A Duchess for all Seasons_The Collection by Jillian Eaton

Author:Jillian Eaton [Eaton, Jillian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-11-12T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

If anything good came of Eleanor and Derek’s spat in the barn, it was that Derek stopped his campaign of flowery compliments and meaningless gifts.

When they passed one another in the hallway they each looked straight ahead, refusing to acknowledge the other’s existence. Choosing which room to occupy became a battle strategy, with Eleanor laying claim to the front drawing room and the library while Derek stayed mostly in his study and the gaming room. Dinner was a frigid affair, with neither one speaking a word. If not for Georgiana’s careless prattle they would have eaten in complete silence.

So it went for the better part of a week…until the night everything changed.

Awakening with a start, Eleanor sat bolt upright in bed and clutched the sheets to her chest as she looked wildly around the room, wondering what had woken her. She had her answer a few seconds later when a thunderous booming crash shook the windows.

Rain lashed against the glass in pounding sheets and when a jagged streak of white lightning raced across the sky it illuminated the entire room. Throwing her blankets aside, Eleanor slid out of bed and dashed to the nearest window. She’d always been drawn to the magnetic power of storms. There was something almost otherworldly about them, and when she was a child learning about Greek mythology she’d believed – at least for a time – they were the result of Zeus’ wrathful temper.

Pressing her nose against the cool glass, she eagerly awaited the next boom of thunder. When it struck it seemed to shake the entire house, from the rafters to the floor boards. Grinning ear to ear, she jumped back and glanced at the foot of the bed where Henny liked to burrow.

“Henny, did you hear that? It sounded like – Henny?” Concern tempered her excitement when she realized the little hedgehog wasn’t in her usual spot. Another flash of lightning lit up the room as she returned to the bed and looked under the blankets and pillows, but her pet was nowhere to be found. Frightened by the noise, she must have scurried off while Eleanor still slept.

“Henny!” Dropping to her hands and knees, Eleanor began a frantic search of the room. She was wedged halfway under the bed, rump in the air and nose burrowed in a ball of cat hair, when she heard the door creak open.

“This looks alarmingly familiar,” Derek drawled as he walked into her bedchamber. “Please tell me you’re not stuck again.”

“I’m not stuck. I’m – ow!” she hissed when she hit her head on one of the wooden slats. Rubbing the injured area, she managed to scuttle sideways out from under the bed and clambered to her feet to glare at the duke. “I’m looking for Henny. The storm scared her and she’s run away.”

“Henny…Henny…” he said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. He hadn’t shaved in the past two days, allowing a scruff of dark shadow to grow along the lower half of his face. It

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