Kate Pearce - Educating Elizabeth

"What reputation?" Elizabeth came up on her knees and placed her hands on his, like a supplicant. "I'm not in any danger and I'm not being forced to do anything I don't wish to do." In this, at least she could give him the truth. "Indeed, I'm glad to be away from Mr. Forester and his tricks. Can you accept that and be happy for me?"

She raised her gaze to meet Michael's and saw her hesitation mirrored there. His cold dislike for Mr. Forester and his mother far exceeded her own.

"I wish my translation work paid well enough to keep us both." He shared Elizabeth's ability with languages. "Unfortunately the income is scarcely enough to clothe and feed me, let alone you, otherwise I would leave here and wish the Forester's in hell." He paused and shot Elizabeth an innocent look. "Of course it would help if you had the decency to eat like a bird."

Elizabeth ignored his teasing and rose to her feet. She wondered what Michael would think of her much-vaunted common sense if he could see how eagerly she kissed the duke.

"I came to talk about you, Michael. Do you remember we discussed finding you a full-time companion?"

Michael's lips twitched. "There is no need to worry about wounding my delicate sensibilities. You mean a nurse, not a companion."

Elizabeth reached into her reticule and passed the sheaf of papers she had shown her mother over to Michael. "I hope this man will prove to be both. His name is Jack Llewelyn and he left the army to take care of his commanding officer. The officer recently died and Sergeant Llewelyn is looking for a new position."

She waited anxiously as he leafed through the character references but he said nothing. She gathered her resolve and said briskly, "I've engaged him for a three month trial. If you find him satisfactory, we can extend the arrangement."

Michael lifted his head and regarded her evenly. "Of course, I'm grateful. I assume that our revered parents are not going to pay for this. So how are you intending to finance it?"

"I'm paying for it." She glared back at him and lifted her chin, prepared to do battle if necessary.

"Out of your wages from the Duke of Diable Delamere?" Michael crossed his arms over his chest and sat back, his keen eyes never leaving hers.

"Yes."

Michael cocked an eyebrow at her, the harsh beauty of his face at odds with his unconvinced expression. "Well, I hope that whatever it is you are doing to earn these wages sits well on your conscience. I would hate to have to call out the Duke of Diable Delamere to avenge your honor."

"Don't be ridiculous, Michael."

He laughed along with her but Elizabeth knew that he wouldn't hesitate to confront the duke if he thought something was wrong. She couldn't bear the thought of such an unequal competition. As she stared at her brother she made herself a promise that she would do everything in her power to keep the two men apart.

Elizabeth sat down to dinner in the duke's superbly decorated dining room with Sir John and Nicholas Gallion. As she contemplated the gray silk wall hangings and embroidered silver curtains, she wondered if the duke had deliberately chosen the décor to compliment himself. It took her only a moment to decide that he had.

To her secret relief, Nicholas had asked after her family and then not pursued the subject when she failed to confide in him. With some of her anxieties behind her, she had resolved to ask the duke if she might dispense with Nicholas's unnecessary attendance on her. She was sure he had better things to do.

"Mrs. Waterstone, you seem a little distracted this evening. Are you unwell? Do you wish me to call your maid?"

Sir John's harsh voice permeated her musings. She looked up at him with a guilty start and realized her fork was poised over her plate in mid air.

"I'm sorry, Sir John, my mind was off woolgathering. Did you ask me something?"

"I was just inquiring as to your state of health. You seem a little distracted."

Elizabeth put down her fork. "You mean that for once I was not eating, and you thought there must be something seriously wrong with me."

Nicholas burst out laughing. "I fear that you are right, Mrs. Waterstone. I believe Sir John admires a woman with a prodigious appetite."

The glance Sir John flung at Nicholas was far from friendly as he turned back to Elizabeth. "I meant no such thing, ma'am," he said stiffly. "I was merely concerned. You lack your usual sparkle."

Elizabeth paused and stared at Sir John's flushed face. He thought she had sparkle? They had dined together on several occasions since their first inauspicious meeting and had come to understand each other rather too well. Sir John would never shine beside the duke but he was a worthy, earnest man with a passion for his work that Elizabeth applauded even if she couldn't warm to him.

"I hesitate to confess it, Sir John," Elizabeth gave an apologetic shrug, "But I was thinking about my family."

"Is there anything wrong? Nicholas told me that everything went well this afternoon."

Elizabeth cast a sharp glance at Nicholas who winked at her. Why was Sir John concerned about her whereabouts and why was Nicholas duty-bound to tell him? For a moment her suspicions flared and then she remembered her new position. Sir John was probably anxious about her safety because of her value as a code breaker. He could scarce be interested in her interactions with her family.

"Nicholas was correct. I was merely reviewing some long-standing family problems." She managed a small laugh. "I'm sure that every family has its share of worries and mine is no exception."

The expression on Michael's face as she had left still haunted her. They were so close that somehow he had sensed she had not been completely honest with him. She knew him well enough to realize that he wouldn't cease nagging her until he had extracted the truth. She would have to be very careful.

Nicholas spoke and Elizabeth gladly took up the topic of his family and the problems of being raised with five sisters until it was time to retire.

Elizabeth studied her tired reflection in her dressing table mirror. She had survived her first encounter with her parents and siblings and knew it could only get easier. The little girl in her wanted to run away and delight in her new-found freedom but hard-won maturity told her that she was still needed. She slowly pulled out the pins that held her hair tightly to her head and massaged her skull with her fingertips.

There was a gentle tap on her door. Before she could answer, Jacques, the duke's valet, slid into the room, his expression one of freezing disapproval. He gave her a dignified bow and refused to meet her eyes.

"His Grace would like to see you in his bed chamber, Mrs. Waterstone."

Elizabeth stood and brushed down the skirts of her dress. Her loosened hair fell around her shoulders. She looked uncertainly at the little valet. "Does the duke mean now?"

Jacques gave an eloquent shrug of his shoulders and a loud sniff. " Oui , Madame and I apologize if you are shocked by his commands. I told him it was not fitting, but he refuses to listen to me..." Jacques retreated and Elizabeth made her way to the duke's bedchamber.

She knocked on the door but received no answer and, not wanting to be caught loitering in the corridor, let herself in.

"Good evening, my dear."

Elizabeth gulped and clasped both hands to her breast. The duke was in his bath and there was no sign of Jacques.

"Elizabeth, please close your mouth. I would not want an errant fly to choke you." The duke's eyebrows rose as she continued to gape at him. "What is it? Have you never seen a man take a bath before?"

She shook her head, her eyes glued on the magnificence of his naked chest, gleaming with water, and his bare feet crossed at the ankle on the edge of the tub. The slight olive blush of his skin made him look like a Greek god in the firelight. His hair was wet and clung to his skull like sleek sealskin. Elizabeth struggled to draw breath as her eyes followed the lines of his muscles and the dark hair on his chest until it disappeared into the soapy water at his waist.