Defiant Heart Read online

  **********************

  “Well, dear girl, you are in luck,” Teddy said as Eleanor met him in the entry way. “He will come calling tomorrow. But you have to promise me, that if he tries anything underhanded, you will let me know. I am not going to let some chap I don’t even know, court you, just because he thinks he can take advantage of your adventurous nature. I will give him two weeks, and if he hasn’t offered for you by then, you are just going to have to accept that merchant marine, or a job in a respectable house.”

  “Perhaps I should just be happy with a position in some household and…”

  “Give it a chance first, Eleanor. You still have three weeks. Percy may come through for you. Who knows?”

  “It seems so conniving,” she frowned.

  “He knows the situation, so since he is not that shocked, you have at least a chance for him to fall for you.”

  “He did ask if he could call last night, but I turned him down.”

  “You see? He really did like you and wanted to see more of you. So there is nothing to worry about.”

  “Only because he really does not know anything about me,” she insisted. “I am going to tell him right off…”

  “No. Give it some time first. Let him get to know you, so by the time you do tell him, all he can think about is how much he loves you and how your background means nothing when it comes to love.”

  “I wonder if it really does mean nothing? In this day and age, marriage has to do with turning out acceptable heirs, not whether the parents of those heirs actually love each other. It is more like a business than a romance novel.”

  “You could be right, but as long as the two like each other…”

  “But Percy will want more than just liking me, or even loving me, for that matter. How can he present a mystery woman to his family? It will never work, Teddy. We are just wasting our time.”

  “You don’t have anything else to do, so you might as well enjoy your last few weeks of freedom,” Teddy suggested. “I mean it is better than just waiting around for that merchant marine to pounce on you. At least you can have one last fling, before bowing to a marriage you may end up hating. And who knows? Percy may come through for you.”

  “Yes, one last fling,” she said softly. “But if this falls through, and I don’t like the merchant marine, I will not marry anyone. I will get that job and be an old maid if I have to,” Eleanor promised.

  “I just don’t see you ever becoming an old maid,” Teddy laughed. “Good luck, Eleanor. I will be praying for you.”

  “Yes. You do that,” she whispered, and then turned and went up to her room to think over the events that were befalling her so unexpectedly.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Sir Percy stood with hat in hand and a bouquet of flowers in his other hand, when the butler answered the door. “Miss Belington is expecting you,” the butler informed him, and led the way to the drawing room, ushering Sir Percy in. He took a seat on an uncomfortable looking chair, and sat on the edge of it, waiting for that beauty of a woman that filled his head to join him. What ever made him agree to Teddy’s suggestion, he wasn’t really sure, but as he looked around the room seeing the wealth expressing itself in every piece of furniture, expensive rug, and decorations, he started to feel a little more at ease. Maybe agreeing to a marriage with an heiress would resolve his future dilemma, he thought to himself. She may be the cousin, but surely she had some share in the wealth, he thought cunningly. But of course, if he absolutely hated her, no amount of money….well he would cross that bridge when he came to it, he decided. Until then…the kiss crossed his mind and he smiled to himself.

  The door opened and that lovely woman stepped into the room embraced by a lovely blue dress that showed off her figure so alluringly, it was about the only thing Percy could focus on at the moment. Coming to his senses, he arose and approached her, holding the flowers out towards her. “My dear, Eleanor, I am so glad you changed your mind about me calling on you,” he said in his most attentive voice. He took her hand and kissed it, as she reached out for the flowers.

  “Thank you for the flowers. They are lovely,” she said as she watched his eyes rove over her body, and then light upon her face again.

  “Lovely flowers for a lovely lady,” he smiled.

  “Just let me give them to the maid,” she said, pulling a bell cord by the door. In no time a maid appeared, and she handed the flowers to her. “Find some water for these, Jane,” she said, and the maid took the flowers and left the room.

  “If you are ready, I thought we would take a turn around the square, and then perhaps out to the country. You will love my grays.”

  “I am sure I will,” Eleanor smiled, as she took his arm. He was aristocratically good looking, and in the light of day, she began to notice things about him she had not paid attention to when she first met him. His muscular figure and the way his side burns laid against his face. The twinkle in his eye and the dimple in his cheek. All attractive things that drew her to him even more than the first time she had met him. Of course, then she had tried not to notice those kind of things. It was the best way not to let her heart get snagged by anyone, but now… She looked up at him beneath her long dark lashes, and the way he was looking down at her, sent a thrilling chill through her body. Maybe it would not be too bad marrying the good looking Sir Percy Macomb, she thought to herself.

  Percy was helping her up into his carriage, as the footman held the horses still. His grays were beautiful, she thought.

  “I brought a lunch,” he informed her. “I hope you are prepared to spend the entire day with me. I thought perhaps a picnic, and then later dinner. I would like to get to know you well, and after the way you kissed me the other night, I was hoping you would be glad to get to know me better also.”

  “I would love to get to know you better,” Eleanor, laughed. “And I do love your grays.”

  “Then that is one thing we have in common. Do you ride?”

  “Why, of course,” she admitted.

  “Then perhaps we can go ridding together soon, as well,” Percy planned as he took up the reins and clicked his tongue at the grays.

  “I think I would like that,” she agreed.

  “According to my friend Dutton, you are the notorious flirt that no man has been able to snag yet, so why have you allowed me to be your escort? I understand you have had offers from every man within ridding distance of your place. You could have picked any one of them…”

  “My uncle was informed of our little show in the garden,” she explained. “Dutton was so angry about his Hunter, he was determined to give me a bad name and a reprimand from my uncle to punish me somehow. So he told all, and therefore, my uncle believes that I have feelings for you. It would seem silly to choose someone else, when I have been exposed for kissing you. You did ask to call on me the very same night, or had you forgotten?”

  “Of course I have not forgotten. I am just honored that I am the one you have chosen to see, when you have turned down every other man who has met you. Dutton was quite astonished when I informed him you had accepted my request to call on you.”

  “Well anything we can to do astonish Dutton, should be considered,” Eleanor laughed.

  “I have to be honest. I was quite astonished myself, when your cousin talked to me, and let me know you were willing to go out with me after all. He did say there was a matter about a merchant marine. Tell me it is not true that your uncle would try to marry you off to such a man.”

  “Life is the way it is. I am at my uncle’s mercy. He did not have to take me in, you know. He has been very generous to me over the years, but I cannot burden him forever.”

  “But you could have chosen anyone over the years. According to Dutton, no one could ever get close enough to you to even ask for your hand. And now suddenly…”

  “If you are uncomfortable about this…”

  “No…no, I sort of like the idea. A beautiful heiress wanting my company. I am flattered.”
r />   “Oh,” Eleanor placed her hand on his arm. “Oh, no. You misunderstand. I am not an heiress. I have no claim on the Belington’s fortune. I am a…very distant relative. More distant than you could imagine.”

  For a fleeting moment, Percy had hoped that Eleanor could have been the one who could solve his financial dilemma instead of Glenda, and his heart fell for a moment. Then he turned and smiled at her. “Well, not to worry. Your beauty alone is enough to intrigue me,” he said, patting her hand and then giving her a sidelong glance. “I shall enjoy our time together, I assure you.” No wonder the old man was marrying her off to a merchant marine, Percy thought sadly to himself. A distant relative with no dowry? How had he ever expected to marry her off, if she had no fortune? The Belington name alone could be enough to attract a worthy suitor, though, so why a merchant marine? However, now that he had been hoodwinked into this, he might as well take advantage of the situation, he decided. No use letting a beautiful woman go to waste. After all, she would have the merchant marine in the end to fall back on, and he had been rather bored lately. A couple of weeks courting should raise his spirits some, he decided, before he would be forced into Glenda’s arms.

  “So tell me more about yourself,” he said, as he whipped up the horses into a collected canter.

  How interesting, Eleanor thought. Most men only wanted to talk about themselves, and here this man wanted to know more about her. She was liking him more every moment. “Well there isn’t much to tell. My mother died when I was born and then when I was about eight years old, my father died of the Spanish flue. That is when my uncle took me in, and I have been living with my uncle, aunt, and my cousins ever since.”

  “But why are you notoriously called the lady in red?” he asked cocking his head at her.

  Eleanor laughed. “It is because I always wear a red gown to all functions and dances. I happen to like red.”

  “Yet you wear blue today,” he winked. “You look very lovely in blue, though, I might add.”

  “You are too kind,” she smiled.

  “You are too beautiful,” he responded. “I can’t keep my eyes off of you. I understand well why every man around wants to have your hand. I am surprised you have lasted this long.” But he figured he knew why she had lasted this long. He knew no one would truly want to offer for a penniless woman, unless they had so much money, it didn’t matter. Certainly there were plenty of men with hoards of money that would offer for her hand regardless of her lack of wealth, though. After all, she was astoundingly beautiful, so why had she kept the men at bay, he wondered? And now she was giving in to his suit? It did not make sense.

  For awhile they rode in silence, and Eleanor, glanced over at Percy. He seemed deep in thought, and she wished she could read his mind. She knew how to flirt and attract men, but she knew nothing about how to deal with them in a situation like this. After all, she was looking for an offer, and her only talent was holding men away from her, not making them fall in love with her. She wondered what all Teddy had told him? But she was afraid to ask.

  “We shall stop up ahead,” Percy suddenly informed her. This trail leads out onto an abandoned farm and it is lovely country side. A perfect place to have a picnic,” he smiled down at her.

  The carriage took a turn, and it followed a long winding trail of a road, which did not look like anyone ever used it. The field was a riot of wild flowers, though, and he was right. It was a lovely place. They passed through an old fruit orchard, some of the trees were in bloom, while others looked half dead, with their skeleton like branches twisted against the sky. The gravel crunched under the wheels of the carriage and then they rounded a bend, and there was a roofless house standing to one side with a dilapidated barn standing off in the distance.

  “When I see places like this,” Eleanor said, “It makes me wonder about the people who used to live there. This was someone’s livelihood at one time, and I am sure they had children running round, but now everything is so empty and sadly neglected.”

  “You seem like a sentimental person,” he praised, as he brought the carriage up to the hitch, which was still standing.

  After hitching up the horses, he came to the carriage, and surprised Eleanor by lifting her down, instead of taking her hand like she expected. As he lowered her, his lips brushed against her cheek, and he held her against him for a brief moment. “I’ll get the blanket,” he whispered, as he released her, and walked to the other side of the carriage and lifted out the lunch basket and carriage rug.

  He walked out to a large tree that had sprawling branches, which created a sheltering shade for their picnic. Eleanor followed him, watching him spread the rug on the ground, depressing the new spring grass as it covered the carpet of green.

  “Have a seat,” he said as he took her hand and pulled her down beside him on the carriage rug. He did not release her hand, once she was seated beside him. “We might as well get right to the point,” he whispered against her ear. “I know you are looking for an offer. Anything would be better than being thrown to a merchant marine, I am sure, and while you do not know me well, I am willing to give you that offer. However, I want to get to know you better, so it would be best not to mention it to your uncle for a bit,” he added.

  “You would give me an offer when you barely know me?” Eleanor questioned.

  “No worse than some man who has never laid eyes on you, giving you an offer,” he reasoned. “At least I have met you already and have even kissed you. Speaking of which, I would like to kiss you right now for real, not just to pretend you want to,” he breathed against her cheek.

  Eleanor turned her head, and looked into his eyes. His lips were inches away from her mouth and she remembered the kiss he had given her before, and how marvelous it had made her feel, for as short lived as it had been at the time. Now he placed his hand on her face and the other one reached out and took the other side of her face, as he pulled her head towards him. He paused, just staring at her lips, and she gave a little shiver in anticipation, before his lips finally lowered to hers, consuming her mouth beneath his own.

  Eleanor felt herself melting against his kiss, as his arms wrapped around her and held her closer, pulling her down on top of him, as he laid back against the carriage rug, deepening the kiss as he did so. Her senses were going crazy and her breath was starting to quicken as he continued to play her mouth with his. She never knew a kiss could affect her so and all she wanted was for that kiss to last forever. It seemed he wanted the same thing, because he did not pull his mouth away from hers, as his fingers pushed through her hair, pulling the pins away, allowing her hair to fall about her shoulders, and then he turned her, so he was laying over her instead, as he continued the kiss and she noticed his breathing was quickening as well.

  Then slowly, he pulled away and stared down into her face. “I do want you,” he whispered. “You enchant me in every way. I am so happy you agreed to let me call.”

  Eleanor’s chest was rising as she tried to gain her breath, but her heart was pounding so hard, she wasn’t sure if she could catch her breath again.

  “You seem to be enjoying this,” he observed, as her eyes shone up at him, and he looked at her kiss swollen lips which sent a sudden passion through him.

  “You are the only man I have ever kissed,” she admitted. “It is all very new to me yet.”

  “Well you are about the most beautiful woman I have ever kissed,” his voice came in a deep groan, as his lips found her neck and began planting kisses on it, leading them to her ear, and then to her mouth, causing Eleanor to catch her breath even more than she had before, by the wonder of the feelings that were surging through her at the very touch of his lips. “Married life could be very fulfilling with you, if this is a sample of it,” he told her, as his mouth came down over hers again, pulling a rapture from her being as he toyed with her bottom lip with his teeth and then brushed his tongue across her mouth.

  The emotions that were mounting within her, took Eleanor by surprise, and
she was trying to sort them out, as she felt his hands roving over her body, while his mouth manipulated her own mouth. Then he slowly sat up, pulling away from her. “We should probably eat our lunch. Any more of this, and I may do something your cousin would call me out for,” he told her with a wink. He pulled her to a sitting position. Eleanor started to pin her hair back up but he stayed her hand. “Leave it,” he whispered. “I like seeing it down around your face,” he told her.

  Percy opened the basket, and took out sandwiches, handing her one and then bringing out a bottle of wine and opening it. He brought out glasses to drink it in. Eleanor held the glass in her trembling hand, as he poured the purple wine into it.

  “To our future,” he smiled, as he took a drink, and she followed him, drinking the wine as she looked over the rim of her glass at him.

  They ate in silence, both watching each other as if at a sudden loss of words. And when they finished eating the sandwiches, he poured her more wine and poured himself more as well. Percy pulled Eleanor against him, letting her lean on him for support, as they drank their wine together, one arm around her waist, with the other holding his glass. His hand at her waist caressed her lightly as he drank and she drank as well. She felt sleepy and contented, leaning against him like that, and the feel of his hand against her, his fingers moving over the material of her dress, was exciting to her, and she leaned her head back, as she finished her wine, and then set the glass aside.

  She could feel his hand pushing up under her breast. Then her half befuddled mine realized he was touching her breast through the material of the gown. He turned her head to his, and lowered his mouth over hers again, the sweet taste of wine on both of their lips mixed in the kiss, as his hand continued to fondle her breast. The feel of that kiss, and the feel of his hand, seemed to fill her being, and through the fog of the wine she had been drinking, she was trying to understand the strange need she was feeling that she felt only he could fulfill.