“—that you would do this one favor for me. I know it isterriblyarrogant of me to put you in this position, but I must seize chances where I can, no? A baron’s title only carried so much weight. I need connections, Elinor, real ones, and your betrothed happens to sit at the very top of the heap.”
He said it so plainly, as though she were a stepping stone he had only just noticed was conveniently placed.
“And you believed I would arrange this for you,” Elinor said flatly, “when you have never once shown me a genuine kindness.”
“Oh, come now.” He smiled at her, but it was all fake. Everything was fake, and Elinor just wished she was at Fielding House already, with innocent children who listened to her, who wanted her there, whom she adored. “We are family, are we not? I am only asking for an introduction. Surely that is not so much.”
She held his gaze, marveling at how a man could ask for a favor and make it sound like a command.
Wanting to get the conversation over with, Elinor nodded. She would bring it up with Lucien, but not as a request. He would be amused by the prospect, and she knew he would make her feel better about her night so far.
“Fine,” she answered. “All I ask is that you stop mocking me for my love of books. That is all.”
“I cannot make promises.” He chuckled as though he had said something outrageously funny, and walked away, whistling to himself.
Elinor despised that he dropped in to visit.
Gritting her teeth, hoping nobody else disturbed her, she finally made it to the stables. She had left nothing in her saddlebag, but she had needed the excuse to check that a lantern was ready, and the coin she had prepared for her hackney was still hidden out of sight behind a hay bale in her horse’s stall.
All was well, and she nodded to herself.
Now, all she had to do was wait and avoid her stepfamily for as long as she could.
Chapter Fifteen
That night, Elinor was keenly—if not too keenly—aware of Lucien’s attention on her as she taught the children. She could not afford to get distracted by his presence, by the sheer amusement of seeing his tall, broad frame, nestled in among the small children, but he was just as enamored with her words, it seemed.
Once again, she noticed him scribbling notes on his slate. Like the last time, she was hungry to know. And itwasa true hunger, going beyond just a simple curiosity, especially after his first notes.
Starlight in dark, blonde hair … how might that look?
She recalled how that note had lingered in her mind long after she had left Fielding House following the storm, meeting her own reflection in the mirror, trying to figure out if her hair was such a shade, or if Lucien secretly had his attention elsewhere.
It would not need to be a secret, though, if he did.
We must be nothing together,she reminded herself, as a child raised his hand.This is all a mere performance, so our feelings cannot be involved. That way is best. That way, nobody will get hurt.
And Elinor was very,veryfine with that …
Even if her eyes kept drawing to Lucien when he was not looking.
“Yes, Georgie?” she asked.
“Lady Elinor?—”
“Georgie,” she interrupted gently, “you do not have to formally address me. Here, I am merely Miss Elinor, your tutor.”
“Yes, but Angelica said we have to be respectful of who you are outside of the workhouse.”
“Well …” Elinor leaned forward, her smile turning secretive. In turn, the children leaned towards her, too. “Let me let you in on a little secret. Sometimes, respect can be shown most by letting a person be who they are, regardless of titles. And in here, I like to just be Miss Elinor, a woman who adores teaching you everything I know about the world.”
“What about His Grace?” Toby piped up. “Does he like to be called by his name?”
At once, all the children looked towards the duke, and Elinor giggled at how startled he looked at the sudden attention. She imagined that a room full of curious children was rather different to a ballroom containing the most prominent members of the ton, yet he looked more alarmed than she had ever seen.
“You must ask him yourself,” Elinor told them, fighting back a small laugh.
At once, the children clamored to approach Lucien, their voices forming a chorus of asking.