Page 28 of Her Duke in Shining Armor
“Don’t speak too loud, Your Grace,” Eleanor said before moving off. “Walls have ears and enemies are many.”
Overwhelmed by the conflicting emotions warring in her chest, she moved off to the stuffed snakes with their waxed, polished scales, and larger lizards baring their white fangs and elongated tongues. She made a thoughtful study of those objects while she watched from the corner of her eyes, hoping and praying Oberton would leave.
When she saw him bow to Lady Darcy and turn away, she sighed a breath of relief. Christ above. Whenever the man was near her, her stomach went incredibly tight and all her senses flared into overdrive. Even more troubling, irritation instantly spawned in her chest and her jaw clenched so hard it was a miracle that her cheek muscles did not get petrified.
“Eleanor,” Lady Darcy said. “I am going to the gallery. If you want to go to the library, be free to do so. Thank you for coming to see this room with me.”
She felt a little ashamed of her anger. “Thank you for taking me. I’ll be downstairs. Let’s meet at the front in an hour or so?”
“Agreed.”
With Lady Darcy’s promise, Eleanor gestured to Miss Malcolm and they went downstairs to the lower-floor library. The smell of parchment, ink and leather binding filled her senses with calm. This was familiar, this was what she knew.
As the printed books were sensitive to light, the room was illuminated with high windows. This was a room where they would never put gas lamps or candles, so they relied on natural light. The room often closed early in the winter but thank God it was nearing summer so the sun’s rays were as strong as ever.
“Lady Eleanor, I recognized some discomfort when His Grace came,” Miss Malcolm said softly.
If discomfort is all I showed on my face, thank God for his mercy. Rage doesn’t pair well with primrose rose.
“I cannot help it, Miss Malcolm, he irks me,”I did not plan to see him today no matter how we came to a peaceful agreement. I cannot think with him near me.Eleanor finished while approaching an attendant to ask where to find the Magna Carta.
“Miss,” the attendant said. “Someone is examining it right now. Perhaps you would want to see another exhibit?”
“Thank you, but no,” Eleanor added. “I am sure we can share.”
Heading down the carpeted hallway, Eleanor followed the direction given to her while imaging the awe she would feel while gazing upon the thirteen-century document. She stepped into the alcove and skidded to a halt. Duke Oberton was there.
And this day kept getting worse.
Turn around and walk away...turn away and walk away…
“I know you’re both there,” the Duke drawled, clearly mocking of what she had said that day in her home when he watched her play piano. “Will you please come in?”
She held in the urge to scream like a child.
“Your Grace,” she said while approaching the dais. “I had no idea that you believe in the separation of church and state.”
“I appreciate anything that gives feuding parties peace,” the Duke replied. “I am considering drafting a cease fire contract for the two of us for our small disagreement.”
“A small disagreement?” Eleanor sniffed. She was being childish but if those feelings in her chest would just go away, all would be right. “If that is what you call small, I must the add that Galileo and the Pope Paul the Fifth had asmalldisagreement.”
“Which resulted in Galileo’s death,” the Duke replied while standing aside. “Are you trying to tell me something Lady Eleanor? Your comment upstairs about walls having ears and my enemies being many combined with this argument about the Pope and Galileo are making me nervous.”
Her eyebrows darted up. “If I am the one making you nervous, I would hate to see you on the parliament floor.”
“Perhaps you should attend sometimes,” Duke Oberton added. “I am sure you can teach the old chaps a thing or two…perhaps three hundred considering your encyclopedic mind?”
Eleanor stiffened, “I do not appreciate your mocking much less your ridicule. Good day, Your Grace.”
“For God’s sake Lady Eleanor,” the Duke’s tone was exhausted. “I was not mocking you. Let your barriers down for once.”
She spun to see his hands up as he spoke, “Didn’t we agree to disagree?”
She stepped forward, “But that does not mean you can continue to tease me like that.”
“Can you blame me?” he replied while coming closer. “You make it so easy. The moment you see me, I can tell you are visualizing me burning in hell.”
“Hell is apalacecompared to where I see you,” Eleanor said tightly while her heart was beating irrationally in her ears. Her words were not making sense to her heart but they spilled out anyway. His green eyes were so close and glimmering like lost emeralds with the fire of irritation—she was sure—behind them.
