Page 40 of Elixir of a Duchess' Passion
Melissa could only hope that Mr Spurnrose would be respectful enough not to smear Lady Beaufort’s name all over the place now that he had seen her leaving. It was a relief to see that Lady Beaufort herself did not appear too concerned with his arrival. Clearly, his friendly smile had fooled her.
But it had not fooled Melissa. She had already seen quite enough of his malicious and confrontational behaviour, and a part of her already wanted to slam the door shut in his face.
She told herself that it was only mild curiosity to find out how Lord Spurnrose was doing that prevented her from doing so.
Melissa watched Lady Beaufort go, waiting until she was well out of earshot before she turned to Mr Spurnrose and asked, “What can I do for you, Mr Spurnrose?”
She had to keep her teeth gritted and her jaw clenched to avoid saying anything untoward before she had even learned his reason for being on her doorstep.
With his hat clutched to his chest, Mr Spurnrose looked quite embarrassed, maybe even contrite, as he asked, “Might I come in?”
Bile rose in the back of Melissa’s throat, and she very nearly snapped that there was no way she would ever allow him beneath her roof, especially after the way he had spoken to her every other time they had been alone together.
She was about to say something slightly less aggressive when she heard growling coming from behind her. She relaxed only slightly when she felt Flit nudging up against her leg.
Mr Spurnrose’s face paled at the sound of the growling and Melissa felt a small wave of satisfaction that if she allowed him to enter, he might not be so quick to threaten her as he had been.
“Back, Flit,” Melissa ordered, urging the spaniel back with her heel.
Though he did as she asked, he continued to grumble, and only a glance down told Melissa he would not take his eyes off Mr Spurnrose until the man was gone.
No matter what happened, she was safe so long as Flit was at her side. It was clear from the look on Mr Spurnrose’s face that he did not like the thought of getting on the wrong side of the animal.
“Please, Mr Spurnrose, do come in.”
Stepping out of the way of the door, Melissa held it open and gestured the man inside. She did not miss the way he gulped as though there was a lump in his throat or the way he glanced at Flit, clearly unsure whether to enter. “Do not worry, Mr Spurnrose. He is quite well-trained. He won’t trouble you.”
So long as you do not do anything to deserve it,Melissa thought, imagining what might happen if Mr Spurnrose so much as raised his voice at her.
If only Flit had been with her the night of the ball when he had confronted her, or even the night before when he had insisted upon her leaving before Doctor Wallis had arrived.
Maybe he would not have been so brave as to try and threaten her then. Maybe he wouldn’t be now, though Melissa couldn’t imagine whatever else he could have come to her door about.
She suspected that somehow he had learned of her returning to Lord Spurnrose’s bed chambers after Doctor Wallis had retired from the house. Perhaps he had come to accuse her this time of being a seductress and a temptress, to insist that she had put some kind of terrible curse upon his cousin, which was why he was quite so ill.
And yet, when he stepped into the house, and she closed the door behind him, he surprised her by saying, “Lady Belmont, I have come to plead for your help.”
“Excuse me?” Melissa exclaimed, unable to believe what she had just heard. She barely managed to stop putting her fingers in her ears just to see if there was something in there that might be making her hear things.
With a slight scowl, Mr Spurnrose looked at her and said, “I have come on behalf of my cousin.”
“Lord Spurnrose? Is he unwell?” Melissa asked, feeling her heart sink into her stomach. Of course, he was unwell, but what Melissa thought was something far more dreadful.
Mr Spurnrose had to have been on her doorstep for no other reason save for an emergency. After all he had said to her, and how he had treated her, she couldn’t imagine he would ever turn up for less than dire circumstances, especially not coming to plead for her help.
“For now he is … coping,” Mr Spurnrose explained, his cheeks growing redder as though it was taking all he had in him just to be there, standing before her without threatening her or offering some form of malicious comment.
The tension in his shoulders, and the rest of his body for that matter, told Melissa it was taking him a great deal of effort to be there. “Lady Belmont, my cousin is gravely ill, and I fear he shall not last long without some rather more … drastic measures than what the doctors in London have suggested.”
And there it is,Melissa thought, her stomach clenching as she saw the desperation that had started to crawl into Mr Spurnrose’s gaze.
“Mr Spurnrose, are you aware of what exactly ails your cousin?” Melissa asked, wondering not for the first time whether Mr Spurnrose was aware of what Lord Spurnrose believed himself to be afflicted by. She couldn’t imagine that he had been, at least maybe not until now. Perhaps that was why he had finally come to her and appeared desperate enough to associate himself with her ‘dark magic.’
She had to bite back laughter, imagining what it might be like to actually be the thing everyone accused her of being, of being able to cast some kind of magical spell that would make Mr Spurnrose regret the day he ever decided to confront her.
Then she quickly reminded herself she was not a malicious person, nor the kind of person who would seek revenge, even if she believed that he deserved it.
“I … I was not,” Mr Spurnrose said, glancing down as though embarrassed to admit such a thing. “But as of this morning, I am well aware.”
