Page 42 of Her Daring Earl
But Eliza remembered what the book had said and resolved to stay with him. She shuddered slightly at the shock of the sensation when he came inside her mouth, but she kept her mouth around him, taking all of him in, and he quickly provided her with a handkerchief to clean up.
“Are you all right?” he said quietly. “I’m sorry, I?—”
“Did you like that?” she asked eagerly, and his eyes widened.
“Like it?” he repeated. “I loved it.”
“Good,” she said, practically bouncing toward him and throwing her arms around him. “I’m so glad.”
They fell to the bed together, wrapped in each other’s embrace. It was warm and comforting, and Eliza stilled, wondering if she liked this far too much. But his body was heavy around her, and she found that instead of backing away, it feltmuch better to burrow into him. Soon her eyes grew heavy and while she knew she should say goodnight and suggest he leave her room, she figured she could relax with him for just a few moments longer.
The next thing she knew, it was morning and he was gone.
What bothered her the most was how much she already missed him.
The next fewweeks passed by quickly.
Between spending time with Henrietta, Sloane, Dot, and the rest of Fitz’s sisters during the day and sneaking into Fitz’s room or he to hers through the night, Eliza was enjoying herself more than she had in quite some time. She missed Siena, whom she had grown used to seeing nearly every day for the past few years, but she knew that she was going to have to become accustomed to being without her. Siena was married now, and soon enough would have a family of her own.
The thought of her closest friend in the world not having time for her caused sadness in her heart, but there was nothing to be done about it. It was how the world worked.
Eliza had a much more significant – and pressing problem, anyway. One she wasn’t aware of until dinner that evening.
“Fitz, have you heard from the detective in London?” Lady Fitzroy asked.
“I’ve heard from him, but nothing promising,” Fitz said, laying his fork down as he looked over the rest of them. “As I am no longer in London, there doesn’t seem to be much to investigate. As for the previous attempts on my life, the trail to the source has grown cold. Whoever planned this was careful — if this was even a true plan.”
“What does that mean?” Dot asked, her nose crinkling.
“Maybe I overreacted. Maybe there was nothing to run away from,” he said. “What if it was just a coincidence that the two events occurred? What if I was mistaken for another? I am just another lord. Who would have anything to gain by being rid of me?”
“It’s not worth taking the risk,” his mother said firmly.
“It’s been over four weeks since we left London,” he said, splaying his hands out in front of him. “How long are we to wait here in the country for nothing to happen?”
The conversation continued around the table, but Eliza suddenly found that it all became background noise.
Four weeks.
Four weeks since Fitz’s family had been in the countryside. She and her mother had arrived a week later, and she had Fitz had come together just a few days after that. She hadn’t had her monthly courses since she had been in London. About a week before she had left, if she remembered correctly, for she recalled her mother wanting her to accompany her to the Rutherfords’ ball and she had declined for she had been feeling rather poorly.
She was so regular, they should have started at least a week ago.
Oh no.
Heat rushed into her cheeks as she began to fan her face, the overwhelm suddenly washing over her.
“Eliza? Eliza are you all right?” Her mother’s voice broke through her thoughts as Eliza hurriedly pushed back her chair.
“Excuse me a moment,” she said and, ignoring all of the shocked stares that followed her, she rushed out the door blindly. She didn’t know where she was going.
She just knew she had to get away.
CHAPTER 15
Fitz had to fight everything within him to prevent himself from running after Eliza. How would it look to his family if he was the one who took off after her to ensure that she was well?
She had appeared ill so suddenly. One moment she was laughing and joking with the rest of them, the next, she seemed about to run from the room as though she had been punched in the stomach.
