Page 50 of The Marquess' Disguised Heiress
Eliza’s eyes widened as he called her my lady, suddenly remembering how the masked stranger did exactly the same thing. George blinked, his smile faltering for a second, but Eliza felt as if she was thinking too much over nothing.
George and the masked stranger were two completely different people, and she knew that because she had met both of them. She couldn’t be having any doubts about it.
Moreover, the masked stranger knew the truth about her identity, but to George, she was simply Beth.
“Should we head to the kitchen?”
“Absolutely,” he nodded, “after you.”
She quickly walked ahead, but George fell into step beside her, the two of them leisurely making their way towards the kitchen.
Eliza was certain the card game would have already started by now, considering how the servants were extremely hyped up about playing tonight, but she felt as if George didn’t mind so much. He matched her pace, even though they were walking quickly.
Eliza felt rather comfortable with him, knowing they had reached a point where being silent with him was just as comfortable as having a conversation.
“Beth?”
“Hm?” She looked up at him, realizing he had stopped walking.
“There’s a wall ahead, and you are about to walk into it.”
Eliza quickly looked ahead, finding herself facing the kitchen wall. She burst out laughing at herself, realizing how lost she had been in her thoughts.
She could not help being a little disappointed at having reached the kitchen so quickly, not wanting to share George with everyone else in the house. For some reason, she simply wanted to keep him to herself.
He opened the door for her, and she walked inside, George following in right behind her. Eliza quickly looked around, finding the card game had already started just as she had expected. The loud noise of the kitchen immediately quietened down as the pair entered, all eyes on her and George.
“Hey, everyone!” she said, beaming. “This is George from the earl’s estate. You must have seen him here before.”
To her surprise, several of the servants began to nod as if they knew George, and Ralph quickly pulled out a chair for him at the table.
Eliza was surprised as she noticed how warm everyone was when they greeted him, quickly making space for him to enter into the evening’s festivities.
She was still disappointed at not having George all for herself, but the way he meshed in with everyone filled her heart with happiness. He was definitely friendly, and everyone was simply attracted towards him.
“Well, Beth here said you wanted to participate in the game?” Lara said, resuming her position at the table.
“I did want to, yes.” He nodded quickly. “But I see you all have already begun.”
“We have room for one more, don’t you worry,” Martin, one of the head servers, added, raising his glass of beer towards George.
Everyone around the table began to nod, clearly welcoming George into the inner circle. Eliza was a little surprised to see this because she knew how much these card games were valued and enjoyed by the servants. The way they were opening up to George was heartwarming.
A part of her felt as if they were doing it for her since her friendship with George was known to all.
“It is alright.” George shook his head. “I will simply be an observer this time and definitely become a part of the game when I am here the next time.”
“Are you sure?” Ralph asked, beginning to deal the cards.
“Positive.”
He backed his chair slightly, staring at everyone as the cards were dealt amongst the players. Eliza knew he could have easily joined in still and wondered if the only reason he might not be playing was due to the fear of losing money.
She was certain he couldn’t be making much, working as a stable hand, and she did not know if he had family to support. Why had they never talked about his family? she wondered.
Amelia entered the kitchen just then, her eyes quickly falling on George, who was laughing alongside everyone else. Now that Eliza had come to see Amelia’s true side, she had pulled away from the girl she once used to consider her friend.
The two had not had a fight, but Eliza was simply maintaining her distance. If Amelia had noticed it, she still hadn’t pointed it out. For some reason, Eliza just did not like the way Amelia was staring at George, and she wanted to push her out of the kitchen.
