Chapter 6

Chapter 6

He had told her he knew her name.

Eliza had never met someone who had confused her in the manner the handsome stranger from the garden had confused her. She could not place knowing him anywhere, even though he had felt familiar.

His height and stature were similar to that of George, and for a second, Eliza was confused about whether it was George, but the idea seemed entirely ludicrous.

Why would George come to the masquerade dressed as a noble lord?

The stranger had asked her to find him inside the house, but that seemed extremely unlikely or impossible. Eliza was terribly occupied and had been asked to keep away from the guests as religiously as possible, but the man was clearly a guest. If Uncle Edgar or Aunty Beatrice saw her talking to a guest, they would be extremely angry with her and Eliza had no desire to create unnecessary trouble for herself.

Hence, the chances of running into him seemed low.

“Beth?” Amelia’s voice pushed her out of her train of thought, and Eliza turned to look at her as she held a bowl of empty punch in her hands.

“Yes?”

“Are you alright? I have been calling your name for quite some time now, but ye have not been responding. Are ye feeling okay?”

“Perfect.” Eliza smiled, shaking her head to clear away her thoughts about the stranger in the black tux, his deep voice still rumbling inside Eliza’s head. “I had just been lost.”

“Lost where?”

Eliza certainly could not tell Amelia the truth about what she had been thinking, so she had to think of a story. Just a few minutes ago, she had heard several ladies from the ton whispering about a young man with a mysterious air who, according to them, was the most enigmatic and handsome man in the entire ballroom.

“Whispers,” she quickly said, trying to satisfy her friend’s curiosity, “I just heard a few ladies whispering about some enigmatic man in the ballroom who everyone is curiously talking about. I wonder if I can catch a glimpse of him to see what the commotion is about.”

“Oh, Beth.” Amelia suddenly became excited, coming to stand beside Eliza so the two of them could talk in whispers. “I just saw him when I went to refill the punchbowl. The ladies are absolutely right. The man is a sight for sore eyes; his handsome looks are out of this world.”

Eliza wondered if it was the same man who had met her in the gardens. For a second, she was almost sure it was him.

“Even with a mask on?”

“Oh yes, even with a mask on.”

“What does he look like?” Eliza asked, her curiosity getting the best of her as she tried to find out if it was the same man indeed. Although, it felt as if she already knew the answer. It was the same man.

“He is wearing a dark black tux that fits him to perfection, and he is both tall and muscular, standing above all the other men present in the room. His dark hair is slicked back into a ponytail, and his dark eyes are absolutely beautiful, and for a second, when he looked at me, I felt flustered just by that one look. His jaw is sleek and sharp, and everything about the man shouts perfection.”

Oh yes, it was the very same man, alright. Eliza knew.

She became even more confused about why the most handsome man tonight had taken such an interest in her and had even told her he knew her name.

She simply could not understand anything that was happening around her, and all she needed to do was find the truth about him. Although, how was she going to see him again?

“He does sound handsome,” she said plainly, too confused to show any more enthusiasm.

“Ye will have to see him to grasp the seriousness of the situation, Beth. Trust me.”

Eliza chuckled. “I do trust you, my friend. Fully.”

For a second, his description once again reminded Eliza of George and how he looked slightly similar to the man, but his hair was much lighter, and his eyes not as dark as the strangers had been.

Where the stranger had smelled like cinnamon and spice, George always smelled like birch and a hint of spice, more earthen than rich. George was natural, while everything about the stranger screamed nobility.

“I must head to the kitchen to see if any of the candles need replacing.” Eliza stood up, excusing herself, but in truth, she just wanted to be alone.

The events that had unfolded tonight were confusing enough already, and Eliza simply needed to be in her own company for a little while to create distance between her and the ballroom where the stranger was the topic of conversation for every young lady.

He must have made quite an entrance and created some impression to achieve such a thing, but Eliza didn’t care. She did not need to run into him again.

She walked a little further into the house, taking the servants’ stairwell to go upstairs to the attic so she could be alone in her room for a little while.

The house was a bustle of activity, and she hoped her absence wouldn’t be noticed for a few minutes. As she stepped onto the staircase, she almost screamed, her eyes falling on the stranger who was comfortably seated at the top stair as if it was perfectly normal for him to be present there at this hour.

“What are you doing here?” Eliza whispered, looking behind her to see if anyone else was following. Thankfully, no one was there.

“Did I not ask you to meet me inside the house? Since you made no attempts to find me, I had to find you myself, of course.”

“How did you even know I was going to be here?!” She had never been more shocked.

It seemed as if he knew the house almost as well as she did, and he even knew her whereabouts. Who was this man, and why did he know so much about her? Eliza should have felt terrified of the intimate knowledge he had of her, but once again, the comfort of his presence transcended any and all fear she might have been feeling.

All that was left was confusion and curiosity.

“I know you, My Lady. I already told you that in the garden earlier.”

Her belly fluttered as he called her my lady, butterflies coursing through her blood. A part of her reminded her that she had never felt this way around a man, but rationality continued to scream that almost every woman in England would react similarly to him, including all those ladies and even Amelia. She was no different than the rest, his handsome mystery appearing to be charming. Although, what confused her was the way he kept addressing her as my lady and how he had left the ball where he was much wanted to come see her instead.

A mere servant.

“What do you want from me, My Lord?”

“Your name.”

“My name is Beth,” Eliza said, sighing deeply, “Now that you have it, please return to the ball before someone sees you here with me and ruins my reputation. I cannot handle that one bit.”

“No one is going to raise a single finger at your character, and your reputation will remain intact,” he assured her, the confidence in his voice making Eliza feel strangely calm. “Now you must tell me your name again, and this time I would like to hear the truth.”

Eliza was confused. What did he mean?

“I do not understand,” she frowned, “My name is Beth, My Lord.”

“It is not.” He stepped down a few stairs to stand beside her, his hands placed on Eliza’s shoulders as he held her tightly. “You are Lady Eliza Gordon, the daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Grafton. I already know the truth, so please do not try to deny it and insult both me and you. I am sure you can do better than that.”

Eliza was stunned. This was the last thing she had expected to hear from the handsome stranger in front of her, for she had thought he was merely curious about her identity. However, whoever this man was knew her real name.

But how?

“You must not speak so loudly and never utter that name in front of me ever again.”

The colour from her face must have faded at the revelation from the man, and Eliza felt all the energy leaving her. Tears tugged at her eyes as she heard someone address her in this manner after so many years, but she did not allow them to leave her eyes. She was not going to cry in front of a man she did not even know.

“Why must I not?” he asked, still holding onto her. Eliza removed his hands from her shoulders, backing away slightly.

“I do not want anyone to hear you say that. I do not care what is it that you think you know, My Lord, but you must keep it to yourself and maintain distance from me.”

“Why would you want that, Eliza?” She felt elated as he said her name again as if it was the most casual conversation in the world.

“That is just the way it has to be,” she replied. For now, at least.

“Eliza, I need to know what happened to you after your parents died. How did your situation change so much that you had to become a servant from the lady of the house and even assume a new name? None of this is right, Eliza and I cannot stand here silently watching you suffer in this manner.”

Who is this man?

“Why do you know so much about my life? Who are you?”

“I am just a curious passerby with more questions than answers. But I need those answers from you so I can stop this cruelty from going on. You must tell me the truth about all things.”

Eliza was almost on the verge of telling him the truth, but something stopped her from revealing her biggest secret. What if all of this was just a trap?

She wondered if the man had been sent by Uncle Edgar or Aunty Beatrice or one of her cousins to see if Eliza would betray them and reveal the truth about herself to a complete stranger.

If this were the case, she would never be able to escape from this house, especially now that freedom was almost upon her. She could not take such a huge risk and let everything go from her hands.

I need to be smarter than that.

“Eliza?” his voice forced her to return to the present, and she looked into his russet-coloured eyes, their familiarity almost shocking her.

“I am Beth,” she said firmly, gulping the tears forming in her throat, “I am Beth, and I am a servant in the house. I do not know who you are or what you are saying or trying to prove, but I do not know Eliza or the Duke and Duchess of Grafton. Please leave me alone now. You have all of your answers.”

She turned away from him, ready to run away and disappear into the comfort of her room, but the stranger held her by the wrist, not letting her escape so easily.

He pulled her towards him, extremely close to her once again, and Eliza felt the butterflies in her belly return. Why did he have such an effect on her? She failed to understand.

He came extremely close, almost whispering in her ear.

“You are Lady Eliza Gordon, the beloved daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Grafton. Do not let anyone convince you otherwise. It is about time you start assuming your identity once again.”

Eliza looked at him, tears in her eyes, but stayed silent. He lifted his other hand, softly patting her head, and she leaned into the touch, shocked by its familiarity. A strange flashback came to her mind of sitting by the stream she used to go fishing in with her childhood friend Alexander, their legs dipped in the water.

Her parents had just died, and Alexander was comforting him, his hand petting her blonde hair affectionately, and she had leaned into the comfort of his touch.

She opened her eyes, entirely shocked, but did not know what to say. She knew if she opened her mouth, only tears would come out, and she was still not ready to cry.

“Excuse me, My Lord.”

Without waiting for him to reply, Eliza freed her hand and ran upstairs as fast as she could until she reached the attic. She opened the door, bolting it shut behind her, and finally broke down into the tears she had been holding for too long. She did not know what she was crying for.

Was it for her lost identity or because someone knew about her lost identity? She simply couldn’t place it, but all she knew was that she needed to escape as quickly as possible. The stranger had awakened the need to be known as herself inside her, and that was not something Eliza had any control over.

She believed in acceptance, and he was asking her to act otherwise.

But who was he?

Who are you?

It was clear that he was a member of the ton, but he had still felt familiar to Eliza as if she knew him, but it could not be Alexander. Alexander had left many years ago, and he would not return simply to look for her. Even the thought of it was absurd. But if not Alexander, who else could it be?

And what had he been doing at the staircase as if it was the most natural thing in the world for him to be there. Had he really come there to look for her?

Did he really know the entire truth about her?

And why was it that it seemed as if he really wanted to help her? Eliza felt protected in his embrace, but she needed to keep her distance. She could not let her thoughts consume her because all she needed to focus on was making enough money to escape this prison.

Although, she could still not stop thinking about the stranger.

How was she even going to find out his identity?

But she knew she needed to.