response.
Ellie exhaled, then inhaled, swallowing whatever else she might have said. The moment passed, like a freak thaw in January, and her eyes reverted to ice. “Thank you, my lord. Now if you’ll excuse me, I wish to return to Folkestone. I shan’t waste my last day of freedom with you when I could enjoy my friends instead.”
He kept his hands clenched behind his back, not letting them reach for her. “Enjoy your day, Lady Folkestone.”
“Will you return for dinner, or do you plan to stay in London?” she asked.
Dinner — with all those bloody aristocrats. He would rather dine in hell, but he had found no evidence of a threat on his life in London. The threat, if it existed, may have been born at Folkestone. It was his duty to return.
Even he knew that he was making an excuse to stay close to Ellie. But he didn’t stop himself. “I’ve a bit of business to attend to yet, but I shall return for dinner.”
“Good. My chef would be displeased if he killed the fatted lamb for nothing. He is very French, and very angry when a plan changes. If you don’t come tonight, we will all be eating porridge for a week.”
She grinned at him. For just a moment he saw her at eighteen again, vowing to do anything to charm a laugh from him.
He did reach for her then, but she’d already slid away. His hand dropped as she stepped toward the door.
Then she turned back. “I meant it, Nick, when I said I missed you. Despite everything.”
She was gone before he could reply. He listened to her steps, slow at first, then gaining intensity as she retreated down the hall. She would have every feature firmly in control before any servant saw her, he was sure of it.
Just as sure as he was that he never should have come back from India. He should have stayed there until the sun burned out every emotion, until the monsoon drowned every memory.
Because even though he couldn’t keep her, he wasn’t sure he had the strength to leave her again.
C H A P T E R E L E V E N
“He is insufferable,” Ellie declared. The carriage hit a rut in the frozen road. She reached for a strap to steady herself. “Not a word for ten years, and now he wants to know everything about everyone?”
She’d held her tongue for nearly two hours, but as they neared Folkestone, she finally broke her silence. Lucia didn’t open her eyes. Enclosed carriages always made the maid queasy, but it was too damp for her to ride in the open air with the driver.
At least the maid was more comfortable in the larger Folkestone traveling coach. Ellie had used that as an excuse to steal it from Nick and Marcus, even though she knew she was merely being petty. But if Ellie were to spend two hours stewing over Nick’s return, she would rather do it in luxury than in the smaller coach she’d been forced to take to London that morning.
“I am sure his lordship knows something of the estate,” Lucia said, leaning back into the cushions. “Mr. Claiborne corresponded with him regularly.”
“Marcus can go to the devil and take his brother with him. Every man in every generation of this family has been an oaf — or worse. I suppose I should be grateful that Charles didn’t give me a child. Can you imagine raising a Claiborne male?”
“Your sparkling personality wouldn’t be utterly absent in your offspring, I trust.”
Ellie looked at her maid suspiciously. “Do you count that as a blessing or a curse?”
Lucia's mouth curved the tiniest bit. “I’ll allow that you are preferable to any Claiborne I’ve met.”
Ellie sniffed. “If you weren’t utterly unemployable, I would turn you off and be done with you.”
Her maid’s smile widened, an odd contrast to the sickly green of her face. “You are too kind, my lady.”
“Tell me the truth, Lucia. What should I do about Nick?”
Lucia paused, so long that it seemed she might be sick in earnest. Ellie reached up to pound on the ceiling, but Lucia spoke before she could order a halt.
“Do you
Ellie exhaled, then inhaled, swallowing whatever else she might have said. The moment passed, like a freak thaw in January, and her eyes reverted to ice. “Thank you, my lord. Now if you’ll excuse me, I wish to return to Folkestone. I shan’t waste my last day of freedom with you when I could enjoy my friends instead.”
He kept his hands clenched behind his back, not letting them reach for her. “Enjoy your day, Lady Folkestone.”
“Will you return for dinner, or do you plan to stay in London?” she asked.
Dinner — with all those bloody aristocrats. He would rather dine in hell, but he had found no evidence of a threat on his life in London. The threat, if it existed, may have been born at Folkestone. It was his duty to return.
Even he knew that he was making an excuse to stay close to Ellie. But he didn’t stop himself. “I’ve a bit of business to attend to yet, but I shall return for dinner.”
“Good. My chef would be displeased if he killed the fatted lamb for nothing. He is very French, and very angry when a plan changes. If you don’t come tonight, we will all be eating porridge for a week.”
She grinned at him. For just a moment he saw her at eighteen again, vowing to do anything to charm a laugh from him.
He did reach for her then, but she’d already slid away. His hand dropped as she stepped toward the door.
Then she turned back. “I meant it, Nick, when I said I missed you. Despite everything.”
She was gone before he could reply. He listened to her steps, slow at first, then gaining intensity as she retreated down the hall. She would have every feature firmly in control before any servant saw her, he was sure of it.
Just as sure as he was that he never should have come back from India. He should have stayed there until the sun burned out every emotion, until the monsoon drowned every memory.
Because even though he couldn’t keep her, he wasn’t sure he had the strength to leave her again.
C H A P T E R E L E V E N
“He is insufferable,” Ellie declared. The carriage hit a rut in the frozen road. She reached for a strap to steady herself. “Not a word for ten years, and now he wants to know everything about everyone?”
She’d held her tongue for nearly two hours, but as they neared Folkestone, she finally broke her silence. Lucia didn’t open her eyes. Enclosed carriages always made the maid queasy, but it was too damp for her to ride in the open air with the driver.
At least the maid was more comfortable in the larger Folkestone traveling coach. Ellie had used that as an excuse to steal it from Nick and Marcus, even though she knew she was merely being petty. But if Ellie were to spend two hours stewing over Nick’s return, she would rather do it in luxury than in the smaller coach she’d been forced to take to London that morning.
“I am sure his lordship knows something of the estate,” Lucia said, leaning back into the cushions. “Mr. Claiborne corresponded with him regularly.”
“Marcus can go to the devil and take his brother with him. Every man in every generation of this family has been an oaf — or worse. I suppose I should be grateful that Charles didn’t give me a child. Can you imagine raising a Claiborne male?”
“Your sparkling personality wouldn’t be utterly absent in your offspring, I trust.”
Ellie looked at her maid suspiciously. “Do you count that as a blessing or a curse?”
Lucia's mouth curved the tiniest bit. “I’ll allow that you are preferable to any Claiborne I’ve met.”
Ellie sniffed. “If you weren’t utterly unemployable, I would turn you off and be done with you.”
Her maid’s smile widened, an odd contrast to the sickly green of her face. “You are too kind, my lady.”
“Tell me the truth, Lucia. What should I do about Nick?”
Lucia paused, so long that it seemed she might be sick in earnest. Ellie reached up to pound on the ceiling, but Lucia spoke before she could order a halt.
“Do you
Similar Books
