Page 15 of Seven Days with her Duke (Hearts of Whitmores #3)

CHAPTER 15

“ S o is he charming?”

Eleanor glanced away from the window and turned to look at her maid who was studiously avoiding her gaze while bringing out a favorite bonnet.

“Charming?” she echoed.

“Yes, my lady. The duke, is he charming? I thought you said he is charming.”

Did I? What a fool I was. But that is the problem, isn’t it? Dominic is charming. He’s terribly charming in the worst of ways. He makes me believe like anything is possible. He makes me believe like I am special. And then, every time, he tries to ruin it with a jest or something awful. Like a boating accident. What an absolute scoundrel.

“Charmingly dreadful,” Eleanor said at last, moving across the room to accept the bonnet. “Thank you, my dear.”

“Titled lords or no, I believe all men are the same. They’re simple-minded no matter how witty they may pretend to be,” the young woman said with a tap on her nose. “We can never listen to what they say but what they don’t.”

“I didn’t take you for a riddler,” Eleanor said mildly.

Shaking her head, Rachel said, “It’s something my mother always used to tell me. She said it’s easier to adore than to trust but the effort in a relationship is worth it.”

Eleanor blinked at her. “What relationship?”

Wide eyes were her only answer. There was a knock at the door and they turned. Rachel went and heard whisperings before turning.

“The duke,” she announced with a knowing smile, “is here.”

Turning her head back toward the window, for she’d been glancing out it most of the morning after telling Dominic yesterday she didn’t wish for any entertainment, Eleanor frowned. She hastened back to the curtains to take a peek. No one had been there a moment ago. It wasn’t possible. Even now she didn’t see anything.

How could he have come in the single moment she didn’t look?

What a dreadful man he is. I told him I wished for no company. And I reassured him I was well and needed know physician. What on earth is he doing here now?

Eleanor considered sending Dominic away. The house party had fractured something between them, she was certain. He’d been so out of sorts there. Curt and obnoxious; he’d bullied his friend and teased her when she wished to be serious. Then they had wound up in the lake.

A small voice told her he wasn’t the only one to blame.

Oh, do be quiet.

Biting her lip, Eleanor fumbled with the bonnet in her hands. She had meant to go for a ride in her landau. Well, her sister-in-law’s, but it was all the same to them. A ride with fresh hair would surely revive her spirits.

It had been her first proper house party. To her mortification, she’d wound up smelling of dead fish dripping lake water everywhere in the house of people she hardly knew. Perhaps Dominic hadn’t noticed anyone else but she had. They’d been staring. The gossip that London would hear…

“My lady?” Rachel was there, putting a hand on her shoulder. She only did that when Eleanor didn’t reply to her sometimes. “Would you like to sit down?”

“Yes. Yes, I should do that.” Eleanor moved carefully over to her window seat. Her maid took the bonnet while she dropped her head, closing her eyes to clear her mind. “What is he doing here?”

Moving close, Rachel hesitated before saying, “I can hardly imagine his excuse. I’ll have the butler remove him. Then you can enjoy that ride like you wanted. If you want it. My lady, do you still wish to ride?”

A new voice made them jump. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

Eleanor came to her feet as his voice sounded at the closed door. She pursed her lips before speaking. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“Why not?”

“Because––”

“I can’t hear you.”

Huffing, Eleanor felt irritation flood through her. Never had she known such an irascible man. She yanked the door open. “You are impossible,” she announced. “You didn’t even give me an opportunity to answer.”

Already he leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed. The man practically hovered over her. She had to take a step back at the sight of him so close.

Dominic was clean and well-tailored. Of course he was, because he always was. Except for yesterday when they’d been tossed into the lake.

That was a moment she wanted to forget. Except she couldn’t. There was no forgetting the way his hair curled more in the wet. How his clothes clung to him even tighter. And in particular, the way he had carried her all the way to the house. She couldn’t stop thinking about his strength.

It had consumed her for their entire ride back to London. Dominic had ridden a horse instead of joining her in the carriage, leaving her to her devices. And most of that had been consumed with exhaustion, anxiety, and a fair bit of reminiscing of how it felt to be carried by such a strong man.

I must be going mad.

But the beating of her heart always told the truth, much as Eleanor wished to deny it. There was something special about Dominic. And the way she felt for him was different than anything she had ever known. Too worried to put a name to it, she attempted to lob the feelings far away.

She probably could, she mused, if he would stay far away.

“You’re looking fresh,” he said when she remained quiet. “And you already have your bonnet out, wonderful. Let’s tie you a pretty bow and take our leave.”

“No.” She watched as he relaxed and moved back into the hall. “I told you I wanted a quiet day without any events.”

The smile he gave her was pure mischief. She caught a whiff of his bergamot smell. It took her back to their childhood, to the days of her watching how he and Nicholas were always getting into trouble. And always leaving her behind.

“We’re not attending any events. Merely activities.”

Reluctance settled heavy on her shoulders as she sighed. “I believe they would qualify as the same concept, Dominic. I’m tired. The house party––”

His smile faded. “Was a failure, and I take full responsibility. I am sorry, darling. You must know that.” She glanced back at Rachel who could hear everything though she pretended not to. They had several trusted old servants who would never share gossip from their house. But half of their household, like Rachel, were fairly new. Still, Dominic went on. “I must make it up to you. It’s the only way to clear my conscious. To cleanse my soul. Won’t you help me?”

“Help me help you, you mean?”

That smile again. “You understand. Come now. Perhaps I’ll even let you drive,” he added after a heartbeat of quiet. “I want to make it up to you, Eleanor. Today can at least be a start.”

“If you want to count your sins, you will find you have much to atone for,” she pointed out. “The list may never stop.”

“Which is why my list starts and stops with you.” He met her gaze straight on in a way that made her stomach flutter. It was worse than falling into a pond, she resolved. Because she was drowning in the middle of her bed chamber with a handsome duke staring into her soul.

Eleanor swallowed. “I…”

When she glanced over at her maid, the young girl hastened over and offered her bonnet. “Here you are, my lady.”

It would appear she didn’t have a choice. Resigned, Eleanor sent him a look so he knew she wasn’t entirely happy about this. But the decision had been made for her and she would keep that word.

Down the hall they went, making their way to the mews where there was a carriage and her landau at the ready. Pausing between them, she hesitated. Just because Dominic said something didn’t mean it was true. And besides, what if the landau wouldn’t be the right vehicle for wherever he was taking her?

The man helped her decide. “We’ll start with the landau and bring an extra footman,” he reassured her. “If you get tired of driving, then we’ll use the carriage. How is that?”

“Surprising,” was all Eleanor could say.

It was strange to climb into the landau and wind up with Dominic there. Although they might have done this before, everything was different. Her stomach grew queasy the more she thought about it. About him. But these thoughts and feelings were only going to get her into trouble, she feared, so he attempted to put them away.

“Where are we going?” Eleanor asked, neatly guiding the horses into the street.

Dominic shifted slightly. She could have sworn he did so just to bring their legs closer together. Now they were pressed against one another from hip to ankle. It was hard to pay attention to his answer. “Bond Street.”

He made no following remark when she sent a sharp look his way. That was where everyone completed their shopping. She didn’t need anything. Still, Eleanor found herself relaxing even as she held the reins neatly in hand.

“Stop staring at me,” she said when she felt Dominic’s eyes on her.

“I can’t help it,” he protested. “You glow when you drive. It’s very hard to think on anything else.”

A few more directions were provided until they finally arrived. It was just barely on the corner of Bond Street. She hadn’t been over here for some time, she supposed, while considering the neat row of shops nearby.

“I don’t need anything, you know,” Eleanor muttered.

Taking the reins from her, Dominic handed them to a footman who had trailed behind them with the carriage. “That isn’t what today is about. Today is about what you want. ”

And so he went about with determination to prove this was the case to her. Eleanor hardly knew what to think.

First, he had brought her to a book shop she hadn’t known existed. They sold all sorts of clever books she’d never even heard of. As Dominic insisted on spoiling her, Eleanor realized why he’d had a small retinue of footmen with them. She ordered a good box of books thinking that would show the duke right, and would be quite heavy to take home.

“And now there.”

“There?” Her eyes widened at the sight of an old music shop. “Dominic, I’ve already spent a small fortune on books.”

That only made him smile. “So spend another small fortune on music. I know how much you are about it. Aren’t there any new compositions you should like to learn?”

While Eleanor would have considered them perfect strangers a month ago, that was no longer the case. The two of them knew each other much better than she could comprehend at this point. She knew him and he knew her. There were parts of them that never changed even over the years.

“All right. Lead on,” she agreed to Dominic.

This will not fix everything. I must remember that. He’s just trying to spoil me. And yet, I cannot say it isn’t appreciated. I needed a quality distraction. It isn’t spending the money so much as having so much to look at and think about instead. Clever man probably doesn’t even know what a boon this afternoon is to me.

They went to a glove shop after the music store, and then to a perfumery that made her dizzy in the most delightful way. Her stomach rumbled at one point, so soon Dominic led her to a private corner in a nearby tea shop where they were served countless trays of tiny sandwiches and delicious desserts.

“I cannot eat another bite,” Eleanor moaned when he pushed the last fruit tart in her direction.

A playful smile curled at his lips while his eyes danced with merriment. He’d been perfectly charming all day. It was almost annoying. “You can, darling, you can. I believe in you. Besides, I’ve already eaten far more than my fair share. You must. Decency requires it.”

Tsking, she rolled her eyes. “There is no decency correlated to desserts.”

A low chuckle escaped Dominic as he finally took the fruit tart back and plopped it neatly in his mouth. “Decency is hardly important at a time like this. But I do this for you. You’re welcome.”

There was a dusting of sugar that fluttered over his upper lip in a way that shined in the daylight from the nearby window. Eleanor blinked rapidly at the sight. Warmth flooded through her chest. It wasn’t the sunbeams. No, it was something more. Something better and something worse. Ultimately, this evolved into a final conclusion for her that left her somewhat panicked and moreso amazed.

I don’t understand it. How can I care for him like this? It has only been a week. I’ve been so upset with him for so many years. Why would my heart call to him? My soul feels at peace in his company. And yet I can hardly breathe for I am so deeply drawn to him.