Page 3 of Disguised Desires of a Scarred Duke
All the better to look like the wicked queen,Eleanor thought with a mischievous little sparkle in her bright violet eyes.
“Stop acting like children, and do not dismiss me! Or I will be forced to take matters into my own hands. You are four and twenty, Eleanor, with your next birthday mere months away. And you have wasted years being finicky and frivolous.
Now, your father is no longer here to protect us from utter ruin when Cousin Harri … I mean, the new Earl of St Coeur’s kindness runs out. Marriage in a rush, as you say, is no longer even possible. You’re verylatebecoming a proper gentleman’s wife. Especially since you refused perfectly suitable Mr Phillips so casually. He’s a viscount’s son!”
Eleanor entwined her fingers together under the soft blue tablecloth to keep her anger in check before responding. She would never know what her father saw in Margaret. Yet they were now stuck together in his absence, like it or not.
Unfortunately, the only thing about her stepmother that she respected was the child that she and her father created together. Regina was a beautiful soul and her closest confidant, despite the six years between them.
What Margaret didn’t know was that Cecil Phillips, a viscount’ssecondson, had made an inappropriate advance towards Regina while courting Eleanor. So, Mr Phillips, who’d been behaving oddly in additional ways lately, had to go.
Before her stepmother sat down again to finish her meal, she pointed a bony finger towards her beloved daughter. “May I remind you that this is your first London season, Regina. I cannot emphasize enough how your sister’s inability to attract an ideal proposal could cause your failure, too.”
“Mama,” Regina began softly, “we have plenty of money. Please don’t panic. We’ll have a wonderful season, I promise.”
Eleanor watched her stepmother’s pinched expression soften at the sound of her daughter’s sweet, soothing voice. She envied their relationship because it was clear they dearly loved each other.
Though her memories of her own mother were fading by the year, Eleanor could still imagine her in bits and pieces. What she remembered the most were her mother’s eyes. They were a deep shade of midnight black with the shimmer of polished obsidian.
To this day, Eleanor’s favourite crystal in her collection was a raw and jagged piece of black volcanic stone that shined like dark glass in the sun. It always reminded her of her mother’s mesmerizing eyes and fiery personality.
Though Eleanor was only five when she died, she clearly remembered her mother as an independent woman who insisted on being treated like an equal by her doting husband.
Perhaps her stepmother’s similar fiery personality was what attracted her father to the woman he made his second wife. But, in Eleanor’s opinion, Margaret was far too traditional and worried about status. Where her own mother had been concerned about fairness and helping others, the second Lady Whitfield was obsessed with having luxuries, no matter the cost to anyone’s happiness.
“I appreciate your reassurance, my dear, but we are Whitfields and deserve the same style of living your father once provided. You are both daughters of an earl with dowries to match. The rest of our income now is dismal at best. Look at this simple townhouse where Cousin Harrison has put us! Are you not aware of the ways we have been stripped of all finer things? What’s next, I ask you?Porridgefor breakfast?”
At Lady Whitfield’s emphasis on the word porridge, Eleanor lost her composure and let out a very unladylike laugh. She rolled her eyes at Regina, but her sister no longer enjoyed their inside joke.
“I’m sorry, Mama. I know Father’s death has been hard on you. It’s been hard on all of us. I miss him terribly and wish he were here to comfort us now.” Regina’s sweet voice broke, and her cornflower eyes filled with tears. Eleanor instantly regretted being disrespectful to the mother that Regina loved.
When Regina excused herself and quickly left the room, Margaret took her seat and sent Eleanor a stern look.
“Youcaused this. Cecil Phillips is a wealthy man whom I personally chose for you.That’sthe only reason you refused him. I’m sorry to say this, Eleanor, but your father would have been ashamed of your behaviour. And of your unwillingness to help your sister have a better life.”
Eleanor stared back at her stepmother with a chest full of fury, but Lady Whitfield’s words made an impact. She was right that Eleanor was partly responsible for Regina’s prospects and marriage success. And she truly wanted to see her sister find great love if that’s what Regina desired.
“I apologize, Stepmother. I will do better … for Regina.”
Lady Whitfield stiffened in her chair but nodded her approval. The two women had an unspoken understanding. Though they didn’t share a sentimental bond, they’d both do anything for Regina.
Eleanor excused herself and walked as somberly as possible toward Regina’s bedroom upstairs. She would also apologize to her sister and promise to be a supportive member of this family despite how often she still felt like an outsider.
At the top of the stairs, she stopped for a moment to look in the large oval mirror with delicate cherubs carved into its gold frame. It was the only thing that belonged to her mother that Eleanor still owned.
Sometimes, she stayed in this spot for long periods, hoping to see more of her mother in her face. Eleanor had inherited her mother’s silky hair, the colour of warm chocolate, but her violet eyes and ivory skin were from her father’s side.
Her tendency towards rebellious behaviour was all from her mother, too, which was a big reason she was reluctant to hide that side of her personality in most situations.
After all, didn’t it honour her late mother’s memory to be an independent woman with hot lava running through her veins?
Eleanor smiled at her reflection and gave it a wink before moving on to Regina’s room. She silently vowed never to let another man try to tame her molten spirit or come between her and her sister again.
That means you, Cecil Phillips!A viscount of nothing and most certainly no match for me!
…
Two hours later, Eleanor convinced Regina to join her for a quick dance in the garden in the rain.
