Page 63 of Eliza and the Duke
She nodded.
“One entire night in bed with you?”
He was making a meal of this. “Yes, but only the one,” she clarified.
“Forgive me, but I want to be very precise about this. One night to fuck you?”
That word lit a fire inside her. It wasn’t entirely unpleasant, which was why the blaze tore through her so quickly. Her gaze shot back to his. “Iknewthat you would make this vulgar.”
He wasn’t smiling or smirking or anything near what she’d thought she would see on his face. Instead, he was very serious. His gaze held hers with a steadfast intensity.
“But thatiswhat you intend?”
“Yes.” The word was a hiss as she tried to ignore what his eyes were doing to her.
He sat back, pondering her all the while, the shadows reclaiming him. “Go on, then, Miss Dove. Tell me more.”
Thirty-Three
Eliza paced the Devonworth drawingroom the next morning at precisely ten o’clock. She was not looking forward to this meeting with Mr. Hathaway at all. She couldn’t imagine a scenario where he would agree to allow her to receive her inheritance while also marrying Simon, and there was no scenario where she would not agree to marry Simon. She couldn’t decide if she was simply being pragmatic or cowardly in thinking that her best course of action would be to head for San Francisco and leave him to rot. Jenny, however, had insisted, so here they were waiting for him.
“Please calm yourself, Eliza. It will be fine. You’ll see.” Jenny seemed entirely too relaxed from her place on the sofa flipping through this week’s issue of theYoung Ladies’ Journal. She seemed more interested in the fashion plate she was perusing than on their imminent meeting.
Eliza didn’t want to snap at her sister, so she didn’t say anything and continued to stalk the hearth.
A moment later, the doorbell rang and her heart droppedinto her stomach. She did not like this man. Her only real childhood memory of him was being lined up before him in her Sunday best and feeling like she was worse than nothing to him. Her opinion of him had not improved during Cora’s wedding and the few dinners and balls Eliza had spent in his company.
The door opened and closed. Male voices filtered in from the entryway as Edgecomb took what had to be Mr. Hathaway’s hat and gloves. Then they were standing at the threshold of the drawing room. Her blood roared in her ears, temporarily silencing the butler’s announcement.
Charles Hathaway was a well-dressed man only a few years older than her mother. He was still handsome with silver-winged dark hair and Cora’s blue-gray eyes. The lines on his face somehow only enhanced his innate elegance rather than making him rough or common. In truth, he was wholly forgettable, his entire demeanor made to be pleasing but not stand out.
He looked at her, since she was the one standing. “Eliza. Good morning.” Then he shifted to Jenny, who regarded him coolly from her seat. “Jenny. Good to see you both again.”
Eliza couldn’t tell from his tone whether he had heard anything of what she had been up to lately. Violet had assured her last night that no one outside of their small circle knew of her flight to Scotland, but one could never be too certain.
“Good morning.” Eliza gathered her courage to say that she wasn’t marrying Mainwaring under any circumstances. She had decided that she would start with that. But at that very second, another figure appeared in the threshold beside her father.
Mainwaring.
His light brown hair was flawlessly in place, and his eyes crinkled at the corner as he smiled at her. He appeared refreshedfrom his travels and not as if he’d been drinking and whoring his way across Europe for the past few months.
“Mainwaring?” She couldn’t quite believe he was here. Even Jenny had come to her feet at his appearance.
“You’re a sight for tired eyes, Eliza. I missed you dreadfully.” He reached her in three long strides and took hold of her hands. Pulling her toward him, he kissed her on the cheek.
She was too stunned to respond right away. She could only look up at him wordlessly as Mr. Hathaway made his way into the room.
“What are you doing here?” Jenny asked for her. Her sister’s voice was sharp with inquisition.
“When you asked for my presence this morning to speak with you and Eliza, I assumed that it might have something to do with her betrothal. I thought it best to bring Lord Mainwaring along.”
“Besides,” Mainwaring added, “I wanted to see you. I came immediately after I arrived and was told you weren’t at home. I’m glad you came back.”
He was smiling as someone might when reuniting with their beloved after a long absence. He was so convincing that Eliza had to suppress a stab of guilt. This man had not missed her in his gallivanting across the countryside from brothel to brothel. He had not missed her at all. He was putting on a show for Mr. Hathaway, who very conveniently held the purse strings of this arrangement.
Eliza regained her senses and deftly pulled her hands away from him. “I’m glad you’re here. You should hear this, as well.” She absently rubbed her palms on her skirts. It didn’t make sense, but she didn’t want his touch to erase Simon’s. Gesturing toward the seating area, she said, “Please, let us sit down.”
A furrow appeared between Mainwaring’s brows, and heexchanged a questioning look with Mr. Hathaway as he did as she indicated. Eliza sat next to Jenny and the men took the chairs facing the sofa.
