Page 48 of A Duke in Pursuit of Passion
As if concerned her mistress might overhear her, she glanced over her shoulder again.
"I am unsure of what you mean," Nathaniel admitted. What was it with the women in his life seeking to blindside him with romantic advice? Was it so obvious that he was clueless in such matters?
Alice looked at him warmly then, a smile upon her lips that said his cluelessness amused her.
"You and I have known Lady Ella for a very long time, My Lord," Alice pointed out, and Nathaniel thought back suddenly to his childhood before he had gone to Scotland. Always, Alice had been there in the background, playing companion and lady's maid even though she was barely the same age as her mistress.
Back then, she had never allowed herself to grow familiar towards him. It was clear she had gained great confidence since those days; in fact, Nathaniel couldn't remember ever having spoken to her back then. Suddenly, he felt a little guilty about such things.
The sweet look upon Alice's face suggested she did not begrudge him for it. She looked at him contentedly and said, "You and I are both aware how stubborn and unpredictable Lady Ella is, but I know one thing for certain, and that is how she has always looked at you and the way you have always looked at her, and I have also seen a distinct lack of that during our journey home."
Nathaniel opened his mouth to protest, but before he could, the maid added, "I know not what came to pass between the two of you, but I do know that if you feel the way I believe you feel about her, you must not give up. You must come to the willow tree."
"The willow tree?"
"You know the one, My Lord," Alice insisted, and Nathaniel realised he did. She was talking of the tree that he, Ella, and Louisa had climbed many times, the one where he and Ella had often left things for each other, toys and notes and all sorts of other things they wished to share secretly. It had been their place when they were children, upon the border between their two grand estates.
And suddenly, Nathaniel realised what it was that Alice was giving to him. She was allowing him to tell Ella how he truly felt in a place where they had always been connected, where things had always come easier to them both.
"When?" he asked.
Alice glanced over her shoulder one final time. Nathaniel followed her gaze, relieved to see that Ella was nowhere in sight.
"This evening," Alice instructed. "Before the daily routines are put back into place, and Lady Partridge insists on her daughters returning to normalcy."
"How do I know she will be there?"
At that, Alice smirked at him and said gleefully, "You allow me to worry about that, My Lord."
With that, the maid dipped her head, curtseying before she hurried off in the direction the Gideons had taken.
Watching her go, Nathaniel felt hope flaring in his stomach for the first time since they had set foot on the ship home. And he realised one thing for certain, if he didn't screw things up for himself, he might well owe Alice for the rest of his life.
Chapter 30
Ella yawned as she clicked the door of her sister's bedroom shut. It had taken a good hour or so of coaxing to finally get her to drop off to sleep after a warm lavender and chamomile bath and a cup of warm milk. It seemed that even after the exhaustion of their journey, the stress she had suffered during her time in Scotland had left several scars upon Louisa that would not be fixed simply by returning home.
As she stood in the hallway, her back pressed against the bedroom door, Ella wondered how she might feel if she had been duped into running away with Nate, only to learn that she had been a means to an end and nothing more.
She shivered. It didn't bear thinking about. In fact, she had been trying her hardest not to think about him at all since they arrived home. After all, things would return to normal now, and she would likely never see him again. Perhaps that was for the best.
Though she was tired, she couldn't face the thought of going to bed just yet. Knowing she would likely lie there, staring at the ceiling and only able to see him, she headed instead down the hall towards the stairs.
Perhaps a look in the library for a good book might be what she needed to forget Nate and all that had happened. So long as it wasn't some foolish romance in which the damsel always got her knight in shining armour.
I was just as much a part of my sister's rescue as he was,she reminded herself firmly as she wandered down the stairs. Though she never quite made it to the library.
"My Lady," Alice's voice startled her, and she stopped at the bottom of the staircase to find her maid coming towards her.
"Alice, I thought you would be abed by now," she exclaimed, clutching her hand to her chest, startled.
"Forgive me, My Lady. I did not mean to startle you," Alice said, dipping her head respectfully. "It is still quite early, and I was not yet ready to retire to bed."
"Are you not tired from the journey?" Ella asked, stifling another yawn.
"I am, though I find my legs are also restless after all that time aboard the ship," Alice announced, clasping her hands before her. "When I heard you coming down the stairs, I thought I might suggest a walk if you were feeling the same way?"
Ella thought for a second. She was overly tired, so much, in fact, that she could barely keep her eyes open. But she also understood exactly how the maid was feeling. Her own legs were feeling as though they were in need of a good stretch.
