The Earl returned his nod.“Excellent.I shall see you then.”Turning on his heel, he left.
As soon as he heard the front door close, he rushed from the room.Taking the stairs two at a time, he strode for the bedchamber only to stop dead once he shoved the door open.
El had disappeared.
Christ, where was she?“El?”Frantic, he strode through the room toward the door to the dressing room.“El?”
Before he could reach it, she emerged from the room, dressed in the gown he’d stripped from her.Her hair had been shoved into a haphazard knot, though it threatened to fall at any moment.Her face was pale.
Wordlessly, she presented her back.The bodice gaped open, her chemise and stays on display.Just as wordlessly, he stepped forward to fasten the line of buttons running down her back.He did this for her after each one of their trysts, just as she would tie his cravat, teasing that she could hire out as a valet with such skill.Usually, he would place a kiss at her nape and she would smile, turning to drape her arms over his shoulders and kiss him.
This time, he did not place a kiss at her nape.
The moment he was done, she walked across the room toward her reticule and pelisse.
“It was the Earl.He is gone now,” he said as she picked up her pelisse.
“Yes.I heard the entrance door close,” she said tonelessly.
He watched as she donned the garment, fastened the buttons.She had not looked at him, not once.With each layer she became the El everyone else saw and not the El he now knew, her dark hair a tangle about him and her, her pale skin flushed in the golden sunlight.“El, you do not need to worry, he does not know—”
“He knows you were here.He knows you were undressed and he knows this house should be empty.”
“Well, yes, but…” he trailed off.What could he say?All of that was true.
She placed the bonnet on her head, shoving her hair out of sight.Now she looked completely the El everyone else saw.“Are you well?”he asked as she tied the ribbons.
She picked up her reticule.“Of course.”
Nothing about that short, flat statement was remotely convincing.“El, you do not—”
“I must now away, Benedict,” she interrupted.“Thank you for your time.”
“My time?El—” He bit off whatever it was he was going to say.She looked as if she desperately wanted to leave and he wasn’t going to keep her where she didn’t want to be.“May I call on you tomorrow?”
“Perhaps.I will send you a note.”
A note?He shoved his hand through his hair.“El—”
“I cannot,” she said, her voice high.“I cannot, Benedict.I must—” With a panicked bob, she fled the room.
Shoving his hands through his hair, he tried to make sense of what had just occurred.Christ, what had happened?Not moments ago they had been in bed, her grin wicked as she looked up at him from between his legs, and then his damned brother had clomped through the house and ruined it all to hell.
He laced his fingers at the back of his head.And now El had fled him, taking with her all the light.He had little hope she would send him a note.He knew El too well.He would be lucky if she let him see her at all over the next few days.
Bloody hell.Well, he would give her space to process what had happened.He himself felt rattled—he could only imagine how El felt.They had dodged a bullet and they would have to be more circumspect in the future.
Gathering his remaining clothing, he started to dress himself properly.These last few weeks he was well used to dressing himself without his valet, but his cravat would be a disaster.He didn’t have El to do it for him.
Fucking hell.His brother always ruined things.
Chapter Twenty One
Benedictstaredatentranceto the Hartletts’ garden.He had not spoken with El in eight days.
Clenching his jaw, he willed her to walk through that entrance.He knew she was to come to this garden party, as Amanda only yesterday had casually mentioned she had taken tea with Lady Eleanor and she had asked Amanda if she were to attend the Hartletts’ garden party and if so, she would see her there.Amanda, as it happened, had not attended the party but he bloody well had.He would force El to bloody acknowledge him, even if he had to do in front of all of bloody society.
He had tried other ways.Six days ago, her butler had said she was not at home.He had thought little of it at the time, certain he would see her at the dinner they were both to attend that evening.When he had been the only one to attend, he had started to believe something amiss.Then, the following day, she had been out and her butler would not tell him where she had gone.Three evenings ago, at the theatre, he had spied her in through the throng packed into the Symonds’ box, but she had disappeared by the time he had made his way through the stalls to the entrance.Last night, he’d spent the entirety of the Swanson ball chasing her about, only to have her disappear mere moments before his arrival.
