Abducted by a Prince (30 page)

“I quite agree,” her grandmother said. “Who is he but a baseborn rogue? He may have attended Eton on scholarship, yet he is a mere commoner without a drop of blue blood.”

That wasn’t true, Ellie wanted to say. Damien had very likely been born of the gentry—perhaps even a royal. Though
he
was skeptical, she believed there could be truth to the claim made by his late guardian, Mrs. Mims, that he was a prince. But no proof existed. The only clue was that missing key.

Slapping the folded newspaper against his palm, Pennington paced back and forth in front of the fireplace. “I suppose, Eloise, that he has sent you here to apply to me for a settlement. He must be too cowardly to face me, man to man. Well, you may tell him I will not give him tuppence! He has wed you for naught.”

“That isn’t why I’m here,” Ellie objected. “He doesn’t even know that I came to Pennington House today.”

“Then he married you in the hopes of finagling his way back into society. He will gain no sponsorship from me. Rather, I will see to it that he is not admitted to any of the best homes!”

“How do we even know this is a real marriage?” the countess asked as she fixed a sly stare on Ellie. “The scoundrel may have tricked her.”

Despite her determination to be polite, Ellie took great pleasure in saying, “Oh, it was no sham. Lady Milford was there as witness. In fact, you may thank
her
for making all the arrangements.”

The countess dropped her needle and thread onto the tambour frame. “Lady Milford!” she uttered in astonishment. “Do you mean to say that she traveled all the way to Scotland on your behalf?”

“I do indeed, Grandmamma.”

Let the bitter old woman stew on
that,
Ellie thought. Her grandmother knew that Ellie had been in Scotland because Walt had been forced to confess everything to his family, including showing them the letter from Damien that had contained instructions on where to bring the stolen key. Yet no one in her family had bothered to fetch her home. They ought to be ashamed to learn that a pillar of society had felt compelled to involve herself in the affair—all because
they
would not rescue Ellie.

Her uncle and grandmother were frowning at each other as if in silent communication. The earl looked about to explode. Ellie had only a moment to savor her victory before he turned sharply and flung his newspaper onto the coal fire, making the flames flare bright.

“Blasted woman! How dare she interfere without my permission. I’ve a good mind to—”

“Basil! Pray, do not say anything you might regret.” Rising to her feet, the countess patted her son on the sleeve of his dark brown coat. “We must think of how to make the best of this situation. Remember, Lady Milford is an influential woman. Her intervention may be beneficial to Beatrice. Since Eloise is now safely married, the scandal is not quite so damaging as we feared it to be.”

“Nevertheless,
I
am the head of this family and these matters are
mine
to decide,” Pennington said testily. “But I don’t suppose I should be surprised at her effrontery after the way she came here, asking all those prying questions, forcing Walt to—” He pinched his lips shut, his surly gaze focused on Ellie.

“Lady Milford told me that she made Walt retract the vicious lie that he’d told about my character,” Ellie said. “Is that what you were about to reference, Uncle?”

The scowl on his broad features spoke volumes. Walt had made the outrageous claim that he’d seen Ellie sneak out of the house at night, ostensibly to meet the Demon Prince. Walt had wanted it to appear as if she had run away voluntarily so that his father wouldn’t learn of the gambling debt that had triggered Damien’s plan to abduct Beatrice. How mortified Pennington must have been to discover his eldest son’s dishonorable actions, both in gambling and lying.

“I have dealt with Walter in my own way,” he said stiffly. “And Lady Milford ought to have kept her nose out of our affairs.”

Her gloved fingers gripped at her sides, Ellie took a step toward him. “Well, I am glad that she did not. You had left me to fend for myself. And if not for Lady Milford, you’d still believe that I’d gone off with Mr. Burke of my own volition.”

He had the good grace to flush. “I must beg your pardon for that.”

“Thank you, but the true apology should come from Walt.” Ellie wondered suddenly if she might discover what had happened to the stolen key. “Is he upstairs? Perhaps a footman should be sent to fetch him.”

“My, you have become quite strident under the influence of the Demon Prince,” the countess declared, her wrinkles shifting as she arched an eyebrow. “If you must know, Walter isn’t here. He has been sent away for a time.”

“Sent away? Where?”

“To rusticate in the country,” the earl said. “I will not permit him to be lured into losing his quarterly allowance to men like your husband.”

Ellie felt the impulse to defend Damien—but how could she? There was no denying that he owned a gambling club. And for all she knew, he
had
lured Walt into that game. “Damien cares nothing for Walt’s money. He merely wants the return of a key that was stolen from him. Do
you
know what Walt did with it?”

The earl narrowed his eyes to slits. Turning away, he began to pace again, throwing a scornful glance her way. “Ah, yes, the mythical key. If it ever existed, it was tossed into the rubbish years ago.”

Ellie had had enough of his condescending manner. Damien seemed certain that Walt still had the key, and she would sooner believe her husband than her uncle or her cousin. “The key does indeed exist. If Walt claims that it does not, then he is fibbing. This is no small matter, either. After all, your own daughter was very nearly kidnapped in order to force Walt’s hand.”

Pennington said nothing. He merely gave her a stony stare.

“Eloise does bring up a salient point,” the countess said. “Beatrice might have been ruined. Only think what a tragedy it would have been if
she
had been abducted and forced into marriage to such a man.”

She and the earl exchanged another long glance. Again, Ellie had the impression of a silent message being passed between the two of them.

“Quite so,” he said crisply, before looking at Ellie again. “I’m sorry, Eloise, I would not have wished this fate upon you. However, what is done is done, and I’m afraid there is nothing I can do to rectify your unfortunate situation.”

So that was the end of it, Ellie thought, her throat tight with bitterness. To them, it would have been a calamity if Beatrice had been the one whose reputation was sullied. But not the unwanted daughter of the prodigal second son. They had shunned Ellie’s father and now they shunned her. It had been foolish of her to hope they might offer her a scrap of affection, or show even a smidgen of joy over her safe return.

She had a sudden longing for the sunny tranquility of her bedchamber at Damien’s house. The oppressive atmosphere here was weighing on her spirits. She wanted to be curled up on the chaise longue with her sketchpad and escape into the world of her imagination …

“If you’ll excuse me,” she said stiffly, “I shall go upstairs now to pack my belongings. You may rest assured that I shan’t bother you—any of you—ever again.”

With that, Ellie turned on her heel and departed the sitting room. She wanted to be out of this house as swiftly as possible. But as she headed down the corridor to the staircase that led up to the nursery and schoolroom, a slim girl in a lemon-yellow gown came rushing around the corner and nearly collided with her.

They both stopped to stare at each other.

Lady Beatrice’s lips parted in shock, her blue eyes rounded against pretty features that were framed by strawberry-gold curls. “Ellie!” she squealed. “My maid told me you were back. I was afraid I might miss you!”

Ellie found herself enveloped in a perfumed embrace. Her heart squeezed and she blinked back tears. It was gratifying to know that at least someone besides Lady Anne was happy to see her. Ellie had always felt an exasperated affection for her headstrong, self-absorbed cousin, even though the girl had been spoiled by her father and grandmother.

She stepped back. “I’m afraid I can’t stay long, Beatrice. I’ve only come to fetch my trunk from the nursery.”

Her cousin’s gaze held an avid interest. “Papa said that you couldn’t live here anymore now that you have been ruined. And by that wicked scoundrel, the Demon Prince! Tell me, is he as handsome as people say?”

“Damien Burke is indeed handsome, yes, but more importantly, he is…” How could she describe him? Despite his ill-planned abduction of her and his reputation as a gambler, Damien had depths of character that she was only just beginning to see. “He is a kind man, a true gentleman. And he is now my husband.”

Beatrice gasped, her fingers fluttering to her bosom. “You’re
married
? To the very rogue who abducted you?” She scanned Ellie from head to toe. “Why, no wonder you’re dressed so finely. He’s a very wealthy man, I’ve heard. Oh, how did it happen? Did you fall in love at first sight? Or did you scold him into doing right by you?”

“It was a mutual decision.” Ellie didn’t care to go into all the details, so she threw out a distraction. “And how have you been faring without me? Did you manage to charm the Duke of Aylwin?”

“Oh, the duke!” Beatrice wrinkled her pert nose. “I have quite changed my mind about marrying His Grace. Lofty title or not, he is far too uncouth for my tastes. His house was cluttered with Egyptian artifacts, and when I suggested that he clear them out so that the rooms might be seen to a better advantage, he very rudely ordered Lady Milford to take me away at once. Can you
imagine
how humiliating that was?”

Ellie bit back a smile. “Then I presume you will not be decorating your come-out ball with an Egyptian theme, after all?”

A mournful look drew down that bow-shaped mouth. “There will be no ball for me, I fear. Papa means to cancel it because of the scandal…” She paused, her face brightening again. “But now you have returned a married woman. Oh! Do you suppose that means the scandal will go away? That I might still have my season, after all?”

“You may wish to ask your papa. I spoke to him just a few moments ago in the sitting room.”

Beatrice clutched Ellie’s hand. “Oh, thank you! You will pardon me if I say good-bye now, won’t you? I must see him at once if the invitations are to be sent out in time!”

With that, she turned and hastened down the corridor.

Ellie stood watching until that yellow-garbed figure vanished around the corner. In spite of everything that had happened, she felt a certain wistful sadness that she would not be present to witness her cousin’s debut into society. Perhaps the feeling was only natural. She had spent the past twelve years of her life as governess to Beatrice. She had taught the girl her letters, bandaged her scrapes, kissed her at bedtime each night.

Now Ellie was leaving Pennington House forever. She might never again cross paths with Beatrice or any other members of this household. As trying as they could be, they had been an important part of her past. There were no relatives left on her mother’s side, either.

Her sense of melancholy deepened. She had no family anymore. And she was only staying with Damien for a short while. Soon, she would be utterly alone in the world. But that, she reminded herself, was exactly what she wanted. Wasn’t it?

Chapter 23

That afternoon, Ellie was standing beside her bed, looking over the many pages of illustrations spread out on the coverlet, when a tapping came from the door.

The sound startled her. She had given instructions that no one was to disturb her. To boost her spirits, she had resolved to focus her mind on her storybook. She wanted to determine how to break it into separate books as Damien had suggested. To that purpose, she had retrieved the finished pages from her uncle’s house and had laid some of them out so that it would be easier to view the overall progress of the plot.

Now, however, Ellie felt a flash of alarm. She reached out to snatch up the papers and hide them. Then she stopped herself. She needn’t conceal her work anymore. No longer was she the poor relation who would face punishment for shirking her duties.

She
was the mistress of this house. The liberating thought eased her mind. If she chose to litter the entire room with sheets of paper, then no one could gainsay her.

Nevertheless, she had asked to be left alone. She wanted to concentrate on the project without interruption. Perhaps Harriet had neglected to relay the message to Mrs. Tomkins …

As Ellie started across the bedroom, the door opened a crack and a tiny blond head poked inside. A darling little face peered up at her. “Please, ma’am, may I come in?”

Ellie’s heart softened. “Why, Lily! Of course you may.”

The girl slipped into the bedchamber, but hovered by the open door, her big blue eyes trained on Ellie. Today she wore a ruffled pinafore over a pale pink dress with a matching pink ribbon in her golden hair. She looked so precious that Ellie yearned to draw her close for a kiss.

But Damien would frown on that. He didn’t want his daughter to become attached to the stepmother who would be leaving soon. So Ellie reluctantly kept her distance. “Does Miss Applegate know where you are?”

“She went out on her afternoon off, and Nurse fell asleep in the rocking chair. And I
did
finish writing out my spelling list.”

Lily looked anxious to please, so Ellie reassured her. “That’s excellent, darling. Perhaps we should go up to the schoolroom so that you may show me your work. Have you learned to read, then?”

“Yes, ma’am. I can read lots and lots of words. Even
sentences
.” Curiosity lighting her face, Lily ventured a few steps toward the bed. “Why do you have so many papers scattered about?”

“I’m an artist, and those are my drawings. I was just looking at all of them.”

Lily went to stand at the foot of the four-poster. She clasped her hands behind her back as if she’d been taught not to touch things that didn’t belong to her. She stared in wide-eyed silence at the illustrations of Princess Arianna encountering fantastical forest creatures, curling up to sleep in a hut, awaking to find an old crone attempting to cast a spell on her, and using her wits to escape the wicked witch.