Page 33 of His Forbidden Duchess
“I told you,” Felix said in steady, measured voice, his eyes still on Eloise, “you are reading the situation entirely incorrectly.”
He watched as Mortcombe spotted her, and his jaw dropped open. Felix knew he had taught Eloise too well. The man sauntered up to her, eyeing her as though she was a cut of mouthwatering meat, and immediately commenced fawning over her.
Eloise responded as he had taught her, throwing her head back in laughter to expose her throat, moving her body in such a way that Mortcombe could not help but look. Mortcombe responded as Felix had anticipated, taking her hand and kissing it then leading her immediately to the dance floor.
“Quite,” Percy replied with a hint of disbelief. “But perhaps, in the meantime, I should take this.”
He slid the glass from Felix’s iron grip and placed it on the table, but Felix barely noticed because his entire focus was on Eloise.
Eloise had sensed the ferocity of Felix’s gaze as soon as she had entered the ballroom. It called her like a beacon although she made a concerted effort not to look back at him. She didn’t trust herself, not after what had happened at his home and then later, in her own bed.
However, it pleased her that he was looking. In fact, as she threw her head back with laughter and moved her body, she did it not so much for Mortcombe’s sake, but for Felix’s. She wanted him to admire her from afar, and if it caught Mortcombe’s attention as well, then all the better.
“Lady Eloise,” Mortcombe said as he approached her.
The rapid blinking of his eyelids informed her that he approved of the gown. That was something. While the way he looked at her made her feel soiled, she hoped it would lead to a marriage proposal soon, if not that very night.
“Lord Mortcombe. I am so pleased to see you again. You have been on my mind ever since the musicale.”
“I have?” he asked, surprised but pleased.
“Indeed. Your knowledge of music was simply…” She couldn’t think of a suitable word and so changed the entire subjectinstead. “I do hope that you will teach me about many more subjects in the future.”
Mortcombe beamed with pride. “I shall teach you everything you need to know, My Lady. And may I say, you have selectedsucha beautiful gown for the evening!”
Eloise looked down at herself as if it were nothing. “Oh, this? Do you like it? I was uncertain about it.”
“It is certainly a bold choice,” her mother said from behind her. “But then my Eloise looks beautiful in anything. Do you not agree, Lord Mortcombe?”
“I most certainly do,” he replied, his eyes rigidly fixed on Eloise’s body.
Eloise wished the man would look away. She sensed that Felix was still watching and appraising, but his gaze felt infinitely different. Realizing that Felix couldn’t pull his eyes away from her, his riveted attention left her with a strange sense of satisfaction, and it made her even more determined that she would not back down.
She would seduce Mortcombe before Felix’s very eyes.
“Lady Eloise, would you care to dance with me? I would wager that your dance card is clear since I managed to catch you immediately upon your arrival.”
“Why certainly, Lord Mortcombe. That would be delightful.”
It was the first dance of the night and thus, a country dance rather than a waltz, and Eloise was relieved. She couldn’t bear the thought of being as close to Mortcombe as she had been to Felix though she did bear in mind all that he had taught her.
She stood provocatively, ensuring her target could see every part of her body and appreciate it. She gazed at him as if only he existed, as if she were ready to lay down for him.
But it was strange. With Felix such actions gave her a thrill, but with Mortcombe, she only felt uncomfortable. His scent was also different. Felix smelled of cigars and sandalwood mingled with the aroma of his own body that appealed to Eloise’s senses.
In contrast, Mortcombe smelled as if he had not bathed in months, his tailcoat worn time and again without the benefit of a wash.
The dance, as always, was lively and bright, and though Mortcombe was her official dance partner, their companions changed throughout the set, meaning Eloise was given a reprieve from him. By the end of the set, she was even laughing and enjoying herself, all the while aware of Felix’s gaze still boring into her.
“Goodness, I am now quite out of breath.” she laughed as the music came to an end and the dancers drifted away.
“Perhaps you would like to take a seat, My Lady,” Mortcombe offered, “and I shall fetch you some lemonade to refresh you?”
“That would be lovely, thank you,” Eloise replied.
The idea of a lemonade was appealing; the time away from Mortcombe even more so.
She settled onto a velvet-covered bench against one wall of the ballroom and fanned herself, relishing the cool air as it rushed over her cheeks. She risked a glance at Felix.
