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“Eleanor?”
“Hmm?”
Marion jiggled her friend’s arm. “You wandered off in your own little world there. Where did you go?”
“Oh?” Eleanor cleared her throat, knowing that her face was going even redder. “Apologies, Marion. I was...a little distracted.”
“I noticed.” Marion giggled. “I never thought I’d see you falling for a man like Nathan Reynolds.”
Neither did Eleanor. Men like Nathan didn’t come along every day. She would be a fool to abuse her chance. Strange. Only two weeks ago, she didn’t want to get married and was furious at the thought of having that decision taken away from her. Now Eleanor couldn’t wait to get married. The banns were due to be posted on Sunday and while Eleanor hadn’t been proposed to, both her and Nathan knew what was going to happen.
Still, it would be nice to be proposed to. Even if it was a proposal of friendship rather than love.
Love. Eleanor was in love, and she couldn’t say it out loud. Not if she didn’t wanted Nathan to back away. He had made it clear that he wanted a friendship out of this marriage, that’s all it would be. A marriage of friendship and respect.
So why did he look like he wanted to kiss her?
“Do you think you’ll be able to cope being married to him?” Marion asked as they reached the koi pond. “Seeing as he’s going back to France once you know you’re pregnant.”
“I think so.” Eleanor shrugged, staring out at the fountain that sprinkled water in a delicate waterfall into the pond. “Although I have a feeling, I’m going to be lonelier than I anticipate with Nathan being away so much.”
“You never know, you might get lucky.” Marin squeezed her arm. “He might want to stay here.”
“He’s a career soldier, Marion. I’ve known that since I met him. Nothing’s going to keep him away from that.”
“Not even the love of a good woman?” Marion teased.
Eleanor sighed. “Not even then.”
“Then maybe his love foryoumight get him to stay.”
“Don’t be daft, Marion.”
“You don’t think he loves you?” Marion smiled. “I know he’s more than impressed with you. Every time you’re together, he can’t take his eyes off you. You might not think he’s in love with you, but I know he is.”
Eleanor had to smile at Marion’s optimism. She wasn’t the only one who was experiencing the fluttering in her chest whenever she was around a man. Marion had chaperoned Eleanor each time she and Nathan were together, and on two occasions the Earl of Reading had come along to be with his friend. Eleanor had noticed the way Marion blushed and became a stuttering fool around him. She couldn’t blame Marion for that; Lord Reading was certainly a very handsome man. Any woman would be blessed to have his attention.
Marion had just added herself to that group of women.
But Eleanor didn’t want to get her hopes up about Nathan loving her. It would make her start thinking about having a marriage that was loving. As in to love her future husband more than a friend, not a convenient marriage for both. Eleanor knew if she started thinking that, she was going to get disappointed when that fell flat.
“Oh, Eleanor.” Marion wrapped her arms around her friend. “Come here. There’s no need to look like that.”
“Look like what?”
“Like the world is about to collapse. Your smile dropped, and you started to look sad.” Marion squeezed Eleanor’s shoulders before stepping back. “It’s going to be all right. That man loves you. You don’t need him to say it aloud to know it.”
“I need to hear it, though. Then I’ll know I’m not a fool for feeling like I do.”
“I know.” Marion took Eleanor’s hands. “It’s going to be fine. At the very least, you’re going to have a marriage where your husband likes and respects you. If he doesn’t love you now, he certainly will soon.”
Eleanor had to smile at that. Marion sounded so sure about it. It was like she was determined that this was going to happen more than Eleanor. She had always been a romantic at heart, and the notion of a romance made Marion turn into a silly sap. It would always work out because love went that way. Love was everything once it got involved.
Her friend had been reading too much Jane Austen.
“Lady Eleanor?”
Eleanor turned. Parsons was walking towards her, a letter in his hand. He bowed at her before handing her the letter.
