Page 40 of The Marquess' Disguised Heiress
She enjoyed the privacy and the hope of a chance encounter with George. This was where they had come across each other the very first time.
Only a few moments later, the sound of barking reached her, and she looked up to find George coming towards her, his two large Mastiffs by his side.
She could not explain it, but the dogs somehow suited his personality, them being just as large, imposing, and protective as George was. The first time she had seen him with them, she had been reluctant to pet them, but the beasts had been oddly warm, letting her come close.
The dogs apparently belonged to the earl, but George looked extremely comfortable with them.
“Beth!” He called her out, and she smiled at him, waiting for him to reach her.
“Good afternoon, George.”
She wondered if he had somehow known she was going to show up in the woods at exactly this time, and he had been waiting for her. Their meetings, even though purely based on chance, seemed too ideal more often than not, as if they were meant to happen or were designed to happen.
“Good afternoon.” He smiled his customary smile, warmth radiating from his russet eyes. “I am really glad to see you. It has been quite some time since we last met.”
“Four days, to be precise.”
“Have you been counting?” Eliza blushed at the question but quickly shook her head to hide her embarrassment. She certainly could not accept that she had indeed been counting and praying for these days to be over so she would be able to see him again. That was all she had wanted, after all. His company.
“I just tend to remember things.” She shrugged, sitting down on the log behind them.
George left the dogs on their own and sat beside her, turning around in a way that he faced her while she looked ahead. Eliza could feel his eyes on her face, but she remained steady, not letting the intensity of his gaze affect her thinking abilities, even though it was rather impossible to do. George had a certain effect on her, which was unparalleled to all else.
“What has been happening with your life, Beth? Tell me something new. I feel as if it has been days since we have had a proper conversation.”
Eliza felt her heart lurch at the question as an urge to tell him almost everything filled her. Lara and Ralph were motherly and fatherly figures to her, and she certainly could not share everything she felt with them.
Amelia no longer seemed like a friend. Hence, Eliza was left with no one to whom she could pour her heart out. The intensity of her thoughts and emotions overwhelmed her, and she needed to speak to someone about it.
And George was right there, his understanding gaze trained on her as if he would gladly listen to anything she had to say.
“You really care to know?” she asked softly, finally looking at him.
“Of course.” He nodded enthusiastically. “I always enjoy knowing things about you.”
“Oh, George,” Eliza sighed, “a lot has been going on in my head.”
“Tell me, Beth.”
“My life has never been as chaotic as it is right now, and things just seem out of control.”
“How so?” he asked, clearly invested.
“At the masquerade a few days ago, I met a man who was clearly a noble lord, and he left quite an impression on me. He had dark hair tied into a ponytail and wore a black evening coat with breeches. I do not know what it was about him, but he kept seeking my company and wanting to have a conversation with me despite being the most enigmatic man of the evening and all the ladies asking for his time and attention. He kept leaving the ball and finding me, and I cannot seem to put him out of my mind now. It just made me curious about why a noble lord was seeking my company over the ladies of the ton and made me wonder if he could have dishonourable intentions.”
“Perhaps he saw in you what none of the other ladies possessed. Did he try to get too forward with you?”
“No, he didn’t. But I am just a servant, and even if he was respectable, it simply made me feel confused.” Eliza sighed, “On top of that, I have a fairy godmother.”
“A fairy godmother? My goodness, how did you come about that?”
“I wish I knew.” Eliza chuckled, no longer sure if her life was more real or a complete fantasy. “She has been sending megifts and other things of the finest quality. She sent me books, food, sweets, clothes, and everything I have always wished to have. I can hardly understand how this is even happening or how she even knows what I need or who I am. I am grateful for the gifts, but I am afraid they might cause me some trouble.”
“What trouble?”
“What if the other servants, a friend of mine perhaps, see them and get jealous?” She had almost named Amelia but decided not to, knowing fully well that at some point George might come across Amelia, and it would only make him sour towards her.
Amelia was not a bad person, and Eliza understood her jealousy, but could she really be called a friend?
