Page 36 of Disguised Desires of a Scarred Duke
As you might remember, I can turn on the charm when necessary. You once enjoyed my company until you discovered that I preferred your sister. And I still do. So to answer your question … she is the reason I will marry a woman I don’t like and who doesn’t like me. You are the conquest, but she is the prize.”
As Lord Charter closed in on him, Cecil stood and bowed at their host before disappearing among the guests moving through to the game rooms.
Eleanor sat frozen in her seat, deeply shaken by Cecil’s words and evil intent. So much so that she looked frantically around the room for a sight of her sister to make sure she wasn’t anywhere near Mr Phillips right now.
“Miss Whitfield, are you quite well?” Lord Charter had reached her just in time to see Eleanor’s face become very pale after not seeing her sister among the diners.
“Have you seen my sister, Regina? My apologies, Lord Charter. I need to find her.”
Eleanor stood up so quickly that her chair screeched against the white marble floor. She attempted a clumsy curtsy in front of Lord Charter, then stumbled out of the dining hall to search the game rooms.
There was no sign of Regina anywhere.
Eleanor found her way outside where people were strolling along the candlelit pathways with glasses of port. It was a surprisingly chilly night that found her shivering so hard she started to cry.
Then, for the third time since they met, she turned a corner and slammed into the body of Anthony Black.
But this time, Eleanor wrapped her arms around his waist and begged for his help.
“Oh, Mr Black. I cannot find Regina! Please help me. Please protect her from that terrible man!”
Eleanor could feel Anthony’s chest fill with air as his breath quickened. He held her close for a few seconds before they pulled their bodies apart.
“Miss Whitfield, what is happening? Protect her from what man?” Anthony brushed a stray lock of hair away from Eleanor’s face and tucked it behind her ear.
“From Mr Philips! He cannot have her! He cannot!” Eleanor felt herself becoming hysterical and tried to calm down but failed miserably. Until she found Regina she would not be able to sleep tonight. Or ever again.
Anthony took Eleanor’s hand and led her to a lit seating area under a pergola covered with cascading wisteria blossoms. He helped her take a seat, then removed his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.
“Please take a moment to catch your breath and tell me what’s going on. Why would your fiance want to harm your sister?”
Eleanor gasped and bolted out of the seat, knocking Anthony’s jacket to the ground. “Mr Phillips isnotmy fiance! And he can never get near me or my sister ever again, do you understand? Please stop wasting time. I need to find Regina. And I cannot catch my breath until I speak with her!”
“Wait. Miss Whitfield!Elle, stop!” Anthony reached out and grabbed Eleanor’s hand. “Miss Regina is in the drawing room with the Earl of St Coeur and a few others having tea. She is perfectly well, I assure you. But I will take you to her if you need to see her for yourself.”
Eleanor peered up at Anthony with pleading eyes still wet from tears. “Yes, please.”
After accepting Anthony’s arm, Eleanor walked with a steadier gait through the lit paths in the dark. And with his jacket secured around her shoulders again, she felt her shivers subside.
There was no question that Mr Black was a soothing presence for her, as well as the object of her desire. She was grateful to have him back at her side again.
When they entered the drawing room, Regina was laughing with Cousin Harrison while putting together a puzzle on the small table between them.
“Eleanor! Cousin Harrison was just telling me stories of you as a little girl before I was born. Is it true that you used to sneak pretty stones into the house and hide them under your pillow?”
Regina’s smile quickly faded when she saw Eleanor’s face up close.
“Oh dear. Have you been weeping, sister? Whatever is the matter?”
Cousin Harrison stood and greeted Mr Black, then offered Eleanor his chair. But Eleanor shook her head and spoke to her cousin and sister in a hushed tone.
“I am much better now that I am with family. And I am very grateful for Mr Black’s assistance in finding you.” Eleanor took a deep breath and continued, “Mr Phillips said some upsetting things to me this evening. His pride is wounded because I have not accepted his proposal, and it has caused him to be unkind.
All I ask, dear cousin, is that you help ensure that Regina and I do not have to associate with him again. Not as his friend and certainly not as his wife. He is not an honest man. And he is not a gentleman. Would you be agreeable to that request, Lord Whitfield?”
Eleanor felt Anthony stiffen at her side and assumed it was out of concern. After all, there was no trusting a man who presented himself under false pretences as Mr Phillips had done from the start.
Cecil had never wanted anything but the prestige and access to her sister that marrying Eleanor would provide.
