Page 52 of A Scandalous Love for the Enticing Duke
“I too believe so, Eleanor.” Agnes selected her biscuits and passed the bowl to Isabelle who passed to Eleanor.
Silence reigned as they chewed their biscuits. Then after a while, Eleanor spoke, breaking the spell.
“What do you reckon she was thinking? However did she hope to explain this away to Father?”
It was Isabelle who answered. “I suppose she reckoned that she would exploit us into silence by threatening to expose the truth to Father. There is no doubt now that Benjamin was right. Somehow, she had learned of our plans and decided to make her moves. She must have believed that we still planned to help Agnes elope today.”
“And you would have. Thank goodness Benjamin had caught her at that firm yesterday and written immediately. We would have been no wiser.” Agnes knew she would offer her profound gratitude to the Duke and her sister when all of this was over. They deserved that and more. Word from Benjamin had been specially delivered to Isabelle by his footman, who had insisted he would only give the letter to the Lady Isabelle. Her mother had been left with no choice, unwilling to betray what she knew.
The letter had informed them of his findings at the firm, and his plans to bring their father into this. He had also shared that he would write to Alan and have him know that the plans had changed, the elopement had been placed on hold, and that instead, they would expose her mother’s subterfuges afore anything.
“Indeed,” Eleanor began. “Now, we can only hope that Father will do the right thing with what he shall learn.”
“I have cause to believe he shall. I find it a pity that we will not be present to witness Mother’s shock when she finds Father at the firm – or when she realises he knows it all, for that matter.”
“Aye, Isabelle. That would make quite the sight, would it not?” Agnes paused as she imagined the look of shock her mother would possess in that moment. They had hoped to be present at the firm for that. Unfortunately, they had never imagined that she would lock them in.
“It certainly would. Nevertheless, all that would matter in truth, is to see both you and Eleanor happy with the men you love.”
Agnes saw the heat crawl up Eleanor’s cheeks as she gave a shy smile. She was aware that she too wore an identical look. To be married to Alan would be her life’s greatest dream come true.
“We can never thank you enough, Isabelle. You have made all of this possible. How shall we ever hope to repay you?”
Isabelle seemed to give it a thought. The moment her eyes began to twinkle, Agnes knew she would utter something completely ridiculous and embarrassing. She did.
“I want nieces and nephews. Beautiful and handsome, running around your homes when I come to visit, and I shall.”
Eleanor palmed her face, and Agnes simply gave into fits of laughter as she felt her cheeks grow hotter.
“You never cease to amaze me, Isabelle,” she said as she recovered.
“Indeed. I hope never to,” came her sister’s reply, chin proudly in the air.
Eleanor who seemed to have overcome her embarrassment relieved her hands of their duty. “What about you, Isabelle? You and Benjamin would make beautiful babies, I declare!”
Agnes gave into another fit of laughter as Isabelle stared daggers at Eleanor. Nonetheless, the pink hue on her cheeks glowed in the noon light. It felt nice to know that Eleanor had repaid her in her coin. She did not know much, but she could tell there was something between Isabelle and the Duke. She certainly was here to see the end of it.
Isabelle offered no response which was unlike her. Agnes suspected that she could not find the words to say. Instead, she stood and walked over to the doors. Agnes and Eleanor watched her in wonder. She spoke when she finally had her back resting against the sturdy wood.
“You know what would serve as entertainment, rather than my non-existent interest in Witherspoon?” On cue, Agnes and Eleanor shook their heads, and Isabelle dazzled them with a brilliant smile. Then, she answered her question.
“Irritating Louis with our noise. I declare, if we made a nuisance by banging on the door and calling out her name, she would be driven to the brink of losing her mind.”
Hmmm … Agnes thought. Knowing Louis, that would be the ultimate revenge. She was up on her feet the next instant. “I love it!”
Eleanor joined her. “Indeed. So do I. We shall pound with our fists and holler aloud. That way she would never be able to escape us. I reckon she would have nightmares of it in her sleep.”
They all giggled, and as Eleanor joined them by the door, they began to bang and shout, engaging in stifled giggles, every now and then.
Chapter 35
Life was filled with risks. His father always said so. Business ventures, getting married, becoming a parent, there were always risks involved and many times, one had to take the plunge and simply hope for the best. And if the best didn’t come, then he would at least know that he tried. These were the thoughts Nicholas had in his mind as he found his way to the Birmingham residence. What would society say? To hell with that! What if they ended up miserable? That was the risk he was willing to take. The days were not making it any easier to be without Eleanor. If anything, they were doing the exact opposite. He had given it a lot of thought. This might be a rash deed, but it was no rash decision. Today, he would go to Eleanor and tell her that he was willing to fight for her, to fight for their love. He only needed her to say yes, that she too was willing to fight. That was all he needed to face the world, his parents, her family, the ton. With her hands in his, with her by his side, they would survive whatever backlash would come. They had to. And if they did not, his nights would not be marred by the thought that he never fought for her, never gave them a chance.
He soon arrived at Birmingham’s residence and alighted from his carriage. He contemplated going up the wall to Eleanor’s chambers, but this was daytime, and he could easily be seen. Beyond that, he had no assurance that she would be in her chambers by this time of the day. The best thing to do was to request to see her, then with permission, he would take her out into the gardens and pour out his heart to her. He was hers, utterly, wholly, and he could never be anyone else’s.
As he got to the doors, he lifted his hands in a fist, gave three rasp knocks, then waited. When after a while, no response came, he knocked again. This happened three more times, and he instantly got worried. Edward should have appeared at the door after the first two knocks. He was never late for he never slacked in his duties. What could possibly be wrong? Making up his mind, with hope that this would not be considered as an intrusion, he tried to open the door himself. As he bent the handle, the doors came open with a click and opened into an empty hallway. Tentatively, he stepped in and closed the door behind him. The house was unusually quiet, and there was no one running around. He knew someone had to be home, for there was no way they would have left the doors unguarded otherwise. Where was everyone?
He walked further into the house until he came to stop in front of the staircase that led to their private chambers. For a while, he contemplated going up the stairs but knew that would be taking things too far. It was simply improper, without an invite. Just then, a sound caught his ears, and he stilled, alert, to listen. It came again, and it sounded like fists pounding against a wooden surface or more appropriately, a door. Involuntarily, he found his legs carrying him in the direction of the noise. As he got closer, the sounds became louder. He soon discovered it was coming from the drawing room. Having been here a few times, he knew which corner of the house the drawing room was situated in. Suddenly, Louis appeared in front of him, and he halted.
