His Wayward Ward - A Regency Novella (Risque Regency) by Kate Harper Page A
Authors: Kate Harper
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feel and I will not stand here and let you suggest such dreadful things about poor Grayson! You are without a doubt the most insufferable, infuriating, annoying man…’ Words had failed her. She was so angry that she wanted to cry and she would not do so in front of Carlton, not for the world.
Instead, she fled the room, running upstairs and locking the door before she flung herself onto the bed and succumbed to the tears that would not hold back any longer.
And the worst thing was, as she cried into her pillow, that she did not quite know what she was crying for. Only that something, somewhere, was very, very wrong.
And that Carlton was the man responsible.
It was a cold morning, so she was glad that she had brought a warm cloak. Closing the door quietly behind her, Eliza hurried down the street. Grayson said he would have a vehicle waiting and, sure enough, when she rounded the corner, she saw a shabby brougham waiting at the curb with Grayson standing at the horses’ heads.
When a letter had been delivered to her room during the evening, as Eliza had been too emotionally exhausted to face anybody, she opened it and had immediately recognized the script.
Grayson would be waiting for her just after dawn; if she loved him, she would go away with him. It was as simple as that.
Eliza had spent several hours desperately trying to decide what to do. She was still stinging from Carlton’s uncharacteristic attack and the knowledge that he so distrusted Grayson that he was having his affairs investigated. Did he intend to do that with every suitor who might be interested in her? Or was it just Grayson Henry to whom he had taken such a dislike. It was all so unfair.
Sick of pacing the room and her own indecision, Eliza had packed a valise at ten and tried to get some sleep.
Now she was on her way to becoming Mrs. Grayson Henry and her stomach lurched uneasily. Much as she loved Grayson – and believed her guardian to be wrong – this did not feel right. None the less, she put on a smile when she saw him and he gave her a dazzling one in return.
‘Eliza! Thank God you came!’
She accepted his kiss, shivering with a mixture of the chill air and nerves. ‘Of course I came. How could I not?’
Despite her decision to elope, Eliza could not help but wish he would change his mind, suggest another way that they could be together. Had they really petitioned her guardian enough? Surely if they tried hard enough, they could convince him that Grayson was more than worthy of her hand. Carlton had shown himself to be perfectly reasonable over the past few weeks.
Remembering her guardian’s reaction the day before made her realize how hopeless such thoughts were. As far as Grayson was concerned, his lordship would never change his mind. And Carlton was wrong. Completely and utterly wrong. He knows nothing about love and even less about commitment , she thought bitterly and her resolve to go ahead hardened.
Grayson handed her into the brougham, tucking a rug around her solicitously. ‘We will stop at the first respectable inn, my love, so you can partake of some breakfast.’
‘Do you think we should?’ What if they were followed?
‘Of course.’ He squeezed her hand. ‘Everything will be fine, I promise you. Tonight we shall stop in Leicester and tomorrow night in Harrogate. And the night after…’ he raised her hand to his lips, ‘sweet Eliza, we shall finally be man and wife!’
She managed a wan smile, but was almost grateful when he closed the door and climbed up onto the driver’s seat. In an instant, they were off and Eliza had settled back into her seat, wishing that the dull feeling of dread that had settled like a heavy weight inside her would disappear. This was meant to be the beginning of her future and yet she could not shake off the sense that she was behaving like a rash fool. If only there had been another way…
If only Carlton had not taken such a highhanded attitude!
By five o’clock,
Instead, she fled the room, running upstairs and locking the door before she flung herself onto the bed and succumbed to the tears that would not hold back any longer.
And the worst thing was, as she cried into her pillow, that she did not quite know what she was crying for. Only that something, somewhere, was very, very wrong.
And that Carlton was the man responsible.
It was a cold morning, so she was glad that she had brought a warm cloak. Closing the door quietly behind her, Eliza hurried down the street. Grayson said he would have a vehicle waiting and, sure enough, when she rounded the corner, she saw a shabby brougham waiting at the curb with Grayson standing at the horses’ heads.
When a letter had been delivered to her room during the evening, as Eliza had been too emotionally exhausted to face anybody, she opened it and had immediately recognized the script.
Grayson would be waiting for her just after dawn; if she loved him, she would go away with him. It was as simple as that.
Eliza had spent several hours desperately trying to decide what to do. She was still stinging from Carlton’s uncharacteristic attack and the knowledge that he so distrusted Grayson that he was having his affairs investigated. Did he intend to do that with every suitor who might be interested in her? Or was it just Grayson Henry to whom he had taken such a dislike. It was all so unfair.
Sick of pacing the room and her own indecision, Eliza had packed a valise at ten and tried to get some sleep.
Now she was on her way to becoming Mrs. Grayson Henry and her stomach lurched uneasily. Much as she loved Grayson – and believed her guardian to be wrong – this did not feel right. None the less, she put on a smile when she saw him and he gave her a dazzling one in return.
‘Eliza! Thank God you came!’
She accepted his kiss, shivering with a mixture of the chill air and nerves. ‘Of course I came. How could I not?’
Despite her decision to elope, Eliza could not help but wish he would change his mind, suggest another way that they could be together. Had they really petitioned her guardian enough? Surely if they tried hard enough, they could convince him that Grayson was more than worthy of her hand. Carlton had shown himself to be perfectly reasonable over the past few weeks.
Remembering her guardian’s reaction the day before made her realize how hopeless such thoughts were. As far as Grayson was concerned, his lordship would never change his mind. And Carlton was wrong. Completely and utterly wrong. He knows nothing about love and even less about commitment , she thought bitterly and her resolve to go ahead hardened.
Grayson handed her into the brougham, tucking a rug around her solicitously. ‘We will stop at the first respectable inn, my love, so you can partake of some breakfast.’
‘Do you think we should?’ What if they were followed?
‘Of course.’ He squeezed her hand. ‘Everything will be fine, I promise you. Tonight we shall stop in Leicester and tomorrow night in Harrogate. And the night after…’ he raised her hand to his lips, ‘sweet Eliza, we shall finally be man and wife!’
She managed a wan smile, but was almost grateful when he closed the door and climbed up onto the driver’s seat. In an instant, they were off and Eliza had settled back into her seat, wishing that the dull feeling of dread that had settled like a heavy weight inside her would disappear. This was meant to be the beginning of her future and yet she could not shake off the sense that she was behaving like a rash fool. If only there had been another way…
If only Carlton had not taken such a highhanded attitude!
By five o’clock,
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