Eloisa's Adventure (31 page)

It was
wonderful to step outside and take a deep breath of the evening
air. The house was already packed to the rafters yet more and more
people were arriving. It was amazing that anybody managed to dance
at all given that it was impossible to even see through the
crowd.

While
the relative quiet of the garden settled around her, Eloisa took a
moment to gather herself. Her world had just been thrown into
turmoil – again by the news that Simeon was around here somewhere.
She drew in a deep breath and willed her nerves to
settle.

“Hello,
Eloisa.”

Her
heart leapt into her throat at the sound of the husky rumble so
very close to her ear. She whirled around and, in spite of the hurt
that still lingered, instinctively began to smile at him. Delight
suffused her to think that he had sought her out. Unfortunately,
the hideous memory of his coldness toward her the last time she had
seen him stole all trace of her joy.

“Hello,
my lord,” she whispered, and dipped into a curtsey. While she
managed to keep her face a polite mask of indifference, her heart
thundered heavily in her chest.

“How are
you this evening?” Simeon murmured politely. She was paler than he
could remember, and had lost a little weight but she still looked
so incredibly beautiful that she took his breath away.

“I am
fine, thank you for asking,” Eloisa replied woodenly.

She
threw a quick glance toward the door but wasn’t sure whether she
wanted Mr de Lisle to rescue her, or not. It was wonderful to see
Simeon again, but that delight was suffused with pain at the
knowledge of what she had once shared with him, and lost
completely.

Simeon
hated the awkwardness between them. He wanted to shake her and
demand that she talk to him, but he couldn’t bring himself to touch
her. His control was tentative enough as it was. He daren’t do
anything else that would upset her and make the situation any
worse. The last month had been the longest month of his entire
life. Now that she was here, nothing was going to part them ever
again, if only he could find a way past that cold mask of
indifference that didn’t seem to fit her very well.

“How are
you?” Eloisa asked softly. She didn’t want to, but she just had to
ask. He looked so dashing in his suit that it was almost as though
he had stepped out of all of her girlish fantasies and materialised
in front of her. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. The ache
to feel his arms around her again was so strong that she found
herself leaning toward him. It was only the memory of their last
morning together that kept her from touching him.

The
noise of the guests in the room behind them faded into
insignificance as they stared at each other. Awareness settled over
them and, in spite of the world of hurt, fears and doubts that had
drawn them apart, they found themselves drawn together.

“I
didn’t realise you would be here,” she said for want of anything
else to say.

“I am
staying at the castle for the time being. There is an important
project underway,” he replied quietly.

“Oh?”
Eloisa asked politely, curious to say the least. It was on the tip
of her tongue to ask him if he was going to sell the castle still,
but she had to remind herself that such familiarity would be
frowned upon. After all, as far as everyone else was concerned she
didn’t even know Simeon Calversham, and wasn’t of a good enough
acquaintance to talk freely about his personal business.

“Yes,
but I shall be departing for Pendlebury Hall as soon as it is
over.”

“How is
the castle now? Has everything settled down?” She just had to
know.

“It
has,” Simeon acknowledged with a nod. The castle was the last
bloody thing he wanted to talk about but if that was what she felt
comfortable discussing, and then he was prepared to indulge her –
for a little while at least. “Have you not read the
broadsheets?”

“I did.
I am sorry for the chaos he brought to your life.”

“He
didn’t manage to take anything before he was captured,” Simeon
sighed.

“That’s
good then,” Eloisa replied weakly.

She
gasped when the violinist gave the signal for the dancing to begin.
“Oh dear, I have to go and find Mr de Lisle.”

“You
shouldn’t be out here, Eloisa. You are an invited guest this time,”
Simeon reminded her.

“I know,
but there is more space out here,” she replied absently as she
stood on tip-toe to study the crowd for Mr de Lisle or Cissy. “It
is such a crush inside.”

“It is,”
Simeon agreed.

Eloisa
felt the warmth of his breath on her neck. She shivered and turned
to look at him. Was it her imagination, or had he moved closer? She
gulped but couldn’t get her legs to work well enough for her to put
some distance between them.

“I-I
need to find Mr de Lisle,” she repeated dully.

Simeon
shook his head slowly and nodded to the card she had forgotten she
still held. “I am afraid that all of your dances have been taken
this evening. Your card is marked, look.”

He
lifted the card out of her gloved hand but refused to release her
hand, and held it while he showed her what was written on the
card.

Eloisa
studied the neat writing. Lord Pendlebury was written on each and
every line, on both sides. He tucked both into his
pocket.

“I am
afraid that you are already taken,” he murmured softly. He looked
toward the ballroom and nodded toward someone.

Eloisa
followed his gaze just in time to watch Mr de Lisle melt into the
crowd and turned slightly accusing eyes on Simeon.

“You
arranged this?”

He had
the good grace to look not in the least bit sheepish. “I did,” he
declared confidently. “I insist upon being the one who gets to
dance with you at your first official ball.”

Eloisa
gulped. “My first official ball?”

Simeon
smiled and held his arms out as the first strains of music wafted
over them.

“Dance
with me?” he whispered.

She had
little choice but to comply. To refuse him would be churlish;
insulting even, and she couldn’t bring herself to be that rude.
When she stepped forward and felt his warmth press against her, she
tried to edge away to put a more respectable distance between them
only to find herself held firmly against him.

“Simeon,” she whispered a little reluctantly. She glanced
furtively toward the ballroom.

“You
cannot ignore what has happened between us, Eloisa. I won’t allow
it.”

“You
regretted it,” she accused, and felt the salty sting of tears well
when he nodded thoughtfully.

“But not
for the reasons you presume,” he informed her quietly.

“What
other reason could you regret what happened? I am sorry that I
imposed on your good nature.”

“You
didn’t impose,” he replied patiently. He could understand her
annoyance. He could even understand her reluctance to allow him
close again, especially after the callous way he had deposited her
at home. However, he wasn’t prepared to acknowledge, understand, or
accept any continued distance between them now that Renwick was out
of the way, and he was able to offer her a future at
last.

“There
was so much going on Eloisa, and Renwick was an incredible danger
to our lives. I couldn’t risk someone so precious to me being hurt
by him.”

She
gasped and looked up at him. He was so incredibly tall against her
that she felt delicate and refined, but so infinitely protected
that she couldn’t bring herself to force him to remove his hold.
She leaned against him with a familiarity that made them both yearn
for more, and sighed when Simeon tenderly kissed the top of her
head.

“I made
a mistake,” she replied morosely.

“I
concede that we could have timed things a little better, yes, but I
don’t regret what we shared for one second. I never have, nor will
I ever.”

“You
were just so cold the morning after, well, you know,” she began,
but had to stop because her voice thickened to the point that it
came out as nothing more than an unintelligible croak.

“I knew
that I had to let you go, Eloisa, even for a little while, but it
was damned hard to do,” Simeon declared quietly when she continued
to stare absently at his shirt. He dipped his head down so she
would look up at him. “It was a damned wrench to leave you at home
where you would be safe. I compromised you; a lady of fine standing
who deserved considerably more than me. I shouldn’t have touched
you while facing such problems with Renwick. I had to see how much
scandal I was to face before I dragged you into the midst of it. It
wasn’t fair on you, especially given that you had more than enough
shocks to face as it is. This passion that lies between us is
impossible to ignore though. I find you so incredibly desirable
that all sense, logic and reason goes out of the window. You know
that.”

“You
know about my connection to Arthur,” Eloisa stated and watched him
nod.

“Rafael
told me,” he confessed. “I am so very happy for you.”

“Arthur
told us only this evening so it is all a bit of a shock,” she
replied quietly.

“Arthur
and Rafael are both good men,” Simeon assured her.

As he
spoke, he became aware of four sets of curious eyes watching them
through a side window. Their behaviour was so unusual that they
were drawing the attention of the some of the guests at the ball.
However, he daren’t acknowledge Mr de Lisle, Cissy, Rafael, and
Arthur, who were peering out at them, and kept his gaze locked on
Eloisa instead while he fought a smile.

They
appeared to be waiting to see if their scheming would come to
fruition.

Eloisa
caught him smile at something behind her and followed his gaze. She
gasped when she saw the faces pressed against the
window.

“Is that
Arthur?” she whispered incredulously.

He
grinned at her. “Don’t be mad at them, they know how miserable I
have been,” he drawled.

“You
have been miserable?” Eloisa parroted. “They helped?” She turned
slightly accusing eyes on the people in the window.

“Rafael
is my good friend, as you know. He issued the invitations and has
been working with his father on how to get you and Cissy back into
the family. Mr de Lisle has taught you how to dance, and made sure
you were pressured into accepting the odd invitation to the first
ball. Cissy has merely applied added pressure at home to get you to
this one. I wanted them all here because they matter to both of us.
They have all played a very large part in both of our lives
really.” It was the truth. Heaven only knows what he would have
been forced to do if Arthur hadn’t pushed Eloisa into accepting his
invitation.

“Cissy
knew you were going to be here?” Eloisa gasped and shook her head
in disbelief. “That’s why she wanted to come to the ball, and was
so enthusiastic about attending something she would otherwise have
wanted to avoid.”

Simeon
nodded. “They want to see us together, darling. That’s all. I have
already discussed our association with Arthur and Rafael. They know
my intentions are entirely honourable.”

Eloisa
looked doubtfully at him for a moment. “You barely spoke to me on
that last morning,” she accused. A world of hurt was in her eyes
when she looked at him.

He
realised then just how much damage he had done to their fledgling
relationship and cursed himself for being a fool. He knew now that
he should have kept her with him.

“I was
struggling to decide whether I should let you go, even to protect
your life. When my friend arrived, I took him to the folly with me
to fetch Renwick, but my cousin had vanished while we were asleep.
I suspected that he was running around on the estate somewhere, and
was undoubtedly vengeful given the ferocity of our fight. I
couldn’t allow you to be hurt. I knew that I had to get you home so
I was free to concentrate on finding Renwick. Dropping you off at
home though was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Now that
he is out of our lives, and the worst of the censure is over, I can
assure you that your name won’t be dragged into moral turpitude by
being connected to mine.”

“Being
connected to me will bring scandal upon your family name,” she said
ruefully.

He
leaned back to frown at her. “Why should it?”

“Well, I
don’t have a title, or anything,” she replied with a
shrug.

“I don’t
think you are required to have one, are you?” Simeon murmured
thoughtfully. “I mean, you will get one once we are married but
until then, you shall remain Miss Eloisa Delaney. You are Rafael’s
cousin and Arthur’s nieces. That makes you two of the most well
connected members of high society.”

“Once we
are married?” Eloisa whispered, unable to believe what she had just
heard.

Simeon’s
lips twitched when he saw Mr de Lisle stumble sideways only to be
helped upright by Cissy, who quite obviously chided him for
distracting them from their viewing.