"No." Grace felt a pang of sadness in her chest at the thought of telling him. "I should call around. I told him I would let him know how Caroline fares."
What would she say?
Would he make her an alternative offer or simply accept her decision? Either way, saying goodbye would be like wrenching her heart out.
"Look," Evelyn said. "I have no plans for the day. I may try to catch a few hours sleep but nothing more. You go and spend some time with Elliot. I shall take care of Caroline in your absence."
Grace shook her head. Evelyn had already done more for her than anyone else her whole life. "I can't ask you to do that."
"You didn't ask. I offered. Now be gone. Elliot won't care if you turn up unannounced."
"If you're sure. I'll wait until after breakfast. It will be safer, and the walk will do me good."
"Katie will accompany you. You can send her back in a hackney."
Evelyn stepped forward and took her hands. "Leo said that when you were in the room with Lord Barrington, you told Elliot you loved him. Leo said it worked to calm him, that he believes you spoke the truth."
Grace gripped Evelyn's hands for dear life as she could feel the tears welling. "It's true. I did tell him. But it is an impossible situation. Caroline needs me more than ever. I must see her settled before I can think of anything else." Grace sniffed. "Besides, he made no reply. I have no idea what he thinks or feels."
"He loves you. It is obvious to those who know him. But he is set in his ways. No doubt, he is struggling with the strange emotion. Go to him. Tell him again," Evelyn urged.
Grace nodded, but she knew she could not commit to him. Not while she had Caroline's problems to deal with. If Elliot truly cared for her, he would wait.
One way or another, and with a heavy heart, she would be forced to leave him.
Chapter 20
As the sun rose higher in the morning sky, Grace knew she would find Elliot sheltered in his bedchamber. Whithers left her waiting in the hall while he announced her arrival and she was shown upstairs to the only place she'd ever felt truly happy.
It took a moment for her eyes to become accustomed to the dim light.
"I wasn't sure when you'd come." Elliot crossed the room to greet her, taking her hands in his. His casual dress: a loose white shirt and beige breeches reflected the way she felt in his company. Comfortable and at ease.
"I'm not disturbing you?" she asked as he stepped behind her to help her out of her pelisse. The pads of his fingers brushed against the exposed skin at her nape, and as she shivered with pleasure, she felt the soft touch of his lips against her skin.
Grace closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. The smell of sandalwood surrounded her, penetrating her clothing, seeping deep into her soul.
If only they could bar the door and never leave. She would be content to spend her days conversing, her nights wrapped in his strong arms.
"My door is always open to you," he said turning her around and pulling on the silk ribbons of her bonnet. He lifted it gently off her head, all the time his vibrant green eyes staring into hers. She gave him her gloves, and he took all the items and placed them on the wooden chest. "Would you care for something to eat or drink?"
His voice drifted over her like silk: smooth, soft and sensual. The simple question caused desire to ignite — a roaring furnace of emotion flooding her body. Just being in his presence made her head spin, made focusing on anything other than what it felt like to touch him, impossible.
"No," she said, noticing the sinful way his mouth curled at the corners. "I've recently had breakfast. I don't need anything else."
Only you.
The power of her desire for him shocked her, shook her. Even the tips of her fingers were trembling in anticipation. Perhaps it had something to do with the emotional strain she'd endured this last day. Perhaps, with the mystery of Caroline's disappearance now behind her, her emotions were free from guilt.
Or was it because she knew this was goodbye?
A sob caught in the back of her throat and she swallowed to disguise it.
"Your sister is well?" He asked the question while his hungry gaze swept over. He wanted her, too. She could feel it radiating from him, the air between them buzzing with a magical force.
"There is much to tell," she said stepping closer to him. "But it can wait for now."
A fever burned through her, making her delirious, making her body flame.