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‘Yes, that’s Elinor,’ Theo said cheerfully, holding out his hands and receiving the baby with an easy competence that almost struck her speechless. ‘We’re on the run and need sanctuary and a good strongroom. Is this the latest Ravenhurst, then?’
‘This is Charles James Oliver Ryder Ravenhurst,’ announced the Grand Duke, aged ten, ducking under his stepfather’s elbow and thrusting out a hand. ‘He’s two weeks old and has no hair yet. Welcome to Maubourg Miss Ravenhurst. Sir.’
‘Your Serene Highness.’ Elinor took his hand and produced her best court curtsy.
‘Freddie,’ the Grand Duke said, grinning. ‘We’re sort of cousins, aren’t we, if you’re a Ravenhurst?’
‘My goodness, Theo and Elinor.’ The lightly accented, richly feminine voice cut through Theo simultaneously talking to the baby and Sebastian and Elinor trying to explain to Freddie how she was related to his stepfather. The Grand Duchess, in full evening dress, sailed down the hall, her hands held out to them. ‘My dears, how lovely. Are you eloping?’
‘We most certainly are not,’ Elinor began hotly.
‘We are trying to give the appearance of doing so,’ Theo said. ‘Eva, you grow more beautiful every time I see you and your new son is utterly charming.’
‘He is, isn’t he?’ she said smugly. ‘I do think it was clever of us. Now Freddie, you take Charles very carefully and carry him up to the nursery and have your dinner.’
‘But, Mama, you said I could eat with you—’
‘We need to have a business dinner, Freddie. Papa’s business, hmm?’
‘I see. Secret stuff,’ Fréderic said with a grin. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow then, Cousin Elinor.’
Elinor was not quite sure how Eva did it, but in two crowded minutes the baby and its attendants had been despatched to the nursery, a message had gone down to the kitchens to delay dinner, the Chamberlain was organising rooms and Sebastian’s valet had materialised and was sponging dribble off his coat.
‘Come along.’ Eva tucked one hand under Elinor’s arm. ‘Come up to my rooms and have a wash and then we can eat while they take up your luggage.’
‘I’m so sorry, arriving like this,?
? Elinor tried to apologise as they climbed the stairs.
‘I am delighted. Now tell me, how did you come to look so lovely? You were such a little brown mouse whenever I saw you before. Except for the hair, of course.’
‘It was Theo.’
‘Oho!’ Eva’s chuckle was enough to make Elinor blush to her toes.
‘No! I mean he nagged me into buying new clothes and doing my hair differently. And we’ve been having adventures recently, which seems to have improved my complexion. Or something,’ she added doubtfully, not at all sure herself why these days she seemed to be glowing. Unless Jeanie was right and love did that to you.
‘But you are going to marry him?’ Eva swept into the room, startling a middle-aged woman who was folding clothes on the bed. ‘Hortense, this is Miss Ravenhurst, Lord Sebastian’s cousin. She will be staying and requires a maid. Now she needs hot water, if you please.’ The dresser bobbed a curtsy and hurried out. ‘Do you want to change? Don’t feel you have to, it is only us tonight.’
‘Thank you, if it is all right, I’ll just wash my hands and face.’ Elinor sat down with a thump on the dressing-table stool. ‘Eva, I am not marrying Theo.’
‘No? But you are compromised, are you not?’ Eva picked up a comb. ‘You have been travelling with him. Here, let me take your hat, your back hair is coming down.’
‘Yes, but Mama knows about it and I do not have to. I mean, I am still—’ Goodness, but this was embarrassing.
‘A virgin? Not such a rake as he likes to make out then, our Theo. But you are blushing like a rose! Only just a virgin, perhaps? So, he is a very careful rake.’ She was teasing, but gently, and her smile was warm.
‘Eva! We’ll tell you all about it at dinner. No, I do not mean that,’ she added repressively as the Grand Duchess’s smile became positively wicked. ‘I would like to talk to you later, though, just the two of us,’ she added, suddenly shy now the urgency of assuring Eva that she did not have to marry had ebbed away, but realising she did need a woman to confide in. ‘And, please, do not tease Theo about me, he keeps having attacks of being all honourable and noble and saying we should get married and he obviously doesn’t want to. Nor do I, naturally.’
‘Naturally? How very odd of you,’ Eva remarked through a mouthful of hairpins. ‘I think he is very attractive. Not beautiful like Sebastian—no one else is that beautiful—but so masculine. No? And intelligent, which you need.’
Elinor was saved from answering by the arrival of the dresser with a maid in tow. ‘Annette, madame—she will look after you while you are here.’
Walking down to dinner twenty minutes later, Elinor wondered uneasily whether Theo had been having an equally embarrassing talk with Sebastian. It was too much to hope that Theo’s arrival with her, unchaperoned, would not provoke his cousin into some kind of enquiry, if only a teasing one. And the last thing she wanted was anyone reinforcing Theo’s conviction that he must offer for her.
Thank goodness Eva had dropped the subject. She was talking about fashions, admiring Elinor’s carriage dress and marvelling that she had managed to have it made in such a short time. ‘Even for Lyon, that is good work. Obviously Theo has shopped there before.’
‘I am sure he has,’ Elinor responded brightly. ‘It is equally obvious he has a great deal of experience shopping with ladies. Women,’ she corrected herself after a moment’s thought.
