will
overhear,” Elle admonished.
“ I’m sorry.” Drake lowered
his voice and settled back in his set. “Did you at least explain
why that was not an option?”
Eleanor simply shrugged her shoulders.
“I wasn’t exactly given a chance. He had been kissing me, and I am
embarrassed to say that my mind was a bit muddled. I didn’t
understand what he was suggesting right away.”
Drake leaned forward. “Let me
understand this. You were at a ball, at your grandfather’s home, in
the garden with dozens of people about?”
“ Yes, of course none were
around us at that moment.” Why was this detail so important to
Drake?
“ Go on. What happened
next?”
“ Grandfather found us and
demanded Lord Insolent do the right thing.”
Drake’s lips quirked.
“ Anyway, by the following
morning the impact of what had occurred hit me full
force.”
“ I don’t doubt
that.”
“ I was prepared to release
him from any obligation. It wasn’t right that he should be stuck
with me for life because of a silly kiss. It wasn’t as if I were
truly ruined.”
“ Was it just a silly kiss?”
Drake asked with meaning.
Eleanor’s face heated and she quickly
moved on with her story. “Before I could release him with dignity,
Lord Presumptuous began telling me how he knew of my son and how he
didn’t wish to be linked with scandal. Before I recovered from my
sudden motherhood, Lord Affluent offered me ten thousand pounds to
leave London and not force a betrothal.”
“ You took the money.” Drake
laughed.
“ Of course I did. If Lord
Morality deemed it necessary to get rid of me without possessing
all of the facts then why shouldn’t I profit from the encounter.”
Elle defended. “Besides, Lord Solomon could afford it and it was
more than enough to pay off my step-father’s debts, which was my
only reason for being in that horrific town in the first
place.”
“ You could have pushed for
marriage. Bentley would have gone through with it.” Drake
suggested.
“ I was partly
tempted.”
“ Revenge?” He asked with a
smile.
Eleanor returned the smile, not able
to help herself. “I would dearly love to have revenge, but his
money was better.”
Drake barked out laughter before he
reached over and captured her hand. “Elle, I could help you solve
all your problems.”
She smiled at him softly. “Thank you,
but my answer remains no. Marriage between us would be a disaster
and I cannot accept charity from anyone. My family is my
responsibility.”
“ Still, I had to
ask.”
“ I know. Now you can rest
easy knowing you tried to set a wrong right.” How many times had
they had this same conversation? At least a dozen after her mother
died and before he had decided to travel. Drake hadn’t believed a
marriage between them would be so bad but she was wiser in pointing
out their feelings for the other. In order to prove her wrong Drake
had actually kissed her once. That had been a miserable failure
that provided no pleasure for either of them. It was more awkward
than anything else
“ Why don’t you tell Bentley
the truth about Jamie?”
Elle shook her head. “He doesn’t
deserve the truth since he didn’t bother to seek it in the first
place.”
“ There are reasons he may
have formed the decision he did, Elle. I have known him since we
were at Eton.”
“ It makes no difference and
I would ask you tell him nothing. He has judged me so let his
verdict stand. I don’t care one way or the other what he thinks of
me.”
“ Very well, but I think you
are wrong.”
*
Adam Culver joined Drake and Clay that
evening for a game of billiards. He was another close friend of
Drakes’ that Clay had not met.
He was much younger. The man couldn’t
have been above twenty years. Clayton wanted to broach the subject
of Miss Westin to Drake, but struggled to find the words and ask
the delicate questions. And he certainly could not do that now with
Culver present.
“ Have you been to see Elle
since your
overhear,” Elle admonished.
“ I’m sorry.” Drake lowered
his voice and settled back in his set. “Did you at least explain
why that was not an option?”
Eleanor simply shrugged her shoulders.
“I wasn’t exactly given a chance. He had been kissing me, and I am
embarrassed to say that my mind was a bit muddled. I didn’t
understand what he was suggesting right away.”
Drake leaned forward. “Let me
understand this. You were at a ball, at your grandfather’s home, in
the garden with dozens of people about?”
“ Yes, of course none were
around us at that moment.” Why was this detail so important to
Drake?
“ Go on. What happened
next?”
“ Grandfather found us and
demanded Lord Insolent do the right thing.”
Drake’s lips quirked.
“ Anyway, by the following
morning the impact of what had occurred hit me full
force.”
“ I don’t doubt
that.”
“ I was prepared to release
him from any obligation. It wasn’t right that he should be stuck
with me for life because of a silly kiss. It wasn’t as if I were
truly ruined.”
“ Was it just a silly kiss?”
Drake asked with meaning.
Eleanor’s face heated and she quickly
moved on with her story. “Before I could release him with dignity,
Lord Presumptuous began telling me how he knew of my son and how he
didn’t wish to be linked with scandal. Before I recovered from my
sudden motherhood, Lord Affluent offered me ten thousand pounds to
leave London and not force a betrothal.”
“ You took the money.” Drake
laughed.
“ Of course I did. If Lord
Morality deemed it necessary to get rid of me without possessing
all of the facts then why shouldn’t I profit from the encounter.”
Elle defended. “Besides, Lord Solomon could afford it and it was
more than enough to pay off my step-father’s debts, which was my
only reason for being in that horrific town in the first
place.”
“ You could have pushed for
marriage. Bentley would have gone through with it.” Drake
suggested.
“ I was partly
tempted.”
“ Revenge?” He asked with a
smile.
Eleanor returned the smile, not able
to help herself. “I would dearly love to have revenge, but his
money was better.”
Drake barked out laughter before he
reached over and captured her hand. “Elle, I could help you solve
all your problems.”
She smiled at him softly. “Thank you,
but my answer remains no. Marriage between us would be a disaster
and I cannot accept charity from anyone. My family is my
responsibility.”
“ Still, I had to
ask.”
“ I know. Now you can rest
easy knowing you tried to set a wrong right.” How many times had
they had this same conversation? At least a dozen after her mother
died and before he had decided to travel. Drake hadn’t believed a
marriage between them would be so bad but she was wiser in pointing
out their feelings for the other. In order to prove her wrong Drake
had actually kissed her once. That had been a miserable failure
that provided no pleasure for either of them. It was more awkward
than anything else
“ Why don’t you tell Bentley
the truth about Jamie?”
Elle shook her head. “He doesn’t
deserve the truth since he didn’t bother to seek it in the first
place.”
“ There are reasons he may
have formed the decision he did, Elle. I have known him since we
were at Eton.”
“ It makes no difference and
I would ask you tell him nothing. He has judged me so let his
verdict stand. I don’t care one way or the other what he thinks of
me.”
“ Very well, but I think you
are wrong.”
*
Adam Culver joined Drake and Clay that
evening for a game of billiards. He was another close friend of
Drakes’ that Clay had not met.
He was much younger. The man couldn’t
have been above twenty years. Clayton wanted to broach the subject
of Miss Westin to Drake, but struggled to find the words and ask
the delicate questions. And he certainly could not do that now with
Culver present.
“ Have you been to see Elle
since your
Similar Books
