Eliza covered another yawn with her hand. How long had it been? An hour? Two? The Duke didn’t seem interested in ending his chat with his assistant anytime soon. She glanced around at the rest of the entourage. The guards were still quite alert, but the rest of the staff were clustered at the far end of the parking lot. Some were talking, but most of them looked bored. No one seemed impatient, though. It didn’t take a stretch of the imagination to figure out that this was a normal occurrence when travelling with the Duke.
She wanted to sigh. Tempted as she was to join the group sitting on the sidewalk, she knew that it would be an unsightly thing for a duchess to do. Perhaps if she hadn’t been borrowing Artizia’s body, she would have done it anyway. Instead, she had sent Margaret over to them with the snacks she purchased but had found a spot for herself at a nearby picnic table. Eliza had been haunted by a niggling sense that she was only in this world temporarily. Without any idea of what Artizia was like, she would have to act cautiously.
However, she was reaching the end of her patience. The small parking lot was surrounded on three sides by forest. Her body’s heightened senses had been picking up hints of the lifeforms just beyond the boundary of trees. While most were benign, there were a few shadows and sounds that were putting her on edge. All that stood between them and potential predators was a wire fence.
But nevermind those, there was a closer threat! The assassin boy had not left the shop, but he could change his mind anytime. The two hidden guards were a small reassurance, but what if the boy was aware of them? The longer they stayed here, the more frayed her nerves would get. Eliza didn’t like being in a situation with so many variables.
She stood abruptly and left the picnic table. Theo, the Duke’s assistant shot her an apologetic glance. She smiled at him. He was young, possibly only a couple of years older than Artizia. He must be quite a talent if the Duke was relying so heavily on him.
“Your Grace,” she said as she approached the pair. The chatter at the end of the parking lot ceased as all eyes turned to her. Eliza’s eyes flickered to the shop, and the shadow of a nearby tree. The Duke looked at her, startled. Had he forgotten she was travelling with them? Eliza felt pity for Artizia. Theirs was not going to be a fairy-tale romance. “Shall we get back on the road? It will be dark before we arrive.”
“Ah— yes,” he checked his watch. Eliza was mildly disappointed to note that he didn’t seem embarrassed to find that he had kept his new bride waiting for over an hour. He nodded at the drivers who got up and prepared to leave. “My apologies. I lost track of the time.”
Eliza acknowledged his distracted apology with a faint smile. As Theo was turning to leave, she said, “Theo, why don’t you ride with His Grace?”
The man stilled and stared at her. “Sorry?”
“You still have unfinished business, no?” She asked. The Duke’s eyes met hers. Oh, was he starting to realise how rude he was being? She put on a friendly smile. “I’d like to take a nap – you can continue your discussion if we swap places.”
Both men exchanged glances. Theo opened his mouth to answer, but Eliza was already walking towards the second car with a yawn and wave. Over her shoulder, she called, “Oh, Margaret, get my book please.”
A heavy silence descended, broken only by the sounds of the duchess getting into the back seat of the second car before the driver had a chance to open the door for her. Seemingly oblivious to the atmosphere, Margaret retrieved the book as instructed and was beckoned into the second car by Eliza. After a brief hesitation, the Duke entered the first car, followed reluctantly by his assistant. The rest of the staff gathered in the van and the entourage finally resumed the second half of their journey.
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