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Post by Elizabeth Davenport on Nov 27, 2021 21:33:59 GMT
 To hear that he was indeed, earnest about his plan made something within Elizabeth ignite. She could not explain the feeling except that perhaps she was quite glad he'd been telling the truth and not jesting in an attempt to make her feel better. Elizabeth still felt unsure as to how their plan would work, and if it would work at all. His insistence to hurry back into the party only caused her to nod in agreement. Yes, the sooner they got out of there, the better.
Elizabeth led the way through the doors as he mind worked to come up with a plan. She wasn't the best liar but if she got her story straight, she could usually sell it quite nicely. The trick, she found, was using pieces of the truth within her web of lies. Elizabeth placed her arm through William's to portray the image that he was escorting her back to her father where they could propose the idea that they leave. Upon finding her father, someone that was not easy to miss given his height, Elizabeth led William over there. "Father," Elizabeth greeted him. Charles grinned at the sight of William. "Your Grace, so lovely to see you." His words held the hidden meaning of 'and with my daughter no less'. He was quite proud of himself for setting this one up.
"I went to get some fresh air as I was feeling quite unwell and the Duke happened to see me. He has offered to give me a ride home so that everyone else may stay at the party," Elizabeth explained. Hopefully she still appeared quite unwell from the interaction with Martin. Charles looked between the pair for a moment before nodding his head. "Alright," he agreed. "I trust the Duke to take you home. Do feel better, my dear," Charles said. Elizabeth nodded her head and turned to look at William.
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Post by Elizabeth Davenport on Nov 27, 2021 21:16:45 GMT
 She kept her hand over her mouth as her mind processed what had transpired. Benedict had completely fallen off the couch he'd been on and Elizabeth found the sight too funny but knew that laughing right now was not going to make things any better. She felt awful, knowing that she certainly should have knocked. It was something she almost always did but for some reason she had failed to do so this time around, clearly. Oh but she wished she had knocked. It would have saved the two of them so much embarrassment and Elizabeth did not know how the pair would be able to look the other in the eye after this.
Elizabeth heard Benedict approach the door but he did not open it. She removed the hand from her mouth, feeling like she had come to compose herself just the slightest bit. "Perhaps," she said, squeezing her eyes shut and letting the whole thing wash over her again. Reaching over, she let her hand hover against the door before she let her knuckles knock against the wood. Well, better late than never. The action caused Elizabeth to begin chuckling again and she slapped her hand over her mouth. "I'm here, in case no one told you," she said, her face flinching as she still didn't know how this whole thing with Benedict would pan out.
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Post by Elizabeth Davenport on Nov 27, 2021 4:20:16 GMT
The fact that he continued to speak, talking of his plan, surprised Elizabeth. She never would have thought William Slade would be someone to try to leave a party with another lady under the guise of something else. Their desire to escape was not fueled by anything other than not wanting to be there, but other people did not know that. He mentioned that she leave because she was tired and Elizabeth considered it. It was an excuse she had used before but throughout the season, she tried to hold onto such an excuse and to spread them out so that it was still believable. It had been a while since she had tried to leave due to being tired and her father might actually allow it. Besides, there was a chance he would be able to tell that Elizabeth was struggling to be there anyway. She did not, however, know if her father would go for the idea of William giving her a ride home.
She chuckled at his comment about Lady Whistledown. "That you know of," she pointed out. They did not know where Lady Whistledown got her information or any of that, but Elizabeth would not be surprised if there was something written about her in the paper the following day because she had been spotted, unchaperoned, with William Slade. Turning to him, she gave him a curious look. "Are you being earnest or are you jesting? Because I would quite like to leave this party," Elizabeth said. Not that she needed his assistance to do so.
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Post by Elizabeth Davenport on Nov 27, 2021 4:11:46 GMT
 If Elizabeth had known him better, he likely would have received a sarcastic comment about how much information he gave her when speaking. But as they were still only acquaintances, she decided to hold her tongue. Fortunately, he seemed to carry on and add more information without needing encouragement. Putting the pieces together, Elizabeth came to the conclusion that this animal was neither a cat nor a dog but instead something else entirely. She searched her mind for what type of animal they could have that would be allowed to spend time with such a young child. For the life of her, she could not think of anything but supposed it did not matter since it would be only an additional minute until she got to meet this animal herself.
The two women followed Reuben out of the drawing room and through the house towards the garden where things were set up for their social engagement. She heard the small voice of Evelina before she saw her. Elizabeth's eyes found the child and grinned from ear to ear at the sight of her. "Little Dove!" She called out, kneeling down and opening her arms so that Evie might run into her arms for the hug she was clearly expecting. A gasp followed by an odd noise pulled Elizabeth's attention to see the four legged friend Reuben had been talking about. The smile only stayed on Elizabeth's face as Dawn seemed quite perplexed by the sight of the animal. "Is this a friend of yours?" Elizabeth asked, looking at Evie with the smile on her face.
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Post by Elizabeth Davenport on Nov 27, 2021 3:32:08 GMT
It did not take long for Reuben to join them, Elizabeth no longer surprised by his lack of greeting other than a simple nod of his head. It did not offend her but instead she found it rather peculiar, but not in a bad way. There seemed to be many things he did that Elizabeth found interesting and she was curious to see what else she would learn about him. It seemed Reuben Slade was the furthest thing from an open book when it came to nearly everything, at least that's what Elizabeth had observed about him so far. Perhaps it was his mysterious nature that made her so inclined to learn more or it was the idea that she had never met anyone like him before. Elizabeth found that she was intrigued to see if she even could learn more about him, or if he simply was not willing to provide such information to her.
Then he asked a question that continued to surprise her. Elizabeth exchanged a look with Dawn before turning her attention back towards her host. "I have no issue with them, but Dawn is not terribly fond of dogs." She remembered Dawn telling a story that when she had been a child, a dog on the street had chased after her, scaring her quite well even though he had not bit her. She could be around them if need be, but her personal preference was to avoid them. "Do you have a pet?" Elizabeth asked, though the answer seemed obvious if he had asked about animals to begin with. Though she did find it strange he did not specify the type of animal. Surely Elizabeth would have heard about a beloved pet from Evelina from their initial encounter?
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Post by Elizabeth Davenport on Nov 27, 2021 3:01:18 GMT
His question made her pause and think. She could use a moment. Elizabeth had come out here for some fresh air but now she found she needed it more than before. Dealing with Martin inside had been a challenge but the interaction with him just now had her nearly shaking. The implications of what he'd said just now settling down into the darkest corners of her mind. He'd been willing to have them found in a compromising situation if it meant he could have her hand in marriage. The fact that he'd been so eager to ruin her reputation for his own gain just proved to Elizabeth that Martin Egerton was a dangerous man and someone she would do well to completely avoid in the future. "Yes, an excellent idea," Elizabeth agreed.
William made a joke and Elizabeth found herself wishing he was being earnest. She would have loved to disappear and not be present for the rest of the evening, but found herself battling with the logistics of it all. But she could sit and imagine what it would be like to run off and not have to worry about the stupid ball. "I think plenty of people would notice if we were not here," Elizabeth pointed out. More people, especially the eager mamas, would notice if hew as not there. Elizabeth could fall into the shadows if she so pleased but even that wasn't always an easy feat. "Unless you can convince me of this brilliant plan you might have," she half-teased in return.
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Post by Elizabeth Davenport on Nov 27, 2021 2:48:12 GMT
 Elizabeth sat with a book on her lap, reading the words that created images within her mind. Not easily distracted, she found herself unable to focus for longer than a few minutes. With Benedict sitting across from her, whatever he did was not the distraction. Instead, it was her own thoughts that distracted Elizabeth from focusing on the book she had been so desperate to get her hands on in the first place. She did not know if it was simply time that had brought this thought to the forefront of her mind or if it was because she knew if she could talk to anyone about it, it was Benedict. Elizabeth had carried this secret for so long, thinking that it was something she would die with. The guilt would eat away at her before she would even consider talking to anyone else about it.
But Benedict was the person she trusted the most in her life and if she could not tell him, then who could she talk to about it? Sighing, Elizabeth put the book down, placing something inside to keep her current place, even though it had been several pages since she had been able to comprehend the words she was reading. Glancing over at Benedict, she watched as he drew and wondered what it was he was drawing. What did he think about when he drew and did he have a secret that he'd never told her?
Looking back down at her lap, Elizabeth decided to break the comfortable silence between them. "Have you ever done something, or had a secret, that makes you think you might not be the decent person everyone else believes you to be?" Elizabeth asked. She kept her gaze on her hands, fiddling with them instead of looking over at Benedict.
50. My muse tells yours their dark secret
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Post by Elizabeth Davenport on Nov 27, 2021 1:50:02 GMT
 No where felt safe right now. Not her home and not even her own skin. She wanted to take a hot bath and peel the skin from her body. Anything that would help her forget what had happened tonight was all she could ask for. But there was no forgetting and there was no making things better. Elizabeth could not wrap her head around the idea that this had all actually happened and that it had happened to her. She felt like she had watched the entire thing unfold while watching from above, not being able to stop it or do anything.
It did not matter that he had not gone as far as he probably intended to. A noise had scared him, making him run off and leaving Elizabeth in a mess on the floor. The fact that it had been in her own home scared her more than anything else. This place would no longer feel safe for her and she knew she would never be able to walk into that room again. The smallest silver lining was that it had not been in the music study or the library, which had always been her safe haven in her own home. Being at the Davenport home in the country was the only reason she had been able to escape upstairs to change from her ruined dress and clean the tears from her face. Her ladies maid, Dawn had helped her but had asked no questions, only helping Elizabeth and being as gentle as she could. A bruise had already started to form around her collarbone where his hand had gripped her and no doubt there would be bruises among other areas on her body.
Claiming to be sick for the rest of the evening, Elizabeth waited until everyone else went to bed. She could not stand to be in the home for much longer and she snuck out, grabbing a horse from one of the stables and taking a ride down to the lake. Perhaps there, she would be able to gather her thoughts and figure things out. But instead of going to the lake, she continued to ride further and further until she came to a place she had not expected. The cabin was small and she knew it was filled with someone she had hoped to see tonight. The Colborne family had been invited to the Davenport event but Elizabeth had not seen Jeremy there. Now, she realized she'd come because she had wanted to feel safe in her current emotional state. It was not appropriate or proper, but she did not care. All she wanted was to see him.
Sliding off her horse, she tied him up and approached the front door. Her knuckles rapped against the wooden door several times before her arms wrapped around her body.
47. My muse comes to yours after being assaulted
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Post by Elizabeth Davenport on Nov 27, 2021 1:24:04 GMT
Her prayers seemed to be answered because a moment later, the doors opened again and she laid her eyes upon none other than William Slade. Elizabeth did not think she would be so glad to see the man, but here she was. Elizabeth kept quiet as she watched the exchange between the two. Thankful for the assistance in getting rid of Egerton, Elizabeth returned a soft smile to William at his greeting, dipping into a curtsy to greet him in return. "Your Grace," she said. Her eyes returned to Martin, seeing if he would try to push it further or if he would return to the party.
Martin Egerton eyed the two of them before deciding that there was nothing he could do in this situation. He was outnumbered and certainly outranked by the both of them. He nodded with a less than pleased look on his face, and left the balcony. Relief washed over Elizabeth and she looked back to William. "Thank you," she said, feeling genuine appreciation towards him stepping in. Elizabeth was someone that liked to think she could take care of herself and handle her own affairs but she had known that if Martin remained alone with her, something would have gone horribly wrong. "We should probably rejoin the party as well," she said. Not that she wanted to. Elizabeth just wanted to go home.
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Post by Elizabeth Davenport on Nov 26, 2021 18:08:51 GMT
Elizabeth absolutely dreaded the Egerton Ball. There was perhaps no one she enjoyed less than Martin Egerton. But his family was important and even though Elizabeth was fairly certain her father did not care for their son either, he insisted that it was important that they attend and be there. Perhaps if she stuck to the shadows or kept one of her brothers, or even one of the Bridgerton brothers, by her side then she would be left alone. It was all Elizabeth could truly hope for in such circumstances but found that both might be more difficult than she initially thought.
Martin had cornered Elizabeth for a conversation not long after she arrived, and she found herself doing her best to get out of it. Remaining polite in public was something she often did, but Martin had been testing her patience. She'd been unable to deny him a place on her dance card but he also insisted on continuing their conversation. Elizabeth excused herself, stating that she needed to get some fresh air and she made her way onto the balcony.
It was a little chilly but it made no difference to her. She could handle the cold if it meant avoiding Martin. Elizabeth could not understand why he was so persistent when it came to her. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone else opening the door and she turned to see Martin. "Lord Egerton, it is inappropriate to be out here together without a chaperone," Elizabeth reminded him. Anyone else could join them at any moment, given the balcony was attached to the ballroom but he did not seem to care. The smile on his face sent shivers down her spine and not in a pleasant way. "It is quite alright. I have intentions to make you my bride so I'm quite content for this to simply speed up the process," he spoke. Her eyebrows raised in shock at such a statement. "I do not know what I have done to make you believe I am interested, but I will not be marrying you or allowing you to court me. Do not mistake my politeness for acceptance," Elizabeth's tone was harsher and she eyed the door to make her escape. Either that, or she hoped someone else would come out to interrupt them.
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Post by Elizabeth Davenport on Nov 26, 2021 3:58:51 GMT
 She chuckled. "Of course," she agreed. There was no surprise that he had made a point to seek out this season's perfect lady. Every man always tried to win her over because she had been deemed the best of the best. For all they knew, she was a bore and not worth making a wife out of. But Elizabeth would let those men figure it out on their own, as she owed them no warning. There was, of course, always an expectation for what was acceptable when it came to the amount of gentlemen callers a woman received and the amount of ladies a man called upon. Too few and you were deemed undesirable for a lady. If a man called upon too many ladies then it did not look proper for him.
Elizabeth smirked in return. Was this a call? A call was meant to show that he had intention of courting her and Elizabeth did not believe that was the case. Even if he had made a joke earlier about wanting to propose to her, Elizabeth suddenly found herself very curious as to what this actually was. "Well, you did bring me a flower," Elizabeth reminded him, nodding towards the rose on the table as she took a sip of her tea. "I would find you very strange if you were to immediately call upon a lady that scolded you only the night before," Elizabeth teased. Surely he was just joking and was not actually here to court her. It had been an apology visit and nothing more.
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Post by Elizabeth Davenport on Nov 26, 2021 3:41:38 GMT
Elizabeth took her tea from Dawn after she had given William his, serving the guest first as was customary and polite. Lightly blowing onto the hot beverage, Elizabeth raised her eyebrows at his question about if she had received any callers. "A fair few," she confessed. "Though I'm sure if I had my way, hardly any of them would make it through that front door." But her father said they had to accept these callers as it was only polite. Easy for him to say, as he was not the one that had to sit through their dull conversations and atrocious poetry, which William seemed to be familiar with.
"Flowers are lovely," Elizabeth pointed out. "But the poetry is rarely worth listening to." And she was fond of poetry if written properly. "Many of the callers I receive are interested only in my father's titles and money. They care not for knowing who I am as a person." Which was what frustrated Elizabeth to no end. She would not be seen as a prize to be won. "What of you? Have you been given the chance to call upon any accomplished women?" She asked, a little tease in her voice.
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Post by Elizabeth Davenport on Nov 26, 2021 3:26:51 GMT
 Elizabeth nodded, knowing that Dawn would be the one to let it slip that Reuben Slade had indeed not been there to call on Elizabeth for courting purposes. From there it would get back to her father and all would be set right. She could not imagine the dozens of questions he would ask about their meeting if he had believed Reuben to be trying to court her. But it seemed he had no desire to entertain her comments in an attempt to bring a smile to his face, instead agreeing that he did not care for idle chatter. Elizabeth decided that making Reuben Slade have a genuine smile on his face at something she said or did would become a goal of hers.
"It was lovely seeing you again," Elizabeth said, watching as he rose from his seat and walked towards the door. He paused and she tilted her head to the side only slightly, wondering what else he could say. At the mention of something on the table for her, Elizabeth walked over to look at the box. Opening it, she saw it filled with chocolates but also a drawing, obviously done by Evelina. Elizabeth smiled and held the drawing, far more intrigued by it than the box of chocolates, though both were a lovely gift. Elizabeth turned to say thank you but found that Reuben was already gone.
The three days past and just as he said, a carriage arrived to take Elizabeth to the Slade Estate. With Dawn by her side, the two sat in the carriage in silence as they were brought to their destination. It did not take them a terribly long time to get from the Davenport house to the Slade house.
With the assistance of a footman, Elizabeth exited the carriage and looked around, taking in all her surroundings. The house was lovely and she found herself curious to see the inside. But more than that, she found herself eager and pleased at the prospect of seeing Evelina again. She had the butterfly picture Benedict had drawn in her pocket to give her. Elizabeth would have put the picture somewhere she could see it often but had not wanted to bring any unwanted questions about it, so instead she had been forced to hide it away in one of her books.
Elizabeth and Dawn were brought into the house and seen into the drawing room, with one of the house staff telling them that it would only be a moment before their hosts arrived. Elizabeth found herself wondering if Reuben was here and if he would be joining them.
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Post by Elizabeth Davenport on Nov 26, 2021 3:11:10 GMT
Nodding her head, Elizabeth could only hope that he took her advice to heart. It would all depend on what he truly wanted. If he simply wanted to follow through with his duty to find a wife then she was certain he would have no trouble. But if he wanted to find a genuine connection and perhaps even a love match, then she was certain he would have to try harder. She supposed it made no difference to her, as it was not as if he was trying to court her. "You're quite welcome," she said. "If you need any further advice please do feel free to ask me and I shall give you my brutally honest opinion," Elizabeth added with a small smirk.
To hear his hopes of securing a match by the end of the season, Elizabeth offered a small smile. "Well, that all depends on what you desire," she reminded him. "But I believe you shall have no difficulties securing a match if that is all you are looking for. You are, after all, a Duke with a good reputation." And even if he didn't have a good reputation, the title of Duke would be enough to make most not care. "But it might be slightly more difficult if you were earnest in seeking something beyond a wife that will fulfill the duties you require."
The mention of her ladies maid not having returned with the tea made Elizabeth frown. Ah, yes. Where had Dawn gone off to? It surely did not take this long to make some tea. Elizabeth rose from her seat to take a peek down the hall but nearly ran into her ladies maid, who apologized profusely for the delay. Smiling, Elizabeth returned to her seat as Dawn served the tea for Elizabeth and William.
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Post by Elizabeth Davenport on Nov 26, 2021 2:48:16 GMT
Elizabeth found she was surprised by his genuine curiosity as to what he could possibly talk about. Under normal circumstances, Elizabeth might tease him for not already knowing but she could appreciate the obvious effort William was trying to put into this. "Well, find out what she enjoys to do," Elizabeth began. "It is one thing to be considered accomplished in many things, but there is usually something someone enjoys more than anything else. For example, I could prattle on about the things I'm considered accomplished in, but it's quite boring if I do say so myself. But I love to read and I absolutely love music. If someone were to start a conversation by asking what my favorite past-times were, I would consider it a wonderful question." Not that any gentlemen had gone so far as to ask what things she was passionate about or what brought her joy in life.
"Think of not in terms of which questions are appropriate, but rather, how to turn those questions into something they might be excited to discuss. Instead of talking about the weather, ask her to talk about her favorite season or what her perfect day might consist of." It would appear to be traditional questions, but Lizzie knew that it would allow someone to open up and express themselves and felt like they were making a connection. His mention of discussing the woman, being Elizabeth, that had left him speechless not being a good topic for conversation and she chuckled. "Well yes, I would agree that would not be a fitting topic for conversation," Elizabeth agreed.
Her eyebrows raised in slight surprise at what he called her. It was not the usual nickname she received but she found she was even more surprised that he was comfortable enough to call her something so familiar. Elizabeth was not the least bit offended by it, but instead confused. "Yes, well, one can hope," Elizabeth said with a sigh.
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