Josiah Lacey entered the office with Lucinda Barclay-Fiennes and the solicitor. Introductions were made, and Pandora’s real name was revealed with the express requirement that it not be disclosed to anyone outside the room, except for Margot.
They set to negotiating the agreement for Pandora’s book. She also agreed to provide them with the first evaluation of her next manuscript whenever it was ready. Ellis was delighted to hear she was going to write another book.
Ellis did her best to take notes during the discussion, but her mind was still churning with thoughts of Min and her other friends. She would love to see them all, including Min and Jo, but she was safe in her current situation.
What did safe mean? It meant she couldn’t be hurt again.
Ellis refocused her attention on the meeting and was grateful when it ended. Pandora left with her aunt and the solicitor, and Ellis and Keele departed soon after that. Ellis expected he would query her about Pandora when they were in the coach, and she was not wrong.
“Is Ellis really a family name?” he asked, surprising her with that question instead of something about Pandora or their friendship.
“Yes.”
“I don’t suppose you’ll tell me your surname?”
She shook her head.
Keele exhaled. “Once I heard Miss Barclay’s real name, I vaguely recalled the scandal about her. It involved Banemore, didn’t it?”
“Yes. He led her to believe that he cared for her and wanted to marry.” Ellis struggled to keep the derision from her voice. Bane had utterly ruined Pandora, who’d made the mistake of falling in love and tossing her sense out the window. “When they were caught in a compromising position, he fled and married someone else.”
“Ah, yes,” Keele said with a grimace. “I remember now. He is no longer married.”
There was a sadness in his voice as he said that. “I know he is widowed,” Ellis said. Was Keele thinking of his own widowed state? Did he miss his wife? “Are you and he friendly?”
“Not anymore. We used to be somewhat close.” His gaze was focused on the window, and his shoulder twitched. Ellis sensed a discomfort within him. “That was before I became the marquess.” He turned his attention to her, his gray eyes smoldering in the afternoon light that cut through the coach from the window. “I overheard what Miss Barclay said to you about visiting her at Wellesbourne House. My ears pricked because I wondered what her association with Wellesbourne could be, but once I learned her real name, it made sense. Wellesbourne is her brother-in-law. Why don’t you want to visit her and your friends?”
“Because I’m in hiding, or did you forget?” Ellis snapped. She realized she sounded waspish, but she didn’t care. She didn’t need or want him meddling in her personal affairs.
“I’m sure we could find a way to keep your visit secret. Unless you’re hiding from them?”
“Just because I’ve shared a secret with you doesn’t mean I’m going to divulge all of them. I don’t want to see anyone. Besides, I don’t have time,” she added firmly. “I have a job with little time to myself, remember?”
“I would give you more time,” he offered in a quiet but steely tone. “It’s becoming clear to me that you are far from ‘no one.’ You have connections to some very influential people.”
“I don’t want more time. I want to work. Please stop prying into my personal life. None of this is your business.” Ellis turned her head away and even angled her body toward the window. She fixed her gaze outside but didn’t really see anything.
She could feel him looking at her, probably judging her and thinking she was silly to be hiding herself away from such “influential” people. But he didn’t know the truth. He didn’t know that she’d been lied to her entire life and that she’d been subjected to the cruelty of her own mother, who felt nothing but contempt for Ellis.
Someday, she would accept that and be able to move on. At least, she hoped so. She still had so much anger. And hurt. She truly did just want to focus on her work. It was challenging and kept her mind occupied. That was far preferable to what she was doing now—thinking too much about things she couldn’t control.
Except she could try to regain some happiness or release some of her fury. She could do that by seeing and spending time with people who cared for her. Min. Pandora. Their other friends.
Keele.
Ellis blinked. He was not one of those people. He scarcely knew her. He didn’t even know her full name. And yet, he’d demonstrated his support for her disguise and had pledged to keep her secret. He’d also offered to help her see her friends. If that wasn’t someone who cared for her, what was it?
Had she been too hurt that she could no longer see the goodness in people? She hoped that wasn’t the case. Her mother had done enough damage. Perhaps Ellis shouldn’t allow her to inflict any more.
She glanced toward Keele. He’d leaned his head back against the squab and closed his eyes. She doubted he was sleeping, but he appeared relaxed. He seemed far less intense without the steel gray of his eyes flashing with intensity. Part of the reason she enjoyed her work so much was his passion for it. She’d never met anyone who worked as hard or as diligently as he did. He’d made astonishing progress in improving his family’s fortunes in a relatively short time. But she could see he was driven to keep pushing for more.
She recalled what he’d said about being closer to Bane before he’d become marquess and decided she could ask him questions since he’d poked his nose into her business. She knew he’d inherited the marquessate about five years ago. “You said you knew Bane before. Were you part of that group of rogues?”
Keele’s lids parted and revealed his storm-gray eyes. They pierced into Ellis with an intensity that sent another shiver up her spine. It was still pleasant. Perhaps even exciting.
“Rogues?” he asked.
“Bane’s reputation is that of a scoundrel, as were those of his friends.”
