Page 63 of The Duke's Ultimatum

“Stand back up, Lady Eleanor. Enjoy the fruits of your labor,” Hountshire prodded.

Eleanor shook her head. “I did. It’s not necessary. I told Caroline that. I don’t need the recognition.”

She continued to look around nervously, flitting her hands in frantic waves to get the applause to stop.

Graynor could practically see her nerves dancing along her skin. She hated having the crowd’s full attention. He slid a hand onto her bouncing thigh, and it stilled.

He found it amusing her eyes flew to the Viscount’s before his. She was making sure he didn’t see where Graynor’s hand was. He was too busy fawning over the praise she was getting to pay attention to the woman herself.

Her head snapped to Graynor, who simply took in a breath and exhaled. He looked at her expectantly until she mimicked his actions.

Fire ignited in his belly. She was able to follow his instructions without the use of any words. Oh, what fun he could have with her if she were any other woman.

Once the applause died down, Caroline took her seat, and the quartet began to play.

Graynor removed his hand from her thigh and used all of his concentration to stay focused on the musicians right in front of him and not the woman seated next to him. He had to admit they were good but not good enough to keep his focus from drifting back to Eleanor.

He felt Eleanor shift beside him. He bit his bottom lip and trained his eyes on the violinist. Surely, if he could become interested in the violinist’s mov…Did she just touch me?

Graynor’s entire body went on alert. He could have sworn he felt a gentle swipe along his leg. Maybe it was an accident? She was just shifting in her chair; she could have accidentally touched him.

Graynor licked his lips. Sitting in the front row made him feel as if there was a spotlight on him. He wanted to look at her but didn’t want to draw attention to them. Eleanor shifted again; this time he knew she touched him. He felt the tiniest flick of her finger as she smoothed out her skirts.

With a smile, he relaxed in his seat, letting his hand fall in between the chairs. Thanks to the fullness of her skirts, the row behind them wouldn’t be able to see his hand. Eleanor shifted once again, this time lining her thigh with the edge of the chair.

This actually made it look like she was leaning in towards the Viscount, but Graynor had no doubt what her true intention was. Within seconds his theory was proved right.

Her hand fluttered down in between the chairs and brushed against his. He heard a slight intake of air from Eleanor, and his smile grew. Either she wasn’t expecting his hand to be there, or she felt the shock that went through him as well when they touched.

He expected her to snap her hand back, but to his pleasant surprise, she kept it there for a moment. Their fingers lightly intertwined with each other. The softest whisper of a touch but enough to awaken something within him.

After the concert ended, everyone shuffled into the ballroom for dancing. Eleanor and Simon danced for quite a while, but for the whole time, Eleanor struggled to keep her focus on the man in her arms.

With every spin, she let her eyes roam the room, hoping to clash with a set of blue ones. She knew those eyes were tracking her every movement. Each time they did, she didn’t know whether to feel elated or annoyed. Her mind told her one thing, but her body had other opinions.

With every stolen glance, her body hummed with anticipation for the next spin that let her eyes find his.

They had just finished dancing their second dance when her mother, followed by the Duke, joined them. “Eleanor, tonight is going splendidly. I’m so proud of you.”

Charlotte leaned over and kissed her daughter on the cheek.

“Thank you, Mama.”

“Have you seen Sarah or Beatrice? I lost them after the concert was over. I thought I saw them in here with friends, but I can’t find them.”

Eleanor looked past the dancing couples to the refreshment table where her sisters usually congregated. Sarah said it was always the best view in the room since it usually was set up where people can easily get to it. Therefore, it was always in people’s line of sight, putting them in her line of sight when she stood there.

“It looks like Sarah and Beatrice are by the refreshment table.”

Charlotte’s eyes followed Eleanor’s. When they reached the refreshment table, Charlotte gasped excitedly. “Oh look, the Wilkens boy is still with them. Isn’t young love adorable?”

Eleanor couldn’t help but smile. There was no doubt where Sarah got her views of romance from.

The Duke turned and groaned.

Eleanor tilted her head. “Sarah mentioned you don’t seem fond of the Wilkens boy, Your Grace.”

Graynor turned back to Eleanor and Hountshire. “The boy is fine enough, but I would like to talk to his father before those two start anything.”

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