Before he could protest, Elinor curtsied. “Goodnight, Lucien.”
And then she scurried away, down the hallway and staircase, out to main entrance, before she could give him a chance to say goodnight in return. She shut herself away quickly in her carriage, thanking her driver for waiting.
But as the carriage pulled away from Fielding House, Elinor’s gaze pulled upward, to the hallway she had just fled.
Lucien stood in the window, watching her retreat. That same warmth that kept startling her all night once again stirred, and she looked away with haste.
Goodness, what is happening to me?
Chapter Thirteen
“Let me see that,” her stepmother ordered.
The invitation to Lady Roland’s tea party arrived two mornings later, delivered on a silver platter at breakfast.
Elinor had lifted the letter opener already, but now lowered it, looking up. “But it is addressed to me.”
“Oh,” Belinda scoffed, “you are betrothed to a duke and now have a voice? I much preferred you when you were practically a mouse. Do not question my mother.”
“I am not,” Elinor answered, keeping her voice quiet. “I am merely stating a fact.”
“Facts are boring,” Belinda sighed, rolling her eyes.
“Give it to me, Elinor,” Elinor’s stepmother ordered once again. “You know that all invitations go through me first. That has been the rule in this house for four years, and it shall not change. Do not disobey me.”
Elinor bit back her sigh and finally handed over the invitation. Morland House’s butler, Mr. Penchase, bowed out of the breakfast hall. Joanna bit her lip, quietly chewing on her eggs that she had dusted with herbs, as always.
Her mother snatched the invitation out of Elinor’s hands, tearing the letter opener with lethal precision. Belinda peered over, trying to read it at the same time, but even she was forced back with a glare from her mother.
“Lady Roland is hosting the grandest tea party of the Season,” Elinor’s stepmother read aloud, and then chuckled. “Well, that is a rather bold statement, for Lady Heatherby’s tea party last month was very notorious. Regardless.Lady Elinor, the daughter of Marquess Morland, is cordially invited to attend, along with the Morland family.”
At that, Elinor being the primary invitee, Lady Morland’s eyes narrowed even further. She flicked her gaze to Elinor, as if she herself had written the invitation.
“Recently betrothed to His Grace, the Duke of Fairmont, Lady Elinor is a highly valued guest, and I, Lady Roland, hope that she will return my invitation with acceptance. It is to my understanding that she does not attend many balls.However, I hope to see both His Grace and Lady Elinor in attendance.”
“Heavens,” Joanna whispered. “That is quite an invitation, Elinor.”
“Does it mention anything about me?” Belinda demanded, her mouth twisting. “Or even Joanna?”
“We are invited, as I read,” Lady Morland told her, “But that is the only mention we have. I am certain our own personal invitations shall not be far behind.”
Belinda’s head shot in Elinor’s direction, her scowl vicious. “Do not get used to this privilege, Elinor.” She shoved her chair back, her fingernails all but digging into the dining table. “The duke shall soon come to his senses about you and see what we see. The boring, dull wallflower that you are, a girl who cannot even read without her spectacles, squinting behind the glass. He will grow ashamed of you soon enough when you slip up like you did with Lord Thompson. Just keep us far, far away from your shameful behavior.”
“Belinda, sit down,” Lady Morland said, sighing.
“No,” she snapped. “No, I shall not! Not when the most eligible suitor has seen something inher.” She jabbed a finger in Elinor’s direction, accusing and angry. “I do not want to spend one more moment in a room with her.”
And with that, ignoring her own mother’s order, Belinda whirled on her heel and stormed out of the breakfast hall.
Elinor cringed at her stepmother’s second sigh. “Do you see what you are doing to this family, Elinor?”
“Would you have me refuse His Grace’s proposal?” She tried to keep her question as unimposing as possible, trying to word it as a suggestion rather than a challenge, to avoid infuriating her stepmother further.
“No, that would have been insulting to him, and humiliating for my family.”
“Then, I am wrong either way,” Elinor mumbled.
“No, Elinor, you are not wrong either way. You should have simplystayed out of his way. That day in Hyde Park, you should have kept your beastly cat in order, and you should have kept your head down and let Belinda step forward to capture the duke’s attention.Thatis what you ought to have done.”
