Page 36 of A Marriage of Convenience with a Rake
She focused on Aunt Tessa, her cheeks flushing at her awareness of Sebastian beside her, just a few inches away.
“I trust you had a pleasant journey, Aunt Tessa?” Sebastian asked her.
“Yes, the weather is most fair,” Aunt Tessa replied. She glanced at Eleanor, who looked at the table. She felt a little confused—she would love to hear more about what Aunt Tessa had to say, but at the same time, she was also relieved. The entire topic gave her the shivers.
She focused on the conversation between Aunt Tessa and Sebastian, trying to ignore the discomfort.
“I recall well when you were a little boy,” Aunt Tessa began,evidently in the middle of some reminiscence about Sebastian. “You were such a fine rider! So confident for your age. I recall watching you riding around the grounds like a proper Royal Guardsman.”
“Oh, Aunt,” Sebastian said, waving a hand at her in an embarrassed way.
“He was! You should have seen him,” Aunt Tessa giggled. “Like a proper little Hussar, he was! Riding about in his little riding jacket with his head held so proudly. He rode a full-size horse by the time he was eight.”
“Oh?” Eleanor stared at Sebastian, who had gone pink.
“Aunt,” he said, his cheeks reddening. “I don’t know if Eleanor wants to hear this.”
“Of course, she does!” Aunt Tessa interrupted, laughing delightedly. “Everything about you is interesting, not so, my dear?” She smiled at Eleanor. “And I am sure Sebastian is eager for you to tell him your stories, my dear.” She looked at Eleanor, who swallowed hard.
She glanced over at Sebastian, who was staring at her, his dark eyes warm, and she looked down at her hands, feeling her heart race. She glanced at Aunt Tessa. Did she mean her story—the story of herself—or did she mean the stories that she told?
It’s impossible—she doesn’t know a thing about me, especially not that I tell stories, she reminded herself.
She glanced back at Aunt Tessa, who regarded her with a knowing smile. Her dark eyes—a little darker than Sebastian’s eyes—studied her as if she could see more than her appearance.
“I am delighted that such a charming lady is the countess,” Aunt Tessa commented to Sebastian, though she kept on looking at Eleanor. Eleanor swallowed hard again, feeling deeply discomforted. She could have sworn Aunt Tessa was looking right inside her, seeing things that she hid even from herself.
“Thank you, Aunt,” Sebastian answered, and then pushedback his chair. “I should not sit too long,” he added. Just as he tried to stand up, the butler appeared with his teacup, and he subsided back into the chair.
“Just a few minutes,” Aunt Tessa murmured. “I will be on my way in a few minutes. Your father fares well, I understand.”
“Yes. Yes, Papa is recovering swiftly,” Sebastian replied eagerly, seeming relieved that they discussed another topic.
“Good. Good,” Aunt Tessa murmured.
Sebastian poured himself some tea and they sat and chatted about the goings-on among the local nobility—apparently Lady Elworth would be hosting a ball soon, and Lord Haddon had been planning a hunting party for weeks. Eleanor listened distractedly. She knew almost nothing of the local gentlefolk and peers, besides the few she had met. She gazed over at Aunt Tessa, still discomforted by their earlier talk.
“Well! It’s getting on for the time my coachman agreed to fetch me,” Aunt Tessa stated. She was looking over at the clock on the mantelpiece. She put down the teapot and stood up. “I will wish you both a good afternoon, then.” She paused and fixed Sebastian with a hard stare. “And I will expect to speak to you soon.”
“Thank you, Aunt Tessa,” Eleanor replied as she stood up. The look Aunt Tessa gave Sebastian made her nervous—she felt almost a need to protect him.
“I will speak with you as soon as I can,” Sebastian said at once. “But now I must check on my father.”
“Thank you, Bastien. And give my regards to Randall,” she added, drifting to the stairs with the same casual elegance with which she had arrived shortly before.
“I will,” Sebastian agreed. Eleanor walked with Aunt Tessa to the entrance-way, and, after wishing her a safe journey, she drifted up the stairs, her mind overflowing with thoughts.
She knew two things that she had not known before—firstly,she knew that the family was cursed. Secondly, she knew a little more about Sebastian. Oddly, despite the horror of the first thing, it was the second that kept on drifting into her mind. She smiled, imagining Sebastian as a small boy, seated atop a full-size horse. She was still thinking about the image when she went up herself, later, to check on Lord Ramsgate, and as she settled by his bed, a new story started to weave through her mind—one of a little boy with a magic horse that carried him to faraway lands.
Even as Lord Ramsgate drifted into sleep she was smiling.
Chapter 14
The evening sunshine filtered softly into the hallway and Sebastian took a deep breath. It was time for dinner. He walked lightly down the hallway, pausing to check his appearance in the mirror on the wall by an upstairs anteroom. His cravat was knotted in a new style, holding the high neck of his shirt closed. He tried a shy smile at himself, feeling nervous.
The evenings in the drawing room had become events he looked forward to—he had to admit that, if only to himself. He blushed. It was hard to admit it, for some reason, though it was the most natural thing in the world. He just hadn’t expected it.
He was falling in love with Eleanor.
