Page 12 of The Duke’s Ultimatum (Unrelenting Lords #1)

CHAPTER 12

“ Y ou’re trying to make me look like a fool.” The Duke stomped over to the refreshment cart and poured himself a glass of water.

Eleanor watched the temper tantrum from across the room where she was nursing her foot. The Duke’s boot slammed down on it during their many attempts at dancing.

“I assure you, Your Grace, my intention is not to make you look like anything other than someone who knows how to dance. My character, and my feet, allow for nothing less.”

The Duke’s head snapped back to where Eleanor sat.

“Was that a jibe at my ability to dance?” he asked while pointing at her rubbing her foot.

Eleanor sighed and limped back to the center of the room. “It was not.”

Graynor’s eyes darkened.

“Fine. It may have been a slight jab in regard to your abilities, but you really are coming along. Come now, let’s try again.”

The Duke stayed where he was, his hands on his hips, his eyes focused on the floor.

And they say women are emotional.

“Your Grace?” Eleanor softened her voice as she approached him. She reached out and took his hand. “I am sorry if I made you feel your dancing has not improved.”

He looked at the connection of their hands then up to her eyes. “Why do I need to dance? I’m not looking for a husband. Or a wife. You need to dance. I need to make connections with fathers.”

Eleanor smiled. “Ah, don’t you realize the real power is with the wives, the mothers,” she said with a sparkle in her eyes. “They’re the ones working their magic behind the scenes. Dance with one of the mothers and win her over, and she’ll hand you the deed to their land before her husband even knows you danced with her.”

A dark eyebrow lifted at her idea. “Won’t that create a scandal? A rakish duke cozying up to the mamas of the ton in exchange for their sons.”

Eleanor led him back to the middle of the floor. She lifted a shoulder. “People have survived worse scandals.” She added a wink for emphasis.

Graynor smiled. “You continue to surprise me, Eleanor. Just when I think you couldn’t be more prim and proper, you show a side that is downright wicked.”

Heat bloomed across her cheeks, and her stomach flipped at his words.

She fluttered her eye lashes. “It’s all a part of the game, remember? At my age, I have become a professional socialite.”

“Of that, I have no doubt.” Graynor dropped his head back and stared at the ceiling. “Now, where we were?”

Eleanor smiled. He was acting like an impish scamp, and she couldn’t help but find it endearing. She had come to see a different side to him over the past few days of working with him. Sure, he was still as formidable as ever, but every once and awhile, he seemed to let down his walls to let her see the man behind the business.

She hated to admit it, but she rather liked that in a man.

“We were working on the waltz when you forgot to move forward with your left foot, so you stepped on my right foot. Rather hard.”

Graynor winced. “I am sorry for that. I haven’t had much use for dancing in the business world.”

Eleanor stepped into his space and placed a hand on his shoulder. She took his other hand in hers and looked up at him. “I would think with your success and network of contacts, you would have been invited to many parties and balls.”

“I have been. Doesn’t mean I danced at them. I was mostly in back rooms or studies finalizing deals.”

His blue eyes looked down into hers, and Eleanor felt a thrill rush down her spine. What would it be like to be able to look into those eyes for the rest of her life?

“What is it?”

Eleanor’s thoughts cleared. “Hmm?”

Graynor dipped his head. “Just now, you were looking at me… in a certain way.”

Eleanor’s eyes widened in horror. “I have no idea what you are talking about.” She inwardly cringed at how fast the words rushed out.

To his credit, Graynor only smiled and didn’t push for more. “I see. Well,” he lifted their hands, “should we get this over with?”

He began to move them around in a tight little square as she counted the steps out loud.

Eleanor couldn’t help but notice how nicely their bodies lined up against each other. He was tall, but not so tall that her arm that rested on his shoulder was reaching.

The hand she was holding tightened around hers. She looked up into his eyes and saw the concentration in them.

“You’re doing fine, Your Grace.”

Graynor’s shoulders released under her touch, and she felt a certain thrill of him following her instructions.

Eleanor continued to count the dance steps when she felt a small movement against her hip. The Duke’s thumb was counting the steps along with her instruction. Each little thump went straight to her core. Suddenly, she became very aware of how close their bodies actually were. Her thoughts started to run away from her. She couldn’t help but think of his hands touching other parts of her body.

She needed to get her thoughts back on track.

“Relax your shoulders, you’re very stiff,” she instructed.

A devilish grin widened on Graynor’s face. “Yes, it seems to be a problem I’ve been having lately.”

Eleanor, puzzled, looked up at Graynor. “Are you ill? I know after a restless night, I often wake with a sore neck. A warm compress always helps me. Shall I ring for one?”

Graynor laughed, the joy in it echoing off the walls in the parlor. “No, I promise my neck is fine. Although, I have been having restless nights lately.”

“Is everything adequate with your room?”

Graynor rolled his lips, trying to hide his smile. A frustrating habit she had noticed he had been doing more within the last few days.

“What is so funny, Your Grace?” She pulled out of his arms and stepped back.

“Nothing at all. Why did you stop?”

Eleanor huffed and crossed her arms in front of her. “Because I feel like you have some sort of inside joke that I am not privy to, and I fear it is at my own cost, and it’s unsettling.”

Once again, the Duke tried to hide his smile. Only this time, he failed, and chuckles erupted out of him.

Fed up, Eleanor turned and started towards the door. She was done with his foolery and refused to stand there and be the subject of his mirth.

Graynor reached out and grabbed her arm before she got too far.

“Hold on—wait a minute. Come back.” He turned her, so she was back to facing him. He placed his hands on shoulders, so she couldn’t move. “I’m sorry. Truly, I was not making fun of you in any respect. It’s just I forget sometimes.”

“Forget what?”

“Your age,” he said plainly.

Eleanor had no idea what he was talking about, and she was getting annoyed again. He must have picked up on her aggravation because he tightened his grip on her shoulders.

“And how innocent you are.”

Eleanor scowled. “Innocent? What does my innocence have to do with you being stiff and having restless nights?”

Derek bit his bottom lip and furrowed his brows in concentration. “I’m not sure how to put this delicately, but when a woman affects a man in a certain way, he may have a restless night if nothing comes of their dalliance.” Derek squinted up to the ceiling. “I would assume it is the same for the woman as well.”

Each word was enunciated with painful facial expressions. If Eleanor wasn’t concentrating on understanding what he was saying, she would have found the whole thing comical.

Eleanor stood still, not fully comprehending what he was talking about. Feeling that she was woefully inexperienced with the subject matter, she shrugged off his hold. She was not so naive to have no idea of what he was alluding to, however. She did, after all, watch such a dalliance between the Duke and the widow in the library at their ball.

Her hands fluttered up in between them. “You know what? It no longer matters. I take you at your word that you meant me no disrespect. But please remember, it is rude to behave in such a way that leaves your company feeling laughed at.”

Graynor nodded his head solemnly and laid his hand over his heart. “It is with great regret that I have offended you in such a way. Will you forgive me?” The scamp had the audacity to act as if he were the injured party.

Eleanor looked away, looking for a way out of this particular conversation.

“Why we don’t move to the dining room. It is almost time for lunch, and we can review table etiquette.”

Graynor motioned her to go first. “After you.”

Eleanor canted her head and walked out of the room. Her mind was reeling from how their dance lesson ended. She still felt unsettled. He was obviously talking about the more delicate interactions between a man and woman, and the fact he brought her innocence left her embarrassed.

He must think me a child.

Eleanor bit her trembling lip. She wanted to come up with an excuse not to continue their lesson. Her head and stomach were spinning, leaving her light-headed. She misstepped and stumbled.

Graynor’s arms reached out from behind her, caught her waist, and pulled her back. Her body slammed against his.

“Are you all right, Eleanor?”

She closed her eyes, thankful that she was facing away from him. Not only was she woefully aware of her naiveté around him, but now she was clumsy as well.

“Yes, I must’ve caught my foot on the hem of my dress. All is well.”

She went to take a step away from him when his fingers pressed against her waist. His body leaned into hers, causing all the noise in her head to settle. She had a moment to consider how unfair it was that her body reacted to his before she gave into the blissful quiet that surrounded her.

Eleanor’s body instinctively leaned back into his.

“Are you sure? We can pick this up later if you need to rest.” His voice was soft and low in her ear. His words vibrated along her neck, causing her to shiver with excitement. She sucked in her lip and bit.

She nodded slowly, not wanting to break the spell that fell over them.

“I could carry you up to your room like I did at our first meeting.” Eleanor could hear the smile in his voice. He was being kind and a bit flirtatious, but she knew he meant no harm. She’s heard the stories, and she had been around him often enough now that she could tell he was a man of many sides—one of them being flirtatious when the mood strikes.

Like now.

Eleanor regained her posture and turned towards him.

“I think being carried once is enough. I’m still quite embarrassed by that.” Her eyes dropped, concentrating on a button on his shirt. She couldn’t bring herself to look up into those blue eyes that had captivated her daydreams.

Graynor smiled. “I don’t know, having a beautiful woman faint at your feet was the best, and most memorable, way I’ve ever been welcomed. I take it as the honor that it was.”

Eleanor shoved his shoulder. “I told you my corset was too tight! If I had known how much of a brute you were, I assure you I would not have fainted.”

The Duke folded his arms across his broad chest. “Oh? And what would you have done, Lady Eleanor?”

Eleanor took a moment to consider her answer. “No. I’m not going to tell you.”

Graynor laughed. “And why is that?”

Eleanor smiled widely. She liked this more playful side of him. “Because I may have to use it in the future and I’d rather keep you on your toes around me, Your Grace.”

The energy around them changed immediately. The Duke’s eyes darkened as his hands pulled her in closer. “I’m always on my toes around you, Eleanor. More so than anyone else. It is unsettling for someone like me to be so unsure around someone like you.”

He blinked and relaxed his shoulders. “I’m not used to not knowing where I stand.”

Eleanor considered him. “You know where you stand with me. I thought we put our differences aside already?”

Graynor looked over her shoulder and took a deep breath and nodded. “We did. But there seems to be more to our relationship than just Duke and ward.” His eyes connected with hers.

Eleanor swallowed, both wanting to understand and not understand what he was insinuating.

“We are friends,” she stated plainly.

He nodded slowly. He looked defeated which left Eleanor feeling confused. His hands left her waist. “I think I’ve had enough for one day, Eleanor. I actually have some paperwork to do before my meeting with William tomorrow. I should go prepare for that. Perhaps we can pick this up tomorrow afternoon?”

Eleanor nodded in agreement. “I understand.”

Graynor turned to walk to his study.

Eleanor found herself reaching her hand out before she realized what she was doing. “Your Grace?”

He turned at her touch.

“Yes, Eleanor?”

“We are friends, aren’t we?” Her voice was quiet and curious. She didn’t know what she wanted his answer to be. If he said “no”, they were right back where they started, at odds with one another, and that wasn’t going to help her or her sisters in the long run.

If he said ‘yes’… well, she couldn’t admit to herself why being just friends with him left her feeling bereft.

“We are,” he said, his voice somber.

She watched as he walked away and closed the study door behind him. She let out a sigh and wrapped her arms around her stomach. She could no longer deny the tingles she felt when she was in his arms dancing or how just one look into his deep blue eyes could calm her racing mind.

It was foolish of her to think he would be interested in her or that he would even entertain the thought of being interested in her. Eleanor turned and made her way to her room.

Her mind travelled to the night in the library when she caught him with the widow. Perhaps he was used to a certain type of woman and being friends with one wasn’t something he was used to? Or perhaps he was expecting a one-time thing from her?

The thought both excited and terrified her. One, she wasn’t that kind of lady, and two, she didn’t know if she could handle giving herself to someone who only wanted a night.

As she sat down at her dresser, she took a good long look at her reflection. “Come on, Eleanor. Call it what it is, a silly girlhood crush. That’s all. You’re a woman now. You have a decent prospect with Simon Hawkins, and that is where your energy should be focused.”

Eleanor smoothed out some loose hair and took a deep breath, willing all the tension and confusion to leave her body when she pushed out the air.

“Just a silly crush. Nothing more.”

Eleanor blew out another breath. She could say it all she wanted. She had a sneaking suspicion she was lying to herself.