Chapter 20

The next few days brought with it intense rains, an angry grey-black sky and winds, howling like hyenas on the prowl.

For Eleanor and Nathan, that put a hitch in their plan to search Hadleigh's residence here in India, leaving them to go through the plan once again in Nathan's study.

'It is a shame we couldn't go today,' Eleanor sighed as they stared down at the plans of the run-down manor Hadleigh was said to have taken residence in.

Nathan sighed in reply and ran a hand down his face. 'Indeed. I was hoping to have formed some strategy by now. The horrendous rains have ruined that, though.'

'Well,' Eleanor said taking a seat. 'I'm sure we can find some other way to entertain ourselves. Do not tell me you are planning to scheme the entirety of to-day.'

Nathan smiled at her devilishly and began advancing towards her. 'Yes, I believe there is a certain game we can play to rid ourselves of boredom,' he said darkly and drew her out of the chair on which she sat and towards him.

Eleanor felt her heart squeeze in delight and she squealed in laughter as her husband began to rain kisses down on her. 'No, Nathan,' she begged in-between fits of giggles until they dissolved into laboured heaves.

Dear Lord, this man will be the death of me!

'Why not, love?' Nathan teased. 'Is this not enjoyable?'

'It is,' she managed to get out. 'Which is why we should stop while we can. Anymore and this day will go to waste.' Mustering up all her willpower, she pushed the lusting man off her person and stared into his eyes. 'We must be productive.'

Nathan sighed but withdrew and Eleanor felt the loss of him profoundly. The past few days had been amazing. He husband showered her with kisses every morning, accompanied her on walks around the property and once, even took her to the local market and bought her a couple exotic scarves which she fancied! And at night – oh, at night! – he climbed with her to euphoric highs leaving Eleanor greatly satisfied and also a little tired out. Of course, the tiredness was worth it. And now, when she thought back to all those lovely moments, she didn't think she wanted to leave him when this was all over. She loved him, she was sure of that. How could she leave Nathan when she loved him? But, at the same time, she still wanted freedom. Was it possible that she could have both? Could she have both without jeopardising the other?

'Fine. Productive, we shall be. How about practicing your shooting?' Nathan's eyes twinkled when he smiled down at her.

Eleanor groaned but got up from her seat. 'I fail to see how that can be both productive and enjoyable.'

'You will be surprised at how enjoyable that is once you've actually gotten the hang of it, darling,' Nathan said moving to the door and holding out a hand to her. 'What say, darling? Will it be shooting? Or, should we abandon the idea and go back to doing what we were earlier?'

Eleanor knew her ears must have turned red and an uncomfortable hot feeling began to spread through her as reaction to his words. But, she was quite proud and refused to let Nathan get the satisfaction of seeing her blush – he would surely gloat and smile that smug smile of his (one she had come to adore). Besides, a bit of practice might come in handy when breaking into Hadleigh's manor.

'Fine,' she agreed, as nonchalant as ever. 'But however shall we practice when it the rain is beating down so dreadfully?'

Nathan laughed. 'Don't worry, love. I shall take care of that.'

**********

'That was a fairly good shot, Eleanor,' Nathan remarked as he stared at the hole in the target. It was just a few centimetres astray from the bright red bull's-eye in the middle and Eleanor felt proud at the fact that she was getting better.

Because of the rain, Nathan had converted the fairly enormous dining room into a shooting arena – which meant that he had pushed the table and chairs aside and placed the target in the middle. Eleanor was outraged at first – what if she missed and hit the glass and chinaware in the cupboards on the walls or even the crystal chandelier which hung from the ceiling in all its splendour! – and made sure to voice her opposition vehemently. Only after Nathan had the servants come in and take away the fine ware did Eleanor consent to even touch her revolver which provoked great grumbling from Nathan's side.

And now, after a couple tries, Eleanor stood smiling from ear to ear in front of the target, Nathan next to her with a pleased expression on his face.

'I can hardly believe I managed to do it,' Eleanor said, placing the gun on a side table and dropping into a chair. 'I see now why you would find this enjoyable. There's an odd sense of satisfaction that is now washing over me and I don't think I ever want it to go.'

Nathan sat on the chair next to her and laughed. 'I hope that you don't feel it too often. I should hate it if you told me you were satisfied after having killed a man.'

Eleanor frowned. 'You do know that I do not plan on shooting a person, do you not?'

'Of course. But don't hesitate if doing so will save your life. And even then, you can opt to aim for the legs or shoulder instead of hitting any major part and killing him. Maiming sounds far better, don't you think?'

'Neither sounds good to me, if I were to be honest,' Eleanor said and worried her bottom lip. 'The very thought that I now know how to operate an instrument that could kill terrifies me. Never would I have thought that I would hold a gun, let alone fire it!'

Nathan stared at her with an empathetic look on her face. 'I know what you mean. But it only becomes a sin when you do it with the sole aim of hurting someone when he hasn't wronged you.'

Eleanor sighed. 'That is true. Although it does nothing to calm me.'

'Well, enough of this dreary talk!' Nathan exclaimed. 'Look, it has stopped raining. Why don't we go for a nice walk?'

Eleanor laughed but stood up and took Nathan's outstretched hand anyway. 'In the wet mud? I think not! My gown will be soiled and the maids will have a hard time trying to clean it!'

'I can carry you,' Nathan immediately replied, his smile mischievous and his blue eyes twinkling in delight.

'I'm dreadfully heavy,' Eleanor argued but not doing anything to stop him from lifting her off the ground and tucking her close to his body as he hooked his arms around her back and knees.

'And yet I carry you easily.'

'Liar,' Eleanor laughed. 'I can see the muscles on your face contract and contort in pain.'

Nathan, who was trying to maintain an easy expression immediately let his features go loose as he set her back on the ground and heave a sigh. She was heavy, she knew that and it was of no offense to her that Nathan thought the same. In fact, she was rather amused and charmed by the fact that he had held her for almost ten seconds before his will power gave away.

She was drawn from her fascination with her husband's charms when a footman burst into the room carrying two letters on a platter along with letter openers.

'The correspondence for Your Graces has arrived,' he said stoically, deposited the platter on the table and exited the room.

'Graces?' Eleanor mused. 'We both have letters?'

Nathan looked as puzzled as Eleanor felt as he took the letters and handed one to her. 'It's from a Lady Gabrielle Addington. Is this not your friend? How did she know where to address it to?'

'Oh, yes, I had written to her a month back when we first arrived!' Eleanor exclaimed in delight.

Of course! Eleanor had written the letter to her beloved friend when they first arrived in India, telling her of her growing feelings for Nathan. She had quite honestly forgotten about it but was immensely happy that her friend had written back to her. It was strange though that the letter had arrived earlier than she had expected. She thought it shouldn't have reached for another month. But, the excitement to read it pushed away all her inhibitions and prompted her to rip open the envelope sans care.

Lady Eleanor Huntington

Huntington Estate

Bombay

30 July, 1875

Ellie,

Oh, you finally wrote to me, you horrible woman! (Is it inappropriate to call a duchess horrible despite being her closest and most beloved friend?) I kept sending letters and messages to Huntington Castle but they all just kept being returned! I could not, for the life of me, fathom why it was so. There was a moment when I even thought you had died, forgive me.

And then, I got your letter. From India!

What are you doing in India? Does your husband have business there? I don't recall anyone mentioning anything of the sort to me.

And, you boorish woman, you are supposed to like your husband. What is this nonsense of you only liking him now? I know you did not love him when you married him but I thought it was implied that you would eventually. That is to say, with the face your husband has, how can you possibly not come to love him? Oh, it doesn't matter now. I think by the time this letter finds you, you must have fallen completely head-over-heels in love with him like the heroines in the romance novels all proper ladies are forbidden to read! Not that that has stopped me, of course.

Anyhow, onto my surprise. I am engaged! The Marquess Gresham has offered for me and I have gladly accepted. My father was only too happy to give me away. Of course, the daughter of an earl must only marry someone in a standing higher than her own father's. (I am now sighing and rolling my eyes.) But Gresham is a good fellow and he has been courting me quite some time now. We are to be married next spring – yes, it is a long engagement but he has business in India too!

Oh, Ellie, I really miss you. I hope your husband is taking good care of you and giving you all that your heart desires because you deserve all that and more being the wonderful person you are!

Reply with haste, darling.

Yours truly,

Lady Gabrielle Addington (soon-to-be Marchioness Gresham)

post script – I haven't actually met up with your family to scream at your mother.

Eleanor folded up the letter and sighed in contentment. She would have to write back to Gabrielle fast and inform her of the new developments. Of course, she wasn't going to breathe a word about what exactly they were doing in India but she could let slip a few details of her married life.

And she was engaged! It was wonderful news indeed, especially since Gabrielle had always been the one between the two of them who wanted to get married and married fast. Eleanor only hoped she would be able to get back to London in time for her wedding.

'A girl!' Nathan exclaimed in joy next to her. Eleanor looked up from her letter to find her husband staring at his own in wonderment before looking up at her. 'Eleanor, Leah gave birth a month back. It's a girl! They've named her Arabella.'

'Your sister? How marvellous!' Eleanor clapped her hands. She was an aunt now, and she couldn't wait to meet her little niece. Even if she might not be her niece much longer – something Eleanor started to dread more and more.

Nathan laughed and picked up Eleanor twirling her around. She squealed, surprised and amused at the same time. She didn't know Nathan had been looking forward to the birth of Arabella oh so much. She was quite sure his excitement far superseded his sister's and her husband's.

He set her down before continuing to speak with the same joy and mirth. 'Leah is also incredibly upset that I've neglected to introduce you to her before we left for India. She has all but demanded it be the first thing we do once we reach England.'

'Of course,' Eleanor agreed. 'But, does your sister know of your work in India? What exactly it is that you're doing?' she added in a whisper.

Nathan nodded. 'Yes. So does her husband. They are the ones who oversee matters from England. This would never work out with a foothold only in India.'

'That does make sense.'

'Of course it does,' Nathan said, his smile broadening to a grin before he began to lean down towards her. Eleanor, already knowing what it was he wanted gladly obliged and just as their lips met, the door to the dining room burst open and in came, Ram, his turban slightly askew, a harried look on his dark face.

'Your Graces,' he panted. 'Forgive me for the intrusion. It is urgent.'

Nathan held up a hand to excuse him. 'No need, Ram. What is it you want to tell me?'

'Hadleigh has boarded a ship to England,' he said in a rush. 'He has vacated the manor.'

Nathan cursed colourfully and Eleanor felt the strong urge to follow him. They were too late. If only they hadn't waited for so many days, they could have discovered something before Hadleigh had left for England along with his secrets.

'But another man has taken his place,' Ram continued. 'It appears that Hadleigh left in a hurry and has not taken with him any of his belongings except a single small trunk. Everything else has been left in the manor and another man has taken over operations.'

'That gives us something to work with,' Nathan said, the dark expression he had previously had, leaving. 'Okay, find the identity of this man and report back to me immediately. Let's be alert. The minute the man leaves the manor, we go with our original plan and search the building. Understood?'

Ram nodded, gave a short bow in both their directions and left in a hurry.

Nathan began to follow him out the door when Eleanor stopped him. 'Where are you going now? Shouldn't we get everything ready?'

'I'm going to send a telegram to Leah and Alexander, her husband,' he said with haste. 'They will be able to track Hadleigh's movements in England and find out more.'

'Alright. But what should I do?'

'You get ready, darling,' he said. 'Go to my study. In the bottom drawer of my desk, you'll find a package with clothes in it. Wear that and stay in your room. Don't let anyone come in. I'll come find you when I'm done.'

Eleanor nodded and Nathan kissed her forehead before leaving the room, leaving a very disgruntled Eleanor in his wake.

Everything was unravelling one by one, with new situations and issues popping around every corner which, quite frankly terrified Eleanor. When she signed up for adventure and freedom, she didn't fully comprehend the extents she would have to go to, to achieve that reality. Now, she was scared whether she would eventually be caught in the crossfire when everything is blown to bits.

She only hoped she would, at the end, still stand unharmed and with the same people by her side as when she started.