Eloisa's Adventure Read online

  “I don’t want to search for them now either, but the alternative is to hope that hunger forces the intruder to let us out.” She turned to look blithely at him. “What is there to lose?”

  Simeon snorted. “Our sanity?” He sensed the direction her thoughts were going and shook his head. “We are not going into the cellars, Eloisa.”

  He didn’t want to scare her, he really didn’t, but he couldn’t allow her to go on a wild adventure around the house in an innocent quest to get some answers. By doing that, she would inevitably walk right into the danger that lay within these walls.

  “Look, I told you that I suspect my uncle was poisoned,” Simeon began.

  “Yes, but this food is fresh. It’s fine. I feel fine. You are fine. We are both alright. We can take it with us. Look, there is another basket up there. If this person, this other person in the house wants to eat, they are going to have to find something in one of the jars here. Or they will have to come and get the food off us.”

  “I am not drawing them out,” Simeon countered. He turned to scowl at her. “Look, first thing in the morning, I am going to take you home. This isn’t your venture. You are only going to be here overnight.”

  He cursed at that and closed his eyes when the cold reality of their situation sank in. He was alone, in his house, with an unchaperoned female. If they remained where they were, they were going to be alone, in the same room, overnight. Now, although there wasn’t anyone else around, other than the intruder who shouldn’t be there in the fire place, there was such a thing as his own personal integrity. He couldn’t risk ruining her reputation in any way, or her for that matter. It would be impossible to just casually drop her off at her house without a backward look if he did. His conscience wouldn’t allow it. If he compromised her by spending the night alone with her, even stuck in a pantry, then he would ostensibly have to offer for her. He turned to look at her with a frown.

  “You said your father had passed away?” The husky rumble of his voice was intimate in the silence of the room.

  “Yes, that’s right, about three months ago now. Why?”

  “Who is your guardian?”

  “Our Uncle Alfred, but he is something of a distant guardian. He doesn’t really have much contact with us.”

  “So he is guardian from a distance?” Simeon frowned at that. “Who lives with you?”

  “I share a house with my sister, Cissy,” Eloisa shrugged. “I know it is an unusual arrangement, but it serves us perfectly well. Our father used to live with us until he passed away.”

  There was something in her voice that warned him that he should not pry too much, but he was too intrigued to ignore it. It was a highly unusual arrangement as far as he was concerned. Single young women like Eloisa should definitely not be living without a chaperone, or guardian, even with a sibling in attendance.

  “So, other than your sister, Cissy, nobody knows where you are,” Simeon asked.

  Eloisa had no idea where his questions were going and had the strangest feeling she wouldn’t like the answer if she asked. With a mental shrug, she considered his question but could see no reason not to answer him.

  “Mr de Lisle is – was – my dance tutor. He has taught me everything I needed to know about dancing. It was him who arranged for me to go to the ball tonight.” She sighed despondently as she thought about the lost opportunity again. “He is waiting for me, and will be worried when the carriage arrives and I am not on it.”

  Now that she came to think about it, would Mr de Lisle think that nerves had gotten the better of her and she had decided not to attend at the last moment?

  “Outside,” he said flatly.

  She threw a scowl at him. “Yes, outside. I am not really one for pomp and circumstance and the snobbery of aristocrats,” she declared firmly.

  His lips quirked. He nodded his acceptance of her chastisement and watched the intriguing way the shadows highlighted her fine features as she spoke.

  “Mr de Lisle will be worried when I don’t turn up,” she said a little defiantly.

  “So, it is Mr de Lisle, and your sister, who will be concerned for your welfare.”

  Eloisa sighed. “Yes, that’s about it. Why?”

  It bothered Simeon that there was no proper guardian to protect her reputation, or worry about her safety. Someone like Eloisa should have a person of status to look after her on a daily basis. After all, he could have been a profligate womaniser who could have used the time alone with her to try to ruin her completely.

  Although he would never remind her of such, she was completely at his mercy. It was a good thing he was a gentleman. Although, given some of his thoughts right now, he started to doubt his credibility on that score as well.

  “Right, well, seeing as there isn’t likely to be a guardian out looking for you just yet, I think that it is down to us to try to get ourselves out of here. Given that we have the food, I think we should try to keep it. Let’s put what’s here in the baskets. We can take them with us. Whoever locked us in here can keep the quince jelly and the jam. We will take the rest.”

  With that, he began to put the bread and cheeses into one of the baskets.

  “Wait!” she gasped. She frowned and strained her ears to listen. For a moment there she thought she had heard a footstep outside the door. She beckoned to him only to gasp in alarm when her elbow smacked him in the middle of his chest – his very wide, heavily muscled chest.

  She stared at the small patch of dark hair that protruded from the folds of his white shirt and sighed when her body began to grow warm. Every fibre of her being felt alert, watchful, and faintly yearning, and it was a little disconcerting. Before she could say anything, the soft scuff of what sounded like footfall came again, this time right outside the door.

  “Someone is moving about,” she mouthed into his ear. She felt him nod, but he didn’t speak. He motioned to her to be quiet.

  When the atmosphere within the pantry became sensually charged, she tried to ease away from him only to find that there was nowhere she could go. Her bottom was pushed against a dresser beside the wall, and he was standing directly in front of her, but to one side. The only direction she could go was sideways, but that would put her directly in front of the door. That was the very last place she wanted, or needed, to be so she remained still.

  He was so close that she could feel the warmth of his breath sweep gently across her cheek. Everything within her urged her not to look at him. She knew that if she remained where she was, he would eventually move away. However, an invisible cord of temptation drew her head around until she was looking at him anyway.

  Time hung suspended when their eyes met and held. The world dimmed to nothingness. In that one precious moment there was no howling wind outside; no unseen hand that had locked them in the pantry; no dark and sinister storm threatening to wreak havoc for hours. There was nothing but the two of them, confined securely in a small square space where nobody could disturb them.

  Simeon studied the gentle sweep of her curved lips which glistening teasingly in the candle-light. Her eyes seemed to beckon him closer although she had yet to speak. He could feel the soft sweep of her breath against his chin. It would folly to kiss her; he would have to dip his head to do so, and they didn’t really know each other. It was foolish to consider that they could be attracted to one another in such a small space of time. She might have some awful personal traits that would drive him scatty within a fortnight. Somehow though, he doubted that anyone as beautiful, intelligent, and bold as Eloisa, could really be annoying in any way. He found her anything but.

  “Eloisa.” The soft growl of his voice made her shiver, but seemed to beckon her toward his warmth rather than warn her to stay away.

  Her heart thundered heavily as she watched his head dip slowly toward hers. She wasn’t sure what to do. What she should say? Her stomach dipped. She wanted to move away, to stop this before it went any further, but curiosity kept her in place. After all, it was one kiss.


  His lips settled over hers and robbed her off all thought before she could decide on the wisdom of moving away. He stole her breath, and captured her senses with that single, tender caress and she knew that her life would never be the same.

  Simeon felt his body leap to life and was stunned by the ferocity of the need that raged through him. He only kissed her once; briefly, yet his body ached with a fierce hunger that refused to subside. Nobody should have the power to bring about raw need of this magnitude within him. He had certainly never felt it for a woman before. Why now? Why her?

  He leaned back and looked down at her and felt as stunned as she looked. He tried to move back a little more but became aware that her delicate hands were clutching the folds of his shirt. While he knew it would be best for both of them if he put some distance between them, he couldn’t bring himself to move away. Instead, he placed his hands over hers as he looked deeply into her eyes.

  “I am not going to apologise for kissing you,” he whispered.

  Eloisa’s stomach dipped. “I didn’t ask you to,” she replied.

  Her senses were reeling. She had never had anything like this happen to her before and wasn’t quite sure how to handle the situation. He had not pressed her for anything she hadn’t wanted to give so she couldn’t chastise him for taking liberties. He was close, but not pressing himself against her in a way that might leave her uncomfortable or feeling threatened. What was she supposed to say?

  When he felt himself drawn toward her once more, Simeon sucked in a deep breath and forced himself to take a couple of steps back. He looked down when he felt the tug of her fingers on his shirt. Although she released him, he was a little perturbed to wonder what would happen if she tugged him back toward her again. Determined to turn his thoughts to more practical matters, he gave himself a mental shake and moved to stand beside the table.

  “Let’s see if we can get out of here, shall we?” he murmured in a voice that was husky with desire.

  Eloisa watched him run a hand through his hair. It seemed to be something he habitually did whenever he was stressed or worried about something. To her, it made him look endearing, not least because his hair never really settled back into place afterward. She eyed the silken strands that touched the collar of his shirt and wondered if it really was as soft as it looked.

  “How though?” she asked when he didn’t seem inclined to move or speak.

  “I don’t know,” he murmured and threw the door to the cellar a dark frown.

  Eloisa knew what he was thinking and swallowed in alarm. She couldn’t help it; she had to check for herself just in case, and lifted a trembling hand to the latch on the door beside her.

  CHAPTER SIX

  To her stunned disbelief, the latch lifted and the door swung silently open.

  “Simeon,” she whispered.

  She heard his deep sigh behind her and knew that he was mentally cursing whoever was playing tricks on them. Whoever it was, Eloisa couldn’t really find any anger toward them. After all, if she hadn’t been locked in the pantry with her handsome host, she would never have been able to experience her first kiss.

  “Right,” Simeon said as he stared at the door somewhat nonplussed. “Well, let’s get out of here then shall we?”

  “Let’s take these with us though,” Eloisa suggested, and picked up one of the baskets.

  Simeon hefted the other one and followed her out of the door. “Stay close to me,” Simeon ordered.

  Inside the kitchen, the fire still roared heartily in the grate. As far as he could tell, everything was as they had left it. The only thing that appeared to have been moved was his cloak. Eloisa had draped it carefully over a chair to dry, but it now lay abandoned in the middle of the table instead.

  “I put that in front of the fire,” Eloisa declared worriedly having followed his gaze and realised what he was staring at.

  “I know,” Simeon replied. He threw her a warning look. “It’s all right though. They must have just been searching through the pockets.”

  “Who? What are they looking for?”

  “I don’t know,” Simeon growled. “But I am going to find out.”

  Just as soon as I can get you out of here, he thought.

  “Let’s secure down here,” he said aloud. “Then I think we had better go and see if we can find beds for the night.”

  After the events of the last hour, he wasn’t sure who posed more of a risk to Eloisa – himself or his intruder. A part of him wanted Eloisa to stay on the opposite side of the house where she would be well away from temptation. However, the protective side of him wanted her right next to him.

  The only part of the house that could accommodate both of them without them having to share a bed was the old Dowager’s suite. She used to have a bedroom with a connecting dressing room that was large enough to double up as a comfortable sitting room. The last time he had looked in it there had been nothing there apart from the bed and a rather dusty old chaise, but it would do for them for one night. He had slept in worse places, and it would give him a perfect view of the bedroom so he could keep an eye on Eloisa.

  Now that they had the kitchen candles to light their way, they extinguished the pantry candles and placed them carefully with the baskets of food. They each took a candle from the kitchen and made their way into the main body of the house.

  “It’s freezing in here,” she whispered as she followed him into the main body of the house. She watched her breath fog out in front of her face and wished now she had brought the cloak with her. Even wet, it would be better than nothing.

  “I know. Nobody is supposed to have been here for weeks though,” Simeon replied quietly.

  Eloisa followed him through one gloomy corridor after another. She struggled not to look back over her shoulder. She was fairly certain that someone was behind her and, while her instincts urged her to check to make sure, she just couldn’t find the courage to do so. Instead, she hurried up and stayed as close to Simeon as it was possible to get without actually wearing his breeches with him. When he stopped suddenly at the bottom of the main flight of stairs, she ran smack into the middle of his back.

  “Sorry,” she mumbled. She quickly blocked out the thought of how wonderfully solid he was, and coughed uncomfortably when he rolled his eyes.

  Simeon was grateful he had the baskets in his hands; otherwise he would have done something foolish – like kiss her again. While walking the corridors, he had been painfully aware of her every breath; her every movement behind him, and it had bothered him to distraction. He rather suspected that someone would be able to walk right up to them, and he wouldn’t notice unless they interfered with Eloisa.

  Was it just sexual attraction? Or was the awareness there because of the situation they faced?

  He looked at her and realised that she was waiting for him to speak. It was then that he also realised that he had suddenly stopped, for no reason, and was now looking her.

  She must think you are a damned fool, he chastised himself.

  “We have to go up the first flight of stairs. At the top, go to the right.”

  “Where are you going?” she gasped. Her eyes widened in horror at the thought of him leaving her again.

  “Nowhere; I am coming too. I am just telling you where we are going because the hallway is huge and difficult to light. Just keep your eyes on your feet. These steps are steep and narrow. If you fall down them you are going to be severely injured, and we won’t be able to get help. Just be careful.”

  He wished he could see the top of the stairs. They needed to get up there though so had no choice but to hope that there wasn’t anyone up there waiting for them.

  “Do you really think that all of this subterfuge is necessary?” Eloisa asked reasonably as she trudged up the stairs behind him. “I mean, if someone is taking refuge here, and had locked us in the pantry, at least they had the good grace to let us back out again. If they really meant us any harm, they would have left us there, wouldn’t they?�
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  Simeon snorted. “We have the food, don’t forget. Now, I like quince jelly as much as the next man but I don’t want to eat it morning, noon and night. Unless the preserves in the other jars offer anything more appetising, our intruder’s diet is going to get incredibly boring, very, very, quickly.”

  Eloisa felt a little guilty at the thought of the intruder being hungry while they gorged themselves. After all, the baskets were heavily laden. They contained more food than all of them could eat in a week. It didn’t seem right that they should leave the unknown person hungry, even though they shouldn’t be there.

  “How do we know that the latch on the pantry just didn’t get stuck?” she asked reasonably when they neared the top of the stairs.

  “Look, Eloisa -” Whatever else he had been about to say was cut off by a loud crash from the floor below.

  They both turned to look at the noise before they were distracted by the sound of footsteps on the floor above.

  “Someone’s up there,” Simeon growled as he dropped the basket at his feet. “Stay here,” he ordered, but didn’t wait around to see if she would comply. Before she could speak, he vanished into the gloom and abandoned her at the top of the stairs.

  “Simeon?” Eloisa called, but the only sound she heard in reply was the thudding of his boots on the floorboards as he disappeared after the intruder. At least she hoped it was the thudding of his boots, and not somebody else’s.

  She stared into the gloomy hallway below. Had someone thrown a pot of some kind from the floor above? Had they been trying to capture their attention, or had they intended to hit one of them with whatever it was they had thrown? She rather suspected it was the latter.

  She looked about her. Now that she was alone, she was at a loss to know what to do. Simeon had said that she had to stay where she was. Unfortunately, she knew that if she did that then the unknown intruder would know where to find her, especially while she was holding a candle. It stood out like a beacon in the impenetrable blackness and made it impossible for her to see anything beyond its feeble glare. She looked at it and quickly put it on the floor. The thought of standing alone in the dark in this house was terrifying, but she forced herself to take several steps away from it. It was only when she reached the shadows that she realised she had left the baskets behind.