Page 10 of Elixir of a Duchess' Passion
No, he is not like that,she thought as she skidded to a halt, too out of breath to run anymore as they reached the gate leading into the field between her estate and his. After their last encounter, she was almost entirely certain that he couldn’t be further from all the other men who seemed determined to run her out of society one way or another. Men like his cousin who looked at her as though she might poison their tea and steal their children.
She scoffed, wondering what might happen if one day Mr. Spurnrose turned up at her door pleading with her to save his wife after a difficult childbirth because he had little other option. It was not at all a nice situation to be in, yet it would not be the first time. She had saved many a life, though it had done her little good over the years. Though she did suspect it was the only thing that protected her from being entirely shunned by society.
No,Melissa decided,I must do as I have always done and let him come to me if he chooses to take me up on my offer of help.
For now, she had done enough.
“Come on, boy,” she said, gesturing for Flit to take the lead. “Let’s get home for some lunch!”
Again, she began to run, having managed to catch enough breath. As she did, she noticed out of the corner of her eye something moving down the lane a good distance away. A carriage that bobbed along, the side window just visible over the hedgerows. And as she ran, she felt eyes upon her, the scathing gaze of some pompous nobleman and his family who disliked her for the simple fact she refused to be what they wanted her to be.
And, determined to prove to them once more that she would never be that, she spun wildly, screaming with delight at the bright summer sky before throwing herself down into the wildflowers, laughing even louder when Flit came rushing in to throw himself on top of her.
Today would be a good day no matter what odd and conflicting emotions Lord Spurnrose had incited within her. She was adamant for it to be.
Chapter 6
That evening, Elijah sat quietly at the head of the dining table, staring down at the plate of food in front of him. Though there was nothing special about the portion size, he was deathly worried that he wouldn’t be able to eat too much of it. With growing intensity, his stomach had been hurting all day, and he guessed that after a few mouthfuls, he would be unable to handle it anymore.
“Is all well, cousin?” Harold asked from where he sat a little down the table, clearly having no trouble tucking into the veritable feast the cook had made for them. In fact, Elijah was quite surprised at just how much the man could eat, considering how small and wiry-framed he was.
“Yes, yes, I just find I have little appetite tonight,” Elijah explained, making a show of at least picking up a piece of meat with his fork and forcing it down. It took everything he had in him not to spit it right back out again. It could have been the most delicious-tasting piece of meat in all the world, and still, he would have struggled to swallow it. He was only glad that the cook herself was not around to witness the disrespect he was paying to her food.
Harold’s brow rose, and out of the corner of his eye, he continued to watch Elijah, paying far less attention to his own food than the viscount would have liked. And when Elijah felt the familiar pain in his stomach and the tickle of his throat that suggested another coughing bout was well on its way, he gripped his handkerchief from his breast pocket to prepare himself.
After forcing down several more mouthfuls and followingit with a good swig of his wine, he coughed as discreetly as he could into his handkerchief before he told his cousin, “I am afraid I should retire to my study to get on with some business.”
“Are you certain you have eaten enough?” Harold asked.
“What are you? My mother?” Elijah snapped a little irritably. Over the last few days, he felt as though Harold had been watching him closer and closer. Of course, it was likely just his imagination, but it was there,and he could not rid himself of the feeling no matter how hard he tried. After having been banished to the countryside by his father, unable to bring himself to admit the truth, he was already having a hard enough time of things without his cousin sticking his oar in. Yet, for his mother’s sake, he would tolerate him, especially if it meant keeping his father off his back.
“Forgive me, Harold. I believe I may have had a little too much sun in the garden this afternoon,” he said when he saw the shocked expression on his cousin’s face.
At that, Harold smiled slightly and shook his head. “Do not apologise. I understand. Go on ahead. I shall ask Greaves to have some of this food saved for a late supper in case you get peckish.”
“Thank you,” Elijah responded, feeling even more guilty about snapping at his cousin. He was being thoughtful while all Elijah could do was feel scorn at his being there.
Before he could say anything else that he might regret, he got up from his chair, picked up his wine glass, and downed the rest of its contents before making his way away from the table.
He stopped in the doorway to add, “Please tell Greaves when he returns from the kitchen that I shall not need his help for the rest of the evening, and he may take an earlier rest.”
Harold nodded and continued with his meal, looking quite happy at being left alone at the dinner table for a change. Elijah couldn’t imagine that he had been much good company of late, so he happily left his cousin to it.
He did not have much work to be getting on with, but the lie was better than the truth, so he slipped into his study and closed the door firmly behind him. What he was considering doing, he did not want his cousin or any of the staff to know. After all, if any servants shared the same opinion of Lady Belmont as his cousin, they would be most displeased with him.
He already had enough to concern himself with without putting up with their derision. Besides, he did not like the idea of his cousin sending word back to his mother only to get her hopes up that perhaps he might have finally found something.
Sitting at his desk, he pulled from the top drawer the vial that Lady Belmont had gifted to him in the gardens earlier that day. In the dim study light, the place only lit by several candles and the fireplace fighting off the evening chill that filled such high-ceilinged rooms, the liquid within looked darker than ever. In fact, it was almost black,and the solid bits of matter within looked larger than ever, making Elijah feel a little anxious at the thought of taking it.
With some dismay, he realised he had not asked Lady Belmont anything to do with what kind of dosage he should be looking to take.
You shouldn’t be taking it at all,a small voice said in the back of his mind, but he forced it away. What did he have left to lose? Even if Lady Belmont’s concoction only made him feel worse, it was worth trying to see if it could help.
Closing his eyes for a moment, he could still see her beautiful face as she handed him the vial, the expression of surety and caring that had spread before him and assured him that she was only trying to help. Remembering her stormy grey-blue eyes and how she had insisted it was somewhat of a welcome present, Elijah decided it would be rude not to try it at least.
And so, he reached for his letter opener, using the sharp edge to bite through the wax seal that held the cork in place. The moment he popped the vial open, a strong herbal scent hit his nostrils. At first, he thought it smelled nice, but when he drew the bottle closer to his nose, he realised it was quite the opposite.
The scent caught in the back of his throat and caused him to cough so violently that he thought he would bring up a lung. Holding his breath and pinching his nose, Elijah upended the vial against his lips, allowing a small amount of the contents to land upon his tongue before quickly removing it again.
