Page 23 of Courting the Earl
Eleanor frowned. “Your father did you a service. There are many women with larger fortunes who aren’t as beautiful or caring as my cousin. You need to stop fighting this before you succeed in driving her away.” She cast another worried glance over at where her cousin and Lord Stanley had moved to one of the upholstered benches and were sitting next to one another, their bodies turned toward each other, and chatting as though they were the only people in the room. Geoffrey felt like cheering the man on.
He considered his response for a moment before changing the subject. “You haven’t answered my question.”
Her brows drew together. “You asked me a question?”
“Why don’t you like me?” He waited, watching the way her lips pressed together in a firm line.
“You weren’t asking me a question. You were making a statement.”
Her attempt to avoid answering amused him. “Now I’m asking you. Why don’t you like me?”
She looked away, and he thought she wasn’t going to reply. Finally she said, “You’re pleasant enough.”
He chuckled, enjoying the way this woman had thrown his own words about Lydia right back at him.
She glanced at her cousin again, her frown turning into a slight scowl.
He took another step away from the small group of people, grateful the exhibit wasn’t overly crowded. She took a corresponding step in the same direction.
It interested him that he had the ability to make her forget her duty even though she seemed intent on ensuring he fulfilled his. He wondered how far she would follow him and decided to inch his way toward the shadowy doorway tucked into the corner of the room. There were no large windows in that room, and he knew it wasn’t considered part of the exhibit. The one other time he’d been here, he’d ducked into the room, curious about what treasures it might hide. It seemed to be a staging area of sorts, where statues and paintings were stored away.
“Your admission pains me since I like you a great deal.”
Her mouth dropped open and she stared at him, clearly surprised by his admission. Then she pressed her lips together again and looked away. Color tinged her cheeks.
“I know this situation came as a surprise to you, and I appreciate how nice you’ve been to me. But I wish you wouldn’t tease me like that.”
He stilled, staring down at her. Finally, when she met his gaze again, he continued. “I’m speaking in earnest. Given a choice between you and your cousin, I would much rather get to know you.” They’d reached the doorway, and she was still moving with him.
She shook her head. “That is impossible. I might as well be invisible when Lydia is standing next to me.”
A burst of anger went through him. He wanted to reach out and shake some sense into her. Instead, he moved into the darkened room.
There was a statue just inside the doorway, and he moved past it. He half expected to hear Eleanor sigh and return to her cousin’s side.
She surprised him by following him into the room. “Did you not see the sign by the doorway? This room isn’t part of the exhibition.”
Her voice was low, and he imagined she thought they would be chastised by one of the exhibition’s curators if they were caught. It hadn’t even occurred to her that society would most definitely frown on their being caught together like this, alone, but not because this room was closed to the public.
He held one hand to his lips and stepped farther into the room. She followed. Dim light filtered into the room from the skylighted room next door, and he could see the way her brows drew together in confusion.
He stared into her eyes, infusing his words with as much sincerity as he could. “You are not invisible, Eleanor. I see you.”
She inhaled an audible breath and held his gaze for several long seconds. Finally she shook her head and looked away. “I don’t believe you.” In a whisper she added, “Much as I wish I could.”
They weren’t alone, not really. The sound of distant voices reminded him of that fact. Still, he had to fight against the temptation to pull her into his arms and kiss her. “Please look at me, Miss Pearson. Eleanor.”
She sucked in a breath at his use of her given name, and for a moment he thought she would flee. Instead, she did as he asked and met his gaze.
He stared down at her, fixated by her dark eyes. They seemed to draw him in, make him wonder what secrets she was hiding within their depths. In the darkened room, the brown of her eyes was indistinguishable from her pupils, making her eyes appear even larger in her pale face. The effect was striking, and he couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to make love to this woman.
Desire slammed into him with a bone-deep ache. He grasped his hands together behind his back to keep from dragging her into his arms and kissing her senseless. Anyone could wander into this room at any moment, and he wouldn’t dishonor her in that way. Not when she was still so fixated on placing her cousin’s happiness above her own.
“As I said, it is you I wish to know better, not your cousin. My father did do me a service, but not because he chose my future wife. His scheming did have one happy effect. It’s given me the opportunity to get to know you.”
She shook her head. “No—”
“And if I can convince your cousin to speak to her father about ending the betrothal, you should know that I would like to take that opportunity to become better acquainted with you.”
