the heart?”
Eliza’s eyes widened at his question, unsure of how he had even speculated about something so personal.
She had never doubted his intuitive nature, but she felt as if he was beginning to read her mind and her face, which scared her slightly. However, it also worked to pull him closer to her,and she still could not share her troubles about George with him, especially since the two knew each other.
“It’s nothing.” She shrugged, sighing. “I am just tired. I simply look forward to leaving behind all of this and beginning a new life elsewhere, which I would be able to live on my terms. I just want to leave everything behind and start anew with Ralph and Lara. All of this will simply be a nightmare I have moved on from, and I might be able to find happiness again.”
“No, no,” he suddenly burst out, his voice still perfectly controlled, “you are Eliza Gordon, the daughter of a duke and duchess. You have an inheritance and a title. You have a life that is being taken away from you but could be returned. Why would you give up everything that is rightfully yours and leave it all behind? This is your life, and you must live it. Leaving would be unfair to yourself.”
Eliza could hear the emotion in his voice and see how deeply her decision had affected him. Her heart warmed knowing how he was a well-wisher and simply wanted what was best for her, but it was not that easy to achieve.
“None of it is worth my happiness,” she whispered, tears stinging her eyes. “I have no desire to fight for money, wealth, title, and status since I will only lose, and it will bring meadditional misery. I would much rather be a commoner and live my life with people who would love me instead of being involved in this never-ending trouble.”
To her surprise, the masked stranger took her hand in his, clasping it tightly. His touch sent tingles down her spine, making Eliza look up into his dark eyes. She could sense he was going to turn out unnecessarily handsome underneath the mask, and she longed to see his face.
“You must not give up so easily, Lady Eliza.”
As she stared at him, she wondered what it would feel like to have someone as powerful and strong as him to be there to protect her from everyone and everything all her life.
But she knew it was just an impossible dream. She would never be able to achieve something this dream-like in her life when all she had written in her fate was misery.
She began to draw her hand away, but he continued to hold on, his touch becoming even tighter. Eliza sighed deeply, no longer pulling away.
She stayed silent as he lifted her hand towards his face before bending down a little and raising his mask only slightly to place a kiss on her knuckles.
