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“No, I mean, what am I to do about reconciling with Eleanor?” Henry asked, truly hoping Lord Watson might be able to share some knowledge that would lead him in the right direction.
Lord Watson tipped his head to the side, thinking over the matter and just then, there was a soft knock on the door.
Henry lifted his head and murmured, “Enter,” imagining one of the servants was coming to announce the presence of another visitor.
To Henry’s surprise, when the door swung open, no servants were in sight. It was Eleanor, and she was all on her own.
“Your Grace,” he said, rising from his seat at once. He moved around the desk in a flurry. For some irrational reason, he thought she might have overheard the last bits of his conversation with Lord Watson, and so he could feel it when a blush began to creep up his neck and onto his cheeks.
She only moved a few steps inside the room, and she kept her head lowered. “Your Grace, I did not realize you had company. I could come back another time.”
“No, no,” Henry replied genially. “Please come in. I would like for you to meet my very dear friend Lord Watson. He was, of course, at our wedding, but things were so hectic that day, I imagine you will not recall him.”
Eleanor lifted her head and her blue eyes looked soft and lovely. She was wearing a very pale blue day dress that made her look almost angelic. An idea to reach out and caress a lock of her red hair floated through Henry’s mind, but then he came back to his senses. “Lord Watson,” Eleanor smiled politely. “It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
Lord Watson stood and crossed the room. “Your Grace, I do believe the pleasure is all mine.” He took her hand and bowed over it respectfully. When he dropped her hand gently, he motioned to the unoccupied seat right next to the one he had just vacated. “Would you care to join us?”
Eleanor shook her head slowly and as she did, Henry saw something spark in her eyes. She gazed at him, then her eyes moved quickly about the room. She turned in one complete circle. This might have seemed peculiar to other gentlemen or even gentlewomen, had they been looking on, but Henry knew at once why Eleanor behaved in such a manner. She gasped loudly and a gloved hand flew to cover her mouth. With that, Henry knew for certain the trouble.
While Henry was perfectly at home in his study, this was not the sort of room designed with a lady’s tastes in mind. His fine mahogany desk was extravagant, and the ornately carved furniture was all very pleasing, of course, but the rest of the room featured some of Henry’s greatest treasures. Trophies from Henry’s sporting life were mounted all about the room.
Just above the doorway, there was the head and prominent antlers belonging to an elk. Henry had shot down the specimen right after he returned home, and he thought of it as a lucky talisman now. To both the left and right of that splendid creature, there were stuffed tributes to the pair of wild bucks Henry had the good fortune, and skill, to shoot on the very same day. On the mantelpiece, just above the fireplace, there was a taxidermized beaver. That piece was slightly unorthodox, but Henry had always rather thought the fellow looked fine, posed as he was, with one paw raised as if he were trying to flee.
Henry had decorated his study in this manner shortly after returning to London. Women in general, including his grandmother, seldom came in here. So he thought very little of how the ladies might react to his taste. But now, with Eleanor spinning about the room, clearly flabbergasted, Henry felt his stomach sink in despair.
“Eleanor, please,” Henry said at once, reaching out a hand to comfort her.
When she looked at him, tears were shining in her eyes. Her chin wobbled and he could see that tiny goosebumps had risen on her arms, just above where her gloves covered.
Without uttering a word, Eleanor turned on her heel and left the room. Henry was not entirely certain if she was angry with him, saddened by what she had seen in the study, or just disappointed. Most likely, it was a combination of all three. He hung his head. “I suppose I should have the servants take down the animal heads at once.”
Lord Watson replied, “I think it’s too late for that.”
