Page 103 of The Duke's Forbidden Bride
She rose, a surprised look on her face.
Right there, on the terrace, beneath the stars, Spencer danced with his wife, and he thought of Anna.
For the first time since her death, her memory did not threaten to drag him under. He did not reach for his nearest vice.
He simply danced, his world seeming slightly brighter than it had been before he opened up.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Mrs. Winters?” Eleanor called out, searching for the housekeeper.
Several days had passed since that dinner on the terrace with Spencer, several days of him gathering her into his arms suddenly to embrace her, of him buying new dresses for other occasions he had planned for them.
She was slowly warming up to the idea of attending the opera. He had already bought tickets.
“Yes, Your Grace?” Mrs. Winters emerged from the drawing room carrying a stack of books.
Eleanor cast a glance at the spines, smiling a little as she realized it was Charlotte’s reading.
“Where is Frances?” she asked, frowning. “She did not come to me before breakfast nor after.”
The housekeeper frowned. “Ah. My apologies, Your Grace, I had thought your new maid would arrive sooner.”
“New maid?”
Mrs. Winters gestured for Eleanor to follow her to the library, where she placed the books back on the shelves. “Frances quit rather suddenly.”
“Oh.” Eleanor paused. “She… she did not say why?”
Mrs. Winters shook her head. “It can happen often. Young girls are either offered better positions or get overwhelmed by their duties. Some are called back by their families or must relocate. There are many reasons. Sometimes it is best not to get attached or ask questions.”
Eleanor bit her lip, nodding. “I see.”
What she didn’t say was that it seemed out of character for Frances to not give her prior notice. They had grown rather close, hadn’t they? She had thought so at least.
“Very well. It is a shame, for I would have liked to say goodbye.”
“Ah, Eleanor, there you are!”
Eleanor turned around at Charlotte’s voice.
Her friend’s eyes were alight with mischief. “I am coming to steal you away. We are to attend an afternoon tea with my aunt and Spencer. Word has it that Lord Avington will be across the street in the gentlemen’s club.”
“You wish to spy on him?”
At that, Charlotte froze, as if realizing what she had said. “No, of course not. I-I simply want to be nosey. He has promised me tales of socializing and parties. I want to see who he mingles with.”
Eleanor looked a little longer at her friend, seeing through her excuse. She had to bite her tongue.
Charlotte hardly ever mentioned Lord Follet, which only made Eleanor wonder how their courtship had started in the first place.
“Do you feel trapped?”she wanted to ask.
But asking about Lord Follet might only encourage Charlotte to see him, or think she had to.
“Very well,” she agreed. “Mrs. Winters, if you could keep me updated about who will take over Frances’s duties…”
“Of course, Your Grace.”
