Pricing The Heart

Chapter 16

Anger compelled Eloise to turn from David, but it was fear that propelled her feet forward; fear of what she might say if she remained standing before him. Silently, she reminded herself she was not her own. First, she had belonged to her uncle, then to James, and now to David. Dare she speak in defense of herself, after David had accused her of being the duke's mistress, he was at liberty to withdraw his generous offer of setting her free upon the full recovery of her health.

And Eloise desperately needed her freedom. She did not wish to be further manipulated by a man, nor did she wish to be subject to his use. Once she regained her freedom, she would fight to pick up the pieces of her life and fix what was left of it. She would find employment, irrespective of the cost.

Distracted by her thoughts, Eloise did not see the large piece of rock before her until she stumbled on it. A loud cry tore from her lungs as she fell forward. She shot her arms out to break her fall, but her effort proved useless as the muddy pool swallowed her arms, forcing her form forward until her face was buried in the mud.

"Mrs Taylor!" David yelled, along with a foul word.

Horrified, Eloise jerked upright, her eyes closed as she fought to keep the mud from getting into them. She knelt spitting to rid her tongue of the vile taste of mud, when David reached her side.

"Are you alright?" He touched her arm, and instinctively, she shrugged him off. "Mrs Taylor..."

Fighting the urge to give into her grief and frustration, she tried to rise, but the pain that hissed through her ankle crippled her for several seconds.

"Here, let me help you," David said.

"I do not want your help, my lord!" The words poured out of her lips, and Eloise did not believe she had the mental capacity to stop them. She was annoyed and utterly humiliated, for not only did David make a fool of her when he accused her of being the duke's mistress, she proved she was indeed a fool by foolishly walking into a muddy pool.

Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. Swallowing, she groped blindly for her walking stick, but only succeeded in getting more mud on her hands and dress.

"Clearly, you need it." David gripped her arm, leaving no room for resistance as he helped her to her feet. Holding her firmly in place, he wiped her face with a coarse fabric. "You may open your eyes now," he said, a few seconds later.

Eloise tore her eyelids apart, her lips falling open as her eyes settled on David. He stood before her, drenched as she was; his slightly overgrown hair falling to his forehead. He had taken off his jacket, the garment she suspected he had used to wipe her face clean, leaving him clad in nothing but a white cotton shirt that was plastered so tightly to his form by the rain, it left nothing to the imagination.

She stared at his firm, muscular chest, and silently, she wondered what it must feel like to trace its sharp curves with her fingers. And while she fought to rid her mind of the scandalous image, Eloise found it impossible to do so.

Her gaze shifted to his arms. She remembered clearly what it had felt like to have his arm bulge at her touch, while his lips ravaged hers. She remembered being trapped in the confines of his arms, how her heart had quickened at his touch. Even now, as she raised her gaze and their eyes locked, her heart quickened at the heated look in his eyes.

He stepped forward. She must not have been thinking correctly, for she did the same, closing the gap between their bodies. She stood, desirous of his kiss—wanting, needing. She wanted to feel his arms around her again and to feel the warmth of his lips.

But she was wrong to want him, was she not? She was a fool to desire a man she knew nothing about—certainly a fool to feel something for him other than gratitude. She had made this same mistake in the past when she married a man she knew nothing about, hoping he might eventually fall in love with her. But, on the contrary, James had only used her to get her dowry before tossing her to the highest bidder. For all she knew, David was exactly like James. It would be madness to give into her lustful desires. If she allowed herself to be lured into his bed, perhaps then he might change his mind about setting her free. She would be forced to keep his bed warm, and once he was done with her, he would toss her to yet another man; Eloise could not let that happen.