“You’re close.” William watched Eloise intensely as her eyes began to shimmer. She nodded before pretending to busy herself with some grapes. “Then you must miss them all terribly.”
“I do, but I also need to work.”
“And you cannot find an acceptable position in France?” Not that he wanted her to. Hell, he was damned grateful she’d come to England and taken up residence in his parents’ home so he could meet her.
“Will,” Athena said, her voice slightly tighter than usual. “I think you’ve quizzed poor Eloise enough for one day.”
“It’s quite all right,” Eloise said, but something in her voice suggested the subject of conversation distressed her. She inhaled sharply, forced a smile, and raised her chin. “Many noble families in France became extinct a few decades ago. And since I refuse to seek employment with the nouveau riche, coming to England seemed like a better opportunity.”
“Of course,” William said. He finished the food on his plate without saying anything else. For some absurd reason his questions had dulled the mood, and he somehow felt more adrift and uncertain than he could recall ever feeling before.
“Well,” Athena said after sharing a brief discussion with Eloise about the latest novel she’d purchased and planned to lend her, “I think I’m going to get started on my collecting.”
Eloise opened her mouth, but Athena was gone before she managed to get one word out. She looked at William with no small amount of uncertainty, then gave her attention back to the grapes.
“You got the better of me the other day,” William said. “I almost ended up making bread rolls.”
“And yet you managed to escape the task.” A hint of a smile pulled at her lips. “While leaving me with quite the mess to clean up.”
He knit his brow. “I’m sorry. That was badly done of me. It’s just... Well the thing is that if I’d stayed I probably would have kissed you.”
Her head jerked up, her gaze colliding with his in a look so startled it took him slightly aback. Surely it shouldn’t surprise her. She glanced around, then told him hoarsely, “You should not say such things.”
It was rather inappropriate, but then again, “I prefer to be honest with you.”
“Nevertheless.” Her entire face had turned a deep shade of crimson.
William was sorry to have caused her discomfort, but he wasn’t sorry he’d let her know where he stood. The attraction was simply too strong for him to keep bottled up. And he couldn’t speak to his brothers about it – not after they’d made their opposition clear. Confiding in his sisters or parents was even more impossible. They’d be horrified by his developing feelings for a servant because it breached what ought to be an innate code of conduct. And leaning on his friends was equally undesirable since none would be able to relate.
So that left the object of his desire. He considered her for a moment. She was clearly out of her element here, the manner in which she kept nibbling her lip indicative of her agitated nerves. “Let’s go for a walk.”
“A walk?”
“Yes.” The idea appealed even more now that he’d suggested it. Movement would serve them both good. It would give them something to do with themselves until they found their way back to comfortable conversation. “We can take a closer look at the brook.”
“But your sister—”
“Will be fully occupied for the next half hour.” He stood and offered his hand.
Eloise stared at it as if it were scalding hot and threatened to burn her. Eventually, she reached up, clasped his fingers, and allowed him to pull her to her feet.
#
THERE WAS NO DOUBTin Eloise’s mind that Athena had deliberately planned her brother’s attendance. The question was why. As far as Eloise knew, Matt was the only one aware of an interest between them.
Since her flour fight with William four days earlier, she’d done her best to avoid thinking of him, which was more or less possible during the day, as long as she wasn’t baking. But at night, when she climbed into bed and tried to sleep, it was near impossible not to have him invade her thoughts.
She looped her arm with his and allowed him to lead her down the easy slope of the hill and toward the brook. Away from Athena, she noted. After what he’d just confessed, she was even more uncertain of being alone with him. On one hand she desperately wanted that kiss, but on the other, she was terrified of what the consequences would be if she allowed such intimacy between them.
“Did you enjoy living in Portugal?” she asked when they’d gone a few paces. It occurred to her that she wanted to know all there was to know about him, and this seemed like an excellent place to start.
“I did.” His eyes shone with genuine pleasure. “The climate was almost always pleasant with much milder winters than here. The food was excellent and, I think, healthier than what I’ve always been used to in England. Until I returned and discovered your cooking, that is. I’m quite sure nothing in the world can beat it.”
Eloise thanked him for the compliment, then said, “It sounds as though you miss Lisbon.”
“In a way. My life was different there – more purposeful because of my work at the embassy.”
“You could prolong your position, could you not?”
