Page 55 of Her Duke in Shining Armor
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It had only been by happenstance how Eleanor had seen a man carrying a pile of wood down the stairs and disappeared under the walkway. On its way to the bookstore, the carriage had stalled in a line of traffic.
Eleanor had looked keenly enough to see that the man had not been toting a ring of keys so it was a possibility that the room was left open. She had hoped hard and her faith had not let her down. The gate was closed with a simple latch, one she easily opened.
The wood cellar was thick with the scent of freshly-chopped wood. Wood that would be used in the following Sunday’s sermon. Eleanor gingerly avoided wood chips on the floor and batted motes from her nose while guiding Maria over to a corner.
“You’ll be all right here, Maria,” Eleanor said while brushing her hands over the girl’s pale face. “It’s much better than the tree I suppose?”
Maria was quiet but she nodded, “Yes, My Lady…thank you.”
Pulling out the rest of the food she had carried, Eleanor handed it to her and worried her bottom lip a little. She did not have time to waste but felt a deep press to know what Maria had said about her mother, Elizabeth and Maria’s own mum.
“Maria, what you told me yesterday, about how my mother knew yours. Are you sure about that?”
In the middle of unfolding her food Maria looked up and nodded, “Yes, My Lady, my maw was her Abigail for a long time until she got sick. Even after she was sent away yer maw would visit us with food and medicine and a little money when she had it. Yer maw was very good to us.”
Pride for her mother swelled Eleanor’s chest and she smiled. She had no doubt that what Maria was saying was true. Her mother had been the kindest and gentlest person she had ever known.
“I’d like to talk to your mum,” Eleanor added. “She must have some wonderful memories of her.”
“I was told that yer mum would talk to my mum about her father and how he and yer father were in business together. Yer mum even left my mum with a book, My Lady,” Maria added with a tiny frown. “I dunno what’s in it but my mum has it with her.”
That was intriguing. Eleanor instantly began to wonder what was in it but as the cold began to creep up on her, Eleanor knew there was no time. Leaning over, she kissed Maria on the forehead, “I’ll be back tomorrow night.”
She had turned and was ready to leave when Maria flung her arms around her middle and hugged her tightly. Eleanor blinked in shock but smiled and hugged her back.
“Thank you, My Lady,” Maria whispered, her childish voice somehow had the burden of an adult’s age. An age Maria should not have known yet.
“It will be alright, Maria,” Eleanor promised while brushing her hand over Maria’s hair. “Keep safe.”
With that farewell, Eleanor tugged back up her hood and slipped out of the belfry and took back to the streets. A soft rise of the hairs on her neck caused her to stop and spin but saw nothing by flickering shadows. The moon was high in the sky and listing to the horizon where soon enough the glittering sun would take its place. She had to get home quickly.
The chill was starting to come in and every time a cool breeze ran over her face, the ice in her chest from Aaron’s betrayal felt colder.
How could I have ever trusted him?
Now unencumbered by Maria, and feeing the surge of heartbreak, Eleanor picked up the pace. She hiked up her skirts and ran through the darkness. She avoided the shifting shadows and nearly lost her footing when a cat ran out from a bush.
She rounded a corner and had to skid to a stop. Two men—or was it two women?—she did not know nor did she have the time to find out, were coming her way. Eleanor looked around quickly and darted to a space between two buildings. The space was tight and the rough stone snagged at her clothes but she had more worries to cater to than worrying about the run in her coat’s fabric.
Her breath caught in her throat as the men, yes it was two men, passed by, but by the slurs in their voices and the incoordination of their movement, they were as drunk as a stone. Her head met the wall behind her and her fingertips dug into the coarse brick as her heart hammered in fear.
When the men passed by, she continued her run and sprinted to her house. Verily out of breath, she found the servant’s door, slipped inside and closed it behind her. With mouse-like steps, she crept up the stairs, slid into her room and closed the door with tears of relief brimming under her eyes.
Tottering into a chair, Eleanor stripped her coat off and flexed her shivering fingers. The vague notion that she had accomplished getting Maria further away did not connect until after she was washing her face and changing into her nightclothes.
I did it! I did it!
Slowly, her hand dropped the brush while disbelief threatened to overtake her victory but the bright threads of hope outshined her doubt. Resuming her brushing, Eleanor tried to plan out the next step. Taking Maria to…to…drat it! her mind had gone blank. Where next? On the way to Convent Gardens was…Aaron?
What?
Dropping her brush, Eleanor tried to banish Aaron from her mind and concentrate. Where was she taking Maria next? The next step from the church was…regency quadrant down to Piccadilly but that was the heart of London. It would be suicide to try that at night. What else…where else…
No matter how hard she tried her mind meandered between blank and fuzzy.Aaron…Aaron...drat! How could you do this to me?
Framing her face, Eleanor was tempted to cry. Not only was her mind blank in the planning but the words Duke of Wyndrake had resurrected themselves from the graveyard of studious denial.
