Page 42 of Wedded to the Loveless Duke
“Please.” He handed her the dress and leaned against the bedpost, watching her every move.
Eleanor slipped the gown over her head and fastened the tie at the waist before turning to let Phillip handle the hooks on the bodice’s back. He did so with nimble fingers, but he lingered longer than was strictly necessary, the tip of a finger or pad of a thumb brushing along the bare skin at her neck and then stroking her back gently where the stays allowed.
Biting her lip, she waited until he was finished, then released a shaky breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding at some point. “Is it all fastened?”
“Perfectly.” He turned her to face him and kissed her softly. “There is one thing missing, though. Will you fetch the jewelry we bought? I will help you put it on before I fetch Isabel to do your hair.”
Eleanor obliged him with a smile. These moments with him were the ones she loved the most when his affectionate, gentle side was at the forefront and his only focus was on the moment they were sharing. It was rare for him to be free to spend longstretches of time with her, but he was very good at making the most of whatever small bits of time he could snatch.
When Phillip put the emerald necklace around her neck, he trailed his fingers from the base of her neck where the clasp rested to the top of the low dipping back of her dress. Eleanor shivered and closed her eyes with a soft sigh. “Phillip, how did I ever think that marriage would be a prison with you?”
His mouth pressed to the juncture of her neck, surprising her, and he murmured his reply against her skin, “You had yet to learn better, my love.”
She hummed softly in agreement.
He continued to kiss his way down to the same spot on her back that he’d stroked with his fingers, his touch featherlight and as comforting as it was enticing. She turned to him and held his face between her hands. “I am glad you taught me better, then.”
“As am I.” He brushed his knuckles across her cheek with a smile. “But we will be late to the King’s ball if I do not fetch Isabel to finish your hair, dearest. We can while away the minutes in peace next to the fire later tonight. Perhaps I shall read to you while you comb out your hair like you love to do before bed.”
Eleanor stepped back with an answering smile and a nod. Phillip had a good reading voice, though he rarely spared time for the light reading she preferred. For her, though, he had spared itonce or twice at her father’s estate, and she still treasured those moments dearly.
He kissed her fingers then stepped out of her bedchamber, leaving her to herself while she waited for Isabel’s return. It was hard to imagine how she had ever believed him deceitful or cruel.
Anger truly does twist reality up in knots until a person no longer knows what is up and what is down.
Thankfully, Phillip hadn’t allowed her anger to continue forever and had broken down her walls until she could see she had been mistaken. Now, she could admit that she couldn’t see herself going on without him as her husband, her protector, her lover. Somewhere along the way, she realized that she had fallen hopelessly in love with him. She just hoped that he loved her as fiercely as she did him.
When they walked into the King’s grand ballroom and greeted the people that Phillip needed to speak to, Eleanor couldn’t help looking around for her father. It was unusual for William to miss an event like this. He had always accompanied her himself to the larger balls and parties thetonthrew, reminding her that as much as they might prefer the quiet of home, they had an image to maintain and connections to nurture or create.
Eleanor didn’t see him anywhere. She and Phillip had arrived at a fashionably late hour. They hadn’t arrived so late as to havetheir appearance remarked upon poorly, but they hadn’t arrived early either. Timing was everything at these events. William had taught his daughter that, and yet it seemed he was not following his own rule.
Phillip pulled Eleanor towards the dance floor where he was able to hold her close and speak to her more intimately with the music covering his words. “What is it, my love? You look worried.”
“Oh, it is trivial.”
“You do not fret about trivial matters, Eleanor.”
“I…” Should she confide in him? He had been her support through all of this, even in moments when she had behaved abominably towards him. She shouldn’t be hiding things from him. “I expected my father would be here.”
“I see.”
“He would not snub the King so by failing to attend, but he never arrives so late.” Eleanor worried at the inside of her cheek with her teeth and tried to refocus on the steps of the waltz they were dancing. “But never mind, we are not here for him or even to see him. I shall put him out of my mind.”
“Or you might talk to me. Are you worried about him?” Phillip parted from her for a moment before pulling her close again.
She sighed. “I should not be after everything he had put me through.”
“It is natural for a daughter to worry about her father when he has broken his habits with no explanation, but I am certain he is merely away or unable to attend due to some urgent matter. The King favors him and would not hold it against him or take it as a slight.”
Eleanor nodded slowly, but she continued to look for her father even after the dance ended and Phillip had engaged them both in conversation with others from theton. She didn’t know why it didn’t settle right that William wasn’t there. Phillip’s explanation was perfectly reasonable, but for some reason, it still didn’t feel right. Something seemed wrong about the whole thing, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
“Eleanor, you look lovely tonight!” the Duchess of Bedford approached Eleanor with a friendly smile. “Did you receive my thank you card for the wonderful dinner you organized for us last week?”
“I did.” Eleanor turned to face her with a warm smile of her own. She’d grown to like the woman immensely, and the two of them had already begun making plans to meet each week for tea and sewing. “And you received my invitation to tea?”
“I did, but you must let me extend a counter invitation! You have already entertained me and my husband several times, but we have not hosted you yet. Let me be the one to arrange tea this time.”
“Very well.”
