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Elizabeth met his gaze again and opened her lips to speak. At that moment, a voice sounded behind him. “Pardon the interruption, Your Grace.”
She gasped and pulled out of his arms, hiding herself next to the horse. William resisted the urge to frown in frustration and only turned to face Harold, who was standing at the very edge of the stables entrance, almost out of sight.
“What is it?” William sighed.
“You have a very…urgent visitor, Your Grace.”
Harold’s slight pause told William all he needed to know. His guard shot back up and he looked over at Elizabeth to see that she was burying her face into her hands. “Very well,” he told the butler. “Show him to the parlor. I shall be with him shortly.”
“As you wish, Your Grace.” Harold swiveled on his heels and walked away.
The moment he was gone, Elizabeth peeked up, as if checking to make sure. William spotted the telltale signs of her embarrassment coloring her cheeks. Regret lanced him now that he had to leave her side.
“It’s all right,” she said before he could say anything. “You don’t have to worry about me. Go on and greet your guest. I’ll be fine.”
“Are you certain?” he asked without thinking.
She nodded, waving at him to go. She still hid her face, as if she couldn’t bear to look him in the eye. William felt a twinge of amusement rise within him, which only bolstered his reluctance to leave her side.
But, his guest was not one to stay still. William knew that if he didn’t go to greet him soon, he would surely regret it. So, he nodded and stepped away, leaving her in the stables.
Perhaps it is a good thing that she is so embarrassed. That way, it is likely that we will not even cross paths.
Knowing very well that it was Nelson who had come to see him, William hoped he would have little to worry about.
Chapter 15
Elizabeth didn’t leave the stables until long after William, trying and failing to pull herself together. She was still shaking, though she wasn’t certain it was from her time atop the horse or the question he’d asked right before he left. She had a feeling it was an uncomfortable mixture of both.
As she made her way to her bedchamber, intending to change out of the riding habit she’d borrowed from the late Duchess’ armoire, she couldn’t help thinking about how he’d stared at her when he’d asked the question. His voice had been filled with genuine curiosity, his need to know tinged with what had sounded like desperation. It was that vulnerability in his tone that had brought the answer to the tip of her tongue before she could think about it.
“Oh, Elizabeth, you fool,” she chastised herself, coming to a sudden halt in the center of a hallway. “What if you had told him? Then what would he have thought of you?”
The very thought made her trembling worsen. She sighed deeply, continuing her trek to the bedchamber. Upon her arrival, she saw that Minnie was inside, putting a few more gowns that had arrived into the armoire. Elizabeth drew to a halt in surprise.
“There are more of them?” she asked.
Minnie stopped what she was doing to face her, clasping her hands and nodding. “Yes, My Lady. It appears His Grace had requested your armoire to be full.”
“But…” Elizabeth drew closer, utterly confused. “Why?”
Minnie blinked. Elizabeth realized suddenly that the lady’s maid would certainly try to search for a suitable answer. “It’s fine,” Elizabeth told her quickly. “I’m certain you are as unaware of His Grace’s intentions as I am.”
“Yes, My Lady, but perhaps…”
Elizabeth perked up. “Perhaps?” she probed.
Minnie’s lips tightened in a brief moment of hesitation, but she’d warmed up to her in the time they’d been together. Once the moment disappeared, she said, “It appears as if His Grace plans on having you stay here for a while longer.”
“That cannot be it,” Elizabeth responded instantly, shaking her head. She went to sit on the hassock at the base of her bed. “The Duke would much rather I leave as soon as possible than have me stay here.”
“Are you certain, My Lady?” Minnie resumed her task, but she moved much slower now, at more comfortable pace. She glanced over her shoulder at Elizabeth as she spoke.
“Yes, quite so. In fact, he asked that I return home.” Remembering it only made her feel her lingering embarrassment from earlier and brought out her frustration.
“Then perhaps he wishes to have you return with all these gowns in tow,” Minnie suggested, but Elizabeth was already shaking her head.
She frowned, realizing that it didn’t quite make sense to her, either. “If I were to return with so many things in tow, it would only raise suspicion.” She ignored Minnie’s confused look, not willing to elaborate. Instead, she looked at the trunk of gowns that was still quite full, even though Minnie had put quite a few of them away.
