“Yes, I’m sure that would be quite the accomplishment.” Vincent scratched his chin. “I’m sure everything else you do seems not as important.”
“Those are the very words I would use.”
Feeling more in control, Vincent set his glass down and walked to a chair, running his hand across the back before sitting in the cushioned seat. “I would assume,” he continued, “that returning to a normal life would be quite boring.”
Lord Calvin shrugged one shoulder. “Perhaps a little.”
Vincent crossed one leg over the other as he tapped his fingers impatiently on the armrest of the chair. “So tell me, why did you come to see me?”
“Can’t a friend see another? It’s been three years, but I still consider you a trusted friend.”
“Do you now…” Vincent dropped his foot to the floor and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. “Or was it that you were worried about my being engaged to Ellie?”
The man’s eyes widened and the color left his face for a few seconds. “I, um… Well, yes. I must say that I was quite shocked to see you and Eleanor engaged.”
“Did she tell you why?”
Meekly, Lord Calvin nodded. “She did mention that you two were forced to wed.”
“We were.” Vincent stood and walked closer to Calvin. “Her father nearly caught us in a passionate embrace. However, he did catch us alone, hiding in a grove of trees at a party we were attending, and he heard us discussing our passionate kiss. You know that’s enough to force a man to marry the duke’s daughter.”
“Yes.” Calvin’s voice was small.
“And I suppose”—Vincent paused, taking in a deep breath and exhaling it slowly, trying to calm his ire—“that you have returned to try to steal the bride. Am I correct?”
He couldn’t read the other man’s expression. Did Calvin want to marry Ellie, or stay with his former life of spying? Vincent didn’t dare hold his breath as he waited for an answer.
“The last three years of my life have been a whirlwind of adventure and suspense from one day to the next. I never knew if I would live or die.”
Nodding, Vincent listened without interrupting as he studied his old friend. Adam not only appeared different, he acted different. He was finally a mature man instead of the young pup that had left to go fight Napoleon.
“During those years,” he continued, “I thought about Eleanor many times. Sometimes, my heart ached for her, but I knew it was right to leave her alone instead of bringing her into my world of secrets and spying.”
“That was a wise decision,” Vincent said. “But what about now? Are you still in love with her?”
“Part of me wants to return to the days when I was Adam Haddington and falling in love with the beautiful Eleanor Middleton.” Calvin shrugged as he walked away from the window and toward Vincent. “But a larger part of me knew that if my new life came with a different identity, things would never be the same again.”
Hope sprang inside Vincent. Did that mean what he thought it meant? Did he have a chance of winning Ellie’s heart after all?
Chapter Seventeen
Ellie donned oneof her lovelier gowns for the ball tonight. She liked how the lavender color enhanced her brown eyes, and she definitely liked the daring heart-shaped bodice that showed an ample amount of her bosom…enough to entice, anyway. When her maid had fixed her hair, Ellie couldn’t stop thinking about Vincent and how he liked this style. He liked her hair flowing over her shoulders, too.
She had stayed cooped up in her room for three days, only because it took that long for her to stop crying and for her swollen eyes to return to normal. She didn’t have an escort for this evening’s event, but she didn’t care. She definitely needed some time to figure out her own heart.
Descending the grand staircase, she listened for the voices of her father or Augusta, but the house seemed quiet. She assumed that Dominic was out. If she were a man and could leave the house any time she wanted, she wouldn’t stick around to listen to Augusta’s grating voice, like fingernails scratching down a chalkboard.
Ellie walked to her father’s study first, but it was empty. Strange, since he was usually the first one ready for the night’s party and waiting for the women to finish getting ready. But not tonight.
Curiously, Ellie wandered back toward the main hall, straining her ears as she listened for any sounds. Why couldn’t she hear even the servants whispering?
Something wasn’t right. Eeriness crept over her, churning her empty stomach.
Had her father and Augusta left without her? She hoped not. He knew she had beenunder the weatherthese last few days, but she was ready to get out and mingle now.
She moved outside and stood on the front porch, listening to the night’s sounds around her. Crickets chirping was the main sound, but in the distance, an owl gave its night howl. Another sound captured her attention. Off to the right of the house in the trees, and through the night, came whispering.
Darkness had already covered the land, and she prayed she wouldn’t be detected as she sneaked toward the trees. The closer she came, the louder the whispered voices were. She stopped behind a large tree and peeked around it. A man and a woman stood together in discussion. It was obvious the woman was Augusta, but the man…
