“What is that supposed to mean?” he demanded, his blond brow raised, the wrinkles in his forehead creasing. It was clear that even for a young man, he liked to frown and twist his face a lot. Melissa thought she might have an ointment for that. It was a shame for him that he would never know her secrets.
“I think perhaps you should discuss the matter with Lord Spurnrose himself,” she stated, though she felt guilty when the words left her lips. She could not quite tell whether Mr Spurnrose was simply in denial or whether he had no idea that his cousin was actually quite ill.
“Perhaps I will.” Mr Spurnrose smirked, though something told Melissa he had no intention of doing so. Discouraging her was one thing, but openly confronting his cousin, a man of higher rank than himself and quite clearly a far better man, was quite another. “And I shall tell him what I have told you and warn him as I have already done that he ought to stay well away from your kind.”
The more she heard the venom spilling from his lips, the more Melissa wanted to lash out. Yet she had grown used to these confrontations over the years. She knew better than anyone that remaining cool, calm, and confident was far more infuriating to these little men than it would be if she were to begin ranting and raving. She would not give them fuel to add to their fire by telling everyone that she was unhinged.
“Mr Spurnrose, you are not the first small, close-minded man to have confronted and threatened me, and you shall not be the last,” she stated, clasping her hands before her once more as she stepped up to him, forcing him out of her way by the sheer knowledge that if he was as disgusted of her as she believed him to be, he would not allow her to touch him. “I shall not allow you or anyone else to try to tell me who I may or may not associate myself with, and I shall caution you against attempting to do so again.”
She stepped past him and only turned back to add, “If someone needs me, I shall never deny them compassion and care.”
With that, she turned and started to make her way back down the hall.
Though she had intended to return to the ball, when she reached the door, she found she could not get her feet to carry her any further. Though she would never allow him to know so, Mr Spurnrose’s confrontation had flustered her, and she could think of nothing worse than having to put a false smile upon her face while enduring more scrutiny from him and the others inside the ballroom.
Instead, she continued past the ballroom doors and headed for the doors leading out into the manor forecourt. A little fresh air was just what she needed to calm the fury burning deep inside her after Mr Spurnrose’s despicable manners.
With one last glance over her shoulder, she found he was nowhere to be seen. Likely he had already returned to the ballroom to pretend that he had not just been threatening a poor, defenseless woman. At least, that was how she was sure he saw her, especially after his having waited to find her alone to threaten her.
I shall not be frightened nearly so easily, Mr Spurnrose,she decided, slipping out of the doors before anyone else could come to find her.
The moment she stepped out into the cool, refreshing night air, she started to feel better. The breeze that caressed her hot face was most welcome, and she tilted her head back to enjoy it further, closing her eyes.
When she opened them again, she smiled to see the cloudless sky and the stars twinkling about the moon. How she would have loved to be in her garden back home, moon-bathing with her spaniel beside her.
She imagined doing just that when she heard yet another clearing of the throat. Instinctively, her hands tightened into fists as she prepared herself for yet another confrontation.
Chapter 12
Elijah awaited his carriage happily in the shelter of an outer alcove on the porch, avoiding the eyes that might happen to look out of the manor's windows. The last thing he wanted was to be encouraged back into the ball when all he could do was suggest that he was feeling ill. He didn’t need the gossip to begin spreading that perhaps something was wrong with him. There were enough high-ranking doctors in attendance at the ball, and he could only hope they prided themselves on their confidentiality. In fact, he was a little surprised that word hadn’t already begun to spread over the last few months.
He had been careful to cover his tracks, offering healthy bundles of money and other promises here and there to keep doctors’ lips firmly closed. It wouldn’t matter for too much longer, he was well aware of that, and all he had to do was keep up appearances until the end. Then, hopefully, his family would be well set to handle the aftermath. He did not want to have to deal with it in his last few months, possibly now even weeks.
Thoughts of the end were becoming harder and harder to ignore, and these thoughts crowded his mind as he rested back against the building, trying to find some enjoyment in the breeze and the smell of the fresh evening air.
Only when he heard the sound of the front door of the manor opening did he stiffen and hold his breath, unwilling to give himself away. The sound of heeled footsteps came through the door, and it closed behind the newcomer with a gentle click.
At first, Elijah intended to remain hidden, but as the woman stepped out onto the porch, pausing at the top of the stairs as if considering her options, he quickly realised who she was. And he couldn’t help himself from stepping forwards and clearing his throat to make himself known to her.
As he did so, the luscious scent of her perfume hit his nostrils and caused a shiver of delight to run through the length of his body.
Lady Belmont turned with a look of startlement upon her face, but the moment she seemed to recognise him, it changed to one of relief, her hand pressed to her chest as though he had caused her heart to skip a beat.
“Forgive me. I did not mean to startle you,” Elijah admitted, dipping his head respectfully. When he raised his head again, he looked at her properly for the first time and saw that she looked flustered, much more than his startling her ought to have caused. “Are you well, Lady Belmont?”
“Yes,” Lady Belmont said, perhaps a little curtly. “Thank you, My Lord.”
The feeling in Elijah’s gut told him that she wasn’t entirely telling the truth, and instinctively, he stepped towards her, placing his hands in his pockets to stop himself from reaching out to her.
“Are you certain nothing is the matter?” he asked, his brow raised with concern. Lady Belmont studied his face momentarily as though trying to decide whether she should tell him the truth.
Then she sighed deeply and shook her head. “It is nothing I cannot handle, My Lord.”
The gentle quiver in her tone told Elijah she still wasn’t being entirely honest, possibly not even with herself.
He was about to ask whether there might be anything he could do to help when she added, “I just came out to get a little fresh air before I go back in to Lady Fenchurch.”
As she said the words, Elijah sensed that was the last thing she wished to do. There was clear discomfort in her tone and demeanour, as though something had upset her, and the desire to know what that was and possibly even protect her from it made the hair on the back of Elijah’s neck stand on end.
