The Emerald Viscountess

~27~

"Lord Price is here to see you, Miss Fitzwilliam," Humboldt announced from the drawing room doors.

Eleanora hastily moved her current needlework aside on the sofa in order to greet the lord, thankful that she was the only one in the room and that the Bridgertons were not accompanying her.

Once he entered the room, Eleanora felt a pit in her stomach in his presence. His furious yet calm expression similar to Edwina's from a few days ago turned Eleanora's pit into a boulder. She could barely find the words nor the courage to greet Lord Price.

"Something the matter, Miss Fitzwilliam? Cat caught your tongue?" Price asked cooly.

"How much do you know from the wedding?" she asked quietly.

"Well I noticed the multiple looks you shared between Bridgerton during the ceremony," he said slowly, purposefully to, in a way, torture Eleanora. "And when Miss Edwina decided not to marry, I merely needed to put two and two together."

Eleanora grimaced at his response, and Price approached her.

"What you did was very selfish, you know that?" he said.

"Daniel, I-"

"Lord Price," he corrected sternly.

Eleanora had to remind herself that just because both Price and Russell had to correct her on use of formality, did not mean that Lord Price was Lord Russell. But Price's looming stature didn't help convince herself otherwise.

"Ever since we met, I have only thought of you day in and day out," Daniel began. "And then I started noticing small, minute instances. How distant you would grow at points. That when we'd promenade or I'd escort you, it's usually when the viscount is out doing the same thing. How disinterested you'd grow from talking with me, like when you came back from hunting at Aubrey Hall.

"And I started to piece it all together, but I was in denial of it. I wish I've only listened to my senses sooner, but alas, it's too late for that. You can kiss the Americas goodbye, you selfish bitch."

The last statement made Eleanora wince, thinking back to Lord Russell. She knew to an extent that this would happen and how angry Price would be, and that they wouldn't travel to the Americas together. But she would gather up the funds to escape London, anyway.

"If saying those hurtful words would make you happy, who am I to stop you?" Eleanora said finally. "If you'd like, I could return to the harp to you."

"Keep it. You're awful at the instrument anyway, so you'll need the practice."

He stormed out of the room. Everything Daniel Price had said, Eleanora believed all to be true - except being bad at the harp. Being a selfish bitch, well, it would take more convincing to make her believe otherwise.

~~~

Anthony and Eleanora had one thing in common the next morning, in their separate beds: they were thinking of the kiss exchanged in the chapel. Neither of them could gather the energy to force the memory out of their minds, repeatedly going through it with more desire the more they replayed the memory.
As Eleanora took her morning bath, her maid suggested to try a new soap that was just imported in: lavender and vanilla.

Once she was ready for the day, she entered the drawing room, avoiding eye contact with any and every person that was resided in the room. Benedict was in one of the chairs, the two youngest were playing chess, Eloise was reading on the sofa, Colin was grabbing a sweet, and Violet was pacing anxiously.

Eleanora decided to take a seat on the sofa on the very far side of the room, away from the family. Not a day went by where Eleanora didn't want to spend quality time with the Bridgertons, but today, she felt very distant from them thanks to her guilty conscious.