Take You Away From Here
By Misha
Disclaimer- Not mine. I’m just borrowing them for a while and will return them when I am finished.
Author’s Notes- I was sent an ask theorizing about how it would be nice if Olivia had a male relative who was a modern-day version of Divavolos (since Olivia is a Zenobia clone) and I could not get the idea out of my head. I debated which MC to use, but after some thought (and tossing around ideas with violetflipflops ) I decided on Eleanor because her story is a lot angstier than Amelia’s (plus Amelia already has too many men lol). I left the ending of this purposefully vague so you can make your own decisions and assumptions .
Pairing- Liam/MC, MC/Other
Summary- Eleanor is introduced to Olivia’s cousin and suddenly everything becomes more complicated.
Words- 3503
In Shanghai, Eleanor goes looking for Olivia at the hotel. Her room is slightly ajar and Eleanor lets herself in, only to overhear her arguing with someone. She pauses by the door, out of sight.
“Who invited you here?” Olivia demands, “I can take care of myself.”
“Forgive me for worrying about you,” a male voice says and Eleanor can hear his exasperation, “besides, it’s not like I came here for you. I was in Shanghai in business and decided it was time to make sure you were ok, Livvie.”
Livvie? Eleanor wonders who this was that was close enough to Olivia to give her a nickname.
“I’m fine,” Olivia assures him, to Eleanor’s amazement her voice softens, “I’ve got it under control.”
“Maybe I’ll ask your friend if she agrees,” the man says in amusement, calling out to Eleanor, “it’s ok, you don’t have to hide.”
Eleanor steps into the room, embarrassed. “I didn’t mean…”
“It’s fine, Eleanor,” Olivia tells her with an eye roll, “I’m used to your lack of refinement and it’s not like Dante has any manners.”
The man, Dante, smiles, “what Olivia means, is that I am happy to meet you, Eleanor. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
As he reaches out to shake her hand, Eleanor gets her first good look at him and her eyes widen. This man is tall and dark with broad shoulders and one of the most handsome faces she has ever seen. Dark eyes, strong cheekbones, and lips that made you beg to kiss them. Wow.
Eleanor fights to keep her composure, “well, then you have an advantage over me,” she points out, “since you know my name and I know nothing about you.”
Dante grins, “Dante Nevrakis, Olivia’s cousin.”
Oh. Well, that explained the familiarity. Eleanor hadn’t really thought of Olivia having any family, though she remembers a few references to an aunt.
“I live in London,” he explains, “but I keep up-to-date with Cordonian gossip and since was already in Shanghai on business, I figured it was a good time to catch up with Olivia.”
“Has she filled you in?” Eleanor asks, exchanging a glance with Olivia.
“About the blackmail?” Dante asked easily, “yes.” He shoots Olivia an annoyed look. “Though I wish she’d told me months ago.”
“This is my problem,” Olivia reminds him.
Dante just grinned, “We’re family, Livvie, and that means we stick together and we’re Nevrakises, so that means we crush anything that stands in our path.”
Eleanor laughs, despite herself. “Does that mean, you’re going to be sticking around?” She asks curiously.
Olivia groans. “Don’t encourage him.”
“It does,” Dante answers, “I’ve cleared my schedule and will be joining the tour for the final leg.”
“Lucky us,” Olivia snarks, but Eleanor can see the traces of a smile on her face and the obvious affection between the two.
***
It doesn’t take Eleanor long to get to know Dante better. He’s charming and easy-going and honestly, it’s hard to believe that he’s related to Olivia. He’s Cordonian by birth but has spent most of his life away from the court.
“I’m illegitimate,” Dante says candidly the night they meet, “the Nevrakis name and money open a lot of doors, but I’ll always be the court scandal.”
“There have been a lot of new scandals in the last few years,” Eleanor offers blandly, “I feel like you’re probably old news by now.”
Dante grins, “should I be grateful or insulted?”
He is just so charming and good-natured and Eleanor has a hard time remembering that he’s a Nevrakis.
He also slips into their group with no effort.
Everyone other than Hana has met Dante before, of course. Drake is oddly welcoming, “someone to keep Olivia in line”, he says with a grin before he and Dante share a glass of whiskey and Eleanor feels like there’s a story she’s missing. Maxwell takes Dante’s presence with the same cheery acceptance he greets everything.
Hana is welcoming, especially when he talks to her in Chinese, explaining he’s done a lot of business in this part of the world, so he’s learned some basic phrases. It crosses Eleanor’s mind that Dante would make an excellent husband candidate for Hana, certainly better than Rashad or Neville, but for some reason, the idea of Dante and Hana together bothers her and she stays silent on the subject.
Olivia takes her cousin’s presence with a lot of eye-rolling and sighs, but she seems happier and Eleanor realizes how much Olivia needed someone to lean on. It’s been days since Eleanor has seen Bertrand, but if he was around she’s sure he’d be happy for whatever help they can get.
The only people who seem bothered by Dante’s presence are Liam and Madeleine, oddly enough. Madeleine seems on constantly on edge, watching Dante carefully and Eleanor gets the feeling that she’s almost afraid of him, which is interesting. Guilty conscious perhaps?
Or maybe, it’s that air of danger that Dante wears along with his privilege. He’s a rich as any of them, but he looks like he’s seen more of life than any of them, except maybe Drake, and it isn’t long before Eleanor finds herself wondering about the secrets in his eyes.
Liam is friendly, but Eleanor notices that after the first couple days, he seems stiff in Dante’s presence, watching him carefully. Dante seems just as on edge around Liam though and Eleanor has no idea why. She knows Liam and Olivia are childhood friends, but is it possible that her cousin does not feel the same affection for the prince? Is there some sort of history that Eleanor is missing?
***
“You’re not the king’s son, are you?” Eleanor asks hesitantly one night a couple weeks after Dante joined them. The tour is almost over. Just one more night and then it’s back to Cordonia and the last of pre-wedding events.
Dante laughs incredulously. “No,” he assures her, “I am a bastard, but not a royal one. Why do you ask?”
“You and Liam…” She tells him. “There’s a tension there and…”
“You wondered if it was because we were secretly brothers?” Dante asks with a grin, he shakes his head, “no, nothing like that.”
“Then what?” Eleanor asks quietly, placing her hand on his arm. They were in the hotel bar, having a drink after the last social event, everyone else nowhere to be found. That has been happening more often, she realizes. Since Dante joined them, she’s found herself in his company quite often. Not that she minds, he’s a lot of fun to be around and he helps take her mind off the stress of her situation.
“I punched him once,” Dante tells her blandly, “he let me, but we haven’t really been friends since.”
Eleanor’s eyes widen at the revelation and she’s about to ask why but it all clicks into place because she’s not stupid.
“Olivia.” Eleanor knows there’s a story there, but she’s never asked. Liam is the man she loves and Olivia is becoming her friend, but it’s still not her place to ask and if either of them wants her to know, they’ll tell her.
“He broke her heart,” Dante says, gripping his glass of scotch. “He was young and he was hurting, but he still… He hurt her. He hated himself for it, that’s why he let me hit him. Of course, he doesn’t seem to have learned his lesson, because all these years later, he’s still breaking hearts.”
“Are you talking about Olivia?” Eleanor asks quietly.
Dante is quiet for a long moment, just looking at her and she feels like he can see into her soul. “No,” he answers at last, “I’m talking about you, Eleanor. It’s obvious that he loves you, but it’s also just as obvious that he’s not making you happy.”
“It’s complicated,” Eleanor reminds him.
Dante knows the whole story, including the fact that their trail has led them straight to the former king.
“Has he confronted his father yet?” Dante asks, it seems like an innocent question but Eleanor can hear the edge in his voice.
“No,” she admits, “he hasn’t… He hasn’t found the moment.”
“Or he doesn’t want to,” Dante counters, “maybe his illusions about his father mean more to him than you do.”
“That’s not fair,” Eleanor tells him, trying to keep her temper, “You don’t… It’s not that simple.”
Or was it? A part of her has been frustrated by how long this investigation is taking and how Liam keeps putting off talking to the person who has all the answers, but she knows it’s as hard on him as it is on he and she tries to be patient, but they are running out of time.
To her surprise, Dante backs down, “you’re right. I know exactly how complicated parent-child relationships can be and I’m the last person in any position to judge. I just… I hate the idea of you getting hurt, Eleanor.”
He looks at her and her breath catches in her throat. “Dante…”
He shakes his head, tossing back the last of his drink. “Don’t.” He stands up. “I need some fresh air. Can you get back to your room by yourself?”
She nods, watching him go. She doesn’t know what just happened, but she knows it’s left her all twisted up inside.
***
The last event of the engagement tour is a ball. Bertrand finally reappears, looking even more stressed than usual, and he points out that Eleanor needs an escort. She assumes that Maxwell will escort her until Bertrand says that Dante has offered.
“He’s… Unconventional,” Bertrand says, “but the Nevrakis name holds a lot of influence and you could do worse than to be seen on his arm.”
Eleanor’s sure that’s true, besides she enjoys Dante’s company. She tells herself that’s all it is, though, even as she takes extra care to get dressed that night. She hesitates between the red gown and the black. She remembers in Italy, how Liam told her that red was certainly her color but she remembers the way Dante teasingly telling her she should wear more black.
Eleanor tells herself that she chooses the black because it’s more elegant and because red is associated with scandal, which she doesn’t want. Or maybe because she’s tired of feeling like the scarlet women. Whatever the reason, it has nothing to do with Dante. Or at least that’s what she tells herself.
Still, she admits that she likes the way he looks at her in the black dress, the way his eyes travel up and down her body before his beautiful lips curve into a slow smile.
“Black definitely suits you,” he tells her, his lips grazing her cheek.
“Thanks,” she says, trying not to react to the feel of his lips against her skin.
She lets herself react to Liam and the admiring look he gives her when he greets her at the ball. “Lady Eleanor, you look lovely as always,” he tells her in a low voice.
She accepts the compliment, flirting back, feeling more at ease. Because this is how it’s supposed to be, Liam is the one she wants looking at her, admiring her.
He steals a dance later on, holding her closer than is appropriate. “Come to my room tonight,” he whispers in her ear as they dance.
“Liam…”
“I’ll make sure no one stops you,” he assures her. Of course, he will. But given that both Madeleine and Regina are supportive of their arrangement, why would someone stop them?
“Have you talked to your father yet?” She asks instead. Constantine isn’t there tonight, though Regina is, looking imperious as always.
Liam looks pained. “No…” He admits, “not yet.”
Eleanor thinks of Dante’s words and stiffens.
Liam obviously picks up on her unhappiness. “I’ve been trying to find the right moment,” he admits. She understands that he’s afraid of what he’ll hear and she sympathizes, but… This is their future they are talking about, they’re only chance of being together.
“Your wedding is in two weeks,” Eleanor reminds him, “we’re running out of moments.”
“I know,” Liam tells her and he looks tired. Her heart goes out to him like it always does, but she the truth is she’s tired too.
“I won’t stay once you marry her,” she tells him in a low voice, “I have a plane ticket, for the day before the wedding.”
She can see the surprise and dismay in his eyes. “Eleanor…”
“Two weeks,” she tells him as the song ends and she moves out of his arms. She finds Dante waiting for her on the edge of the dance floor and he takes her hand without her having to say anything and spins her into another dance. They move together and it feels easy and natural.
He’s a great dancer, but then Eleanor has a feeling he’d be great at almost anything. She’s aware of Liam watching them and she feels guilty when her eyes meet his. However, she reminds herself that he’s the one that’s engaged and she’s allowed to dance with whoever she wants.
She isn’t doing anything wrong.
***
There are two knocks at her door that night.
The first is a delivery of red roses. She takes it and then immediately checks for the hidden card. Sure enough, it’s buried in there. A note from Liam, asking her again to come to him and saying that they need to talk.
They do need to talk, Eleanor acknowledges, but she’s not sure that either of them will like the conversation. She’s also not sure it should be had in his bedroom because they both have a tendency to lose focus. Because despite her frustration with the situation, she still loves and wants Liam so much.
She’s still contemplating the invitation when the second knock occurs. Eleanor opens the door and sees Dante there. She’s surprised, but steps aside to invite him in any way.
“I’m going back to London in the morning.” He tells her.
Oh.
“I thought…” Eleanor begins, feeling weirdly bereft. She’s not ready to say goodbye, yet, though she doesn’t want to examine why.
“Cordonia isn’t my favorite place,” he explains, “I’ll still be helping with the investigation but from a distance.” He pauses and then hands her an envelope.
She opens it and pulls out of two pieces of paper. One is a first class plane ticket to London and the other is a check. Eleanor stares at the amount on the check. Contrary to what many in Cordonia think, Eleanor’s never been poor. She’s used to large sums of money, has never had to worry about her bank balance or whether she can afford something, but she’s also never seen a cheque this large before.
“It’s for the Beaumont Brothers,” Dante explains, “it will help them settle their current financial crisis and relieve you of your obligation towards them.”
Oh. Wow. Eleanor is both touched and taken aback by the gesture.
“And the plane ticket?” Eleanor asks though she thinks she knows.
“I want you to come with me,” Dante tells her, “to London. Let me take care of you. Let me take you away from all of this.”
“Dante…” Eleanor whispers, unsure how to respond.
“Even if you clear your name, is this really the life you want?” Dante asks her, “with all this back-stabbing and whispering? People who were willing to believe the worst of you in one instant? Where even the people on your side betray you?”
Eleanor bites her lip, knowing he has a point. It’s what she’s been asking herself for weeks. Since learning about Bertrand and then Penelope. She thinks about the nightmares she’s had since learning about the assassination attempt Liam survived, about what happened to his mother.
The truth is, life in Cordonia is not the fairytale she thought it would be and she doesn’t even know if she and Liam will even have a chance. But it’s one thing to leave for her pride, it’s another to leave with another man.
“There’s something between us,” Dante says quietly, stepping forward to her, “I feel it and I think you do too, but I know you have feelings for Liam and I respect that. I just, I think I can make you happier than he can.”
“Dante…” Eleanor says again, not sure what else to say.
“Come with me,” he invites, placing one big hand on her face, “leave all the back-stabbing and the danger behind and let me make you happy. Let me give you the life you deserve, Eleanor.”
It’s a tempting offer. Eleanor looks up at him, this devastatingly handsome man, who is offering to whisk her away from this fairytale that has threatened to turn into a nightmare. She doesn’t love him. She loves Liam. But she likes him, a lot, and she’s attracted to him, and she has a feeling that she could feel a lot more for him if given the chance. And while she does love Liam, their story is starting to feel like a tragedy and even if they do pull off a happy ending, she’s starting to question if she can survive in his world.
“Dante….”
“Don’t answer now,” he says, cutting her off, “I don’t want you to make an impulsive decision and regret it. The check and the ticket aren’t connected, you don’t have to take the ticket but I want you to take the check, whatever you decide. I want you to make your own choice, without feeling like you owe anyone anything.”
“Thank you,” Eleanor says simply, though she feels uncomfortable with the idea that he’s willing to part with so much money just to help her.
“I want you to come with me,” he tells her, “but I want you to do it because it’s what you want. So think about it and then, hopefully, tomorrow you’ll join me on that plane and we get away from all of this.”
He leans in and she thinks he’s going to kiss, her but instead he just brushes his lips against her forehead. Her confusion must show on her face, because he smiles, though there’s no humor in it.
“I’m not going to kiss you until you are mine, Eleanor,” he says in a low voice, “until I know that I’m the one you want.”
Oh. She nods, unable to form words. He watches her for a moment and then heads to the door, leaving her with the plane ticket and the check.
Eleanor stands by the window long after he’s gone, lost in thought. She looks at the roses and then at the ticket.
She can go to Liam tonight and they can talk and maybe they’ll work things out, maybe they’ll figure out a way to be together or maybe they’ll just prolong the inevitable and she’ll end up getting on a plane, but to New York, not London. Or she can go with Dante and leave Cordonia behind her, forget her attempts at trying to live a fairytale and carve out a different life for herself with one of the most compelling men she has ever met.
Eleanor shook her head, letting out a sigh. She came to Cordonia for Liam, she fell deeper and deeper in love with him as the social season wore on, she dreamed of a life with him. She’s spent months fighting to be with him.
She can’t just walk away, can she? Is she really that fickle? That once again, she’ll give up her life to run with a man she barely knows? And yet, it’s tempting. She thinks of the last weeks, of the time she’s spent with Dante and how he’s made her laugh and relax.
She glances at the cheque, understanding the motive behind it and how he wants her to feel free to make her choice without any guilt. This will clear up her obligation to the Beaumonts and she knows Dante will still do everything in his power to help Olivia. Drake and Hana have been helping her more than she’s been helping them, so it’s only Liam that she’d be abandoning.
She hates the idea of sacrificing him to a loveless marriage and a treacherous court and she thinks she should stay and fight for him, but at the same time she’s been fighting for months with little result and she’s tired. She’s so tired of it all.
After a long moment, Eleanor takes a deep breath, knowing that she has to make this choice for herself. She closes her eyes, picturing both futures. The one where she stays and marries Liam (because she refuses to think about how it all might be a moot point anyway) and the one where she lets Dante whisk her away to London and a life without courtly drama.
Both pictures seem pretty good but after a moment, Eleanor knows which one she wants to be a reality. She knows how this story has to end.
– End
