Lady Eleanor Mary Cantwell, daughter of the Marquess of Salford, is a proper young lady. With her golden complexion, raven-black hair, and manners befitting a princess, Lady Eleanor has always been deemed a belle. There is just one problem.
Lady Ele...
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'Good gracious Lord!' Mrs. Smith cried as Eleanor and Nathan entered the dining hall, Nathan, soaking wet with a heavy blanket wrapped around him. 'My lord, what happened?'
Eleanor waved away her concern, taking her seat at the table before Nathan could speak and fought to keep the smile from her face. 'A minor accident, Mrs. Smith. His Grace tripped on a rock and fell into the lake. It is of no consequence.'
Eleanor heard Nathan mutter coherently under his breath as he accepted a towel from one of the maids who had rushed to his aid when they had come in.
'Are you alright, my lord?' Mrs. Smith asked, concern flashing across her face. 'Did you hit your head? You ought to be looked at by a doctor. You could catch pneumonia!'
Nathan shook his head firmly and sat down at the head of the table, drops of water still clinging to his black hair. He was undoubtedly drenched and Eleanor almost felt sorry for him. Almost.
'There will be no need for that, Mrs. Smith,' Nathan told her. 'I shall change out of my clothes later. Right now, I am absolutely famished and cannot go another second without eating.'
Mrs. Smith argued only to be cut off by Nathan who insisted that she let him be. It was only after he reminded her of her little grandson who probably had not had his lunch yet that she finally left him, albeit reluctantly. Eleanor wondered how a Duke could befriend a housekeeper and care for him the way he obviously did her. It was quite evident from the way he spoke to her; from the lack of authority in his words and his knowledge of her grandson. Eleanor was quite perplexed - in a good way, of course - about it.
'You may take your leave,' Nathan announced right after a maid had placed his food in front of him. The command, undoubtedly intended for all the servants who stood around the room, was carried out immediately until Eleanor was left alone with her husband. However, she did not miss the sly smiles and red tinted cheeks of some of the maids and the few chuckles from the footmen.
'What was that for?' she hissed as soon as the door closed behind the last person. 'Now everyone will think we're holed up in here doing indecent activities!'
Nathan ignored her and took up to cutting the food on his plate into small bite-sized pieces.
'Nathan,' Eleanor called testily. Still, he refused to acknowledge her.
'I don't understand why you asked everyone to leave if you were just going to ignore me the entire time,' she said again, hoping to catch his attention. Fortunately for her, he looked up at her statement, shooting her a cold glare which made her wince. Even drenched, he looked intimidating.
'I sent everyone out for a reason,' Nathan said. 'You will come to know of it as soon as you finish eating.'
Eleanor frowned and looked down at her food. 'You haven't poisoned my food, have you?'
