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Eleanor furrowed her brow. It seemed that Henry had thought of everything, and even her protests seemed feeble, as Henry appeared undeterred. To be fair, he wasn’t pressuring her or forcing himself on her.
“No,” Eleanor said forcefully, shaking her head passionately. Henry’s face fell at once. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, Henry, but I am not prepared for this.”
“But, Eleanor, try to understand,” Henry said calmly, his voice taking on a soothing tone. “The whole reason I wished to marry was so I could do my duties. I needed to marry, and I needed to have a child. You agreed to be my partner in all these things.”
Eleanor bit down on her lip. “No,” she said quietly and she knew at once that her rejection stung her husband. His face fell and his blue eyes darkened.
“And that is all?” Henry asked. “I’m just supposed to accept your refusal and be content with the fact that you are reneging on our deal?”
Eleanor nodded firmly. “You have not come tonight because you wish to have a child immediately. You have come here tonight to fulfill your lascivious appetite.”
“Eleanor…” Henry began, his tone injured.
“Henry,” Eleanor spoke over the top of him. “If you are a true gentleman, you will respect my wishes and leave me be.”
Henry’s mouth popped open, forming a small oval shape. He held the pose for a moment and then he snapped his jaw shut. “I see.” His features transformed completely as a scowl stole over his face. “I will leave you be then. Good night, Eleanor.”
“Good night, Henry,” she replied. She stood rooted to her spot behind the vanity stool, and she watched as Henry slammed the door to her bedchambers behind him. Eleanor could hear his boots as he stomped across the hall to the place where she assumed he normally slept. Seconds later, another door slammed so loudly, it rattled the walls. Eleanor heaved a massive sigh and as she slunk toward her bed, she heard a meow that startled her. She looked down to see Lady Lovely Paws emerging from the dressing closet.
“Have you been in there the whole time?” Eleanor asked her feline friend, bending over to scoop the cat up and into her arms. Lady Lovely Paws meowed affectionately and ran the top of her head underneath Eleanor’s chin. “Did you hear everything we said?” Eleanor asked her cat. “Do you think Henry will be angry I rejected him?” As those words hung heavily about her, Eleanor realized that was her true worry. She had not wanted to admit Henry into her bedchambers, and she was not ready to lay with him as his wife, so she did not regret the decision she had just made. But she worried that her fierce and resilient rejection of her husband would rankle with him. “Men don’t like to feel as though they are unwanted,” Eleanor told Lady Lovely Paws as she scratched the animal underneath her chin.
As if the cat could completely understand every word Eleanor had just said, she turned her bright yellow eyes on her mistress and gave her a sympathetic look that Eleanor interpreted as the cat retorting,don’t I know it?
