Yet oddly enough, he wanted to hear everything Eliza had to say.
“Don’t you agree, Your Grace?” Lady Alice asked.
He searched his memory but had no idea to what she referred. Hoping for assistance, he glanced at Eliza, wondering if she could read his mind.
“From what I understand,” Eliza said, “the fact that Sir John collected these items allowed them to be preserved rather than destroyed. Perhaps at some point in the future, some of the artifacts can be returned to the region they were found.”
Philip nodded and told himself to thank Eliza for her assistance later. “It’s certainly not ideal to remove artifacts from a country. However, during periods of turmoil, it can serve to preserve them in addition to allowing others to learn about that particular culture.”
He looked to where Lady Charlotte stood on the opposite side of the room and saw that she was speaking with her other sister. A pointed look in his direction suggested the eldest Graham sister was directing Lady Constance to join them as well.
Pressure tightened his chest, making it difficult to draw a proper breath. It was too much. He couldn’t do it.
Before he could think twice, he said, “Lady Eliza, I do believe your brother is trying to gain your attention.”
“He is? What a surprise.” Her pleasure almost made him feel guilty. “Where is he?” she asked as she turned to look.
“Allow me to take you to him.” He turned to Lady Alice. “If you’ll please excuse us.”
Without waiting for her reply, he took Eliza’s elbow and marched her out the door and down the hallway, as far away from the Graham sisters as he could go. He was willing to deal with any consequences later if needed.
He suddenly remembered her previous words. That sometimes, following one’s instinct—or heart—went against logic. Hadn’t he done just that when he’d escorted her out of the exhibit room? Perhaps Eliza had more to teach him than he’d realized.
Chapter Fifteen
“Whereishe?”Elizaasked, glancing toward the people wandering through the other exhibit rooms as Philip guided her past them with his hand on her elbow. “He said he wasn’t coming this evening.”
“Shh.”
The hiss in her ear had her looking at Philip in question. Never mind the shiver it sent along her skin. In a few moments, they were at the end of the hallway, which was dark since the doors along the corridor were closed. Clearly, no exhibits were in this area and no other guests were either.
Why were they?
Philip didn’t look at her but kept walking then opened the second to the last door on the left as if he knew exactly what he was about.
The room was dark, cool, and very quiet.
Eliza halted, unable to see anything in the inky darkness. “Philip?”
“A moment, if you please. Stay right there.” He moved past her only to bump into something. “Ouch.”
Her eyes were slowly adjusting, and she could make out the shape of furniture.
Philip continued forward and drew back one of the drapes, allowing in a stream of moonlight. “I thought I remembered a small sitting room was here,” he murmured as he turned to view the space. “Oscar and I visited several years ago.”
He made his way to a table, and she heard the sound of a match being struck. The small flame revealed his features as he lit a candlewick, the warm glow of the candle further lighting the room.
“What are we doing in here?” Eliza whispered. “You didn’t see Winston, did you?”
“No, I didn’t. Forgive my ruse.” He adjusted the candleholder on the table. “I needed a moment without one of the Graham sisters staring at me.”
“Oh.” Disappointment welled within her. For a moment, she’d thought he’d wanted time with her. But of course, that wasn’t the case. “How terrible it must be to have them vying for your attention.” She hoped her tone sounded sincere and didn’t reveal her disappointment.
“It’s not terrible. Just trying at times.” He ran a hand over the back of his neck as if to ease the tension there. “Oscar was much better at all of this than I will ever be.”
Eliza hesitated, uncertain what to say as she walked slowly toward him. “It must be difficult to adjust to the changes in your life and your future while still grieving.”
“It is.”
