This wasn’t an enemy in the midst of a battle. Nor a serviceman used to resorting to his fists when tempers got high on a long voyage. He was a toad. An odious gentleman who’d given insult to Hannah, nothing more. MacPherson was quite beneath him.
“I’m sorry,” Eli said quickly, stepping back to let him free. “You shouldn’t grab a man from behind like that.”
MacPherson staggered to one side, adjusting his waistcoat with trembling hands, and edged toward the door, all without taking his eyes off Eli. Only once he was nearly at his escape did he turn and run. A high-pitched shriek from outside indicated that he’d collided with some lady on her way to apply more powder.
“Steady there?” Hal was watching him with concern.
Eli drew a long breath. He might have been almost as shaken as MacPherson. He’d intended a stern lecture, not to use brute force on the man. Only it had set off something he’d been pushing away, to find himself held back that way. Just like when the pirates clapped irons on his wrists.
“A good thing we weren’t dueling,” Eli said lightly. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man run so fast except on a cricket pitch.” He adjusted his cravat to give himself somewhere else to look.
It was no matter. MacPherson hadn’t been hurt. He was sure to leave the fête now, and with a bit of luck, Eli might never see him again. Nothing had happened, really.
Hal cleared his throat, not quite looking at Eli as he spoke. “You know, I had a bit of trouble getting back into my old life when I first came home. Not just my hand. It felt strange to be doing ordinary things again.”
Strange didn’t describe the half of it. He seemed to be out of step with everyone, never quite at peace.
“It gets easier with time,” Hal assured him.
He hoped so.
Where is Eli?
Jane was so nervous awaiting their dance, she barely remembered to smile at her other partners.
She didn’t know why she was overset. Nothing extraordinary would happen once he appeared. A little conversation, that’s all.
But she felt the lie in her own thoughts. An unmarried lady couldn’t have a conversation about going back to an empty house with a gentleman for an evening of lovemaking. The only acceptable response was to be horrified by the suggestion. Having failed in that, she’d already crossed a line.
The next dance had started by now. Eli was late. Though she knew he wanted to see her, Jane suffered pangs of doubt. What if he’d changed his mind? She’d made a fool of herself for nothing.
But a moment later, Eli hurried to her side, his hair a bit disheveled.
“I’m so sorry. Is it too late?”
“No, they’ve only just started.”
As they rushed to take their place, Jane was acutely aware of Eli’s hand upon her waist, and of how he loomed over her when they were so close. Though Jane was only a little smaller than average, she felt tiny beside the broad expanse of his shoulders.
“You have questions,” he prompted.
“If—” She stopped herself, her whole body trembling. She couldn’t do it. But he was looking at her so intently, his brows drawn together in a slight furrow, waiting on her signal. The hunger inhis eyes pulled the rest of the words out. “If I said yes, what would we…do?”
She was lost already. The question was only one step from a concession, and they both knew it.
Eli swallowed.
“Anything you want, and nothing that you don’t.” The ghost of a smile played across his lips, torn between amusement and longing. “It is Ladies’ Day, after all.”
Oh dear. He was already good looking. This was simply too much.
“I need you to be more specific than that.”
“More…?” Eli cast a glance around the floor to the other couples. “You must enjoy having me at your mercy, but I don’t think I can pretend we’re talking about a picnic this time.”
“I…want to know exactly what I’m getting myself into before I agree to it,” she explained. “I don’t normally do this sort of thing. If you want me to trust you with my reputation and my person for the rest of the evening, I need the expectations to be clear from the outset.”
“Oh.” Eli seemed to relax a bit. “I suppose that’s fair. But I meant what I said. If you let me take you back to the house, it will be your pleasure tonight. Anything you want.”
