Page 3 of The Duke's Ultimatum

“The chair is fine. We’re fine. Everything is fine. I find it preposterous that we are going out of our way to welcome a man who took more than a year to even acknowledge us. This feels like one big charade, and I don’t wish to take part in it.”

Eleanor took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. Her hand flew up to her ribs. This corset was really too tight. If she wasn’t careful she might faint, and how embarrassing would that be.

“Well, you can sit out—more merriment for me then.” Sarah giggled.

Just then, the sounds of hooves and wheels halted outside their door. The Duke was here.

“Quick. He is here!” Charlotte rushed all three girls out of the library and out the front door. She had just enough time to give them each a quick once over before taking her spot at the door.

All four women stood with Madden, the elderly butler, and Mrs. Mac, the housekeeper, waiting for the carriage door to open.

Eleanor couldn’t help the nerves that bounced around her stomach. She could feel her cheeks flush and even a couple drops of perspiration rolled down her back. Goodness, was she this nervous to meet the man? She’s been dreading this day ever since her mother received word that he would take residence in their home.

But now that he was here, the unknown was too much for her to bear. Would he be kind? Would he solve their financial woes like her mother hoped? Would he marry her and her sisters off just to get rid of the burden he inherited?

The thoughts were too much for Eleanor. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing which was becoming harder to do.

She opened her eyes when she heard the creak of the carriage door.

Eleanor watched as a long muscular leg extended from the carriage, followed by a lean torso decked out in the finest coat London had to offer. Eleanor’s eyes continued their way up the man’s form to his face.

Blue eyes met hers, and she felt a wave of something roll through her. Nerves? Nausea? She couldn’t say.

The man stood fully outside the carriage and tilted his head as he took in the four women.

No one moved under his gaze. Even the nervous fidgeter Beatrice stood stock still.

When his eyes fell to Eleanor, she wanted to square her shoulders to show him she was not intimidated by his arrival. Instead, her head swam, and her knees buckled.

Her last thought as she fell was to curse Mary for tightening the corset too tightly.This was exactly what I was afraid of.Then her world went black.

CHAPTER 2

Creak. Creak. Creak.

Eleanor frowned as she opened her eyes. “What is that infernal sound?”

Beatrice sat in their mother’s old rocking chair that Eleanor kept in her room. For some reason, it reminded her of her childhood and calmed her. Unless someone else was sitting in the chair making that awful sound.

“How’s your head?”

Eleanor sat up, confused. Rubbing her temples she looked curiously at her sister. Noticing she was in her bed, fully dressed, she scrambled to sit up. “What… why am I…” Realization hit her, and she looked to her sister. “Oh, please tell me it was just a dream, and I didn’t faint at the Duke’s feet.”

A slow, wide smile spread across Beatrice’s face.

“Oh, no!” Eleanor flopped back onto her bed, covering her face with her pillow. “I’m never leaving this room again. Give my regards to Mama, won’t you? She’ll understand.”

Beatrice’s giggle reached Eleanor, making her cringe beneath her pillowed wall.

“You should have seen your face. You started breathing erratically and shifting in place. I looked at you to ask if you were all right, but before I could get the words out, down you went.”

Eleanor groaned and peeked out from behind a pillow. “Please tell me I was at least graceful about it. Did it look like I swooned? Maybe His Grace thought I was captivated by his looks.”

The thought of having a man think she was the swooning type irked her, but to save some of her pride, she might just have to go along with it.

Beatrice chewed on her lip for a moment. “It was more like a thud.”

Eleanor felt her cheeks heat. “Lovely. Just lovely. Wait a minute.” She sat back up and looked around.

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