Chapter 5

Eleanor woke to the bright sunlight which hit her eyelids and forced them open. Frowning, she closed her eyes again, silently willing the open curtains to close. Sadly, there seemed to be no chance of that happening. But that didn't mean she was going to go down without a fight.

'Lady Wolverhampton,' a soft feminine voice said in her ear and she frowned. Who was Lady Wolverhampton?

Eleanor stirred in the bed before slowly sitting up and opening her eyes reluctantly. A girl around her age - eighteen - with mousy brown hair in a tight bun and doe-like brown eyes stared at her with fascination. Eleanor frowned and the girl immediately scrambled away and dipped into a low curtsy.

'Lady Wolverhampton,' she said again as she rose. Eleanor wondered again who she was addressing. There was no one in the room except she and the -

'Oh,' Eleanor mused, 'you were speaking to me.' She had forgotten that she was Lady Wolverhampton now that she was married to Nathan. Lord, she was married. She was Lady Eleanor Huntington, the Duchess of Wolverhampton. The thought sent a shiver through her. The title certainly hadn't felt as daunting before.

The girl nodded confusedly. 'Yes, my lady,' she said before adorning a smile on her face and continuing. 'I'm Lacy, my lady. I am to be your new lady's maid.'

Eleanor stood up, smiling at her. 'Hello, Lacy. I'm delighted to meet you.'

Lacy smiled faintly back at her. 'As am I, my lady.'

'What time is it?' Eleanor asked, rising from the bed and wrapping her dressing robe around her. The curtains were drawn and bright light streamed into the room so it was undoubtedly still daytime.

'It is nearing lunchtime, my lady,' Lacy informed her with a faint blush tinting her pale cheeks.

Eleanor's eyes widened and she gaped at the poor girl before running to the powder room and frantically getting ready, Lacy right by her side, helping her undress and bathe.

'Why did you not wake me up sooner, Lacy?' Eleanor demanded. How on earth had she managed to sleep in in the first place? She hadn't been tired the night before.

Lacy's blush deepened as she replied, stuttering. 'Well, miss, I-I-I did come to call you at half past eight but His Grace told me I was not to wake you.'

Eleanor snapped her head up and frowned. 'Why would His Grace tell you that?'

She didn't think it was possible that Lacy's blush could redden anymore but the girl proved her wrong as her face lit up in a brilliant shade of crimson.

'My lady, when I came in, His Grace was in the room and told me I was not to wake you up as you were tired from last night's...activities.' She said the last word with much effort and Eleanor frowned, wondering why she was going into such a frenzy. And then, it dawned on her and it was her turn to blush.

'I see,' Eleanor muttered under her breath before making up her mind. 'Lacy, you may take your leave. I shall finish up in here myself.'

'Are you sure, my lady?' Lacy asked in concern.

'Quite sure, Lacy,' Eleanor said and rose from the bath. 'Do go. I am sure you have far more important things to do at this time of day. I can dress myself.'

'Alright.' Lacy curtsied and left the room, softly closing the door behind her.

Eleanor, on the other hand, fumed. That sneaky son of a gun! How dare he go around speaking of such untrue, improper things! And what had he been doing in her room?

She slipped into a blue tea gown and hurriedly ran a brush through her hair, pulling it up into a chignon. She wore no jewellery save for the simple gold chain around her neck which her father had gifted her on her eighteenth birthday. Deciding she looked intimidating enough to scream at her husband, she marched towards the door that seperated his room from hers and swung it open.

Unfortunately for her, there was no one in there, let alone her bloody husband.

Of course, no one would be in here, she thought. Only I was sleeping at an ungodly hour!

She stormed out of the room and went in search of her blasted husband. She had no idea where she was going but just let her anger for him guide her as she walked past numerous servants, barely sparing them a glance when they bowed or curtsied to their mistress.

She did not know how but a few minutes later, she found herself in the dining hall. Maids were setting the table for lunch and upon seeing her, all of them halted their work and curtsied.

An elderly looking woman who seemed very familiar made her way to the front and smiled warmly at her.

'Good afternoon, my lady,' she said. 'I'm the head housekeeper, Mrs. Smith. We had met back at Huntington Manor in London.'

'Oh, I remember you now,' Eleanor said, giving her a bright smile. Of course, she remembered the dear woman who had greeted her at the steps when her parents and she had arrived for dinner at the manor.

Mrs. Smith smiled even brighter at her response before asking, 'Would you like to have lunch now? I would offer you breakfast but it is a quarter past one right now.'

A quarter past one! Eleanor had almost forgotten the reason she had stormed down here in the first place. The fact that it was a quarter past one fueled her anger and enriched her cause.

'Lunch would be lovely, Mrs. Smith,' Eleanor said, forcing a smile. 'But I was wondering where His Lordship is?'

'He's down by the lake, Your Grace,' Mrs. Smith told her kindly. 'I was about to send Bradley to fetch him.'

'Oh no, that won't be necessary,' Eleanor told her, holding up a hand. 'I shall go see him myself. I'll bring him with me for lunch too.'

'That would be very kind of you, my lady,' Mrs. Smith said, shooting her another bright smile.

Eleanor turned and walked out of the dining room before breaking into a run. She sprinted out the front door and looked around for the lake. She could not, however, see anything for the afternoon sun blinded her vision and the gardens were enormous. Deciding to walk around aimlessly until she hopefully stumbled upon it, she trudged through the garden, hoping against hope that she would not somehow get lost in the garden's vast expanse.

After what felt like hours of walking, Eleanor came to clearing a little distance from the castle. The place was absolutely beautiful with tall trees and beautiful flowers creeping between the wild weeds which grew in plenty. Right at the middle of the clearing was a huge beautiful lake which glittered in the sun, even from a distance.

And right next to the magnificent lake stood the person who she wanted to meet the most.

Lord Nathan Huntington, her beloved husband.

'Nathan!' she called, running to him, her skirts flying behind her. She had no doubt her ankles were showing below the hem of her dress from the way Nathan, who had turned at her voice, was staring at them.

'Good afternoon, darling,' he told her, grinning like a child. Eleanor could not help but wonder how his mood changed. One moment, he would be cold, the next, he would be taunting her and making fun.

'You!' She pointed a finger at him and glared. The nerve of the man to stand there grinning after passing those derogatory comments!

'Yes, it is me,' he said, still, keeping the grin on his face and towering over her petite figure.

'You son of a gun!'

Nathan frowned. 'Dear, dear. I do agree there are quite a few sons of a gun out there - starting with your friend, Daniel Hadleigh - but I do not think I should be at the end of such a baseless accusation.'

Eleanor scoffed and deepened the scowl on her face. 'I would hardly call it baseless, you liar!'

Her husband raised a brow at her. 'A liar, you say I am?'

'Yes!' Eleanor said indignantly. 'How dare you spread false rumours to Lacy! The entire castle will be abuzz with the gossip!'

At these words, Nathan looked genuinely confused and inched closer to her. 'What gossip? And who's Lacy?'

'My lady's maid!' Eleanor shouted. A lock of hair fell from her chignon and Nathan, noticing it, brushed it away and tucked it behind her ear. Eleanor felt her cheeks heat up and she stepped back to get rid of the bundle of nerves which had begun to weave in her stomach.

Mustering up her ebbing anger she continued, 'Why did you tell her to not wake me up?'

'Why, did you want to be woken up so early?'

'That's not it,' Eleanor huffed. 'You told Lacy to let me sleep as I was tired from last night's activities!'

'Oh,' Nathan mused, grinning like the Cheshire cat. 'So that is the reason you're all worked up.'

'Of course, it is! How dare you say that! Do you know how fast gossip like this travels among the maids?'

'Certainly, I do,' Nathan said, nodding. 'Which is precisely why I said it.'

Eleanor gawked at him and opened and closed her mouth like a fish. A part of her had thought he had not meant to say it or that Lacy must have misunderstood. But the fact that he had indeed meant to say it and that he wanted the news to travel outraged her.

'You mean...you want the gossip to travel?' she asked incredulously.

Nathan gave her a firm nod of his head. 'Of course. That is also the reason I was in your room today morning, if you had not known. How else would we convince others that we are so in love and that is the reason for our short engagement?'

'Bloody hell!' Eleanor cursed.

Nathan let out a mighty guffaw and Eleanor scowled. 'And why are you laughing, pray tell?'

'Because you cursed,' he said, once his laugh had subsided. 'Ladies don't curse. Especially not ladies like you.'

Eleanor glared at her miserable excuse of a husband.

'And what kind of lady am I?' she asked, jutting out her chin defiantly.

Nathan shrugged. 'Prim, proper and quiet to name a few.'

Eleanor felt her temper flare up. 'You think I am prim and proper, do you?' she asked, inching closer to Nathan, a devilish plot forming in her head.

Nathan, suddenly looking nervous, inched backwards with every step she took forwards until he stood at the edge of the lake, right where she wanted him.

'Yes,' he said feebly.

'Well then,' she declared, putting her hands on his shoulders coyly. 'How's this for prim and proper?'

Sliding her hands down his chest and gripping the lapels of his coat, Eleanor pushed Nathan backwards, straight into the freezing cold lake.