Page 42 of A Marriage of Convenience with a Rake
Sebastian chuckled and she beamed, holding his gaze. The look they shared was closer, more intimate, than anything they had shared before.
Her heart flooded with warmth. They sat for a few moments longer, just staring at one another, and then stood. She went to the door, hearing his footsteps as he went out a second later. They walked next to one another down the hallway, not speaking. Eleanor could feel his closeness, aware of his presence next to her as she had never felt aware of anything.
They walked down the stairs together and into the garden.
They went to the lawn, where Eleanor had prepared the flowerbeds that she wanted to plant with bulbs for spring, but her thoughts were not with the garden as they strolled about, but with Sebastian and with the task before her of organizing the best ball—hopefully—in the countryside outside London.
Chapter 16
The evening sunlight slanted through the long windows of the upper hallway as Sebastian hurried downstairs. He grinned to himself. In a few hours, after sunset, which happened earlier each day as Autumn progressed, the ball would begin.
He walked down the stairs, the sound of his boots loud in the silent hall. It felt as though he’d been working in an empty house all day—his father was visiting a neighboring estate, and Eleanor was flitting all over the house, from the kitchen to the hallway to the garden to the laundry, personally supervising each element of preparing for the ball.
He smiled to himself. In the week she’d had to organize, she had gone about it with such fervor that one could imagine she was overseeing a small army. She had planned the food that would be served at the refreshments table, and the drinks, and how many footmen they might need to attend to the guests. She had checked they had enough pitch torches to light the drive and dispatched the gardener off to the village to employ some youths to hold them to light the guests back to their coaches. She had even organized with the groom and the gardener to make sure the coaches and horses would be accommodated on the grounds for as long as the guests might need them to be.
He walked lightly across the entrance-way to the ballroom, hearing the butler and the housekeeper hurrying from the ballroom to the rest of the house.
As soon as he got there, he heard Eleanor’s voice, low and soft, instructing the maids who were mopping the vast marble floor.
He waited, watching her showing them what she wanted. She was always so friendly with the servants, and they adoredher. He grinned, watching her graceful movements as she walked lightly about the room. She was beautiful. His cheeks warmed as he watched. He thought often of the night she had spent sleeping by his side. He had ached to turn around and kiss her, but he had not wanted to scare her. She was unused to such things, and he would not touch her without her enthusiastic consent. He had already promised himself that.
He waited at the edge of the ballroom, watching her. He wondered when she would notice him. She walked lightly across to where some male servants were setting out some chairs—maybe they were the musicians, since he could swear that he’d never seen them before. As he watched her talking, she looked up. She saw him and blushed.
“Eleanor,” he greeted, wandering across to where she stood.
“Sebastian!” she grinned, tucking some honey-brown hair out of her eyes. She was flushed and her eyes sparkled, and Sebastian felt longing for her. She was even more beautiful than he remembered, and he remembered her well from breakfast that morning. “Did you want to have some tea?” she asked him.
“Mayhap we should have some tea,” he agreed. The ball would start at seven o’ clock, which made things difficult in terms of dinner. “Then we should remain fortified for most of the ball.”
“There are plenty of nice things to eat during the evening.” She grinned at him.
“What kind of nice things?” Sebastian asked playfully. He couldn’t help some anticipation welling up in him. He wanted to see what Eleanor had contrived for the evening—it would surely be different to any other ball he’d attended.
“Well,” she paused, counting on her fingers. “First of all, there are tartlets—sweet ones, and savoury ones. Your aunt insisted on that. I thought we could have sausages, and the cook said we should have some cold game meat. I wasn’t sure aboutthat, but she has been organising these things for a long time.”
“Mm.” Sebastian nodded. He grinned. She had clearly consulted with everyone she thought might know, and he admired that. It was something he probably wouldn’t have done.
“I will come and join you for tea in a moment,” she said, looking around the ballroom. “I must first tell the musicians where they can set up their chairs and music-stands.”
“Of course, my lady.” Sebastian bowed low. “I will await you in the drawing room.”
“Good.” She smiled at him playfully and he wandered out of the ballroom, heading slowly upstairs.
The drawing room was already half-lit, the sunset orange on the horizon as he walked in slowly. It was peaceful up there, the fire still burning in the grate, and he wandered to the window. Matthew was, of course, invited to the ball, and he had said he’d arrive a little early. Sebastian looked out of the window, his stomach knotting with a mix of anticipation and nerves.
Just yesterday, he had ridden to London himself, an undertaking that had required him to rise extremely early and return long after nightfall—to fetch a gift he’d ordered. He had requested the butler to take it to Eleanor’s room when she retired to dress for the night, but he had no idea if she would like it. He had not the slightest idea of the gown she would wear—the seamstress had been summoned the same day that Father had suggested the ball, so he knew Eleanor had ordered a new gown, but what it looked like he had not the faintest idea. He was curious, but he hadn’t dared ask. Besides, it made one more thing to anticipate that evening.
“Glenfield!” A voice startled him, and he jumped.
“Matthew. You startled me,” he accused, grinning the moment his friend wandered in. Matthew was already fully dressed, his pale brown hair combed and looking surprisingly elegant. He wore a gray velvet jacket and long pale-coloredtrousers. His cravat was elaborate as always.
“Good evening, old chap,” Matthew greeted. “I mentioned I’d drop in early. Hope I am not bothering you?”
“No, not at all,” Sebastian answered. “I’ll have tea with her ladyship in a moment—we thought to take repast before the ball, or we’ll starve for the whole night.”
“Wise, Glenfield. Most wise.” Matthew grinned. “I had dinner before riding over. I’m well stocked with victuals. I shall let you two sit down to tea.”
“Thank you,” Sebastian said simply. He would have felt obliged to ask Matthew to join them, and he was rather glad he didn’t have to. He was looking forward to teatime with Eleanor. He smiled to himself. Every second he had to talk with her was a joy. He didn’t want to share that time with anyone—even Papa was not entirely welcome to share their meetings over tea or meals.
