Page 61 of His Forbidden Duchess
He sidestepped out of her path, darted around her, and ran from the house.
If it wasn’t Eloise,he realized,it would be no one.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“It is unlike you to join me for dinner. Have your mistresses let you down?” Eloise quipped as she shook out her serviette and placed it on her lap.
“Something like that,” Felix muttered.
He couldn’t quite meet her gaze. He didn’t need to; he already knew every inch of her face which had loomed in front of him while he had tried to bed Miss Jones. Even now, his body cried out for her. He resisted the urge to bend her over the dining room table and devour her for his pleasure.
“Potted shrimp, Your Grace?” the butler asked, placing the ramekin on the mat in front of him.
Felix nodded, the rich buttery scent reaching up to him. It was delicious as all their meals were. Felix had somehow managed to find the best cook in the whole of London.
They ate in silence, the only sound that of their cutlery scraping against the porcelain and the occasional moan of culinary delight. When he finished, Felix let his fork clatter into the ramekin then sat up and looked around, hoping for a refill on his wine. He frowned when he discovered not only was the butler not there, but neither were the footmen nor any of the maids.
“Where is everyone?” he asked, blinking in surprise.
“Mmm?” Eloise asked, looking up from the shrimp she had been devouring with immense pleasure.
“Everyone has gone.”
Eloise giggled, putting her pot on the mat and looking around. “Do not be silly, Felix. They are just… oh!”
With the realization that they were indeed quite alone, the atmosphere in the room rapidly became dense. Felix inhaled a deep breath. “Even the door has been closed. I do not think I have seen that door closed in my entire life.”
Eloise looked around her, equally bewildered. And then, to his surprise, she laughed.
“You do not think they have done it on purpose, do you?”
He couldn’t avoid looking at her now, acutely aware of her every movement—the subtle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, her fingers toying absently with the stem of her wine glass.
Eloise laughed again, easy and confident. “Well, it appears they have all abandoned us,” she murmured, amusement playing through her voice. “Though I suspect it is not out of neglect. While I have not been here long, I already know for certain that they are not negligent.”
Felix leaned back, the corners of his mouth quirking into a reluctant smile, his gaze lingering on her. “They think this is romantic.”
Eloise’s cheeks flushed, but she held his gaze, her chin lifting slightly as if daring him. “How absurd,” she replied with a small laugh though her voice faltered at the end. She reached for her wine, taking a deliberate sip, feeling the warmth of the drink settle in her chest. “As if dinner alone would somehow encourage us.”
“Encourage us to what, Eloise?” he interrupted. His eyes never left hers. He had missed the determined, daring Eloise he’d played with before she had become his wife.
Could I have both?
She froze, the glass halfway to her parted lips, and she flicked her gaze at him as he had taught her. He shifted in his seat, repositioning his breeches.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said, shaking her head. “I very much doubt that you would welcome any form of encouragement.”
Felix’s eyes darkened, and he leaned forward, his voice a low murmur. “Do not assume what I would or would not welcome, Eloise.” His rebuke lingered in the air between them.
He lowered his eyes to the neckline of her gown, tight against her heaving breasts. When he looked up and met her eyes again, she spoke.
“Then perhaps you would care to clarify, Your Grace,” she challenged. “Since you seem to know what I should not assume.”
He watched her, his eyes intense, the hint of a smile tugging at his lips. “If I did, I doubt either of us would leave this room unscathed.”
“So, you are saying we are trapped, then?” she said, her eyes twinkling with delight. “By the clever scheming of our own staff?”
“Exactly,” he replied, his voice a rough murmur. “And unless you are planning to escape through the window, I believe we have little choice but to endure this… situation… we have found ourselves in”
