“A complaint about what?”
The edge of his mouth lifted until the awful man was smirking at her. A flash of humor lit his eyes. “The food, of course.”
Another gasp came from the scullery maid. Eloise stared at William while doing her best not to let outrage cloud her judgment. “You found it displeasing, did you?”
He crossed his arms, leaned against the doorjamb, and shrugged. “The salmon mousse wasn’t as smooth as I would have liked, the meat had a bit of a burnt flavor to it, and the cake tasted like mud.”
Eloise’s eyes widened. Indignation forced her feet to move forward of their own volition. “Like mud?”
“I struggled to eat it.”
“You obviously don’t appreciate what you have,” she snapped with more anger than she’d intended. “A hungry person would have been grateful for the smallest bite even if the flavor didn’t agree with their taste.”
There was a pause, during which her statement settled heavily between them. His eyes held hers as he slowly advanced. “You’re right. I apologize for upsetting you. In fact, I’m sorry for everything I’ve recently told you since none of it’s true.”
“You mean you lied?” When he nodded, she took a deep swallow. “So you enjoyed my cooking?”
“Yes, but that’s not all I’ve been dishonest about, Eloise.” He moved closer still. “I misled you about my feelings. Indeed, I misled myself, and in so doing, I fear I insulted you more than you deserved.”
She knit her brow. “Are you saying I deserved to be insulted a little bit less?”
“No. I...” He briefly raised his gaze to the ceiling before returning it to hers. “What I’m trying to tell you is that I have spent the last two weeks looking for you, desperate to find you so I could tell you how I feel.”
“Um...” A flicker of movement off to the side drew her attention away for a moment. Footmen and maids were returning, all of them pausing to stare. If William noticed, he showed no sign of caring. He was clearly going to embarrass her right in front of her colleagues. Tomorrow she’d have to find new employment again. The thought caused her face to heat with annoyance. “You’ve obviously taken a wrong turn somewhere, sir. Peter, would you please show this gentleman back upstairs to the parlor?”
A young footman stepped forward. “Certainly, Mrs. Lamont.”
Eloise started turning away but a large hand grabbed her and spun her around. She gasped, unable to comprehend how a man of William’s size could move so swiftly. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”
“Please. Leave me be,” she whispered.
His warm eyes bore into hers. “How can I?”
“Mrs. Lamont?” Peter asked from somewhere nearby. His voice confirmed that he was prepared to act – to remove William by force the moment she asked him to do so.
“It’s all right,” she assured the footman. “He means me no harm.”
“Quite the contrary,” William said with a smile so wicked she knew she would never be able to face the other servants here ever again.
“How can you do this to me?” She turned her head sideways to block out the numerous stares. “Have you no consideration for my reputation?”
He pulled her close, assuring her that she would be forever ruined in the eyes of the people she’d worked with these past two weeks. They would wonder about the extent of her relationship with William. Clearly, he was more to her than a former employer.
“Of course I do. It’s why I’m here.”
She gave a small snort. “Nothing you say or do will ever convince me to be your mistress.”
His thumb stroked across her cheek, the gentle abrasion teasing her nerves. “Then be my wife, Eloise, and let me love you with all that I am until I draw my last breath.”
Her heart stopped. Or at least it felt like it did. All sound sank into a muted background. She struggled to draw air into her lungs. Surely she must have misheard him. “What?”
“I love you, Eloise Lamont. I’ll admit it took longer than it should have for me to realize it. I’ve been a complete idiot where you’re concerned. It didn’t even occur to me that I could marry you until my family made me aware of the fact that—”
Eloise drew back. Suspicion put a pause on her elation. “What did Athena tell you?”
William blinked. “She struck me and gave me a thorough haranguing for treating you poorly.”
“And?”
