Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

T he meeting with Phillip was arranged much quicker than William had initially expected. It took a week and a half before it could be arranged to suit both of their schedules, but it was quicker than he had first expected. Phillip, it seemed, was as eager to discuss the matter of Eleanor's hand as William himself was. When Phillip arrived, William was not there to greet him right away. It took him longer than usual to make his way down the stairs these days thanks to his arthritis, and when he finally made his way into the parlor to meet the Duke of Richmond, he found his daughter entertaining in his stead.

The two did not spot him right away, so he lingered on the threshold just out of sight, listening as the two talked.

"… read Sir Walter Scott?" Eleanor asked.

"I have. His work is most delightful."

"Really? I have not met any in the ton this season who think so!" Eleanor leaned forward in her seat, her voice light but eager. "Perhaps there is more to you than I had first assumed, Your Grace."

William could just see Phillip's expression from his spot at the door. The Duke's lips curled into a bemused smile. "So I have often been told, Lady Eleanor. Perhaps you judged a little too quickly when you fled from my presence at the ball a few weeks ago?"

Eleanor did not respond at first, and William held his breath, wondering how Phillip's little remark would go down with his daughter. She did not appreciate quips at her expense, though she dearly enjoyed laughing and was quick to laugh at her own foibles so long as others did not laugh first.

Finally, Eleanor replied, her voice soft. "Perhaps I did. You will not hold it against me, I hope?"

William's brows rose. Had his daughter really just replied to the Duke's teasing with poise and gentility? He'd expected her to offer back some barbed quip as she usually did. Perhaps Edward had been right. Perhaps Eleanor could be persuaded to love Phillip in time.

"I would not hold such an innocent mistake against you, Lady Eleanor," Phillip replied just as gently. "I am certain you will rectify your opinion of me if we see more of one another."

At that moment, William stepped into the room and cleared his throat. Eleanor might have responded out of character in her last remark, but he suspected she would reject the obvious reason behind Phillip's last reply if allowed to do so, and he did not want his guest to think his daughter was unwilling. "Richmond, a pleasure to meet you at last. Eleanor, my dear, thank you for entertaining my guest. I can handle it from here."

Eleanor rose and turned to face her father, her cheeks rosier than usual. "I was only doing as a good daughter ought to do," she said quietly, her gaze never meeting his.

William had wanted to apologize for being harsh with her a week ago, but the situation demanded he remains silent, so Eleanor was still furious with him. They hadn't spoken much lately, and their habit of breaking fast together had been put off every day this week since the morning he'd gone to see Edward.

William nodded at his daughter and cleared his throat. "For which I am very grateful." He turned to Phillip and asked, "Do you not think Eleanor the best of hostesses, Richmond?"

Phillip's lips curved into a slow smile, his gaze settling on Eleanor. "Quite so, Fife. She is a very unique young lady. It would be a pleasure to speak with you again, Lady Eleanor, if you will do me the honor."

Eleanor met the Duke's gaze and then looked away quickly, her eyes fixed on the floor as her blush intensified. "You will have to speak to my father. I am sure he knows better than I if I will do you the honor," she mumbled.

"Eleanor," William warned.

Phillip's eyes flicked from father to daughter and back again, but he didn't ask any questions about the strange response, yet. "I am afraid I must bid you farewell, for now, Lady Eleanor." He took her hand and kissed the back of it. "I have business with your father."

"I presumed as much when you came to call," she said, her tone quieter and more subdued now. "Good day, Your Grace."

"Good day, Lady Eleanor."

Eleanor swanned past her father, who waited until he was certain she was gone before sighing and going to the side board to pour Phillip a glass of whiskey. "Shall we stay here or move to my study? I am afraid these old bones will not permit me to go up the stairs again so soon, but the study is quite comfortable as well." It had better chairs that would ease the pain in his hip and back too.

Phillip eyed him and accepted the proffered glass of whiskey. "The study would be a delight. I should think it more private too."

William chuckled. "My daughter has too much pride and good breeding to eavesdrop on doors, Richmond."

Phillip sipped his whiskey and nodded. "Still, perhaps the study would be best. And please, call me Phillip. I think we can move past the formalities given our intentions for this meeting."

"Phillip it is, then." William led the way to his study, opening the door and ushering the man he hoped would become his son-in-law into the spacious room. One of the maids had tidied it up and lit the fire in expectation of the Duke's arrival. William sat by the fire with a relieved sigh. "This room has the best chairs in the house."

Phillip joined him with a smile. "They are quite nice. I shall have to see if I can acquire some for my library. They seem perfect for long afternoons or evenings spent reading or doing accounts."

"Indeed, they are."

"Your daughter seems a little stiff today. She was most vivacious when I met her at the ball a week and a half ago. I admit, she made an impression." Phillip sipped his whiskey and stared into the fire contemplatively. "She was still quite lively today until I asked if I might see her again."

"Eleanor has only recently been informed that she is required to wed," William admitted. "She is not yet aware of whom she will wed. I will deal with it if you decide you would like to marry her."

"You know my situation is dire," Phillip murmured, still staring into the fire. "I do not have the luxury of time on my side in taking a bride, and I do not have the luxury of marrying for love. Does that not bother you?"

"I know my daughter's chances for marriage at her age are slim, Phillip. I am not trying to find her a love match. I want her married to a man who can provide for her, who will not squander the fortune I intend to settle on her for her marriage, and who will be faithful to her whether anything beyond mutual respect ever develops. My brother tells me you are this man."

Phillip smiled. "Your brother thinks very highly of me. Too highly, perhaps. But you may rest assured that if we strike a bargain for her hand, I will do all three."

"That is all I need to know, then. You will not hurt her, but you will protect her. It is all I ask of the man she is given to."

"You have my word."

"And what of you?" William eyed Phillip with a smile. "What do you really think of my daughter?"

"I think she is headstrong, opinionated and a breath of fresh air in a crowd of dreadfully false-faced women, Fife. Whether or not she and I can ever come to love each other is something I will not venture to predict, but I do think we can learn to respect one another. She is quite well-read and knowledgeable for a woman."

"I am afraid that is my doing," William admitted. "I really could not refuse her anything after her poor mother died of consumption. She reminds me a great deal of my Isabel, and I could not bear to deny the poor girl books if that was what brought her comfort."

"I do not think it a poor quality, Fife. I plan to nurture it if she becomes mine." Phillip finished off the last of his whiskey. "If I have your blessing, I would like to court your daughter properly."

William grimaced. That would end in disaster. Eleanor still believed she could find a way around his demand that she marry. She would never agree to this. Still, it would not do any harm for her to develop some level of familiarity with the man she would be wed to. William just had to make certain that Phillip knew the score so that he wouldn't inadvertently step into a hornet's nest. "About that… she has no notion that we are arranging her life here, Phillip. Go gently. If she believes you intend to marry her and are not merely enjoying her company when you come to visit me, she will balk, and we will have a fight on our hands."

"I am not a man to back from a challenge when it is something I want, Fife."

"I did not think you would. Still, I would prefer not to deal with this particular challenge."

"If you wish for her to be wed to me, how do you propose that happen if I cannot court her and propose properly?"

"There will be no proposal." William crossed his arms. "We will arrange everything once you and she have had time to become a little acquainted. In due time, I will arrange a special license. I have a business relationship with the Archbishop of Canterbury. He will be happy to help after I assisted him in finding a position for a friend of his last year. Then, we will hold the wedding ceremony at your estate."

Phillip frowned. "And what will Lady Eleanor be told?"

"Nothing."

Phillip's frown deepened. "I do not like this plan."

"If you wish to marry my daughter, you will have to cooperate with my methods, Phillip." William went to his desk and sat down. "Do we have a deal? I will handle getting my daughter to the right place at the right time when the time comes."

Phillip shifted his weight on his feet, the expression on his face uneasy. Finally, though, he nodded. "We have a deal, Fife."

Eleanor picked up Bella, her fluffy little dog, from the pen in the corner of her room. She looked at the small creature and smiled. Lately, she felt as though it was her and Bella against the world, especially since Sarah continued to insist they shouldn't speak poorly of her father's decision. Eleanor and her father still weren't on speaking terms, and aside from Phillip, who spoke to her on the days he came by to see her father, she had no friends to talk with.

She took Bella out to the garden along with one of her fetch toys. "What do you think, Bella? Shall we play ball?"

The little dog yipped and licked her chin enthusiastically. Eleanor sighed and set the little white dog on the ground, throwing the ball for her. Phillip weighed heavily on her mind. She wasn't sure what to think of him. If she didn't know better, she'd think he was coming by so often to see her and not her father, but he had yet to make any formal request to come calling. Maybe she was misreading the situation. She hoped she was, for if he showed any interest openly, her father would leap at the opportunity to push the two of them together.

Thankfully, William had been quiet on the subject of her marriage prospects for a few weeks now. Perhaps he was simply waiting to see if anything would come of Phillip's frequent visits. Eleanor bit her lower lip as Bella brought back the ball. If she weren't so against marriage per se, she wouldn't be opposed to the idea of marrying Phillip. He seemed very kind, and he indulged her in conversations about literature, science and mathematics. There was little he wasn't willing to discuss during their brief conversations before her father would show up to take him away. It didn't hurt that he was so attractive as well.

"What do you think, Bella? Do you like him? I know my father would if he thought His Grace was the least bit interested in me." She sighed as the little dog licked her hand. "Then again, any man who shows the least bit of interest in me would suit him. It would matter little whether we like him too."

Bella yapped in response, and Eleanor sighed and threw the ball again, watching the little dog chase it. Her chest squeezed, and she lowered her head into her hands. What a mess this had become! She had the threat of marriage hanging over her head, and there was no way out of it. No way out except death, but Eleanor wanted to live too badly to take that way out.

She groaned, tears flooding her eyes. Why couldn't her father understand that she didn't want to be married? Didn't need to be? She had him. Wasn't he enough? Didn't he want her anymore, or was this all because he thought her a burden because she was not a son and would never be of any use except as a wife to some man he wanted to strengthen ties with?

Her head ached along with her heart, and she swiped at the tears, not wanting anyone from the staff to walk past and see her weeping. She would hold back her tears until she was in the privacy of her own chambers. Bella's cold, wet nose nudged her arm, and she lifted her hands to pet the little dog's head. "I am well, Bella. It will pass. It always does."

Eleanor hoped she was telling the truth, though. It didn't feel as though she would ever be well again, especially if her father followed through on his threat to find her a match if she didn't do so herself. She doubted he would concern himself with whether or not the man he would choose would clip her wings or let her fly free. He would only be concerned with having her off his hands and becoming someone else's problem.

"Eleanor?" William's voice came from behind her, quiet but stern. "We should speak about the matter of you being unmarried. Have you found someone you give preference to?"

Eleanor stiffened, stroking Bella's floppy ears with a scowl. "I told you, Father, I have no interest in marrying."

William exhaled. "Very well. I have been lenient with you, Eleanor. That leniency comes to an end now. I will arrange a match as soon as possible. I thought you deserved to know that you will be wed soon."

Her jaw tightened, and she said nothing.

"Eleanor, be reasonable. You cannot have expected to remain unwed forever. This is for the best."

"For your best, you mean." Eleanor clenched her hands in her lap. "Stop pretending that this is about me. It never was. It is about your desire to be rid of me."

William didn't respond.

"Well? Is it too ugly a truth to be spoken aloud, Father? Or is it simply that you have no good response?" Eleanor stood and faced him with a frown. "Do as you please. We already know you always do. I will simply be the casualty in the whole affair."

"Eleanor…"

"No. I have heard all I need to on the matter. I will be wed shortly, whether I like it or not." She smoothed out her skirts and brushed past him. "Let me know when you decide it is time for me to present myself at the altar. I have no interest in meeting or knowing the man you choose before then. It will be nothing but a business deal, anyway. I will not pretend otherwise."

William sighed and tucked his hands into his pockets. "Very well."

Eleanor started walking towards the house, with Bella at her heels. Wouldn't she be granted even one ally in this miserable affair? Would she be forced to face this fresh torment with no friend to stand beside her and ease her agony? It seemed that could very well be her fate, and her stomach twisted at the thought. She had never known the sort of yawning loneliness she felt now, not even in the days following her mother's death.