Broken Legacy (Secret Lives Series) (2 page)

Despite her misgivings, Eloise enjoyed herself immensely. The opportunity didn't present itself often for her to dance
, nor would she likely admit she enjoyed the activity. As the music died, his hand lay on hers to escort her off the floor and the whole of her body tingled. To her dismay, she felt her face flush with a sudden warmth.

“Let us retire to the drawing room. I will attend to your refreshment if you promise not to disappear on me. I would hate to scourge the house such as this one for you
.” He smiled. The shape of his mouth caught her attention. A slight smile formed on his lips, an arrogant smile much as if he realized the effect he had upon her. Then he added, “But I would.”

Once more
, she felt herself at a distinct disadvantage. She eyed him cautiously and then dismissed her apprehension. It would matter little in the morning, she told herself. What harm could come from an innocent flirtation with a handsome man? In all likelihood, she would never see him again.

She nodded politely and allowed him to lead her to a seat near the large vaulted window
, which gave her a full view of the crowded room of unfamiliar faces. She gave little thought to the guests. Without question, Lord Lenister held her interest. She watched him walk out the door. She wondered for the moment why was he dispensing attention upon her. She quickly dismissed flattery…that his attraction to her lay with her appearance.

She had long ago comprehended her birth presented a large obstacle to overcome in the eyes of the
ton,
even with the title of Lady Eloise D’Arcy Granville, the daughter of the late His Grace, the fifth Duke of Rotheward. She glanced around the large room while she waited. Then suddenly a strange feeling surged through her as if someone were watching her.

She turned her head
abruptly and met the avid eyes of a man standing in the far doorway. He was a short middle-aged man, dowdy, in fact, with red pudgy cheeks, but without question he eyed her intently. He had a familiar look. Then to her horror, his face brightened and gave her a weak smile.

Panic welled within her with the comprehension of why he seemed familiar.
Calm. Stay calm. Surely he would not acknowledge me.
Eloise maintained her composure as she sat rigid without a hint of emotion, while desperately trying to assess the situation. Her gaze held firm upon the man. Then he made a step forward toward her, halting only when Lord Lenister entered back into the room.

The stranger nodded to the earl. Eloise straight
away recognized a look between acquaintances. Although for the life of her she didn’t understand the stranger’s presence, she understood the need to withdraw…and quickly.

She rose and gathered up her skirt. With great effort, she exited in a dignified manner out the open side door to the veranda. The warm night gave pause to more than a few guests cluttering the terrace. Ignoring the beauty of the decorative scene, she scurried down the steps into the garden. She escaped only to the far entrance where she collapsed upon a bench.

“Why are you running?”

Her head lowered. She chose not to answer. What good would an explanation do when the words would go unheeded? And what did she owe this man…this stranger?

Lord Lenister stalked up to her and pulled her to her feet. “I asked you a question, Lady Eloise.”

“I needed fresh air, my lord. Nothing more. Pray
, release me. You are hurting my arm. I wish nothing more than to retire.”

“And run again
? There is to be no more running. I suspected such before my appearance here tonight. Confirmed by vicomte’s identification. Did you not think that you might be recognized eventually, my dear?”

“I have only a few months more to
contend with these functions and then…”

“Then what? What exactly do you have in mind?” Both his hands gripped tight
ly her shoulders. She had no choice but to look him straight in his eyes.

“Why is it a concern of yours, Monsieur? Why do my actions concern you?” Frazzled, she broke into her native French.

He answered her back the same. “Because I need your help, Mademoiselle. I need your help.”

Eloise sat solemnly and silently in the high back chair
within the study, far away from the ball. Her brother stood behind his desk, clutching tightly the velvet curtain. He had ranted at her, she estimated, for the last half hour with hardly taking a breath. The only reflection of her feelings bore into the man sitting next to her.

“Eloise!” Lord Edmund called out louder than he probably intended. She looked up at her brother. He looked as their father had looked
: the same intense blue eyes, the same twitch in their eye when they lost their temper, the same intimidating manner. She was in no mood to be intimidated. “Have you nothing to say?”

“What
, pray, do you want me to say?”

“The truth. You owe that to me at least. Was I not the one
who retrieved you with Father almost four years ago? Did I not bring you in my home without issue, accepting you?”

“And why would you not,
brother? Am I not your sister? Or would it have been better if Father had not married my mother? Would it be better accepted if I had been one of his bastard children then you wouldn’t have to explain my presence? I could be well handed off.”

“Do not be
overly dramatic, Eloise. Father well took care of you.”

“Upon his death,” Eloise countered. Her temper flared. “Where was he during my youth? Why did he leave me in
my uncle’s care? If it was not for the urgent letter from my family four years ago, I would have been left to fend for myself in the midst of the terror that holds France capture now. How would you feel if Father left you for seventeen years?”

“He took care of your needs. I thought he had explained his actions. Not an excuse, but well a reason.”

“I beg to differ with you that he took care of my needs. He ignored me, Edmund. And what kind of excuse is it to say that he loved my mother so that when my birth killed her, he couldn’t bear to look at me. And with his marriage to our stepmother, she refused to take me in.” Eloise gripped tightly to the arm of her chair. “Nonsense! He left me in the midst…of untold…I have told you what it was like to live in the middle of the turmoil, feeling it coming, seeing, understanding the people’s frustration. You grew up with a heritage. I grew up thinking I was a bastard.”

“Is this what you are doing, Eloise?” Edmund’s voice softened. His temper
altered. “Do you want to return? Are you so unhappy here?”

“
Unhappy?” she uttered in a low voice. “I doubt I’m destined for happiness.”

“Tell me, Eloise. Forget the past. You are my sister and in some twist of fate
, I feel closer to you than the rest of our siblings. Can you not know Julia and I hold you dear? And the children love you greatly.”

Edmund walked around his desk. Sitting on the edge of his desk, he took his sister’s hand in his. “Do you not know I know the ploy you used with
Lord Wessex? I sat and watched you bait the man until he exploded and in the same turn, you arranged Susanna’s happiness. The only question is why?”

Her chest tightened, refusing to look at Lord Lenister
, who sat quietly listening to every utterance. “I want only not to be a burden on anyone, Edmund. I want…I don’t want judgmental eyes upon me. I’m not planning to leave—only to retire to the country, to live out my life quietly. I’m not good at this, Edmund. It is not the life I know.”

“Then what are your actions? You have me so confused. I thought well you sided with the Republic in France. Your family holds positions of power within the ranks
, is my understanding. You have to know this and understand.”

“
Of course, I do,” she retorted. “I know well the whole of the
ton
holds all against me for my mother’s family. For my words, I suppose, but I said only the truth.”

“Repeating the motto of the Republic and telling that equality of birth holds more importance than rank at birth,” Lord Lenister interrupted.

For a moment, she had forgotten his presence. Wishing he would disappear, she ignored him and focused her attention on her brother. “I said only the truth. The burden of the people was great. It is only understandable that they would reach an end point to their frustration. It is only the magnitude in which they have exploded that shocked me.”

“I beg your forgiveness, Lady Eloise,” Lord Lenister contrived once more to intervene. “I want to understand the whole of the situation. You have to understand I have only rumors to base my information on.”

“I want only to know why it is of importance to you.” Eloise’s tone cooled.

“I told you, my
lady. I need your help,” he said simply, emotionless. “One uncle, Orville Leroy D’Arcy, serves upon the Council in Calais. Another, Jacques Rene D’Arcy, serves under the Committee of Public Safety member in Amiens.”

Eloise’s face drained of color. Her eyes flamed while her chest heaved heavily. “Do not tell me of my family,
my lord. I know my own family who cared for me and loved me. We had not much. You do not understand the world I grew up within. It was far different from the comforts you enjoy. Do not…do not sit in judgment of those you have no knowledge of!” Her words rattled away in the French of her youth.

Unrelenting, Lenister continued, “Tell me then why do you do
it? If you are a Republican? Tell me why do you smuggle the condemned out? The people you have just proclaimed brought their own demise upon themselves.”

Her head turned slowly. Her eyes hardened upon him. “Is it wrong to feel compassion? I may have felt the need for change, but not this. Not this. In that
, I can’t change.”

Eloise didn’t notice that Lenister fell in front of her on his knees or her brother moving slightly away.
Lenister reached up and
with his handkerchief 
gently wiped back the tears from her cheeks. He placed his hand under her chin, raising her face to his.

“So you smuggle goods into the country and people out?”

She said nothing, but in her silence answered his question. She had no desire to tell him of her scheme alongside Captain Moreau.

“
Lady Eloise?”

She swallowed hard and whispered, “So you have need of me. What do you want? To smuggle someone out? I have no control of who. I have no idea of whom I deal with. I only help when they land. In return
, they help my family with supplies they might need. I don’t understand what I can do for you or why?”

Lenister nodded and glanced back up to her brother.
The look upon his face told he had the information he needed. “All may well be better explained in the morning. Do you not think, Your Grace? I have taken too much of your time from your celebration tonight. It was not my intention. I’m afraid I became quite impatient.”

“I believe that will be acceptable. If you would like, I do have to go back or Julia will begin searching for me. Come, Eloise.”

She rose from her chair, but Lord Lenister stood between her and her brother. “If you don’t mind, I would be more than happy to escort you back to your cousin.”

Eloise’s eyes frantically looked over at her brother
, who didn’t flinch. If she arrived at Cousin Beatrice’s side on Lord Lenister’s arm after being gone for an extended time in conference with her brother, rumors of a betrothal would quickly ignite.

Edmund walked toward the door. “I will see you in the morning, Lord Lenister.”

Eloise glanced to one side, only to meet the eyes of Lord Lenister, challenging her, daring her. She turned back to her brother. "Edmund, I assure you I have recovered enough..."

“I'm confident you have, my dear
." He nodded his head slightly to Lord Lenister and walked out the door, shutting it tightly.

Eloise stared at the door in disbelief. Her brother had deserted her for this…this stranger. "Lord Lenister," Eloise said
, taking a step back. Still shaken by his discovery of her activities, she found it hard to think clearly. Her stomach churned.

"Gerard, my name is Gerard. I would very much like for you to use it," he said simply. He
stepped towards her.

"I
 don't understand what you think...I can do for you...or what you believe you caught me doing," she stuttered, refusing to comply with his request. He came closer, too close. She couldn't breathe properly. Annoying her to no end, he smiled faintly at her discomfort. "But I can assure you I have done little and know little else. But I do know what the tongues outside these doors will do if we exit together arm and arm. I don't know what Edmund was thinking!"

"Why concern yourself with anything tonight
? I wouldn't worry about the whisperings of old biddies. From my understanding, I don't believe you have done so before. Tonight—tonight, let us enjoy your sister's happiness. Come," he said, offering his arm. 

Hesitating, she patted down her ruffled dress. Then her hand
instinctively went to her hair. His hand met hers, pushing a rosebud back in place. He held her hand and placed it on his arm. "You look quite lovely."