Page 55 of A Duke's Sinful Bargain
Tom looked down at his feet, seemingly embarrassed, as if he had been caught doing something he was not supposed to be doing. Then he looked up at Alexander again. “I didn’t know that you knew, Your Grace.”
“That doesn’t matter, Tom.” Alexander waved his hand dismissively. “What matters is whether you have spoken to her about any of this.”
Once again, that same look of utter shock washed over Tom’s usually calm and composed face. “No, Your Grace, of course not. Eliza and I made a vow to each other not to speak our employers’ business as this would be considered highly disloyal of us. Also, it could be something to stand between us, and if you will forgive me for saying so, but that is the last thing I want to happen.”
Alexander had to admit that Tom, as always, had a reasonable head on his shoulders. This was the right way to look at things, only it did not suit Alexander’s purpose at all. He walked over to Tom’s side and squeezed his shoulder affectionately.
“Spoken like a true man of loyalty, Tom,” Alexander told him, reassured by his friend’s words. “I take it that you see a future with Eliza.”
“I do, Your Grace.” Tom beamed. “No one has ever made me feel this way. Never. It’s like when she is around, no one else exists. I want to keep her safe and protected from all harm, and I can only do that if she agrees to become my wife.”
“Have you asked her yet?” Alexander inquired, leading up to the question he wanted to ask.
“Not yet. It is too early, I fear,” Tom admitted.
“But that feeling of wanting—no, needing—to keep her safe only grows stronger, doesn’t it?” Alexander asked.
“Yes,” Tom replied quickly.
Alexander smiled. “I know that feeling. That is how I feel about Anna. And that is why I know she could never have anything to do with this. But…” He paused. “You could help me, old friend.”
“Just say the word, Your Grace,” Tom replied without the slightest hesitation.
“I need you to speak to Eliza,” Alexander finally admitted what he had been working his way up to. “See if she knows anything about this.”
Tom swallowed heavily before replying. “Your Grace, I… Ask anything of me but this.”
Alexander placed his hand on Tom’s shoulder once again. “I know this is crossing the boundary of what you and Eliza have agreed upon. But I wouldn’t ask something like this of you unless I thought it was of the utmost importance, Tom. I promise you that.”
Tom furrowed his brows, still not convinced. “What if she doesn’t want to speak to me about this? I told you that we already established this rule in our relationship.”
“Tell her that these are outstanding circumstances,” Alexander urged. “Tell her whatever you think will make her reveal what she knows.”
He was becoming desperate, and he knew he was asking too much of Tom, but he couldn’t stop himself. He had to know if Eliza or Anna knew anything about this, if they, too, had been contacted by the same man with the same demands.
Tom sighed heavily, raking his fingers through his graying hair. He wasn’t pleased with what was being asked of him. That much was more than evident. But the look of acquiescence was there.
“All right,” he finally agreed. “I will go and see her.”
“Thank you. You don’t know what this means to me, Tom.” Alexander could barely restrain himself. “Come back as soon as you do so. And Tom, I… I know this is asking too much. But believe me, if there was any other way, we would take it first.”
“What about Lady Pentor?” Tom reminded him. “She usually throws her annual ball at this time of the year.”
“Yes!” Alexander exclaimed eagerly. “And if Sir Rupert has, through some fluke of providence, become her protégée, he would be there. That would be the perfect moment to find out more about him and even speak to him ourselves, if he attends!”
“But first we need to be invited,” Tom pointed out.
Alexander smirked. “I always get invited to balls, Tom. Whether or not I attend is a different matter altogether.”
He said it in a playful manner, and it managed to make Tom smile as he rolled his eyes. “I shall go see if Eliza will see me,” he said.
“Report back to me once you return,” Alexander requested.
“Yes, Your Grace.” Tom nodded, withdrawing from the study in the same silent and unobtrusive manner that he had arrived in.
Chapter 29
Anna was beginning to feel traumatized from letters at that point, but upon recognizing Lady Pentor’s seal, she breathed a sigh of relief.
