Page 27 of Her Duke in Shining Armor
The Duke’s green eyes searched for Eleanor among the people at the cages and happened upon her as she tugged her bonnet free. When the sunlight hit her hair and made her porcelain skin shimmer, he nearly swallowed his tongue.
What could he do to get to her?
Do you agree to disagree on matters?”
“With no options, yes…”
A smile slowly tugged at his face, “I know exactly what to do to get her attention.”
Chapter 7
When Lady Darcy had shown up with the invitation to the Montagu House where the British Museum housed its varied collection, Eleanor had not thought about it twice. Just like the traveling menagerie, the house, once owned by the collector Sir Hans Sloane,was a treasure trove of intellectual fascination.
She had been there thrice before and though she had trailed every hallway and looked into every room, Eleanor found that she constantly found herself making new discoveries every time she went.
“Do you have a favorite place in the Museum, Eleanor?” Lady Darcy asked.
“I appreciate the King’s Library,” Eleanor admitted after glancing out the window and seeing that they were near Great Russell Street. “The calm silence there gives me the opportunity to see the books when everyone else is looking at art or sculpture.”
“I adore the sculpture there,” Lady Darcy sighed emphatically. “I do not have an artistic bone in my body but I am astounded by those who do. What kind of temperance does it take to be slaving over a slab of marble for years on end? I’d have given up by the third hour.”
Eleanor laughed softly, “It does take a singular mind, I must admit. I think all artists have their secrets—the enigmatic smile of theMona Lisabrings the thought to mind. Her look has spawned a thousand conspiracy theories aboutSeigneurDa Vinci.”
“Really,” Lady Darcy tutted. “I thought she was only pining for cake.”
Eleanor’s eyes widened, “You’ve seen her?”
“Yes,” Lady Darcy’s eyes glimmered. “Last autumn, dear Julius took time off to spirit me away to Paris. It is the most beautiful city I have ever seen. Have you seen her portrait?”
“Sadly, no,” Eleanor shook her head, “only in printings. I have only been in two places my whole life, the dukedom of Brisdane and London. I have longed to see Paris, just as I have longed to see the Colosseumin Rome, the pyramids of Egypt and the temples in the East.”
“Oh, you poor dear,” Lady Darcy sympathized while reaching over to touch her knee with her gloved hand. “I am sure your husband will take you everywhere you fancy.”
“I would have to find him first,” Eleanor said wryly. “And I doubt he is hidden in the dusty shelves of a library.”
“You might be surprised,” Lady Darcy said while patting her chignon.
A sliver of suspicion ran through Eleanor but she brushed it off as the carriage had arrived. Miss Malcolm and Miss Verona were quiet as mice in the carriage while she and Lady Darcy spoke.
The carriage stopped and soft anticipation ran through her, what was she going to discover this time? A curious insect, a painting, or pottery from the Egypt? Or maybe this time she would get to examine the Magna Carta in detail.
With the aid of the carriage driver, she stepped out into the warm, dry air. The heat was middling but she instantly regretted the coat she had on, it was a tad too thick.
Lady Darcy smiled and clutched her reticule close to her dotted muslin dress, which had a dark-purple ribbon under the thin pelisse. She had chosen a pale-pink primrose dress with burgundy trimming under a grey coat.
“Eleanor,” Lady Darcy said. “I know you would like to go to the lower-floor library but will you come see the upper floor where the shells and stuffed animals are for a spell?”
Seeing as the only reason she was there was because of Lady Darcy, she acquiesced, “Yes, then we can see the gallery later. I think they received a new collection of Egyptian coins.”
Climbing the grand staircase, Eleanor admired the painting on the walls and the pastel murals of angels and heavenly beings overhead. Arriving at the upper floor they meandered through the exhibits of dark minerals and pretty shells. Eleanor visibly recoiled away from the insects and worms but gravitated to the stone fossils.
She was examining a large tooth when Lady Darcy cried out in gay delight, “Oberton, you’ve made it!”
Drat! How could she have not seen this coming? Lady Darcy seemed to have darned Oberton to her hip. Studiously ignoring the new addition until she had to, Eleanor stood and reined in her annoyance.
“Your Grace,” she curtsied. “Fancy seeing you here…” Here words were dripping with deep sarcasm. “I thought as you are such a busy man, you would be otherwise engaged.”
His smile was wry, “Work will still be there when I am dead, so why not enjoy life when I can?”
