Chapter 7

AS ELOISA SAT AT A table in the back of the coffeehouse waiting for the duke, she tried to remain calm. It had been two days since the theater and she was worried he might not show for their meeting. There had not been a word from him since that night. She had expected him to call on her cousin to further his suit and was concerned that he hadn't.

She didn't hear Thomas enter, and when he placed a hand on her shoulder it broke through her thoughts. With a start she turned to see him standing there with heavy eyes. His clothes were barely in place on his body. His neck was bare and to her embarrassment the view of his chest at the top of his shirt excited her. As he sat he was still in the process of fixing his appearance. He must have come in from the back of the place. She chose a table that was difficult to see from the rest of the room, in the hope of giving them some privacy.

"Is there any way I can convince you to stop planning our meetings this early in the morning?" he rubbed a hand across his face. "If not for me, then for the sake of my poor valet. He must handle my bad mood if I don't get enough sleep."

"It's the only time I can see you without any suspicion. Neither of us wants gossip going around."

"I'm familiar with how gossip works, but I can't believe this suffering is the only way to avoid it."

His face looked so serious, she couldn't help but laugh. "Only a man used to spending the day in bed would see this as suffering. Sleep isn't that important."

"Sleep isn't the only thing done in bed."

Eloisa knew he hadn't meant to imply the two of them, but it still made her breath catch. Her eyes focused on his sensual lips, which were wearing a sly smile at the moment and she easily remembered how they had felt while kissing her. She wasn't experienced enough to know exactly what he meant, but her imagination gave her some idea. It was enough to make her heart beat faster.

"I still have my reputation to worry about, even if you don't," she murmured, her thoughts scattered due to his suggestive words. "I shouldn't be meeting with you alone at all."

"This is a reputable coffee-house on St. James, not the shadows of Convent Gardens. No one would raise an eyebrow at our being here at any hour."

"I would still rather less people know we were meeting at all."

He grinned and leaned his cane against the table, then let his hand trail along until it found hers. "Is this a secret encounter then? Makes it much more exciting."

"No, it's not a secret." She pulled her hand away. "I just don't want us seen together."

"That is not the kind of behavior a proper woman would show."

"There are a lot of things I'm doing that I'm not supposed to. I blame you for it."

It should have insulted him, but instead he smiled even bigger. "Good to know I haven't lost all of my charm."

Sitting there with his body relaxed in the chair and his clothes rumpled, Eloisa thought he looked like a young boy. Even his hair fell in various directions, as if he hadn't bothered to fix it before leaving the house. This was not the perfectly groomed man she was used to seeing in the elegant ballrooms. It felt more like the real Thomas.

"You should try to be more sincere. Making jokes makes people think you're not serious."

"I find most serious topics boring."

"Then what do you find interesting?"

That was the wrong question to ask. Thomas gave her a smile that told her everything he was thinking. Her stomach fluttered and she cleared her throat. "I don't think that would be a proper topic of conversation with a lady."

"Interesting things are almost never proper."

He flirted with her again and she could feel her cheeks getting warm. Flirting was not a skill she had much practice with. She would rather not start with a master at the art.

"Your confrontation with Lord Bittleby was both of those things." Eloisa tried not to smile as she remembered the shocked look the pompous lord had on his bloated face when Thomas pinned him to the chair. "It made quite the impression on Sarah."

"Women love a man of action."

"I think it was the words that affected her more."

He raised one of his eyebrows. "I don't even remember what I said."

"You implied that you were willing to become a better man for the hand of my cousin."

Thomas laughed loud enough that some of the other people in the room turned to look at where the sound came from. Even with the seclusion they had, Eloisa tipped her head, hoping the large brim of her hat would hide her face more. This outlandish display was not what she expected.

"Are you unwell?" she hissed at him. "People are staring at you like you are a lunatic."

"I'm sorry, but the idea that love can change a person is absurd. It's drivel that women read about in books. Only a fool would believe it was real."

"I happen to believe in it."

"Then you're as foolish as the rest of them."

She could feel her temper rising, but fought it to avoid making a scene. "My cousin believes it and that's going to work in your favor. If we can convince her that you are a reformed man because of her she will accept your suit."

"So we lie to her?"

"No." The way he put that made her uneasy. "You said you were a changed man. We just attribute it to her and not the near-death experience."

She watched his face for the slightest hint of an expression that would tell her what was on his mind. He showed her nothing. She wished she could hide her emotions the way he did. It would have made things much easier for her in her younger years.

"Your cousin would have to be a featherbrain to fall for that. I thought she was more than just a pretty face, but now you say I was wrong."

That insult was the final straw. If he was going to ridicule her and her cousin, he could do it without her company. The money alone wasn't worth dealing with his bad attitude.

"Since you are so certain that you can do this without my help, I might as well just stop offering it. You are more than welcome to walk away if you like. That is something you are good at."

She stood to leave, feeling annoyed by him. His hand shot out to wrap around her wrist. The skin-to-skin contact surprised her and she gasped.

"You give up too easily."

He should have released her the moment she stopped moving, but he didn't. She stood there staring down at where he held her. There was such a contrast between his hand and hers. His was golden tan, pressed against her paleness.

"I know I can be difficult." His thumb began slowly rubbing against her wrist, causing her pulse to race. She had removed her gloves when she arrived but now wished she had that barrier to protect her.

"I promise to try and be a better student."

He gave her that boyish smile again and she could feel her frustration melt away. That smile had gotten him out of plenty of trouble in the past no doubt. It was hard to resist him when he wanted to disarm a lady. Even a lady who was as logical as Eloisa couldn't be immune to it.

"Besides, if you leave now you will miss the tasty breakfast they serve," he added.

Before she could ask what breakfast he was talking about, the door to the kitchen opened and two servants entered carrying trays. After setting them on the table, they lifted the lids and such delicious smells filled the room that Eloisa could feel her mouth start to water.

"I ordered it on my way in." Thomas reached one of his long fingers for a piece of bacon. "One of the benefits of being a duke is not waiting for service. Since I became blind I have found I have a blood-hounds sense of smell and this teased me even before it came out."

"Do you also have this appetite? I might want to be careful where I put my fingers."

"I seldom bite." He laughed. "At least not without an invitation."

He gave her that look again, the one that made her skin tingle. She couldn't continue to look at him when he had that smoldering expression. It made it difficult to carry on a normal conversation.

"This does look good." Eloisa hesitated only a second more before sinking back into the chair. Her hunger was too much to ignore. "I find it hard to believe you could smell it from the kitchen."

Thomas arranged a tiny plate of food for her. "You would be surprised at how the other senses become enhanced when one of them is taken away."

"I remember reading once that a blind man could hear a heartbeat from another room." Eloisa’s statement had slipped out without thought, but Thomas just laughed.

"I don't think I've ever done that but I can overhear other people's conversations more easily."

Eloisa thought about how often she had been guilty of eavesdropping during her first season. That had been her favorite part of being ignored. "That could be a remarkable skill to develop."

"Would you like to try and enhance your own senses?" He looked at her with barely restrained enthusiasm. "We could try something as an experiment."

Before she could object, Thomas had moved and stood beside her chair. She seldom felt small in comparison to most men, since she was such a tall woman, but with Thomas she did.

"Close your eyes," he said, in a voice too low for anyone else to hear. "No peeking."

Her first instinct was to refuse, but something rebellious inside her said yes and she did as she was told. She felt him lift away her plate before she knew that he was going to. It left her hands empty in her lap, waiting for what he was going to do next.

"Are you frightened?" His breath was warm against her cheek, indicating how close he was.

"No."

She heard him laugh, a low rumbling sound that tickled her ear.

"Perhaps you should be."

The darkness helped her focus more on her other senses, which were running wild with the new experience.

"We will start simple. What do you hear?"

Eloisa focused to try and get past the rapid beating of her own heart. The steady sound of his breathing moved slowly from her left side to the right, but she didn't want to give that as an answer. Beyond that she could make out the sounds of the other patrons talking. If she tried, Eloisa found she could even make out pieces of their conversation.

"The two ladies next to us are discussing a boring sermon from last Sunday. One of them spent the time thinking about a new pair of shoes." She giggled a little. 

"Good, now what about the scents in the room?"

There was the delicious food she had been eating before, still close at hand. She wondered if it was under her nose. Having only nibbled a bit before her plate was taken, Eloisa felt her mouth water. It took every ounce of her restraint not to ask for him to give it back. That would end what little dignity she was still clinging to.

As she sniffed the air she realized there was another scent. It was something she couldn't identify but recognized as being male. It was a scent only Thomas had and Eloisa knew she would always be able to recognize it. Something about it was indulgent to her and she inhaled deeply.

"You are enjoying the lesson." His voice was low, barely a whisper. "Perhaps this is the way to seduce a woman's mind."

She would have argued with him but when she parted her lips he slipped in a piece of apple. The sweet juice ran down the back of her throat. Tiny drops ran from the corners of her mouth. She felt his warm fingers wiping it away. She tried to chew slowly, savoring the sweetness. She was surprised at how much more she enjoyed it when she focused on the taste. To show him she was ready she let her mouth fall open slightly, so it would be easy for him to feed her the next bite.

The warmth of his breath passed over her lips. He swallowed her gasp as his mouth took advantage of the opportunity and deepened the kiss. Eloisa had been kissed once while she was abroad, but it didn’t come close to this. The intensity of it was a singular experience. When he pulled away she was panting. The sound of her own heart beating rang in her ears. She could hear his breathing was as ragged as hers.

"Perhaps I should have chosen a better way to demonstrate the sensation of touch."

She blinked against the brightness of the sunlit room when she opened her eyes. His handsome face was only inches from her. The closeness made her uncomfortable and she placed her hands on his shoulders to push him away. She was surprised by the muscle she felt beneath his jacket. 

"I suppose that is another form." He sounded amused as he moved to sit back in his seat.

Her lips felt swollen and she reached up to touch. How irritating that he appeared unaffected by what happened between them. Quickly Eloisa looked around but no one appeared to have noticed what happened.

"I wouldn't recommend taking such liberties with my cousin, you might find yourself at the end of a dueling pistol," Eloisa collected her thoughts as quickly as possible. "She carries one in her bag at all times."

He had the nerve to smile at her reprimand. "The worst that could happen is I’d be forced to marry her and that's my goal, so it wouldn't be too inconvenient."

"Only a snake would resort to such means with a lady."

His face sobered immediately.

"There are plenty of people who claim I am such an animal." The words were ground out through clenched teeth. "Are you one of those people?"

At first Eloisa was too startled to speak, but when she did the words came out carefully. She wanted him to know that she meant every word of it.

"No, I don't think you are as bad as they claim, at least not anymore."

His facial expression relaxed and his warm smile returned. Once again he looked like the carefree charmer.

"Good, because I find I need as many allies as possible these days."

"Allies? You make it sound like war." She couldn't help but giggle at the notion.

"The battle of the sexes has a lot in common with war." He winked one of those blue eyes at her. "I just don't want to be another casualty."

Eloisa couldn't help it and she laughed out loud. Not the restrained laughter most women were allowed, but something genuine. She even attempted to muffle the sound with her hands but she was unsuccessful. Embarrassed at her unladylike behavior, Eloisa felt her cheeks turn red as she stuttered an apology. 

"I wish more women would be so open with their behavior." Thomas said. "It would be such a relief to know exactly what they were thinking at the moment."

"I thought you enjoyed the games that ladies played?"

"The challenge is what a man enjoys, but only if he feels confident of winning the prize."

"You have more than enough confidence."

He didn't answer and Eloisa realized that she might be wrong in her assumptions about him. If the gossips thought he was no longer the man he used to be, perhaps he thought that as well. That would explain the single-minded pursuit of her cousin. Winning the right bride would be a way to return to his glory in the eyes of the ton. 

"I hope you are not feeling pity for me," Thomas finally said. "I wouldn't want to ruin the disgust you already had."

It was a joke but the smile he wore didn't reflect in his voice. He didn’t want her pity. Pride was important to him.

"You have nothing to worry about in that regard. I can't feel pity for a man who still has so much." Eloisa hoped her voice sounded as haughty as the words indicated.

"Enough to keep you interested in our bargain at least."

This time his smile was real, a flash of white peeking out at the world. The heavy moment had lifted and Eloisa felt weight being lifted from the room. She was able to let go of a deep breath she didn't even realize she had been holding.

"I assume you have some kind of plan in mind?" said Thomas.

"I'm working on one. I just needed to make sure you were still going to be willing to participate."

"I will follow your lead." He bowed his head to her and she giggled.

Eloisa needed to get back before Sarah noticed she was missing. She stood to go and Thomas rose like the gentlemen he was. They had enjoyed their time together, but there was still something nagging at her and she knew it would continue to bother her if she didn't ask.

"Do you remember me from when we met my first season in London?" she asked, keeping her back to him so that she wouldn't have to watch his confused expression.

"That was a long time ago. Too much has happened for me to remember every detail."

"Not details, just my face. Do you remember my face at all?"

He didn't answer, which gave her all the answer she needed. "I guess I just needed to know for sure."

"I was a different man then. I didn't notice a lot of things I should have."

"I understand." The truth was she understood too well. Eloisa had always been the one everyone forgot. At least he hadn't lied to her about it. "I will let you know what the next part of the plan is."

She took her exit quickly, slipping out the door and into the bright sunlight. There was going to be enough work to keep her mind busy and diverted from a handsome duke.