Page 33 of A Scandalous Love for the Enticing Duke
Nicholas’s heart fell. He had no words to say; his thoughts were already scrambling, searching for the least embarrassing excuse he could give. Of course, the truth was out of the question.
“Well, I suppose I deserve that. Well, there is nothing to be done about it. You may carry on.” He heaved a deep sigh. Interestingly, as he readied himself for the pain that would come with her administrations, he began to hear a snicker. Taken aback, he turned his face upward to consider the woman who stood before him. Then the snickering became giggling, and before he knew it, she was laughing. The symphony of its sound pleased him so that he only wanted to close his eyes and savour the sound; nonetheless, he was interested in what she found so amusing.
“My Lady? Is all well?”
She did not reply right away, for it took time recovering from her laughter. She finally did and proceeded to explain herself.
“You should have seen the look on your face. My apologies. I just could not resist. Yes, you have a swelling, but I exaggerated a bit. If I could just attend to it properly, it should be gone by the time you arise on the morrow. Also, it is only reddened, but that is only to be expected.”
As relieved as Nicholas was, he could not believe that she had had him totally with such a simple prank. He shook his head at her, giving in to a grin of his own, for her eyes still twinkled, and the lines on her cheeks still crinkled. He had not seen her look this happy ever since that night in the Fortham library.
“I shall give it you, Eleanor. You had me.”
She giggled again but said nothing further, only proceeded with her administrations. First, she soaked the piece of cloth in the bowl of water and squeezed out the liquid it had managed to retain. Then, she lifted the damp cloth to his injury and began to knead. It hurt at first, but the hurt quickly faded away. She was tender, and as she rubbed on, more than the pain slipped away. All the ache he had been having over his dilemma melted; his worries, they all faded away until he could only focus on the feel of her hands against his skin and the sensations they were giving him. His eyes fluttered closed, and he relaxed into it. His bones that had weighed a ton only a few minutes ago suddenly felt weightless. It was an absolutely terrific feeling.
The sound of throat clearing brought him back, and his eyes fluttered open, only to stare right into those violet orbs. Even in this dim lightning, she was still so beautiful.
“I have completed the task. How do you feel?”
Nicholas glanced at the bowl she held in her hand. He had been so far gone that he had not even feel her stop. “I feel wonderful, like you touched every part of me.” When he saw her flush, the implication of his words set in.
“Oh. I did not mean it that way. I mean, I feel good all over. That was incredible. Thank you.”
“You are welcome.” She walked away and disappeared behind the bath doors again. He wondered if now was the time to leave. He felt better, and a few minutes had long since elapsed. Although, he was not ready to leave, he was a man, and a man kept his word.
As she reappeared, he thought to himself, a few more minutes wouldn’t want. If she asked him to leave, then he would with no protest.
“Where did you learn how to do that?”
He sighted a secret smile on her face as she stepped into the light. He wondered if she was recalling a fond memory. Was it of a man? That consideration had his blood simmering, and he had to chide himself to maintain his calm.
“Isabelle.”
He raised his brow at her. “What about Isabelle?”
“When we were younger, she got into a lot of trouble. She enjoyed exploring and seemed to always manage to return with one injury or the other. Broken limbs, cuts, scrapes … After scolding her, Father would sit her down and do what I have just done. She always felt better afterwards. As we grew older, she got more careful and managed to only incur minor injuries. Not wanting Mother and Father to know of her continuous escapades, she would come to Agnes or I. As we helped her, we both got better at it.”
“That is impressive. Your sister, Isabelle, she sounds like a handful.”
“Oh, she is! She is also a total sweetheart. humorous and charming. One could never hope to stay cross with her.”
“Well, then I guess I would be needing lessons from her. I would very much like to get in your good books.” Their eyes held, and they got swept up in another moment. Afraid that she would suddenly become uncomfortable and ask him to leave, he tore his eyes away, ending the moment. They wandered to the book he had seen on the bed as he sat down, and he looked at it.
“The Memoirs of an Heiress?”
Her eyes followed it, and she instantly went to pick it from the bed. As she grabbed it, she sat on the bed. Finally, Nicholas thought, as his body began to hum from the sweetness of her nearness.
“I haven’t been able to visit the library for new books. I had to send Leandro to have the ones I had borrowed, returned. I could not trust him to pick anything for me, and I have read all the ones I have here, at least twice.”
He contemplated asking why she had not gone herself but decided against it. Something told him it would be a touchy subject, so instead, he asked, “You were reading when you heard me, weren’t you?”
“Yes. I must confess I was rather afraid. I felt an intruder had found his way into my bedchambers. I took the first thing I could find and decided to seek him out.”
“Eleanor, the brave warrior. That was a great risk you took, considering if it had truly been an intruder with malicious intent he could have easily overpowered you, and God forbid, hurt you. Next time, the sensible thing to do would be to leave your chambers and lock him in. Then, you alert the household and call for help.”
“Are you accusing me of being insensible?” she snapped, amusing him. “I remember that I have once announced that I would rather you refrained from insulting my person.”
“Ahh … indeed. How could I forget? I remember quite brilliantly, for that matter. However, those words I have just said had no such intention. It came from a place of care as I am simply concerned with your well-being.” As much as he was impressed by her brave deeds, the truth remained that she was a woman, and a candlestick would not hinder a truly evil man.
