Page 36 of A Duke in Pursuit of Passion
Deciding he could not leave her unnoticed now, feeling the way that she was, Nathaniel stepped back into the doorway so that he could make eye contact with her and announced, "She only told me in the early hours of this morning. I suspect she did not wish us all to worry."
Though Alice looked startled at his answering her, and her cheeks grew redder, she dipped her head with gratitude and responded, "My lady has always been considerate."
Nathaniel smiled, knowing she was right. He nodded. "She is, and she is clever also."
Turning his attention back to Mack, he added, "She has arranged to meet him in a park close by at midday, and I need our best men to watch from a safe distance so that her cover is not blown."
"Isn't that dangerous?" Alice exclaimed, and Nathaniel saw her horrified expression out of the corner of his eye. "What if he hurts her or worse?"
Nathaniel's teeth gritted. He did not need the maid to voice his own concerns. Shaking his head firmly, he forced a smile.
"Lady Ella is clever and capable of taking care of herself," he assured the maid, remembering how she had given him a bloody nose once or twice when they were children. Just as quickly, he remembered the scene in the alleyway he and Mack had encountered when they had followed the women to the market that day.
He reminded himself that had been different. Then Lady Ella had been unsuspecting. Now she was prepared, and they could all focus on keeping her safe until she managed to locate her sister.
"Besides, neither of us would ever let any harm come to your mistress, Alice," Mack assured her, and the intimate look that passed between the two servants caused Nathaniel's heart to swell.
Somehow, all the stress that Lady Louisa's disappearance had caused and all the coldness he'd had to endure from Lady Ella was worth it. After the night he'd had and seeing the closeness between their servants, he could only hope that all would work itself out in the end.
"Can I count on you to ensure you are not seen?" Nathaniel asked Mack even though he was already certain of the answer.
"Of course, My Lord."
"Good." Nathaniel turned to Alice then, saying, "You likely should attend to your lady as I imagine she shall be quite nervous when she wakes."
Chapter 22
When she arrived in the park just before midday, Ella was more nervous than she cared to admit. Though Alice was firmly at her side, refusing to leave her alone for even a minute, and she knew that Nathaniel and all his men were hiding in various positions around them, she couldn't help wondering about all the things that might go wrong.
What if she accidentally gave herself away to Mr Giles and he realised who she was? For several hours that morning, she had wondered whether to try to hide her face in some way, perhaps with a veil, but then she had decided that might look suspicious.
She and Mr Giles had never shared any close contact before Louisa's disappearance, and she had only known about him at all due to her finding her sister with him behind the garden wall. All she could do was hope he had been so focused on his target, her sister, that he had been unable to notice her in the background.
After speaking to him briefly the night before, she had guessed he wasn't the most intelligent of men. All his questions and tells had been so easy to spot. And yet she wondered whether that was only due to her previous knowledge of him and knowing he was dangerous. Again, she wondered,How did he manage to entrap Louisa?
It truly didn't bear thinking about.
"Are you well, My Lady?" Alice asked in a quiet tone as they waited. Ella forced a gentle smile and nodded with her hands clasped before her, gazing around in the hopes of spotting Mr Giles as soon as he started to draw close. She was already anxious enough. She did not want him sneaking up on her.
Just when she started to feel as though he might not come, as though he had somehow worked out her plan to entrap him and learn where her sister was, she heard footsteps drawing near.
"Lady Fiona?"
Ella turned more at the sound of his voice that caused a chill to run down her spine rather than at the false name she had given him the night before.
"Mr Phelps! You startled me!" Ella exclaimed, finding it the perfect time to use her fan to disguise her face a little until she was certain he had let his guard down.
"Forgive me, My Lady, I did not mean to do so," Mr Giles assured her with a low and respectable bow. "Perhaps I might make it up to you with a turn about the park?"
He stepped closer, offering his arm, not giving any notice to Alice, who had taken a couple of steps back the moment he arrived, as she and Ella had previously discussed. The last thing she wanted to do was make him uncomfortable or give him any reason to begin questioning things.
And though it made her feel sick at the thought of touching him, she forced a smile and said, "I would be honoured."
With gritted teeth and still fanning her face, relieved that the day was warm enough of an excuse to do so, she slipped her hand into his arm and allowed him to begin guiding her around the park.
They were only silent for several minutes before Mr Giles started to question her. "So, Lady Fiona, please tell me more about yourself."
Promiscuously, she looked at him over the edge of her fan and asked, "What would you like to know, Mr Phelps?"
