Page 16 of Wedded to the Loveless Duke
“It must be a relief to know he’s found a rich bride, then.”
Annie stopped in front of a door that needed a new coat of paint. “Our chief concern is with His Grace’s happiness, Your Grace. We were all eager to meet you, and we hope you will be happy with him and he with you.”
Eleanor looked away and stepped into the room. The windows were open to let in the fresh air, and a pretty pink and whitecheckered quilt had been draped over the large canopied bed. While there were signs of wear on the paint and drapes, the room had clearly been prepared with care. Perhaps the head cook really meant it when she said that the staff had been eager for her arrival.
“You may do as you wish to change the interior. His Grace has ordered that you should have whatever you please in here. If you do not like anything, we can?—”
“It is fine, Annie. Thank you.”
Isabel slipped into the room with the basin of water and washcloth. She dipped into a curtsy and set both items on the small dressing table before the mirror. “For you, Your Grace. If you will sit here, I will fix your hair while you wash your face. Mary is nearly done with your tea and will bring it up in a few moments.”
“Thank you, Isabel.”
Annie cleared her throat. “If you no longer need anything from me, Your Grace, I will leave you in Isabel’s capable hands.”
“That will be fine, Annie. Thank you.”
Annie left, and Isabel set to work on Eleanor’s hair while she washed away the evidence of her tears and used some of the powder on the dressing table to cover any lingering redness. Mary slipped in with the tea, and Eleanor sipped at it untilIsabel was done. By the time Eleanor had finished the hot tea and brandy, Isabel had fixed her hair so that there was no sign of the damage she’d done to it in the back garden. She set aside the empty cup and rose, sucking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly before meeting Isabel’s gaze. “Thank you. Would you please show me the way to the front door so that I may go back to the celebration? Tell Annie that I will become accustomed to my rooms as I will to a great many other things and that I do not wish to change anything.”
Eleanor didn’t want to leave her mark on Phillip’s house as if she were an inhabitant rather than a prisoner. Isabel led her to the front door and curtsied again. “It was lovely to meet you, Your Grace. We all wish many blessings upon you and His Grace.”
Forcing a smile, Eleanor nodded to the girl. “Thank you for your well wishes, Isabel.” Perhaps she would ask the young woman to become her lady’s maid. She seemed like a sweet-tempered, kind soul, and Eleanor could use someone like that at her side, especially in the early days of accustoming herself to the pain of being wed to a man who had betrayed her and hurt her more deeply than she had imagined possible. This was what came of believing fairytales existed. Rallying her courage, she stepped outside to rejoin the wedding party.
CHAPTER 7
The wedding guests finally left, leaving Phillip alone in his house with his bride. He had heard from one of the old dowagers that Eleanor had disappeared briefly before the line of well-wishers could finish congratulating her, and he suspected she had needed space to recover from the shock.
He sat in his study, sipping a glass of amber brandy. Soon, he would go to find Eleanor to apologize for leaving her alone with the crowd after the ceremony. She would likely be upset with him for it, though he suspected she would be more upset that he had kept his silence about her father’s plans for her during the month he had made infrequent visits to the house.
The betrayal in the pretty green depths of her eyes had stung worse than he had imagined it would.
Curse Fife for playing these games with the two of us!
Phillip wanted Eleanor for her own worth, not just for the financial assistance her dowry provided. True, in part, it had begun that way, but he had set his eyes on her from the beginning, and had her father not approached him first, he would have immediately been the one doing the approaching himself.
His silence had, in all likelihood, destroyed any chance for them to find happiness. She would believe everything he had said to be a lie, and he doubted she trusted anything he had told her during the brief period in which he had come to call on her. He had meant every word he had said, but she would never believe him now. It would take him a great deal of time and effort to convince her that he had meant it all despite his regrettable need to keep his silence on their impending wedding.
It had hurt him to stay away, but it had killed him to see her towards the end knowing that in a few scant weeks he would put that look of betrayal and anger that he had seen at the altar in her eyes. Her lovely green eyes should have been misty with joy, not pain, and he had put the latter there. He tossed back the rest of his brandy and shoved to his feet, determined to go and apologize to her. He could not tell her why he had been forced to keep her father’s secrets. That was his burden to bear, and William had impressed upon him the need for continued secrecy for now. He couldn’t imagine why William would do that to his daughter, but he wasn’t going to argue about it, especially not on his wedding day when he had guests to entertain. Phillip was a man of his word, and he would not tell Eleanor anything her father had shared.
He knocked on his bride’s door, but she did not answer. They were alone in the house, as the servants had retired to their quarters in the servants’ wing of the mansion. She was all his now, and he had a right to enter. Still, he felt ill at ease with the notion of invading her privacy when they were at odds. Eleanor was his wife, and he was responsible for cherishing her and caring for her. That meant respecting her space as well.
“Eleanor?”
Still no response. Sighing, Phillip opened the door.
Eleanor sat by the fire, curled up in a chair and writing in a small, blank journal he had left for her to use if she wished. When the door opened, she snapped the book closed—smearing the ink, no doubt—and sprang to her feet, her cheeks flushing with color. “Do you need something, Your Grace?”
“Where did you disappear to after I left the celebration?” He hovered on the threshold of her room, drinking in the delicate evening gown she had changed into after the guests had departed. He’d had it made for her as a wedding gift, but he doubted she knew that. If she did, she wouldn’t be wearing it. Still, it looked good on her, highlighting her beauty gracefully.
“I needed a brief respite to compose myself. What does it matter to you?”
“I am sorry I left you dealing with our guests alone this afternoon. I should have realized it would be taxing and wouldforce you to take a moment’s rest to collect yourself. It was insensitive of me.”
Eleanor’s chin lifted, and she turned away, setting the book on the small table by the chair she’d vacated. She went to sit at the dressing table and began letting her hair down, numbly staring at her reflection in the mirror. “I handled it on my own. Your presence was not missed.”
Phillip winced and met her gaze through the mirror. “Nevertheless, I owe you an apology.”
“Apology acknowledged.”
