Page 64 of His Forbidden Duchess
Felix’s eyes glittered with barely concealed hunger, but he stepped back, widening the distance between them again.
“It is true,” he admitted, his tone strained. His eyes trailed over her body once more. “But that does not make it any easier to resist you.”
“If it is that difficult,” Eloise said, narrowing the gap with a step forward, “then perhaps it is futile. We are married, after all.”
She looked into his eyes, silently pleading with him. She could feel every fiber in her body humming with the need to feel his touch. Eloise held her breath, waiting for his reply.
He said nothing, instead raising his hand and brushing it gently across her cheek. His lips had parted slightly, and his eyes had not left her mouth.
“It is all right,” she whispered.
But that had been the wrong thing to say, for he leaped back as though her words had just burned him. He turned quickly, shrugging on the shirt that he held in his hand.
“That is not part of our agreement,” he said, shaking his head fiercely as if to clear it. When he turned back to face her, he had once again hidden his emotions behind an impassive mask. “I believe that I have made that clear to you, Eloise.”
Eloise felt her entire body sag with disappointment. She had thought this was the moment when she would get through to him and finally make him see the light.
I want him to want me again.
But he was frightened by something that wouldn’t allow him to be near her in that way.
She nodded slowly. “I understand.”
She watched a moment longer as he went about his business, picking up the towel and puttering around the room as if she was not even there. She nodded again, more to herself this time, then turned to leave.
Eloise closed the door to Felix’s chambers and exhaled a long, slow breath. Her hand lingered on the polished wood of the door to steady herself, but the warm flush on her cheeks remained, refusing to fade.
I was so close.
As she turned to leave, she nearly collided with Mrs. Thorpe, who held a tea tray in her hands and a knowing gleam in her eye.
“Oh! Mrs. Thorpe!” Eloise gasped as she tried to conceal her expression. The housekeeper’s knowing grin indicated that she had already seen how flustered she was.
“Your Grace,” Mrs. Thorpe greeted, offering a polite smile, “I was just about to bring His Grace’s tea. I do hope I have not interrupted anything.”
Eloise brushed at her gown, the familiar, steady confidence she felt with the staff faltering slightly. “Not at all,” she replied. “Though, of course, you knew I was with him, seeing as you suggested I go to his chambers. Did you not say that he asked to see me immediately?”
The housekeeper blushed, caught out in her lie, though her eyes sparkled with mischief and hope. “Did I? Oh, pardon me if I misunderstood His Grace’s order. I sometimes get a bit muddled.” She let out a forced giggle. “I do hope it was not too much of an inconvenience for either of you.”
It was Eloise’s turn to blush, and she looked down at the red carpet that ran the length of the landing. “Not at all,” she said quickly. “It was… I mean, I am always happy to attend to His Grace.”
Mrs. Thorpe’s eyes sparkled, delighted by the words. “He is fortunate, indeed, to have a wife as dedicated as Your Grace.”
“That is very kind of you to say,” Eloise said, looking back up at the woman. She smiled softly, feeling almost as though she had found a co-conspirator of sorts in the housekeeper.
And no doubt with the rest of the staff also.
“Yes, I can see that quite plainly, Your Grace. As do all of us. You are both so dedicated to this household and the duchy in general. In fact, we were just saying in the servants’ dining room this morning what a breath of fresh air you have been, and how…niceit would be for His Grace to have someone as warm and kind as you by his side as a… as a real wife.”
Eloise was both touched and taken aback by the unexpected encouragement. “I… I am truly flattered, Mrs. Thorpe, but the Duke and I are quite set in our arrangement,” she replied carefully although the slight tremor in her voice betrayed her.
The housekeeper tilted her head, giving her a kind smile. “Of course, Your Grace. But even the strongest arrangements can soften over time. Sometimes, all that is needed is the right opportunity.”
She gave Eloise a final, meaningful look before offering a slight curtsey and carrying on down the hallway, tea tray in hand.
Eloise watched her go, her heart a maelstrom of emotions. Despite her efforts to tuck away her feelings and resign herself to a marriage in name alone, she had known all along that it would not be enough. Mrs. Thorpe’s words only confirmed it.
Chapter Twenty-Five
