Page 2 of A Duke in Pursuit of Passion
When she made it from the woods, over the fields, to the little garden gate separating the wild from the manicured gardens, all Louisa had to do was reach the servants’ entrance, and she was certain she would be safe.
Yet even as she hurried towards the steps that led to said door, she held her breath, listening for any sign that she was not alone. With only the moonlight to guide her, she stumbled and nearly tripped several times, slipping on the mossy servants’ steps before eventually reaching the door.
The sounds of mayhem in the kitchens beyond the corridor hit Louisa's ears the moment she opened the door, and again she listened, hoping and praying all would be too busy to notice her. She slid through the door and carefully closed it behind her to avoid making a sound.
Then, hurrying off her muddy boots, she hid them behind the trunk seat beside the door, knowing she would need them again that night. Collecting her indoor shoes from where she had stashed them earlier, she slipped them on and started to hurry along the corridor, pausing every so often to listen to the goings on in the kitchen.
At the sound of footsteps drawing near the kitchen door, she halted, slipping into a meager alcove in the hopes of remaining shrouded in the shadows. Holding her breath, she peered out from her hiding place just in time to see the butler headed the opposite way down the corridor, towards his office.
"You know where I shall be should you have need of me!" he called over his shoulder as he went, and when he closed the office door firmly behind him, Louisa was even more relieved.
Being caught by a maid or even a footman was one thing, but to see the disappointment in the gaze of her father's most trusted butler was entirely another. He was practically a second father to them, and another person Louisa was scared to upset. Yet that fear would not prevent her from doing what she needed.
Slipping carefully past the kitchen door and then the closed office door, Louisa felt a rush of excitement at how far she had already come. Now all she had to do was make it to her bedroom without being seen.
Rushing up the stone steps of the servants’ stairs that spanned the entirety of the house, Louisa quickly found herself back in her room. The moment she closed the door behind her, she leaned back against the cool wood and breathed deeply for the first time since she had left Joshua. With eyes closed, she prayed that the rest of the night would go so smoothly.
Chapter 2
Lady Ella Gideon, the eldest daughter of the Earl of Partridge, felt terrible at the cool greeting she and her sister offered each other when they arrived in the drawing room that evening to await the dinner gong. And by the time it was rung, they had barely spoken two words to each other. That was how it had been between them for several days now, nothing like they had been previously.
Was I too harsh on her?Ella asked herself as she followed her father and sister into the dining room. She could see from the look on her sister's face, from the slope of her shoulders, that she was not her usual cheery self. And the guilt gnawed at Ella's stomach, making it almost impossible for her to finish her meal.
"Have you had a fair day, Papa?" Ella asked, unable to bear the silence in the room for too long.
"Fair enough, thank you, Ella. And you?"
The earl just barely looked up from his dinner plate. Clearly, the recent illness he had been suffering from had left him quite hungry. And she was more than a little glad to see him beginning to feel better. It was the first night all week he had actually joined them at the dining table.
Usually, she and her sister would have left him be to eat while chattering away, but as she had been the last few days, Louisa was unusually silent. It did not help that their mother had yet to return from visiting her sister a few estates over, though Ella hoped she would return later that evening after several days away. Maybe then Louisa's icy disposition might change.
"I have had a fine day also, Papa. I spent much of it in the library reading," she admitted, turning to her sister in the hopes she might interject something. When she did not, Ella was forced to ask, "And you, Louisa? Has your day been fine also?"
At her question, Louisa appeared to stiffen. She paused in cutting her beef and looked at Ella with an almost challenging glint in her dark blue eyes. Then she responded in a clipped tone, "Just as fine as any other."
Those were all the words spoken throughout dinner save for their father wishing them both a good evening before he retired to his study to work. And more so than ever, Ella felt as though her sister was slipping away from her.
If only she had been able to convince her that being anywhere near Mr Joshua Giles was a bad idea, bad not only for her own sake but the sake of their entire family. To get so close to any man could plummet them all into ruin. And yet Louisa appeared entirely unable to see that.
Almost the moment their father was gone from the table, while Louisa still remained opposite her, Ella opened her mouth to speak. Perhaps she even meant to apologise. But before she could do so, Louisa started to rise from her seat, practically slamming her servette down on the table before her.
"Sister," she said, offering a curt nod before removing herself from the room.
Ella remained where she was long afterwards, unsure of exactly what to do or how to proceed. On the one hand, she was the eldest sister and had every right and responsibility to ensure her sister conducted herself appropriately. On the other hand, she just wanted to talk to her sister as they once had done, as though there were no walls between them, and they could share their secrets.
Ella wasn't sure when that had stopped occurring, but clearly it had because up until she witnessed her sister kissing Joshua behind the garden wall just beyond the garden gate, she had known nothing of their secret meetings or their supposed love for one another.
"Excuse me, My Lady, but are you well?"
Just hearing the voice of her lady's maid, Alice, helped Ella somewhat out of her stupor. She quickly removed her serviette from her lap, wiping her mouth before she rose to her feet.
"Alice, please send my compliments to Mrs Walters. I must go and speak with my sister," Ella instructed the maid, and the dark-haired woman simply offered her a nod, awaiting her departure before likely going about her chores.
On the other hand, Ella walked from the dining room directly up the stairs to her sister's bedroom, determined that their lack of talk at dinner would not continue into the following day. She'd had quite enough of it all, and more than ever, she wished to know what was going through her sister's mind.
She only paused outside her sister's room for a moment before raising her hand to knock. At first, she thought that no answer would come. She heard the shuffling of fast-moving feet through the door. And then, Louisa tore it open, her face dropping the moment she saw Ella. "Oh, it’s you."
Though she did not look pleased, Louisa did step out of the way and gesture Ella inside. All the eldest sister could do was hope that was a good sign. At the very least, she had not simply slammed the door in her face or even yelled at her to go away.
