Page 33 of The Marquess' Disguised Heiress
Eliza stayed quiet, forcing herself to stay silent even as tears glazed her vision.
“Such a sad, sad life.”
Victoria fell asleep only moments later, and Eliza finally allowed the tears she had been controlling to fall out of her eyes. If it had not been for the handsome stranger who had forced her to remember her true identity tonight, Victoria’s words would not have felt this scalding. Now, with her truth just beneath her fingertips, it hurt her even more, and she had no control over her feelings.
She quickly stood up and exited Victoria’s bedchamber, closing the door behind her. It was almost morning, and the house was finally falling asleep, the chores that needed to be completed already done.
Eliza ignored all else and made her way to the attic, opening the door as silently as she could. She simply needed to be alone right now and perhaps find some moments of sleep-induced peace in her heart.
As she stepped inside, her eyes fell on the tiny package placed just beside her open window. Eliza walked closer, noticing that the package contained a soft pillow filled with goose feathers, a beautiful mirror, and several sweets and edibles, which she knew were both delicious and expensive. She looked at the gifts that had been left for her, a small note attached to them, ‘From your fairy godmother.’
Fairy godmother? Who could it be that had suddenly decided to send her gifts? She felt sceptical, unsure if this could simply be a trap by her aunt, uncle, or one of her cousins to somehow cause her more damage.
What was even more horrifying was how someone had entered her room to place the gift. However, the placement of the gift right beside the open window was an indication that whoever the intruder was had come through the gardens.
“But who is it?” she whispered, looking down from the window. Only a large vine ran beside it, which was supported by a thin stem. If someone had climbed it, they had to be someone both very young, almost weightless, or extremely agile.
Should I be accepting these things?
Her heart truly wished her to, as her mouth salivated at the sight of the sweets just waiting for her to be eaten. Her mind was against it, though, slightly scared of the consequences this might lead to. What if she got in trouble?
She was entirely confused and even slightly scared but still grateful, popping one of the sweets into her mouth. The sugary sweetness melted onto her tongue, and she smiled, still unable to believe how this could even be possible.
Despite that, she thanked God for whoever had suddenly decided to bless her with such pretty things, and she knew that the happiness she felt at this moment would help her get through this day.
Only she knew the amount of courage she needed to face everything waiting for her already. She stared at her tired reflection in the looking glass and quickly turned her frown into a smile, not wanting the mirror to find her unhappy.
She needed to find her happiness herself. And now, she was going to do just that.
***
Henry had not been able to believe his eyes. For a few initial minutes, he had been certain that it was just the brandy speaking, creating hallucinations before his eyes. However, when he rubbed his eyes thoroughly and looked again, the scene had not changed even a little.
Eliza had still been there, comfortably asleep while being wrapped in the arms of the stranger from the party. When Henry had seen the man enter the ballroom, throngs and throngs of young women attracted to him almost immediately, he had sensed trouble.
The trouble had only intensified when he had easily overtaken Edgar at the poker table, dealing the winning hand and taking all the money as if it was the easiest thing he had ever done.
What confused Henry the most was how the man refused to reveal his identity, give anyone a name, or simply even take off his mask. Everything about him felt like a perfectly crafted charade, as if an image was being set up. He was not himselfbut someone else, but that was not Henry’s concern. His concern was Eliza and what she had been doing in the man’s arms.
“My Lord?” His butler forced him out of his thoughts, and Henry looked up questioningly. “The men you called for have arrived.”
Henry had called for some of his most trusted advisors to have them look into the stranger’s identity because he was not going to let this go unnoticed.
He quickly explained the details to the three men he had called and dismissed them once he was done, his mind unable to shake the image of Eliza wrapped in his arms.
He had always assumed that she only said no to his marriage proposals because she was not interested in marriage at all.
The thought that she might someday agree – especially since he had promised to make a lady out of her again – had given him hope, but that one image had shattered all hopes.
She was supposed to be unattainable. For him and anyone else.
It angered Henry immensely that she would choose to be this close to a man who wasn’t him, but watching the two of them reminded him that he had competition, indeed.
He had no choice but to keep a closer eye on the stranger and Eliza, making sure they never met again. His intentions were still unclear but certainly not noble, and Henry was not going to let this stranger enter and take Eliza away from him. No man was going to have her, but he himself, and now he simply needed to make sure of that.
Chapter 9
Alexander stretched comfortably, the muscles in his thighs feeling slightly sore after his early morning horse ride. He walked inside the house, still dressed in his riding breeches, and headed straight towards the parlour, which faced the gardens up front.
