Page 60 of Disguised Desires of a Scarred Duke
“I am grateful for your change of heart, Mr Phillips. I truly am. Well, this day and its treasures await! I think I will take my leave now and rejoin my group for the rest of the scavenger hunt. Thank you again for your clue yesterday! It took us right where we needed to go.”
Cecil stood up as Eleanor did and then bowed as she curtsied. It was all so proper and pleasant, but Eleanor’s stomach still turned.
When Cecil sat down again, Eleanor leaned over his shoulder, as Regina had done with Edward, and whispered in his ear. As she did so, she felt around in his jacket pockets as discreetly and quickly as possible.
“If you need help with your clues today, we owe you one. Just don’t tell on us, Mr Phillips!”
Cecil laughed as Eleanor pulled a tiny silver key from his jacket pocket and hid it in the palm of her hand.
She was elated as she stood up again. Then she looked across the lawn and spotted a dark-haired man standing alone by a fountain.
The scowl on his scarred face sent chills down her spine.
Anthony!
…
It wasn’t until he reached the empty library that Eleanor finally caught up to him and called out his name.
“Mr Black, please wait!”
When she was close enough to touch him, Anthony whirled around and opened his mouth to speak. Then he quickly shut it again.
“No, do not scold me, Anthony. What you saw out there was not how it looked, and I deserve the benefit of the doubt. Do you trust me?”
Eleanor still held the tiny key in her hand as she folded her arms across her periwinkle summer dress. It was one of her favourites with cream-coloured ribbon around the empire waist and at the hem, but it brought her no comfort now.
“I want to trust you, Eleanor. But every time I turn around, you’re talking to Phillips like the two of you have become close again. Have you renewed your friendship with the weasel, Elle? If so, I hope you can understand that I’m struggling with that development.”
William stepped closer to her and brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. With him so close to her, it was difficult to argue or explain her case. All she wanted to do was bridge the gap between them and be in his arms again.
“I was being nice to Mr Phillips with one purpose only. To steal this key.” She opened her palm in front of Anthony and let him see her prize.
“Is this part of the scavenger hunt? I don’t understand,” he replied.
“We think Cecil might be responsible for a few jewellery thefts this week. This key might help me prove it. When I found the trinket box in his room last night …”
“In his room?Tell me you weren’t in Cecil Phillips’ bedroom, Eleanor. Are you trying to drive me mad?”
William walked away from her and scraped his fingers through his beard, then returned to face Eleanor again.
“Please explain,” he said.
When she finished telling Anthony about everything that had happened since he left, Eleanor thought he would tear every hair from his beard from tugging it so hard.
“You would risk your safety and reputation for a few shiny baubles? What would people think if they caught you in a man’s room, even if he wasn’t in it? I can’t believe I wasn’t here to stop that ridiculous plan from unfolding like it did.”
“You think I need you to stop me from being ridiculous, is that it?” Eleanor asked. “I’ll have you know that I was acting on behalf of a friend.”
“And that gives you the right to be foolish? Why couldn’t Lord Charter or Lord Whitfield do this risky task on behalf of your friend? Or even Edward? That just doesn’t make sense, Eleanor. Is it possible that you have feelings for Cecil Phillips that you’re unable to admit to even yourself?”
Those words felt so harsh that Eleanor could have sworn she’d just been slapped across the face by the man she loved. She got angry so quickly that she had to pace around the room a couple of times to breathe through her emotions before speaking again.
“Elle?”
“Don’t call methat.A man who doesn’t trust me cannot call me that. A man who thinks I wouldeverchoose Cecil Phillips overyouis not allowed to give me a nickname. Because that kind of man doesn’t know me well enough to be that intimate with me. In fact, if I ever seduced a man who didn’t trust me, then becoming intimate with himat allwas a very big mistake!”
“Eleanor, please. Let’s discuss this calmly. You’re getting upset.” William reached out to her, but Eleanor brushed his hand away.
