Page 20 of Disguised Desires of a Scarred Duke
“This inn serves exactly what a man needs to cure a hangover. But it’s missing an important element that would make it perfect.” Edward held his head in his hands and groaned as he and William slowly ate breakfast in the dining room.
They’d opted to stay the night at a convenient inn halfway between the St Coeur country home and the city.
As the husband and wife owners of the inn served everyone more coffee, William browsed through the pages of an old newspaper someone had left behind.
“Is that so, Edward? What would make this place perfect for you?”
“An auburn-haired beauty dressed in pink and blue.” Edward lifted his head and grinned through his hangover pain. “I need to see Miss Regina Whitfield again, Your Grace. But there is a big, mean dragon named Lady Whitfield guarding that cave with her life. What’s a wealthy single gentleman to do?”
William laughed at seeing Edward looking unusually glum, which caused Edward to chuckle right back.
“We may need some clever tactics to see the ladies again, my friend. It sounds like we both have a new mission. I will protect Eleanor from Mr Phillips. And you will find a way to court Miss Regina. Together, we will make it happen, I am confident.”
William pulled the newspaper back up to his nose to keep reading, but Edward pushed it back down again with his table knife.
“So you’re going to see Eleanor only to protect her from Mr Phillips? No other reason? Not even because you become giddy as a child when she stands anywhere near?”
William harrumphed and took a long drink of his coffee, which burned his tongue and made him splutter before responding.
“Don’t be daft! Yes, I’m attracted to her. Yes, I want to be near her. But no, I will not be courting her. That would be unfair. Because, like you, I am a gentleman. I would feel terrible leading her on since I will not be staying in England. She deserves better than that.”
Edward took another bite of his fish and eggs as the sparkle in his sleepy eyes began to return.
“So you’ll be perfectly fine if Eleanor Whitfield is courted by someone else, as long as it’s not Cecil Phillips.”
William looked up from his plate at Edward’s widened eyes full of playful mischief.
“Of course,” William replied with feigned confidence that he did not feel, then shoved the newspaper back up to his face to keep Edward’s even bigger grin out of sight.
“Well, then,” Edward said from the other side, with renewed joy in his morning voice. “Let the games begin.”
…
The next few days turned into an entertaining game of cat and mouse. It was William and Edward vs Cecil Phillips, with Eleanor serving as their source of essential intel.
Apparently, the sister, Regina, worked to smooth things over with their mother after the soiree. But Lady Whitfield had insisted that Eleanor give Cecil Phillips another chance.
“I spend hours drenched with rage and planning my escape,”Eleanor wrote in one of the secret notes they’d managed to exchange. But William’s plans for discouraging Mr Phillips seemed to help her relax, and even enjoy helping put those plans into action.
“First, we need a decoy,” William said aloud as he wrote an invitation to Mr Cecil Phillips from the Duke of Ashbourn.
When Cecil entered the gentlemen’s club that afternoon to play cards with His Grace, William was at the Whitfield home hand-delivering flowers to Eleanor’s door.
Edward, tucked into a dark corner of the same gentlemen’s club, watched Mr Phillips grow drunk and angry at being stood up.
“They’re lovely, Mr Black. Look, Stepmother! Mr Black brought us flowers. May he stay for tea?” Eleanor asked as she and William somehow managed to keep their hands to themselves.
But Margaret pushed Eleanor aside and slammed the door in William’s amused face.
Undeterred and enjoying how their games were upsetting Mr Phillips and Lady Whitfield, William took the antics to another level.
Cecil himself created the ideal setup.
“Mr Phillips asked me to promenade at Kensington Gardens. Lady Whitfield forbids me to refuse. What shall I do?”
Eleanor’s note gave William an idea. One that would allow Edward to see Regina again, as well.
“Accept his invitation, but make it happen this afternoon. And insist that Regina join you.”
