Page 15 of A Duke in Pursuit of Passion
Ella said nothing. She would not give him the satisfaction of believing he could simply sweep his actions under the rug. Continuing to glower at him, she stated, "My Lord, I believe it would be in the interest of both parties to keep our distance."
Lord Rolfe seemed to think over her words only a moment before nodding. With that, he began to turn away from her and headed towards the door. He paused only to say, "I suddenly find I am not so tired after all. Take the cabin for the rest of the night, My Lady. Rest well."
Again, she felt guilt flash through her, even reaching out to stop him from leaving, but he was too far away, and she was too choked to speak up. All she could do was watch him disappear, the door clicking closed behind him so that she was left utterly and completely alone for perhaps the first time in her life.
Though she quickly scampered back into bed to stop herself from going after him, she could already sense that sleep would elude her for the rest of the night. She was wound up far too tightly, angry with herself and with him for the kiss and the argument that had quickly ensued afterwards.
Chapter 9
Stepping out onto the deck in the chilled night air, Nathaniel wished he had picked up his jacket before storming from the cabin. Instead, all he had to keep him warm was the memory of Lady Ella's glare.
I was a fool,he thought, making it to the edge of the deck to lean over and look down at the silver-tipped waves. The blackened depths were menacingly close, the silver moonlight dancing upon the white tips that dashed against the ship's bow.
And yet, for a moment, Nathaniel would have preferred to face their wrath to Lady Ella's. The scornful, harsh tone she had used upon him and the way she had glowered at him as though he were an inappropriate stranger made him feel sick to his stomach.
But there was one thing he could not forget, one thing that caused his insides to tingle with desire when he thought about it, the way she had kissed him back. He may have been a fool to try and kiss her in the first place, but the way she had leaned into him, how her hands had clutched his chest, he would never forget that nor the sweet floral scent of her perfume. It lingered in his nostrils even now.
The unrelenting sensation was that of Lady Ella's lips upon his. They still tingled from her kiss, and against his better judgment, he reached up to rub his fingertips over his lower lip, wishing things had gone differently.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had kissed a woman, and she had reacted the way that Lady Ella had. In fact, he wasn't sure that had ever happened before. All too many times, it had gone entirely the other way, much to his father's disgrace and at the risk of his family's reputation.
He scoffed a little, amused at the thought of having been put in his place by someone as slender and petite as Lady Ella.
"My Lord, is all well with your cabin?" Captain Cormack's question caused him to jump, and he turned to see the salty-haired seaman approaching from the steps that led up to the upper deck and the ship's wheel.
"Yes, yes, everything is fine."
Nathaniel quickly dropped his hand to his side, hoping the captain hadn't noticed too much of his daydreaming.
"Forgive me, but I could not help overhearing raised voices," the captain admitted, clasping his hands behind him and dropping his gaze as though he knew he was pushing some kind of boundary.
Nathaniel's breath caught in his throat. Desperately he tried to recollect anything that might have been said to give away their ruse during their argument. Yet he realised now he could remember very little of it save for Lady Ella's constantly pushing him away.
Searching the man's face for any sign he might be suspicious, Nathaniel said, "My cousin is grieving and stressed, Captain. She has a tendency to get a little irate during such times."
The words weren't entirely lies. Lady Ella was grieving, only it was for her runaway sister and not a lost husband. And that was what Nathaniel had to keep reminding himself throughout the conversation. They were only telling half-lies and twisting the truth to protect the reputations of both Gideon girls for as long as they possibly could.
Perhaps that was why Lady Ella was acting as she was. Nathaniel thought she had never been much good at lying. Perhaps it was making her lash out because she realised the seriousness of what might happen were they caught in such a lie.
"It is understandable," the captain said with a nod. "I sense you are in no hurry to return to your cabin. Why not join me for a drink?"
There was a time when Nathaniel would have immediately snapped the man's hand off at his offer. But instead, he shook his head. "Thank you, Captain, but I am not a big drinker. I think I shall sit and rest beneath the stars tonight."
*
It wasn't until the next morning that Nathaniel finally braved entering the cabin again. His back was stiff from sleeping propped up against the side of the deck, and though it was late spring, he was feeling chilled to the bone after a night out in the chilly ocean air.
But when he cautiously knocked upon the cabin door, the voice that answered was much warmer than it had been the night before. "Come in."
Still hesitant, Nathaniel slowly pushed open the door and stepped inside to find that Lady Ella was already washed and dressed in a grey silk dress with black accents. Even the attire of a widow could not dull her beauty, especially as she had yet to place her veil over her face.
And again, the sight of her took his breath away. She was far from the pigtailed little girl he had run about with in his youth. When she smiled, Nathaniel's heart stopped.
"Good morning, My Lord." Lady Ella greeted him with a curtsey as he clicked the door closed behind him. The change in her demeanour was more than a little confusing, leaving him feeling infuriated. Yet he bit the inside of his lip to stop pointing it out. This unexpected change was far better than how she had been towards him the night before.
Perhaps it was merely because I deserved it,Nathaniel thought, remembering again how he had forced his kiss upon her. He could not exactly say he blamed how she had reacted to such a thing. Any respectable young woman would have responded the very same way.
"Good morning," he said, bowing his head. "Are you well?"
