In Magician's Embrace [BOOK 1 of Price Family Saga]

34. Chapter (The Betrayal Most Unexpected)

The silence enveloped the two culprits who dared to venture into the depths of the most forbidden pleasure, rendering the atmosphere charged with unspoken tension.

"Pray, is aught amiss?" Eliza inquired of Daniel in a subdued voice, her widened eyes betraying a growing sense of fear within her.

"Nought is amiss," he responded promptly, avoiding direct eye contact with her.

All is amiss, you godforsaken deuce*, you damned Hades' son, he chided inwardly. How could you do this to a woman you harbour so much disdain for? How could you pilfer the only thing that would prove she hasn't been with a man on her inaugural night with her husband? Are you absolutely bereft of senses?!

„Then refrain from having your hand in, um, my orifice," Eliza whispered further.

"You do happen to possess a clean cloth, a napkin, do you not?" Daniel inquired, disregarding her remark.

She nodded and gestured toward the nightstand, which prompted him to pull his fingers out her folds a bit, in order to reach for the drawer. Within, a couple of white cloths were neatly folded, and he felt gratitude for the convenience to accompany him for once.

After Eliza felt the gentle touch of the cloth in her slit, she parted her lips to inquire once more:

„Pray, what have you done to me?!"

„Nought," was his reply, stirring the ire within the recess of his conscience anew. „Nought you haven't consented to."

But she didn't know what she was consenting to, did she, you good-for-nothing scoundrel. You could wager your soul on the fact that she certainly didn't consent to you ruining her for time to come!

He completed the cleansing of her, wiping his fingers with the folded napkin and promptly tucked the cloth behind his back, keeping it concealed from Eliza's inquisitive gaze.

"We shall discuss matters come morning," Daniel whispered to her, his gaze fixed upon her countenance.

Observing her so confounded, yet resplendent in all her innocence, seemingly incapable of uttering another word, something stirred within him. This time, it wasn't solely his conscience, but... his heart as well?! He swallowed, nodded, and gradually withdrew from her chamber, now holding the cloth to his front. Once he stepped into the corridor and closed the door behind him, he beheld the final image of her.

Eliza observed him taking leave reclined still, nude, beautiful... and compromised, all because of his doing.

Upon entering his chamber, his eyes settled upon the looking glass, revealing his countenance still marked with the purple bruise bestowed upon him by Phineas' knuckle. Daniel felt a twinge of shame and anger directed inward. He couldn't fathom how he had allowed his desires to hold such sway over him, leading him to forsake his moral compass.

Maybe there never was one, to begin with, he contemplated, staring at his reflection, only suppressed needs that made you do the unthinkable, just like Felix warned you.

Daniel scoffed at such a notion, then came to the realisation that he was still holding the cloth. There wasn't an abundance of blood, just a few drops that mercifully hadn't stained the linens, and a bit had already dried on his fingers. Given the sweltering summer, burning it in a hearth was not an option, thereby complicating the disposal of evidence for his transgression.

Blast it all.

He cast the cloth into the coffer that his mother dispatched shortly after his departure from Thornton Hall, delivered by one of her footmen, containing sufficient clothing to sustain him for at least a month in Hertford. Daniel was tasked with the role of observing the rival family as a discreet spy. Little did he anticipate that he might return affianced to the eldest of the Price's daughters — a twist of fate provided by life itself.