ROMANCE: Romantic Comedy: Love in 30 Days - The Best Plans Don't Always Work! (Plus 19 FREE Books Book 13)

by Jane Keeler

  Finally, Eloise found herself giggling back, “He was VERY good looking.”

  That night, in bed, Eloise found herself unable to fall asleep. The adrenaline was still pumping through her veins. And as she closed her eyes all she could see was the face of Hudson Talbot and the way that he had looked at her.

  Chapter Three

  “Mother, Mrs. Sedgeway asked me to fetch some medicine for her from the market. I thought I’d take a stroll there this morning and go drop it off. Would you like me to fetch anything for you at the same time?”

  “Oh don’t be silly Eloise. We can get one of the servants to go, or I can get a carriage to come and collect you.”

  “Actually, I’d love to take the walk. It’s such a lovely day outside and I feel like getting a bit of fresh air. I haven’t been feeling myself these days and I think it will do me good.”

  “Well that’s fine then. But make sure you take your parasol. The sun might not be shining brightly but it doesn’t mean you won’t get burnt.”

  Eloise thanked her mother and went out to fetch her parasol. As she did so she caught Julia watching her curiously, but quickly looked away. Julia knew her well enough and she didn’t want anyone to know her plan. Eloise had stayed up most of the night thinking about Hudson and decided in the early hours of the morning that she wanted to see him again. Just once. Just to satisfy her curiosity. She wasn’t sure why he had made such an impact on her. She was going to simply sneak off again at night but then she came up with a new plan, one that meant she could see him even sooner. Mrs. Sedgeway was an old lady on the other side of town who often needed help and Eloise had offered on more than one occasion. There was no reason for her mother to suspect a thing and she knew that her mother rarely saw Mrs. Sedgeway these days anyway. Before anyone could change their mind she quickly headed out the door and walked straight to the fair. She walked inside and then realized how badly she had planned this. She had no idea where Hudson worked nor was she sure if he even wanted to see her. She thought of asking someone where he was but she didn’t want to seem too eager, so she decided to walk around and if she didn’t see him she’d simply go home and take it as a sign that it was not meant to be. But barely five minutes into her walk she was stopped with a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and found herself staring face to face with Hudson Talbot.

  Hudson looked different during the day. He was even more attractive than she remembered and even more rugged.

  “Eloise?” he asked, and she was surprised and flattered that he remembered her name.

  “Hudson, it’s good to see you again. Thank you again for last night. You saved us.” She tried to keep her voice steady but she was aware of the slight tremor that was coming through.

  “It’s no problem. I hate those guys. It’s good to see you again. Where’s your sister?” Her heart sank the moment he said those words. Perhaps it was Julia that he liked after all.

  “Oh it’s just me today.” She said, wishing the ground with swallow her up.

  “Oh. That’s good.” He said and then looked suitably embarrassed. “I mean… well it’s good to see you. So, can I show you around?”

  She said yes and the two of them walked together for the next hour, while he explained what the entire show was about with great enthusiasm. She hadn’t come across someone that was so passionate about life for a very long time and it did something funny to her stomach and her heart. Then the two of them found a place to sit away from the crowd and spent some time getting to know each other. Hudson was easy to talk to and looked at her in a different way to what she was used to.

  “I didn’t think I’d see you again.” He said to her, looking at the crowd instead of at her.

  “I’m glad I came.” She said. Then he spun around and looked at her and she gasped. She had never felt this way about someone so quickly. She didn’t quite understand what was happening to her. When he looked at her in that way she suddenly felt as if she didn’t want to be anywhere else in the world. When he looked away again she was snapped back to reality.

  “Oh Hudson. I better go. My mother is going to kill me. She thinks I’m out somewhere else.”

  “She doesn’t know you’re here?”

  “No. To be honest, we’re not allowed to come here or do anything else really without a chaperone. It’s a miracle she allowed me to go out today by myself.”

  “What about last night? She wasn’t here was she?”

  “Oh. No. Well we actually snuck out the house. It was Julia’s idea. It’s not something that I would ever do. Although, here I am doing it again.”

  “Does Julia know you’re here?”

  “No.” Eloise looked down. She felt her face become flushed and she was suddenly unsure of what to do with her hands. Then, she looked at him again, “I wanted to see you again.”

  “You came back to see me?” he asked, incredulous.

  “Admittedly, yes.”

  “Eloise you’ve made me the happiest man in the world by coming here. Will you come again? Please?”

  “I will. But I’ll have to sneak out at night. Tonight.”

  “Tonight. Best word I’ve heard all day.”

  With that Eloise hurried home. When she got home she was worried that her mother would ask her too many questions that she didn’t have answers to or wonder why she had been gone for so long. Instead her mother barely looked up from her book.

  “Have a nice time?” she mumbled when Eloise walked in.

  “Yes, the walk did me wonders.”

  “Well that’s good news. Because I actually have plans for you and your sister tonight. There’s a ball happening at the Raleigh’s tonight. I completely forgot about it but I promised that the two of you would be there. Don’t worry, I set out a dress for you so you can get ready quickly later. A carriage is coming to fetch you early this evening. There’s a man there that I’d like you to meet.”

  “Mother. I don’t need to you introduce me to any man.” She groaned.

  “Well, just meet him and you can tell me afterwards if you like him or not. His name is Anthony and he is dying to meet you.”

  That evening Eloise went to the ball with her sister, who was just as unexcited about the event as she was. “Oh I hate things like this,” her sister was saying, “it’s always so dull and pretentious. At least you have a man to talk to all night. I wonder who I’ll be stuck with.”

  But Eloise didn’t want just any man. She wanted to see Hudson again. Instead, she had to put on a fake smile and pretend to enjoy the company of Anthony who was even duller than she had imagined. She spent the entire night dancing and walking with him and through it all he never stopped speaking about himself. Anthony was incredibly rich, through an inheritance of his father, and seemed to value money over almost everything else. He was very boastful about his achievements and told Eloise all about his hobbies – fencing, boxing and hunting, all of which were not things that Eloise cared the least about.

  “Oh but don’t worry,” he was telling Eloise, “I would never expect my wife to do any of these things with me. These are jobs for men of course. I believe that a woman’s place is in the home with the kids. Of course, any woman that marries me will be blessed with a barrage of servants to help her. So it won’t be all that bad now will it?” And then he cackled as if he had just told the funniest joke.

  When she got home her mother was waiting up for her.

  “So? Did you like him?”

  “Oh mother, did you really wait up to find out about Anthony? Honestly, he’s one of the dullest men I have ever met. I’d rather never find love than settle for someone like him.” She watched as her mother’s face dropped but she had decided that she would rather her mother knew that she had no intentions with Anthony then to give her false hope.

  “Well, that’s okay then dear. At least you tried.” And with a weary sigh her mother went to bed.

  Eloise waited another full hour to make sure that everyone was asleep before finally heading out the door
and running to the fair. When she arrived she went straight to find Hudson. He had told her which booths and stalls he would be helping out with that evening so she knew exactly where to find him this time. The moment he saw her he dropped what he was doing to spend some time with her. He would leave her periodically to do some work but he managed to spend almost the entire evening with her. When she saw that the sun was beginning to rise she was shocked by how quick the time had gone. Her heart sunk at the thought of going home and she wondered how she’d be able to hide her tiredness from her mother. In her head she was already playing out scenarios of herself telling her mother that she wasn’t feeling well and needed to get some rest. She told Hudson that she had to get home before she was caught.

  “Eloise,” he said, turning to look at her and taking her hand, “I know we’ve just met. But… well… I like you so much. You’re beautiful. You’re kind. You’re passionate. You’re funny. Oh I can go on all night. I just, well, I, I mean what I’m trying to say – and failing miserably at it – is that I would love to see you again.”

  “I’d love to see you again too Hudson,” she all but whispered back, “I’ll be here tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow.” He said the word as if to make sure it was true and she repeated it back, a shy smile on her face.

  Chapter Four

  “I can’t believe the fair is only on for another two weeks,” Eloise was telling Hudson, there fifth meeting in the middle of the night. Despite getting very little sleep over the past two weeks Eloise was still full of energy and excitement. Each night she was worried that she’d fall asleep and forget to get up and visit Hudson, but every night she found herself wide awake and waiting for the right moment to leave. But she was worried. Hudson wasn’t from her city, and he was moving with the fair in two weeks’ time to move to the next venue. Then when that was done he was going back home, which was nowhere near where she stayed. This meant they only had two more weeks together. She tried not to think about it but time was going too fast and she couldn’t seem to slow it down.

  “I know Eloise. It’s on my mind every day. I’ve thought of nothing else lately.”

  Eloise had seen Hudson every single night, and once more during the day when she had the chance to go out alone. That one had only been a quick visit but it had still been amazing. She just couldn’t get enough of him. He was the most interesting man she had ever met. Of course, the thought of bringing him home to her family was not a pleasant one. She was not naïve enough to think that her parents would welcome him with open arms. She knew that they were relying on her to find a suitable partner that she could have children with and pass down the title of baronage. They had told her enough times and she knew that they had a certain ideal about what type of man they wanted for her. It had never quite bothered her before – she assumed that she’d simply meet someone that they approved of. After all, they were the only men that she ever really rubbed shoulders with. She never once thought that the man that she would fall in love with would end up being from a different social class to her. She didn’t care about that one bit and she knew that Hudson didn’t care either. But there was no denying that her parents would see the whole thing very differently to the two of them.

  That night, as she closed the door behind her and sneaked through the house, she was quickly pulled into her sisters’ room. Julia was looking at her up and down. Of course, it was well into the night and Julia was wearing her nightgown. But Eloise, on the other hand, was still fully dressed.

  “Eloise. What is going on with you? Where are you going? Don’t think you can fool me. I’ve been watching you these last few days. I knew something was up.”

  “Oh Julia, promise you won’t tell mother and father. You have to promise.”

  “Eloise! When would I ever do something like that? You should know me well enough by now. Come on, tell me. I won’t tell anyone.”

  “Well, remember Hudson?” she said shyly.

  “Our hero! Of course I remember him. How could I forget? If it wasn’t for him who knows what would’ve happened to us that night. Oh my goodness, have you been sneaking out to meet him?”

  “I have. I did it that one day when I was pretending to go on an errand. And since then I’ve gone every night.”

  “I knew it! I knew you weren’t going to give medicine to Mrs. Sedgeway. You sly little girl. Tell me more. I swear Eloise, I’m not letting you go until I hear all the details. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I’m sorry Julia. I was going to. I just wanted to make sure that what I was feeling was real.”

  “Real? You mean, you’re in love with him?”

  “Oh Julia. I don’t know. I think so. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. He’s the most amazing man I have ever met. He’s so kind and funny.”

  “And good looking.” She added and Eloise smiled shyly.

  “So good looking.” And they giggled.

  “But Eloise. What are you going to do? You know Father will never accept him. Neither with mother. He’s not of the same social class as us. Does he even live nearby?”

  “No, he’s moving with the fair to another city in less than two weeks’ time. Then after that he goes back home. It’s quite a distance. Which means we won’t be able to meet each other on a daily basis anymore. I don’t know what to do.”

  “Listen now Eloise. I’ll support you no matter what happens. I want you to know that. I’m your sister. You must give this some thought and do it with a clear head. Consider all the options and all the outcomes. Listen to both your head and your heart. But let me tell you something – I have never seen you look as happy as radiant as you do right now.”

  “I love you Julia.”

  “I love you too Eloise. Now quickly go before you waste any more time with me.” And she practically pushed Eloise out the door.

  When Eloise arrived at the fair she was surprised to see Hudson waiting for her at the entrance.

  “Hi.” She said shyly.

  “Eloise, I’m so happy to see you. It’s actually my night off. So, uh… would you like to come have a drink with me? We all have our own rooms while the fair is on.”

  “That would be lovely.” Eloise was excited at the prospect of not having to share him with his fair duties. Now she’d have an entire night just with him. She tried to push the thought of the two of them being alone away but it kept coming to her mind. It would be the first time that they weren’t surrounded by so many people.

  When they got to his room he quickly showed her around. The room was small, with all the bare essentials, and they could still hear the shouts and screams from the people outside at the fair. The sound was muffled though and she felt as if his room was a wonderful solitude from the craziness. He poured her a drink and the two of them sat together talking. It didn’t take long for him to reach out and take her hand.

  “Eloise, I’m falling more and more for you each time I see you.”

  “And I’m falling for you.” She said demurely. Then he came forward and kissed her gently. The kiss was soft and incredibly sweet and she never wanted it to end. She moved closer to him. She knew that Julia had kissed many men before, but Eloise had only kissed one other and she hadn’t enjoyed it. She had assumed that all kisses would be like that, but Hudson was certainly proving her wrong.

  “Are you okay with this?” he whispered to her and she nodded. She wasn’t ready to stop. She wanted more. She’d never wanted anything so much in her whole life. He pulled her up and started to undress her. She had to help him because her dress was not the easiest to remove. When it was finally off she stood in front of him completely naked. It was the first time anyone other than her sister had seen her like that. Even her own mother had not seen her naked since she was a child. But she didn’t feel the least bit embarrassed nor did she feel the need to cover up. However, when Hudson took off his clothes she found herself blushing and did not know where to look. She knew what a naked man looked like but she’d never seen one up close, and th
e fact that it was someone she liked so much made it even more overwhelming. He moved forward and started to caress her, touching her everywhere and then taking her hand and moving it over his body. Eloise closed her eyes and groaned each time she felt his touch. Then, after a long and passionate kiss, he pulled her onto the bed and moved inside of her. She had expected it to hurt, but instead she cried out with sheer pleasure. He looked into her eyes and then came down and kissed her. As he kissed her he moved slowly and gently, rocking with her.

  Afterwards they lay together, wrapped in each other’s arms. She started giggling and he propped himself up onto his elbow and looked at her.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I’ve just never been so happy. It’s like the happiness is too much for my body and is escaping through my mouth through laughter.”

  He reached down and kissed her again, “Oh Eloise. You’re the sweetest girl I’ve ever met. I love you.”

  “I love you too Hudson Talbot. I love you too.”

  Chapter Five

  “Eloise. I know you said you didn’t like him, but I would love you to meet with Anthony again. I met up with his mother only yesterday and she said he has still not stopped talking about you. Seems you left quite an impression on him. Of course I’m not surprised, you are very beautiful. Don’t you want to give him just one more chance?”

  Eloise was sitting with her mother and sister having breakfast, while her father was off on some business meeting again. She dropped her fork and saw her sister throw a look of panic at her.

  “No mother, I definitely don’t want to. I didn’t like him. I told you that already and I have definitely not changed my mind.”

  “Well look now, his mother and I were discussing it and we think you would make a wonderful couple. And what a beautiful wedding we could host for you.”