Page 11 of The Masked Baron
After a lengthy walk she lost track of time. When she checked the dining room, it was empty. Her stomach rumbled, urging her toward the kitchen for a bite to eat. When she opened the kitchen door, she blanched at the sight of Ellis making himself a sandwich. He, a baron who lived in the grandest home she had ever seen, was preparing his own food. Instead of turning around and excusing herself, once again her body went immobile. All this time she’d managed to avoid him, and now she had seen him two days in a row. It was vastly disheartening.
His fitted mask sank low on his cheekbones and reached over his nose and halfway up his forehead. The only part of his face left uncovered was a strong, defined jaw, full lips, and piercing blue eyes. Though she could not see his eyes from his profile, she remembered the way they had bored into her only the night before. Ellis’s sandy-blond hair fell over the top of his mask and hung long on the back of his neck and collar.
If the rest of his face matched what she saw, then Ellis would be a very handsome man. She wondered how terrible his scars were and what incident had caused them. But if she had had any reservations about Ellis being a monster and not a man, they were gone now. Somehow, seeing him in the light procured a more ordinary image, one far less frightening.
“Are you done staring?”
She gulped. “Pardon me. How do you do, your lordship?”
Ellis didn’t smile or return her greeting. He acknowledged her with a bob of his head and motioned for her to sit on a tall stool by the counter. She hesitated at first, but with a sigh of resignation she crossed the room and sat on the stool.
“It appears you took me up on my offer to get to know me better. Very well.” He cut his sandwich in half and handed one side to Andalin.
She dared not try to deny his comment. Surely it was more of his strange humor. She looked at the sandwich, no longer feeling even the least bit hungry. Somehow she managed to choke down a morsel.
Ellis finished his sandwich off in a few quick bites. He took a long drink from his glass before speaking to her again. “What would you like to know, Annie?”
He had done it again. He’d shortened her name like she was his pet instead of a near stranger. It disgusted her! And dare she ask a question? The last thing she wanted was to encourage friendliness between them. She didn’t want to trust him. She feared that in separating her from Papa, Ellis had committed the unforgivable.
Ellis’s lips quirked upward. “I will take your silence as an invitation to share something of my choosing. This is more to my liking anyway. I will start with my childhood. My mother was a very wise and beautiful woman. Many would say a lovelier woman could not be found in all of England. My father matched her beauty with his honorable ways and ruggedly handsome features. They were the perfect match. Can you imagine?”
“I have an excellent imagination, your lordship.” Her words sounded more defensive than she intended.
“I am sure you do,” Ellis remarked, his eyes sparking with amusement. He continued with his story. “Many hearts were broken the day my parents wed—one in particular, but that is a story for another day. I was born just a year later. I had a blessedly happy childhood. I was the center of my parents’ world, and they were mine. My mother never let the governess take me from her sight. She wouldn’t be parted from me. As a teenager, my father—a soldier at heart—trained me to fight, be as quiet as the night, and be the ears of the forest. The memories, the love, the training, have carried me through these many years.”
Andalin hung on Ellis’s every word. Why was he confiding in her after he had avoided her for so long? His tale was a strange one, to be sure. She never would have guessed his happy beginning in life. It meant the scars behind his mask had not come until a later date. What could have happened to mar his face so very badly? What had happened to his parents? And how could someone with such an inherently good parentage turn so ugly and apparently on purpose? If only she had the courage to ask.
Ellis stared at her, and she looked down uncomfortably.
“Now it is your turn. Tell me a story of your childhood.”
Slightly impressed with the depth and honesty from Ellis, Andalin decided it would not hurt to do the same. “My parents had an arranged marriage. My mother came from an obscure background with some distinction and money. I think the arrangement came with certain stipulations, because my father agreed to forsake his family for the union. It worked out for the best in the end, because they came to love each other. My father does not like to speak of his relations, and he always claimed the sacrifice worth making for my mother.
“My parents were fortunate love came easy to them. My father had his business robbed and was left with nothing when I was only a baby. The only reason we had food to put on the table was because of what was left of my mother’s dowry. The only thing they did not invest was this.” Andalin took the garnet necklace from under her dress and showed it to Ellis. His eyes froze on the necklace.
He blinked and the look was gone. Andalin continued with her story. “It took years for my father to rebuild his business, but while money was hard to come by, we were still happy. My mother told stories every night before bed. Then, later, when we had money again, books were purchased and my mother taught me to read. I consider books to be my dearest friends and my greatest adventures.”
“You are fortunate to have been educated, then.”
“Not formally,” Andalin said. “But my parents were educated and taught me what they knew. The store provided a decent lending library.”
Ellis frowned deeply. “And how old were you when your mother died?”
Andalin never liked talking about Mama’s death, but this she could answer. “I was twelve.”
Ellis’s blue eyes turned to steel. “My mother and father were taken from me when I was sixteen.”
Andalin looked down at her half-eaten sandwich. She didn’t want to feel sorry for him, but she did. Losing both parents must have been terrible.
“Enough for now. As my ward, you must keep our conversations between the two of us. My servants are faithful, but I want your word just the same.”
His tone was soft and unexpected. Andalin nodded, silently agreeing to keep his confidences, and then watched Ellis leave. She sighed heavily and buried her head in her arms. Ellis was supposed to be an animal and not capable of such depth of character. She could not make sense of him.
Chapter 5
Ellis spent the better partof the month in the Black Forest tracking a wolf pack and setting traps. The safety of his home remained of the utmost importance to him. Normally, the wolves were farther north and a rare sight. The sheep farmers up and down the country kept the wolf numbers down the best they could. He’d guess these had been transplanted by the same men who had trailed the Durantes upon their arrival. He was pleased with the progress he made but not so pleased with the direction of his thoughts.
Conversing with Annie did not reveal anything he didn’t already know, but he had not expected to be so amused by her. His lips lifted in the corners just thinking about her hiding behind the chair. She didn’t appreciate his dark humor, but part of him enjoyed riling her. Her every emotion intrigued him, but that was no excuse for his behavior. He could not afford distractions, and yet he couldn’t remember wanting to be anywhere but the Black Forest until now.
