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Nicholas didn’t know why she would have made that decision. But it made him feel uncertain about talking to her now. He couldn’t run up to her and declare that the two of them had spenttime together. She knew that already, and she’d opted to keep it a secret.

And there was also the matter of Phineas to consider. Phineas had known that Nicholas had been looking for a lady with a scar on her hand. He was close enough with Lady Eleanor that he had almost certainly realized she was the one Nicholas sought, and yet he had said nothing. Why? Had Lady Eleanor asked him not to tell?Couldshe have made such a request? It was hard to believe that she would have done so—after all, what had he done to put her off so strongly? He’d believed the pair of them had had a good experience out in the garden. But it couldn’t be denied that people, multiple people, had decided to keep this matter a secret from him.

No, he couldn’t let on right now that he had made the discovery. He needed to wait, to learn more. He needed to find out why Lady Eleanor had chosen to keep her identity concealed. He had to know.

At least his search could become narrower now, he thought. At least there was no more question of who he was searching for. That had been answered.

Lady Eleanor put her gloves back on, and Nicholas realized she had finished her turn. “Best of luck to you, Your Grace,” she said. “Right through the middle of the wicket. I doubt you can do better than that.”

“Very precise,” Nicholas murmured.

He didn’t know whether or not he would be able to beat her at pall mall. She was right—shewasgood at this game, and though he was good too, there were a whole variety of factors that could make the difference from one day to the next in a game like this.

But more to the point, he no longer cared if he won the game or not. He no longer wanted to beat her at this.

Precision was everything—but he was devoted to finding precision in something else altogether. He was going to find out why she had endeavored to keep her identity a secret—and, if he could, he was going to persuade her that she could trust him with the truth.

CHAPTER THIRTY

Eleanor lay awake, unable to relax or quiet her mind.

Perhaps it had been a mistake to spend the day in the company of the duke. She hadn’t been able to stop herself from flirting with him. There was too much chemistry between the two of them. It was simply too pleasant to banter with him, even when she knew she shouldn’t do it. She’d done it right in front of Lady Hannah, and the worst thing was that it had brought her pleasure to do so. But that wasn’t the way she ought to be acting, and she knew it. The best thing to do was to distance herself from the duke, if only she could bring herself to do it.

She got out of bed and made her way quietly downstairs. As always, the one thing that could ease her anxiety was sure to be a walk out on the grounds. With all the guests in the house, it would be that much more difficult to avoid being caught, but she felt the need to go all the same. She needed to find a way to relax, and going outdoors would do that for her.

The air outside was crisp and cool. She hurried across the grass, which was already damp with dew, and made her way toward the water. She knew better than to go into the water at this time of night, of course, but the sound of it might serve to settle her mind. Maybe she would be able to stop thinking about the duke at last.

She walked to the large rock where she liked to sit and think. Her parents would be furious, she knew, if they realized she was out there. Even Marina would be upset with her. Lately, it felt as if the only way she could manage to do anything she wanted to do was by sneaking out under cover of darkness.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that the duke would understand this about her, if only he knew.

As if summoned by her thoughts, she heard his voice. “What are you doing here, Lady Eleanor?”

She looked up. Sure enough, there he was, watching her from a few yards back. She felt herself blush. “How long have you been there?” she demanded.

“Not long,” he said. “But long enough to see you arrive.”

“Why are you here?”

“I believe I asked you first,” he pointed out.”

“But this is my home,” she countered. “I’ve every right to be here.”

“You have a right to be, yes. Still, you can’t act as if it’s notsurprisingfor a young lady to be out on her own in the middle of the night. You can’t think that such a thing wouldn’t catch me off guard.”

“I suppose that’s true,” she said. “Sometimes I like to come out here to do a bit of thinking, that’s all.”

“Well, I can understand that,” he said. “I came out for much the same reason myself. Would you prefer to be left alone?”

She knew what answer she ought to give, but… “You can stay if you’d like” she told him, trying her best to sound indifferent. “I probably won’t be here for very long.”

He nodded. “That’s fine,” he said. “I wanted to see whether you and I might be able to spend a bit of time together.”

“It’s not exactly appropriate,” she said quietly.

“No,” he agreed. “I suppose it’s not. A lady and a gentleman spending time together…but then, that’s never bothered you before, has it?”

A thrill of something that was a bit too pleasurable to be fear passed through her. “What do you mean?” she asked him.