“Otto, can you be of assistance?”
“I will do my best.”
While Prince Lazzara's injured limb was being examined, his elder relative shook his silvered head sadly. “I fear Don Antonio has extremely ill luck,” Signor Vecchi commented.
“It was not ill luck, Don Umberto!” Lazzara retorted rather peevishly. “I was
Eleanor gave a start at the revelation, and her gaze immediately went to Damon. Was it possible he had precipitated the fall? He had been directly behind them, after all, with Signor Vecchi adjacent to him. It would have taken only a slight shove to topple the prince…
She moved to Damon's side, frowning up at him. “Did you cause his highness to fall just now?” she asked in a grim whisper.
Damon stared at her for a moment. “I beg your pardon?”
“He could have been badly hurt, being pushed down a flight of stairs.”
A muscle flexed in Damon's jaw. “Indeed. And you could have been hurt as well, since you were clinging to his arm. But no, I did not cause his fall,” he stated, fixing her with a stern look.
Eleanor's frown deepened. “It seems strange that the prince is beset by mishaps whenever you are around.”
Damon emitted a low, incredulous laugh. “You don't honestly believe I had anything to do with this one?”
“Why not? His troubles did not begin until you returned to London. And you have been present for all three incidents thus far.”
“As have you,” Damon pointed out coolly. “You could have orchestrated his misadventures yourself so that you could come to his rescue and prove your resourcefulness and compassion. Isn't that what your book tells you to do?”
“No,” Eleanor snapped, longing to set him back on his heels. “In fact it advises just the opposite. I am supposed to appear helpless whenever possible.”
His mouth curling, Damon glanced down at the injured man. “Lazzara is the one who seems helpless just now.”
“A state that you obviously relish.”
His jaw hardened. “So you think I sabotaged his carriage and risked your safety-even your very life- the day you drove with him in the park?”
Judging from his tone, she had obviously roused his ire with her accusations, but Eleanor didn't back down since her own ire had escalated. “Perhaps you did. You seem determined to interfere in our court ship.”
“What of yesterday? I was nowhere near Lazzara when he was pushed into the street.”
“You could have hired a pickpocket to assault him. And you were in a prime position just now to cause his fall.”
Damon returned the dagger-eyed look she was giving him with steel in his own. “There is only one problem, sweeting. I had nothing to do with any of his mishaps. You will have to look elsewhere for the culprit.”
Eleanor could see that he was angry. But she was furious herself to think Damon might be so set on spoiling her courtship that he'd deliberately endangered the prince.
“Of course you would deny it,” she returned in a fierce undertone, “even if you are guilty.”
When Damon pinned her with his gaze, she could feel the air crackling between them.
“Are you actually questioning my word?” he asked in a dangerous voice.
Realizing they were attracting attention from various bystanders, Eleanor lowered her own voice. “I don't know if I am or not. But clearly I cannot trust you to tell me the truth.”
“Eleanor,” her aunt suddenly interrupted. “Come, my dear, we should be going home.”
Damon was still regarding Eleanor with smoldering eyes. “This is not the place to be arguing,” he bit out. “We should continue this discussion in private.”
“We should not be speaking at all!” Eleanor practically hissed in return. She stepped away from him just as Mr. Geary concluded his examination.
“I do not believe any bones are broken, your highness,” the physician announced, “but you require care since you appear to have badly sprained your knee. You should be taken home at once and put to bed. I shall attend you if you wish.”
Lady Beldon spoke up immediately. “I will send for my own physician, Mr. Geary. You need not trouble yourself any further.”
The physician looked dubious, but he nodded. “You would do well to put cold compresses on your knee, your highness. And of course you must keep it immobile for a time.”
“We will see to his welfare, Mr. Geary,” Lady Bel-don insisted.
Signor Vecchi helped the prince to rise then and lent his shoulder for support. Still in severe pain, the injured nobleman limped onward with the aid of his relative.
“You came in Prince Lazzara's carriage, did you not?” Damon said tersely to Eleanor. “If need be, I will take you and your aunt home.”
She glanced sharply at him. “It is
With that, Eleanor turned and followed the injured prince, feeling Damon's eyes boring into her back all the while.
Her frustration with Damon did not abate as she entered the prince's carriage with her aunt, although by the time the barouche had carried them to Port-man Place and deposited them on their doorstep, Eleanor's anger had calmed the slightest measure.
Perhaps she'd been mistaken to accuse Damon of such nefarious deeds, she reflected grudgingly as she followed her aunt upstairs to the viscountess's elegant suite of rooms. He might be a rake and a rogue, but that was a far cry from wishing to harm an innocent man merely for courting her, particularly when he himself had no claim to her.
The moment Eleanor was alone with her aunt in the sitting room, however, Lady Beldon made clear her own opinion of Damon.
“I dislike seeing you speaking to that wicked Wrexham, Eleanor,” Beatrix complained. “You needn't acknowledge him beyond the dictates of mere politeness.”
“You are right, of course, Aunt. I shall do my best to avoid all contact with him in the future.”
“Good. You do not want to give the prince any reason to think less of you. You should be encouraging his attentions whenever possible, and Wrexham's presence could very well hinder your courtship.”
“I am well aware of that, Aunt.”
Eyeing Eleanor, Beatrix pursed her lips in a thoughtful frown. “I expect it is only fair to tell you what Signor Vecchi says.”
“What does the signor say?”
The elder lady grimaced. “That the prince is something of a rake himself when it comes to women. Signor Vecchi hinted rather strongly that his highness might not make you a good husband. But then I put little store in such warnings. Prince Lazzara's birth and breeding are impeccable, and his fortune is magnificent. And as far as his personal affairs… well, he is likely no worse than many noblemen.”
Eleanor hid her own grimace. She had heard the gossip before, about the prince's reputation for profligacy, yet she had chosen to overlook it for now. Not, however, merely because she wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. According to Fanny Irwin, some rakes could be redeemed by true love, so Eleanor was not ready to condemn the prince as a hopeless cause solely for his past. It might just be a matter of his meeting the right woman, one who could win his heart.
Herself, possibly? Eleanor wondered. If she could make Prince Lazzara love her, he might change his wicked ways for her sake. Even Damon might have done so two years ago, she reflected. If Damon had really loved her, surely he would not have turned to his mistress so shortly after becoming betrothed to
That painful thought was interrupted as her aunt continued briskly. “At least you will be able to advance your
