Eleanor.
He knew her silhouette as he knew his reflection in themirror. After all, she was the woman he’d spent a few years of his life loving.She turned when she heard his footsteps approaching, a welcoming smile on herCupid’s bow lips. The time they’d been apart fell away for a moment. He almostcrossed the room and took her into his arms as he’d done so many times before.
But he did not. Time and undone secrets had come betweenthem. He had not forgotten Nell’s revelation and what it meant for him, for thewoman he’d once professed to love. He stopped, body rigid with tension, andfixed her with a cutting stare. She flinched, her smile fading. She had beenexpecting a far different welcome, then. What the hell was she doing here? Hehadn’t been prepared for this, for her.
“Why have you come, Lady Billingsley?” he demanded, carefulto keep all traces of emotion from his voice. In truth, he didn’t know what hefelt at seeing her again. Betrayal? Excitement? Hurt? It was likely acombination of all three. But he would not show her a hint of weakness.
“I’ve left Billingsley,” she said simply.
A few months before, the words would have been enough. Nowthey left him feeling oddly emotionless. “You’ve left him,” he repeated slowly,his mind fumbling to comprehend the meaning of her revelation for him. Much hadchanged. He thought of Maggie. What did he feel for her? Not love, certainly.But something. Thoughts of what Eleanor had done swirled through his mind,questions he needed to ask her. But he wasn’t even certain if her betrayal withLord Needham mattered any longer. Or ifsheeven mattered any longer.
She crossed the polished floor, her heels clicking, untilshe reached him. An expectant expression transformed her undeniably beautifulface. “I cannot live without you, Simon. I tried. I tried to do my duty to hislordship.”
Thoughts of her husband, the bulbous-nosed Earl ofBillingsley, sweating and straining over her to produce an heir, made him ill.She’d made her choice, duty over love. All too often in their world, dutytrumped all else. Somehow, he’d expected a different outcome with Eleanor. Shehad proved him horridly wrong. “I wish to God you had never tried at all,” hetold her honestly before he could stop himself.
But she had, and her sudden appearance in his drawing roomcould not alter that fact.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her lower lip trembling in thatway of hers that once infallibly brought him to his knees. “You know what abeast he is, Sandy. I had no choice.”
He stiffened at her use of the diminutive only she had evercalled him. It took him back to when he had loved her. But had he every trulyknown her? He couldn’t be sure any longer. “You betrayed me, Eleanor.”
“Never,” she denied, appearing a very sad, small figure tohim suddenly. “I would never betray you.”
But he knew differently. “What of Lord Needham?”
She grew pale, her entire form going utterly still. “What ofhim?”
He almost pitied her. But not quite. “Nell told me. Youneedn’t lie.”
“It was a very long time ago, Sandy, and a dreadful mistake.We were both in our cups. It never meant anything. You remain the only man I’veever loved, the only man I shall ever love as long as I live.”
Simon was gratified that she at least deigned to acknowledgethe truth, however she attempted to minimize it. He would have thought shemight prevaricate further. Even so, he couldn’t allow her to simply reappear inhis drawing room as though she hadn’t abruptly told him to go to the devil.Still, he had to admit that his heart was not yet dead. Her words of loveaffected him, however much he wished they did not.
“What of now? We were sworn to one another,” he remindedher. “I promised to keep my wife in name only just as you promised you wouldnever again go to your marriage bed.”
Her blue eyes pleaded with his. “Billingsley gave me noother option. I did not want to tell you, but he has raised his hand againstme.”
He couldn’t help it. Her words brought a rush of instinctiverage thrashing through him. He caught her elbow. “What did you say?”
“My husband prefers to hit me rather than bed me,” Eleanorsaid, her dainty hands landing upon his chest as if they were a pair ofbutterflies. “I could not suffer him any longer, Sandy. I thought I could, butI’m no match for his fists.”
Fists. Rage skewered him. His hands went to her wasp waistas they had so many times before, finding their familiar home. Perhaps Nell hadbeen wrong in her gossip, for Eleanor didn’t feelenceintein theslightest to him. She was trim as ever. He searched her gaze, hoping she lied.“Tell me that bastard didn’t hit you.”
A sob rose in her throat but she seemed to stifle it, bitingher lip. “I cannot. He caused me to lose my babe.”
“I’ll kill him,” he vowed, anger a wave overtaking him,threatening to bring him to his knees.
“No.” Eleanor reached up to cup his jaw. “You mustn’t. I’veleft him for good now, and that is all that matters.”
“Simon?”
Christ. The lilting feminine tone with its undeniableAmerican accent belonged to Maggie. He released Eleanor and turned to face hiswife. She stood in the door, looking characteristically magnificent in a daygown of navy silk that complemented her alabaster skin to perfection. Her flamecurls were caught up in an elaborate coiffure that rendered her ordinaryelegance utterly striking. A stab of lust went straight to his cock. It didn’tescape his notice that it was Maggie who aroused him, Maggie he wanted with aferocity that still shook him. His physical reaction to Eleanor had been farmore tame. Confused, even. His heart, however, was another matter, laden witheven more confusion. Belatedly, it occurred to him that Maggie appearedshocked. Hell, he couldn’t blame her. She had just walked in on him in anintimate embrace with an old paramour.
But was Eleanor an old paramour? The question ate at himwith an aching persistence. She had to be, yet how could she be? Now that shewas back, it was almost as if she had never gone. He shoved the unworthythought from his mind, unable to grapple with the complex implications of thescene before him.
“Who is she?” Eleanor demanded of him in a near hiss at hisback.
He met Maggie’s gaze, all too aware of the hurt he read inthe violet depths. Suddenly, she raised her chin, her countenance taking on aformidable air he’d never before seen.
