The Duke's Bidding

Chapter 26

It was some time before Elizabeth calmed down. She was unsure when she leaned against John but the warmth of his arm, braced around her, felt comforting. They sat together, both in no hurry to end this intimate moment. When the door latch released, Elizabeth startled out of her reverie, and watched in horror as the young maid, Ginny, swept in. Trying to disentangle herself from John's embrace, she pushed against him, but her efforts were to no avail. John simply tightened his hold on her.

The maid carried the stack of bed linen to the armoire and turned to address her mistress, her eyes widening at the scene before her. Perhaps if Elizabeth had not been embarrassed, she would find the awkward look on the maid's face more comical. She, too, wished the maid would find the nearest exit. "Sorry my lady, your Lordship. I will come back—later."

Elizabeth had long given up trying to disentangle herself and opted to lean further into John. What is the point anyway? The maid is already gone. She would deal with Ginny later.

"Are you all right now?" John asked.

"Yes, much better," Elizabeth whispered.

"How long do you suppose before she summons the housekeeper?"

"That depends," Elizabeth replied. "I suppose it will depend on how quickly she'll scale the stairs."

"I imagine we'll know soon enough." John stood and ruffled the hair on his nape. "It's ironic," he mused. "Rob just warned me about the woes of having servants again."

"You didn't have servants all this time?" Elizabeth asked, now curious.

"I... at first I couldn't afford to have them, later it was more convenient not to have them." John shrugged.

"Will you tell me about your travels?" Elizabeth asked. She was curious to discover what had kept him away all these years.

"Yes, but perhaps not at this precise moment. While I do enjoy your company, I'd rather not find myself under further scrutiny of my elderly servants. As it is, Watson is a moment away from having an apoplexy every time he finds fault with my behavior."

"Oh." Although disappointed, Elizabeth nodded her understanding.

John headed for the adjoining door, in case someone waited outside the main entrance. Hesitating as his hand rested on the doorknob, John turned back and asked, "Will you do me the honor of joining me for supper?"

Elizabeth smiled at him. "I would be honored my lord." She half curtsied, mocking formality.

***

John wanted to spend more time with Elizabeth. He found her intriguing, but the young maid's arrival took the situation out of his control. The servant girl had stammered an apology and stepped out, but John knew she was headed straight for the housekeeper. Not wanting to cause further problems in his household, John decided to find Mrs. Watson on his own. Perhaps giving the list to her will explain his presence in the girls room. When he stepped out of the Ducal suite, however, he noticed Ginny waiting a few doors down. She curtsied and headed back into Elizabeth's room. Assuming the chit did not have enough time to run to the housekeeper, John made a mental note to reward the maid later and headed to the study instead.

John spent the rest of the afternoon at his desk. He did his best to attend to the estate affairs, inspect the ledgers and accounts and read his correspondence from the stewards. As he finalized his crew assignments and arranged instructions for Jensen's return to Boston, Mrs. Watson stopped in to inquire about supper. She wanted to see if his guests would be joining him or if she should arrange other accommodations for them.

"Perhaps a small gathering will be suitable, Mrs. Watson." Yes, we can have a small gathering and invite Elizabeth to join us. This could give her a change of scenery and would be less intimidating than being alone with me. "Mrs. Watson, one more thing if you will."