Defiant Heart Read online

  Eleanor laughed. “Because it is exciting, Teddy. It makes me feel alive, and I certainly do not want to attract any kind of man, permanently whether he is worthy or not.”

  “But your actions only make the men think that I…”

  “Let them think what they want. I only tease them with you, because I know you are safe. And as long as you are the only one I pay attention to…”

  “But then I will hear it from Father, when we get home, and you know how boring that has become. No suitable woman would give me a second look either, by the way. They will think you already have me in your pocket.” He laughed. “Which, of course you do. You always manage to get me caught up in your trap, Eleanor. You have been getting me in trouble since we were children.”

  “Oh, perhaps you are right. I wouldn’t want to ruin your chances of finding a worthy wife,” she smiled up into his eyes.

  “You could be my worthy wife,” he whispered. “Then I wouldn’t care what you did with me on the dance floor.”

  “I am neither worthy nor wife material, sweet Teddy, and you know it.”

  “I’ll never give up, you know,” he smiled.

  “Then I pity you,” she said, kissing him on the cheek again and then pulling away and walking across the floor to the French doors that led out onto the patio.

  Teddy watched her leave, putting his hand on his cheek where she had so blatantly kissed him. She was right. She was just doing crazy things to make her life exciting, and his along with it, he had to admit. It made him torn between the need to be proper and wanting to follow in her footsteps. He glanced across the hall and saw his mother frowning at him. Maybe Eleanor was right. He was just not willing to live as dangerously as she was. She, of course, had nothing to lose, but he was an heir, like she had said, and that in itself created too many limitations. He gave his mother a cheerful smile and walked in the opposite direction from Eleanor, passing by Sir Percy, who had been watching them.

  Eleanor stood looking out across the gardens. They were lighted by gas lamps which had become the new method of lighting both house and property. The Taylors were always trying to keep up with modern times, and were determined to be the first ones to take advantage of any new gadget that came along.

  “I was going to have my friend introduce us,” she heard a voice say behind her, “but I just couldn’t resist the temptation of coming out here to make your acquaintance on my own.”

  Eleanor turned to see Sir Percy standing at the French doors, and then he closed them behind him and walked over to where she stood.

  “Well, I am sure you know who I am,” she said, turning back to face the garden. “Everyone knows me, and I am certain Sir Dutton has told you all about me. He is quite peeved at me, you know.”

  “Really? And why would that be?” Percy said, as he turned to look at her profile.

  Eleanor turned her head to face him. “Oh, surely, he has told you already. No need to rake it over the coals if you already know.”

  “You must be referring to the slap you gave him,” he smiled.

  “Ah, than he has confided in you. You must be bosom buddies, it appears.”

  Percy just laughed. “We know each other,” is all he said. “By the by, I am Sir Percy Macomb at your service.” He took her hand and kissed it.

  Eleanor looked down at her hand, and withdrew it, and then looked up into his face. “Well, Sir Percy, at least you know to keep your place when in my company,” she warned.

  “However, your cousin is quite different, considering you are bold enough to kiss him while dancing,” Percy pointed out.

  “However, that is between my cousin and myself,” she smiled, and turned back to gazing out over the gardens.

  “I could show you the gardens,” he suggested, changing the subject.

  “Oh, I am sure you would love to,” she smiled in return.

  “Or we could dance,” he suggested, when he saw the look in her eye.

  “Sorry, Sir Percy. Just knowing you are even a distant acquaintance of Lord Dutton’s puts me off,” she said sweetly, and then turned, and swished past him and back into the hall.

  Sir Percy stared after her. He would hate to lose his gray, he thought to himself, feeling disgruntled. He could not give up yet, he decided.

  When he entered the hall again, Sir Percy could see Eleanor dancing with some young man, he was sure was not a close acquaintance, but she was smiling up into his face and laughing as though she was thoroughly enjoying herself, only according to Dutton, she was never truly interested in anyone. If she was smiling and having a good time, it was probably just an act or her way of flirting, so she could humiliate them by turning down any advances beyond a simple dance, Dutton had explained. Percy leaned up against the wall and watched her. His eyes following her graceful movements.

  “I saw you go out to the patio,” Dutton mentioned at his elbow. “Apparently she brushed you off like lint from her shoulder,” he smiled.

  “Those alluring white shoulders are much too beautiful to have lint on them,” Percy chuckled. “I have not given up, though,” he assured his casual friend.

  “While the night has just started, I doubt that makes a difference,” Dutton laughed, and sauntered away.

  Eleanor felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to discover Percy standing beside her. “May I speak with you for a moment?” he asked.

  This surprised Eleanor. “And what would you have to say to me?” she asked out of curiosity.

  Sir Percy cocked his head to one side, and studied her face. Then he spoke in a low tone. “I have come to the conclusion that you have a bitter hatred towards Sir Dutton, considering he received a slap from you, and most likely deserved it, so I was just wondering if you would like to hit him where it really hurts?”

  “And how would I do that?” Eleanor turned, as he grabbed her interest, along with her hand.

  “You see,” Percy said, as he led her back out onto the Patio, “Dutton and I have a wager going. It is his hunter against my gray. If I win the wager, he loses his hunter. Now his hunter is worth a pretty penny and he dearly loves that horse. Wouldn’t you just love to see him lose it?” He gave her a wink.

  Eleanor paused and gave Percy one long appraising look as she leaned back against the banister of the Patio. “Yes, go on…” she said softly.

  “Every man here knows what a prude you are. In spite of your beauty and your flirting manner, they all know you are hopeless to capture. I am not sure what the reason is, but that is not important. What is important, is I perceive by the way you were so openly intimate with your cousin on the dance floor, that you like to shock people by your actions. Now who would be better to shock than Dutton himself, not to mention causing him to lose his hunter?”

  “And how would I go about doing that?” Eleanor asked, giving Percy a penetrating stare.

  He leaned in closer to her. “All you have to do, is dance with me three times and then allow me to kiss you once. Dutton will have to witness the kiss, so he will probably follow us to wherever the kiss takes place. Then he will lose his horse and his self assurance that he knows you so well. We could throw him for a loop, if you would be willing.”

  “And why should I believe you are telling me the truth?” she asked, narrowing her eyes. “Perhaps this is just your way of getting me to dance with you, not to mention kissing you.”

  “If you must have proof, I will speak of it to Dutton within your hearing, of course, and that should satisfy you.”

  “Very well. Get Dutton to come to the patio. I will be in the garden beyond it. If what you say is true, I will gladly dance with you and kiss you, just to make Dutton feel the slap.”

  “You are a woman after my own heart,” he chuckled.

  “Don’t count on anything beyond our agreement,” she cautioned. And then she turned and walked down the steps that led to the garden, looking fleetingly over her shoulder at him. Certainly, dancing with such a good looking man and giving him a kiss should excite her evening
, she thought cunningly. And knowing Dutton would lose his horse in the bargain, just would top the cake. She sat on a bench, just below the patio balcony where she could not be seen by them, but was close enough to hear their conversation.

  Eleanor heard the French doors open and then voices floated over to where she was sitting. They got closer as Percy and Dutton came to the railing where she and Percy had stood earlier that evening.

  “I think I should back out of our wager,” Percy was saying. “That woman has ice in her veins.”

  “The object of a wager, is that you follow through with it. You can’t back out when you think you are losing.”

  “She is never going to dance with me once, let alone three times. She will barely look at me,” Percy insisted.

  “I told you she wouldn’t, and yet you were so sure of yourself.”

  “I would hate to lose my gray,”

  “Precisely, dear boy. As I would hate to lose my hunter, but you have the rest of the night to try and wear her down. Who knows, someone with your charms and good looks just might win her over.”

  “You think so?”

  “You had just better hope so,” Dutton laughed, and walked back into the hall.

  A moment later, Eleanor came and joined Percy who remained out on the patio. “I see you were right,” she said, and gave him a half smile. “But we should make this look good. You should ask me to dance, every dance, and I shall turn you down. This will get Dutton’s hopes up. Then the last three dances, I will dance every dance with you, and when the last dance is over, take me out to the patio and we will see if Dutton follows. Then you can take me out to the garden and kiss me under one of the lamps, where he can see us.”

  “I love the way your mind works,” Percy laughed.

  “But that will be the end of it. I am only doing this to make Dutton stew over his own stupidity.”

  “Anything you say, my sweet,” Percy smiled. He took her hand in his and kissed it, looking up into her eyes as he did so. Then he turned and sauntered away through the French doors.

  “It looks like Percy is determined to dance with you,” Teddy whispered in Eleanor’s ear as he twirled her around the room. “I’ve noticed he has asked you to dance every dance, and yet you keep turning him down.”

  “You told me not to trust him. Do you think I should accept?” she asked, with a laugh.

  “It has been your method to at least flirt with your suitors. Why be so cruel to him?”

  “He is Dutton’s friend,” she said simply. “You said not to trust any of Dutton’s friends.”

  “And perhaps you shouldn’t,” he admitted.

  “But maybe you are right. Maybe I should at least tease him…”

  “It is totally up to you,” he chuckled.

  “I will give it some thought,” she said, with a sly smile.

  Three dances later, she was in Percy’s arms, smiling up at him. “Is Dutton watching?” she whispered.

  “Oh, I am sure he is doing more than just watching. He may be sweating just a little,” he smiled.

  “Two more dances to go, but hold me close, so he will start to sweat even more,” she chuckled.

  “I have no objections,” he chuckled back, and pulled her closer to him.

  It was the first time she had ever been in agreement with any man other than Teddy, and while on one hand it felt exciting, on the other hand it made her feel a little uncomfortable to just let go, even if it were only for three dances.

  On the next dance, she looked over Percy’s shoulder and smiled at Dutton as they passed, enjoying the frown he threw at her, as his eyes smoldered at them.

  On the third, and last dance of the evening, he was glaring at them with open hostility, and they both laughed as though they were sharing a joke with one another. Teddy was also watching, thinking this seemed very strange. He wondered what was going on. He decided to keep an eye on his wayward cousin, because as the dance ended, he saw Percy leading Eleanor out to the patio and they were smiling into each other’s eyes. The very fact that the man had his arm around her waist, made Teddy feel specious. This was not like Eleanor at all, and it worried him.

  As he went through the French doors, he saw the two going down the steps into the garden and silently followed. Staying in the shadows, he watched them walk down the trail and stop under a lamp post to talk.

  “Is he on the patio?” Eleanor asked, as Percy put his arms around her.

  Percy glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “I do believe he is,” he chuckled. “Are you ready?”

  “I…I think so,” she smiled, feeling herself tremble inside. She had never allowed a man to kiss her before and the closest she ever came to kissing was when she would kiss Teddy on the cheek, just to tease him.

  “Don’t worry, I know what I am doing, so just relax in my arms. That is all that is required of you.” He bent his head and looked into her eyes.

  This was very strange, Teddy thought to himself. No one ever kisses under a lamp. They would go to the shadows if they wanted to…he turned his head and looked up at the patio and saw Dutton standing there watching. Oh, so that was it. This was a show for Dutton, but why?

  Eleanor felt Percy’s lips touch hers. She thought that would be all there was to it, but then his lips were moving over her own in such a way, it made her catch her breath. Her hands that were entwined around his neck, tightened, and she found herself involuntarily pulling herself closer to him, as he kissed her. In spite of herself, her lips began to move against his as well and she felt engulfed in the kiss. Suddenly, his mouth was pulling away.

  “Apparently you were enjoying that,” he said, smiling into her eyes.

  “Sorry I have to do this,” she replied, and slapped his face. “You understand, this is only to indicate that you took advantage of me and I don’t plan to let it happen again,” she explained, and then she turned and ran out of the garden, around to the side of the house where the carriage would be waiting.

  Teddy watched Percy rub his cheek, where Eleanor had slapped him, but he had a smile upon his face, and then he watched as Percy and Dutton met on the patio. Dutton did not look happy and Percy was laughing. “Yes. Something was going on,” Teddy chuckled to himself. Eleanor was up to new tricks, and it had to do with getting back at Dutton some how. Well she would probably tell him soon enough, he decided, and went around the house, the same way Eleanor had gone. That cousin of his was just full of surprises, which made him like her all the more, in spite of the fact she had been kissing another man.

  Teddy found Eleanor sitting quietly in the carriage. “Go find Nelly,” she called, as she saw Teddy approaching. The dance is over and I am ready to leave.”

  Teddy came up to the carriage and looked up at his cousin. “I was in the garden a little while ago. I saw the show you were putting on for Dutton. I just can’t figure out why it was important for him to see you kissing some man you have barely met, when you never do such a thing. You have not even kissed me in such a manner.”

  “Sorry Teddy. It was not like it meant anything. It was so Sir Percy could win his wager with Dutton. That kiss cost Dutton his black Hunter. You know how he goes on and on about that hunter!” She tried to suppress a giggle. “Well it is not his Hunter any longer.”

  “You are so wicked,” Teddy laughed. “You are going to get yourself in trouble someday with your crazy games,” he warned.

  “Do go get Nelly, Teddy. I feel a headache coming on.” Her brows wrinkled. For some reason she almost felt ashamed for what she had done, and yet Dutton deserved it, she believed.

  “Are you off then?” She looked to see Sir Percy approaching the carriage.

  “Teddy has gone to find Nelly,” she told him, having a hard time looking into his face.

  “Thank you.” he smiled up at her. “The kiss was worth it. Even the slap was pleasant enough. I am glad Dutton made that wager, so I could have the pleasure of kissing you,” he admitted.

  “I hope you enjoy your new Hunter,”
she said quietly.

  “May I see you again?” he asked. If he could get her to kiss him once, why not try for a second time, he thought enticingly to himself?

  “No,” she said almost too hastily. “It was done only for the wager. I told you that from the beginning. But it was nice meeting you, Sir Percy.”

  “Perhaps you will do me the honor of dancing with me the next time we happen to be at the same function,” he said quietly.

  “Yes. I will at least do that,” she promised.

  “Then good night,” he said, turning away and she could see Teddy coming up to the carriage with Nelly on his arm. She gave a sigh of relief. She had never thought she would take anyone up on such a dare, she thought to herself. Teddy was right. She was going to get herself into trouble, if she were not careful.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Eleanor sat at her dressing table, holding a tattered stuffed rabbit in her arms. She was told that when they found her father wondering around the streets of London, he was carrying that stuffed rabbit. He had been dressed in fine clothing, which was the only reason Uncle Hector’s father agreed to take the lost boy in. They had tried to discover who his parents were, but considering they did not know the child’s Sir name, and no one had ever seen the child before, and the news paper accounts brought no relatives to claim him, there was not much anyone could do.

  Even though Eleanor carried the name of her uncle Belington, to her, that did not seem quite enough. She looked into the button eyes of the poor stuffed rabbit and wished it could talk. It was the only one that knew who her father was, she thought, and yet even it could not give anyone a clue to where he came from.

  She hugged the rabbit to her as she thought of the night before, when she had kissed Sir Percy. The kiss had surprised her. She thought she would hate being kissed by a man, and yet she realized there was something about kissing that actually appealed to her. She only regretted that her first kiss was given by a man she did not know, nor had any feeling towards. As handsome as he was, even he would never really want to offer for her, once he discovered she had no real background, regardless of using her uncle’s name. Even her own uncle did not want her marrying his son, because he did not know who she really was. Her father had married a commoner. A woman from Italy, who had become a maid in their house. That alone was enough to label her as worthless.