Page 59 of Her Daring Earl
“You said you didn’t know where I was,” he said, the footsteps stopping suddenly. “How did you know to come here to Appleton then?”
“I asked one of the footmen at your London house.”
“Asked?”
“I… gave him incentive to tell me.”
“I see,” Fitz said wryly.
“I took the stagecoach here. I will return upon the next one.”
“You need to stay the night, don’t you?” Fitz said with some resignation.
“I do,” she said, the sultriness returning to her voice. “I could stay with you… repay you for giving away information about you.”
Eliza’s heart leaped from her chest up into her throat. Was he going to take this woman up on her offer? She was experienced and had previously been with Fitz. She could see the draw.
She waited for his answer with bated breath.
“No,” he said rather swiftly. “I am married now.”
“Are you?” the woman said, humor in her tone. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” he said gruffly.
“You know, marriage doesn’t usually keep many of my customers away.”
“I have decided to be faithful to my wife,” he returned.
Eliza started at that as she considered what he had said and how he had said it. She appreciated that he was not going to go to another woman – but was it because he had no wish to or because he felt that it was the right thing to do? To other women, it might not make a difference, but it certainly did to her.
“Admirable,” the woman said flippantly. “Perhaps I could have a bedchamber then?”
“We will find you somewhere,” he said. “Perhaps in the dower house. It is not currently in use.”
“You don’t want to sully your house with me?”
“It’s not that,” Fitz said. “It’s just… my wife is here and I?—”
“You do not want her to know of your relations with me.”
Eliza decided that she had heard enough. She knew she shouldn’t be lurking at doorways, though doing so had certainly revealed her husband’s intentions. But she had no wish to listen to herself be discussed.
She took a breath and pushed open the door without knocking.
“His wife is not only in the house but in his room so she would note his absence,” Eliza said, placing what she hoped was a confident smile on her face as she assessed the woman who had taken up residence in one of the chairs in front of Fitz.
The visitor was dressed for travel, her cloak of fine fabric, although there was no mistaking the fact that she wasn’t a lady, with the long, red corkscrew curls that were allowed to floatfreely around her head, the rouge that painted her lips and face, and the carefully placed beauty mark above her lip.
“Eliza,” Fitz said, the surprise that first crossed his face quickly turning to panic as his gaze flicked back and forth between Eliza and the woman. “My wife, Eliza – Lady Fitzroy. This is Madeline ah?—.”
“Madeline, how lovely to meet you,” Eliza said, taking the chair next to her. Eliza was wearing her nightclothes, but they were all far past that proprietary. “You have news for my husband?”
“How long were you listening?” Fitz asked, leaning back against his desk, disconcerted yet accepting of the circumstance.
“Long enough,” she said before turning her attention to Madeline. “I would say that I wished you had come forward sooner, but the time alone together did allow Fitz and me to become remarkably close. However, we could have saved a great deal of tension due to the threat. Although, you know you could have written Fitz a letter. Or even have gone straight to the detective yourself.”
“I didn’t trust the post or who might come across the letter, and this detective does not seem to be making any progress on your case,” Madeline said, her tone sickly sweet. “My only trust was to speak to you myself.”
