I would be forever grateful if you would allow me to take refuge in your boardinghouse, Fanny. I do not wish Lord Claybourne to find me.
– Lily Loring to Fanny Irwin
After her departure, Heath remained in the stable for quite some time, waiting for his blood to cool before he could return to the ballroom. Sporting a raging arousal when he was wearing satin evening breeches would no doubt appall the refined sensibilities of the wedding guests.
Heath’s mouth curled in rueful amusement at the image, yet his smile soon faded.
He hadn’t meant to let things go so far with Lilian Loring. Before she’d stopped him, he had been in serious danger of compromising her. But he’d been seduced by the tempting fire of her. Now he could only blame himself if the forbidden indulgence had left him hot and painfully hard.
His attraction wasn’t the least surprising, Heath mused, even though he’d only met Lily this morning. For several months now his interest had been piqued by reports of the youngest Loring sister. He hadn’t been put off by Marcus’s accounts of her being a spitfire and a hellion. On the contrary. His usual pursuits had seemed so deadly dull of late that when he’d finally encountered the spirited, unconventional Lily, his interest had immediately been sparked.
Marcus was right; she was a lively beauty. She was certainly unique. And Heath had found himself unexpectedly enchanted.
Finally considering it safe enough, he left the stable, yet his thoughts were still centered on Lilian Loring as he crossed the yard and headed toward the Danvers Hall manor house.
She was as captivating as her elder sisters but wholly different. Her bold dark eyes and rich, dark-chestnut hair, in addition to her coltish grace, gave Lily a vividness that made her seem vibrant and alive.
She had marvelous eyes, Heath thought as he aimed for the rear terrace that flanked the ballroom. They were lustrous and expressive; warm and laughing one minute, indignant and defiant the next, heavy and slumberous when she was aroused.
She had a mouth like sin, as well. And he knew she would have a luscious body beneath that properly fashionable ball gown…
At the sudden memory of exploring her soft warm flesh with his searching fingertips, Heath felt a fresh rush of desire.
“Blast it, man,” he swore at himself as he mounted the terrace steps. “You’d best bridle your lust before you do something even more inappropriate with her.”
He sure as the devil couldn’t deny wanting Lily, though.
Yet admittedly, one of her prime attractions was her laughter. He’d first heard it this morning while waiting at the church with Marcus and Drew for the wedding party to arrive.
When she drove up in the open barouche with her sisters, her laughter had been warm and tender. Later, at the wedding breakfast, it was lilting and musical during her animated conversation with her friends, Fanny Irwin and Miss Tess Blanchard. And then a short while ago, husky and delighted when she was talking to the kittens.
Laughter was important to him. It had been a big part of his childhood-an essential part, the best part-before his mother died when he was ten. His friends, Marcus and Drew, had supplied the laughter since then, all during his boyhood when they’d attended Eton and then Oxford together, and for the past decade as adults. But now that Marcus had taken a wife, that would change to a significant extent-
Cutting off that dark thought, Heath returned to ruminating about Lily Loring as he crossed the terrace. It was only natural that he enjoyed her laughter. But he also liked her forthrightness.
In his experience such honesty was unusual when dealing with females of any stamp. After all the mincing and coy flirtations he’d been subjected to from grasping debutantes over the years, her frankness was profoundly refreshing.
Lily’s resistance to him, however, was wholly unexpected. He was not at all accustomed to female indifference. Bold seductions and relentless pursuit were the usual mode. As one of London’s most eligible aristocrats, Heath had been the target of countless scheming husband-hunters for well over a decade.
Surprisingly, his disinterest in marriage hadn’t stopped women from falling in love with him. Instead, they flocked to him, in large part because he knew how to satisfy their desires…
Of necessity Heath’s musings were brought to a halt when he entered the ballroom through one of the rear French doors, the same one he’d exited a half hour before. Almost at once a feminine voice called his name.
To his surprise, he saw Fanny Irwin approaching, as if she had been waiting for his reappearance.
Her expression did not look happy. “My Lord Claybourne,” Fanny said in a low voice that held a note of urgency. “Perhaps you would be so kind as to give me a moment of your time?”
“Of course, Miss Irwin-” he started to say when she cut him off.
“In private, my lord, if you don’t mind.”
Although puzzled by her request, Heath had no objection to following her behind a bank of potted palms. He knew from Marcus that Fanny had been the Loring sisters’ close neighbor and dearest friend in Hampshire during their childhood. He also knew that she was once a respectable young lady who had left home at sixteen to become one of London’s most renowned courtesans. Her success now even rivaled the most fashionable Cyprian of them all, Harriet Wilson. Heath had never patronized Fanny, although he’d seen her at various entertainments they both attended.
The raven-haired, lush-figured Fanny was witty, beautiful, stimulating, and perceptive, and reportedly expert at satisfying her lovers in bed. In short, the ideal mistress.
At the moment, however, there was no sign of her usual sultry affability. Instead, she was surveying him with grave concern.
“I saw you follow Lily from the ballroom, my lord. You cannot deny it.”
His brows drew together as he contemplated what he should say in answer. “Very well, I won’t deny it, Miss Irwin. But is that a crime?”
“It would be if you seduced her.”
Heath felt his gaze sharpen defensively. “My encounter with Miss Loring is a private affair, but you may be assured, I did not seduce her.”
“No?” Fanny said acerbically. “It is obvious that you have been employing your usual seductive methods on someone. Your hair is tousled and flaked with straw, as if you’ve just been enjoying a roll in the hay with a farm milkmaid.”
She reached up to pluck at a stray wisp from his hair. “Ordinarily I wouldn’t dream of interfering with your conquests, Lord Claybourne, but I am Lily’s friend, and I cannot sit idly by while you exploit her for your sport.”
Heath took a slow breath, controlling his impatience. “I admire your concern for your friend, Miss Irwin, but you have nothing to worry about from me.”
“How can I possibly trust your assurances?”
It rankled that she would question his word, yet realizing that Fanny was genuinely troubled, Heath decided to make allowances.
“What would you say if I told you I had just promised Danvers to keep an eye on Miss Loring while he was away on his wedding trip for the next month?”
That much was certainly true, Heath thought. A short while ago, when he and Drew had said farewell to Marcus and reluctantly drunk a toast to the demise of his bachelorhood, Marcus had coerced them into agreeing to look after the two younger sisters while he was gone.
But Fanny did not seem reassured. “This is how you keep an eye on her?” she responded, her tone a bit caustic. “Trysting with Lily in a stable?”
“We weren’t seen together, if it is any consolation.”
“But someone could have discovered you. With your reputation, just being alone with Lily could give rise to gossip. Given their family history, she is more vulnerable than the usual lady of quality. She and her sisters are finally moving beyond the past scandals now that Lord Danvers has made such a concerted effort to reinstate them into society. But you could so easily ruin her.”
“I certainly don’t intend to ruin her.”
“Then what are your intentions toward Lily, my lord?”
It was an impertinent question at the very least. And Heath didn’t have an immediate answer, since he wasn’t certain himself what his intentions were toward Lily. Before tonight, he would have said none, but after kissing her, holding her…
Admit it, man, you don’t want to give her up. The thought came unbidden and made Heath frown.
When he remained silent, his gaze arrested as he distantly regarded the bank of palms, Fanny continued in a softer, more pleading tone. “You cannot seduce her, my lord. There would be no hope for her then. If you were to compromise her, her only recourse from disgrace would be marriage. And I know Lily quite well. She would never agree to marry you-or anyone else, for that matter.”
Slowly he glanced back at Fanny. “What if I said my intentions were entirely honorable?”
Fanny looked startled at that. “Honorable? You? You are the worst heartbreaker in England, Lord Claybourne. You aren’t the least interested in matrimony…are you?”
At her obvious shock, Heath’s mouth twisted with wry humor. It was true that he had a reputation for breaking hearts, although he wasn’t solely to blame for the fact that any number of women had fallen in love with him while he’d kept his heart whole. Although he loved the fair sex in general and delighted in their attentions, he’d never met the woman who could tame him and cause him to willingly relinquish his cherished freedom to settle down in staid matrimony.
But he had never encountered any woman like Lily, either.
“I am not suggesting that I propose this evening,” Heath said slowly, testing the prospect in his mind, “but if I were courting her officially, there would be little gossip or risk of scandal.”
“I suppose not. But you cannot honestly be thinking of marrying Lily.”
“She might make me a good marchioness.”
Fanny’s laugh was uncertain. “She has the birth and the breeding, true, but you are forgetting one crucial detail. There is no possible way Lily would ever allow you close enough to court her. Not considering her fervent opinions about men and marriage.”
Heath couldn’t help but smile as he remembered Lily’s adamant declaration about her aversion to matrimony. “Her notions are rather prickly. I discovered that just on our brief acquaintance.”
“Indeed.” Fanny shook her head firmly. “No, my lord. You should just abandon the whole absurd idea.” Her gaze measured him. “I doubt you will mourn the loss, however. You have countless love-smitten females to pick from. You should choose one of them.”
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “But regrettably, I am not interested in any of them.”
Fanny’s gaze narrowed. “I hope you are not planning to pursue Lily simply because you relish a challenge.”
He couldn’t deny that the challenge greatly appealed to him. Among his boyhood friends, Heath had been the most adventurous and daring, the most willing to court danger. His need for thrills and excitement had led the three of them into escapades and scrapes more times than he could count. But the challenge Lily presented was not her major allure.
“That is only part of it,” he replied honestly to Fanny. “My interest in her is due much more to her uniqueness. I find her novelty refreshing.”
“I can see why someone so unconventional as Lily would intrigue you,” Fanny said after a moment. “She has no compunction about thumbing her nose at society’s strictures regarding the proper behavior of genteel young ladies. Indeed, she often behaves more like a man-she excels at any kind of physical activity such as riding and driving and archery. Compared to her sisters, Lily is the most passionate and expressive. However…”-Fanny’s voice dropped and became earnest-“…she is also the most sensitive. Of the three of them, Lily feels the most deeply. She was terribly hurt when her mother abandoned them to follow her heart, heedless of the scandal that ruined their futures. And Lily’s bitterness toward men is deeply rooted in the past, in the way her father treated her mother.”
He had sensed that vulnerability in her, Heath realized, feeling an odd tug at his heart. The emotion that stirred in him was not one he usually felt for young ladies. It wasn’t pity, exactly. It was more tenderness. Along with an undeniable lust that he hadn’t experienced in a very long time.
Fanny broke into his thoughts again. “I would imagine Lily is far more to your tastes than the typical debutante-possibly enough to consider wooing. But are you truly serious about matrimony, my lord?”
“A woman like that might induce me to marry,” he said slowly.
Fanny regarded him with worry. “Perhaps so, but I pray you…don’t even think about pursuing her unless you are completely sincere about following through.”
“That much I can assure you,” Heath said with confidence.
Still looking uncertain, Fanny hesitated a moment longer. “Thank you, my lord,” she said finally. “And I hope you will forgive me for my unwanted interference, but I care deeply for Lily and don’t want to see her hurt.”
“Your concern is duly noted, Miss Irwin,” Heath replied, keeping his tone easy. “But I am not in the habit of hurting women.”
A smile flickered on her lips. “Not intentionally, I know. Indeed, your reputation for giving pleasure is legendary. But unintentionally? Please…just take care with her, my lord.”
“I will, I assure you.”
With that, Fanny gave him a respectful curtsy and left him.
Coming out from behind the palms, Heath returned to stand on the ballroom sidelines, absently watching the dancers. The Danvers wedding ball was a crush by anyone’s standards. The press of perfumed bodies, along with the candle flames from myriad glittering chandeliers, made the warmth of the ballroom oppressive. But the guests were clearly enjoying themselves.
Heath paid little attention to the gaiety and noise around him, however. His thoughts were too focused on his recent conversation about his matrimonial intentions.
Was he truly serious about pursuing Lily Loring?
Fanny’s dire prediction didn’t concern him overmuch, since he had always been able to have any woman he wanted. And he most definitely wanted Lily. If he set his mind to winning her, he was certain he could have her.
But did he want to win her?
His only option was marriage, of course. Seducing her was out of the question. His own honor wouldn’t allow it, not to mention the certainty that Marcus would cut out his liver along with other more sensitive parts of his anatomy.
Until Marcus’s engagement, he hadn’t thought seriously of marriage. In fact, he’d earnestly avoided it, eluding the traps of countless matchmaking mamas and their grasping young darlings who saw him as prey.
He liked women immensely; he just had never wanted to be tied to a particular one, having her forever by his side until death did them part.
But perhaps it was time that he contemplated a foray into matrimony, Heath realized. He would eventually have to settle down to produce heirs to carry on his illustrious title, in any event. Just as Marcus had done.
Quite unexpectedly, Marcus had been the first to take the plunge. Before inheriting the earldom and assuming guardianship for the three impoverished Loring sisters, Marcus had absolutely no desire to end his precious bachelorhood. In fact, he’d planned to discharge his unwanted duty as guardian by marrying his wards off to respectable suitors, despite their fierce objections. But his initial attraction to the beautiful eldest, Arabella, was so fierce that he’d wagered he could persuade her to accept his proposal of marriage-a wager that Arabella was just as determined he would lose. After several weeks of spirited battle, they had both fallen deeply in love.
Heath was sincerely pleased for his friend. It was not usual for a nobleman to find love and happiness in marriage. In the normal order of things, the aristocracy made unions of convenience to insure the best alliances of fortunes and bloodlines.
It was what his own parents had done, as had all the generations of his family before them.
Heath was not prepared to do the same. His parents’ union had been such a wretched mismatch in terms of personalities and interests, he’d vowed he would never follow in their footsteps.
If he had to marry, he wanted a woman who could match him in the ways that counted most…in spirit and passion, in a craving for adventure.
Lily Loring might very well fit that bill.
Even her stubborn need for independence was appealing to him, Heath mused. He understood that need, for he felt it himself.
And admittedly, of late he’d begun to envy Marcus’s newfound happiness. All his own relationships with women had been based on physical pleasure and mutual satisfaction, but he might relish having the kind of love and intimacy that Marcus now shared with his new bride. Marriage to a woman he could respect and enjoy and cherish.
In many other ways, Lily Loring would make a fitting candidate for his wife. Her birth and breeding, for one. More importantly, she would rarely bore him and would doubtless prove a delight in his bed.
Unquestionably he found her highly desirable, with her dark eyes, that lush mouth, those ripe breasts, her silken hair that shimmered with shades of russet and gold. Something about her called to him…something complex and compelling. Perhaps the way she pulsed with life and vitality. There was an inner fire to her, a fire that stoked the one inside him.
She was compassionate as well, Heath reflected. How many ladies of her elite station would concern themselves with the fate of the stable cat and kittens?
And there was that undeniable twinge of tenderness that kept pricking at his heart each time he learned something new about her.
Yes, Lily was suitable-and suitably intriguing enough-for him to consider wooing. Although most certainly he would need to use every ounce of charm and skill he possessed to overcome her reticence. She was afraid to give herself to any man in marriage, to trust that she wouldn’t be hurt.
She wasn’t cold-natured in the least, however. She only needed awakening. Heath knew that in his gut, had felt it in her innocently sensual kisses. Lily had responded to his embrace as if she’d never wanted before, never needed before.
She’d been shocked by the erotic fire between them, he could see it in her flushed cheeks and dazed eyes. He’d been more than a little jolted himself.
He couldn’t recall ever being that powerfully, that savagely, attracted to anyone. She’d had a profound impact on his equilibrium.
At the recollection, Heath muttered a low oath. Remembering that passionate interlude in the loft with Lily was enough to arouse him again, so he turned away from the ballroom guests to hide the consequences.
And yet he couldn’t regret the effect Lily had on him. It had been a very long time since he’d felt the rush of anticipation and expectation that was pumping through his blood now. An even longer time since his pulse had quickened at just the thought of coming to know a woman more intimately.
And as he stepped through the French doors onto the terrace so that the cooler night air could help calm his lust, Heath knew he had made his decision. He would pursue the enchanting Lily and see where a courtship could lead.
And if matrimony was the result? Well, he no longer found the prospect quite so unsettling or intimidating.
Indeed-amazingly enough-not intimidating at all.
“Perhaps I should come in just for a moment,” Tess Blanchard said the next morning as she brought her gig to a halt before Danvers Hall’s front entrance.
“No,” Lily replied. “You are already dreadfully late for your appointment. I’m certain my sister is fine.”
With a faint smile at her friend, Lily gingerly stepped down from the gig. She was exceedingly glad to be home, for several reasons. First, her head was throbbing from her lamentable overindulgence in champagne at the ball the previous evening. Second, her conscience was throbbing just as painfully. She hadn’t slept much last night at Tess’s house; instead she’d been busy tossing and turning and mentally writhing at the memory of the Marquess of Claybourne kissing her witless-and her returning his enthralling kisses like a total wanton.
And finally, this morning they’d learned the dismaying news that her sister Roslyn and her friend Winifred, Lady Freemantle had been the victims of a highway robbery shortly after leaving the ball.
Roslyn had not come to Tess’s last night as planned, but sent a dismaying note this morning explaining her absence. Alarmed, Lily and Tess had immediately driven to Freemantle Park, only to learn that Roslyn had already returned home to Danvers Hall. Winifred proceeded to detail the shocking events and claimed that Roslyn had suffered no lasting effects, but Lily wanted to see her sister for herself.
She went to the boot to unload her valise, not minding that no footmen or butler came out to help her. The household staff was doubtless cleaning up after the massive wedding celebrations.
The bridal couple would have set out on their wedding journey by now, Lily knew. No one intended to tell Arabella and Marcus about the robbery, since they would likely have postponed their trip, and Roslyn was adamant that her troubles not intrude on their hard-won happiness.
Looking up, Lily offered Tess another brief smile. “Thank you for letting me spend the night and for bringing me home.”
“You know you are welcome,” Tess said warmly as she gathered the reins. “I shall return shortly to see Roslyn. Despite Winifred’s reassurances, the experience cannot have been pleasant for her.”
“I will tell her to expect you for luncheon.”
Tess was about to snap the reins at her horse when the sound of a carriage could be heard in the distance. Glancing beyond the gig, Lily spied a team and curricle sweeping up the gravel drive, driven by a lone gentleman garbed in a fashionable frock coat and tall beaver hat.
Her heart suddenly jolted when she recognized those splendid shoulders, and she voiced an oath under her breath. “What the devil is he doing here?”
“That is Lord Claybourne, is it not?” Tess asked.
“Regrettably, yes.”
His lordship was the very last person she wanted to see, Lily thought as she stood there cursing her ill luck. If only she had arrived home five minutes earlier, she could have had the butler deny her presence at home. But now she would have to face Lord Claybourne when she was still flustered by the memory of his brazen kisses. And she was in no mood to do it alone.
“Please, Tess, stay another moment. Don’t leave me here with him.”
Her friend looked puzzled. “Do you not wish to see him?”
But there was no time to answer as the marquess expertly guided his team alongside Lily and brought the curricle to a halt.
Lily took a steadying breath as she locked gazes with him. She was much more herself this morning, in a rational state of mind. Or at least she was sober now. Without her head swimming, she could withstand his appeal.
Except that in the cold light of day, Lord Claybourne was still as devastatingly handsome as he’d been last night. And his slow smile was just as heart-melting as he greeted them both with a bow. “Good morning, ladies.”
Deploring her stomach-tightening awareness, Lily managed a cool smile, although there was a breathless quality to her voice when she spoke. “What brings you here, my lord?”
“Why, I am merely paying you a morning call.”
Her eyebrow rose. “You came all the way from London to call on me?”
He shrugged one powerful shoulder. “With a fast team, it is not much more than a half-hour drive. And these beauties”-he indicated the two grays before him-“are lightning fast.”
His team was indeed magnificent, Lily noted in silent admiration. Obviously high-spirited but trained well enough to stand patiently while waiting for their master’s commands.
But that didn’t explain why Claybourne thought he had to call on her. “You should not have troubled yourself, my lord.”
“It was no trouble. I’ve brought you a basket from my chef.”
She looked at him blankly. “Your chef?”
“A few delicacies for Boots, and a remedy for your headache. I would imagine after last night your skull feels as if a drum took up residence inside.”
Lily couldn’t help but be impressed by his thoughtfulness, yet she was not about to let him know it.
“I imagine you speak from experience?” she said dryly.
“Of course.”
Tendering her a grin of knee-weakening charm, he held up the basket. In order to take it, Lily had to set down her valise, which she did reluctantly.
“You are too kind,” she said with forced politeness as she accepted his offering. “Boots will no doubt appreciate your generosity. But you should not have come, my lord. And most certainly you should not be bringing me gifts.”
“Why not, Miss Loring?”
Lily felt exasperation rise inside her. Lord Claybourne was being deliberately obtuse, since she had clearly warned him about Winifred’s matchmaking machinations. “You know very well why not. Did you not hear a word I said last night?”
“Yes, I heard every word.”
When Tess’s gaze shifted between them at the undercurrents of tension vibrating the air, Lily modulated her tone, realizing she would do better to pretend indifference.
“Then you should have heeded my warning,” she said more evenly. “You cannot bring me gifts without giving rise to speculation. Lady Freemantle will be in raptures.”
“Lady Freemantle doesn’t concern me.”
“She will think you are courting me.”
“So?”
At the casual question, Lily stared at him. “S-so…” She stammered to a halt as she understood his implication, since words failed her. “You cannot possibly be thinking of courting me.”
“I beg to differ.”
From his mild expression, he didn’t appear to be ribbing her, yet he couldn’t be serious.
“Lord Claybourne…that is absurd. You don’t wish to wed me, and I most certainly don’t wish to wed you.”
His hazel eyes regarded her steadily. “How will we know unless we explore the issue? And for that we must have the chance to improve our acquaintance.”
He was making her unsettled now, and extremely vexed. Lily narrowed her gaze on him. “I don’t know what sort of game you are playing, my lord, but I do not care for it in the least.”
“It is no game, angel.”
Lily tightened her jaw. “The polite response would be to thank you, Lord Claybourne, but-”
“But you are not the polite kind,” he interrupted, his eyes dancing with provocative humor.
“No I am not!”
She could see Tess’s brow furrow at her terse reply. Lily had little patience for the social niceties, but she was never overtly rude. She wasn’t certain how to deal with a seductive nobleman showing her such marked attention, either.
He flashed her a lazy smile. “I am willing to make allowances for your testiness, Miss Loring, since I know the cause.”
You are the cause of my testiness, Lily thought in frustration. Not the aftereffects of the champagne.
She wanted to be rid of the provoking marquess. Fortunately she had an ideal excuse. Drawing another calming breath, Lily forced a cool smile. “I would invite you to come in for refreshments, my lord, but I don’t have time to entertain you this morning. I need to find my sister Roslyn and make certain she is all right. After the robbery last night, she will likely have little desire for company.”
Lord Claybourne frowned at that. “What robbery?”
“Oh, hadn’t you heard?” Lily felt a bit more confident now that she wasn’t quite so much on the defensive. “Last night Roslyn stayed late to direct the servants in setting the Hall to rights after the ball. Afterward, Lady Freemantle was driving her to Miss Blanchard’s house when their coach was held up by a highwayman at gunpoint barely a mile from here.”
His brows snapped together. “Were either of them hurt?” The sharpness of his tone was gratifying, Lily thought.
“Thankfully, no. But the footpad was likely wounded. The Duke of Arden happened along in time to foil the robbery and shoot the fleeing brigand. And now there is a massive search out for him.”
“Where is Arden now?”
“At Freemantle Park. He stayed the night there to give comfort to Lady Freemantle and my sister. Perhaps you might wish to speak to him yourself.”
Still frowning, Claybourne made no reply, and Lily realized that her gaze had somehow wandered to his mouth. She felt heat tinge her cheekbones as she recalled how the magic of that sensual mouth had burned into hers…
Jerking her unruly thoughts back to the present, she said pointedly, “I am certain you don’t want to keep your horses standing any longer, Lord Claybourne.”
His frown easing, he raised an eyebrow at her. “Are you dismissing me, Miss Loring?”
Lily couldn’t help but smile at his arch tone. No doubt a nobleman of his rank and consequence was rarely given a dismissal. “Make of it what you will, but you do not strike me as lacking in understanding.”
His mouth quirked. “Perhaps you’re right. I should speak to Arden and see if I can be of assistance. But I am not letting you off the hook so easily, sweeting. I will return at a more convenient time so that we may become better acquainted.”
Lily eyed him in dismay. “There will never be a convenient time.”
“Then I shall simply have to persuade you otherwise.”
He had an utterly devastating smile, she thought, vexed at her own response. But no doubt he was well aware of his appeal, how irresistible he was to women.
When he picked up the reins and gave his grays the office to move forward, Lily held her breath, only letting it out when his lordship drove off. She was vastly relieved by his departure, but dismayed by his promise to return.
She was still watching his retreat when Tess’s voice broke into her distracted thoughts.
“Do you plan to tell me what that was all about, Lily? I trust you had good reason for your incivility.”
With a start, Lily offered her friend an apologetic look, having forgotten Tess was even there. “Indeed, I had good reason. I warned him that Winifred was doing her best to pair us together, but he completely disregarded my warning.”
“What happened between you last night?”
“Well…” Lily hesitated. She would rather not have to confess about her wantonness in the stable loft with the marquess, yet she didn’t like to keep secrets from her dear friend. “I encountered his lordship just before I left the ball with you. I had drunk three glasses of champagne because I was feeling sad at losing Arabella, so I’m afraid I was rather foxed when he found me.”
Tess’s gaze sharpened. “He didn’t try to take advantage of you?”
“No…not exactly. But I may have tried to take advantage of him.” Her mouth curved ruefully. “I wasn’t thinking too clearly at the time. I fear I acted something of a wanton and gave Claybourne the mistaken impression that I am lacking in morals. And you saw the result this morning. I don’t want him presuming he can add me to his long list of conquests.”
“I imagine his intentions are more honorable than that,” Tess replied with dry amusement. “He drove all this way to pay you a formal morning call. A gentleman doesn’t do that if he has a nefarious purpose in mind.”
“He does have a nefarious purpose in mind.” Lily retorted. “You heard him just now. He intends to court me!”
Tess pursed her lips as if biting back a smile. “Lily, there is nothing criminal about him wanting to become better acquainted with you.”
“There is if he thinks our closer acquaintance will lead to marriage.”
Tess laughed outright at that, which made Lily grind her teeth. “This is not at all funny, Tess!”
“Actually it is, dearest. Not that Claybourne may be in the market for a wife, but that he seems willing to consider you for the position. If he knew your feelings on the subject of matrimony-”
“He does know my feelings. I told him so last night in no uncertain terms.”
Tess’s expression sobered. “Would it be so terrible to entertain his suit for a time? You are limiting your future significantly if you won’t even consider the possibility of marriage.”
Lily grimaced. “You only think so because you are a hopeless romantic-which I am not.”
“He seems extremely charming.”
“He is that.” And much too seductive, Lily added to herself. Yet she had an entirely different plan for her future than marriage. A plan that did not include becoming the chattel of a husband, putting herself under his lawful control. Besides, no matter how charming and seductive and handsome a gentleman might appear on the surface, looks could be highly deceiving-as her own father had conclusively proved.
“Lord Claybourne’s charm is entirely beside the point,” Lily stated resolutely. “Nothing could tempt me to wed him, so there is no reason for him even to try to court me.”
“So what do you mean to do about him then? I seriously doubt a man like Claybourne will give up easily.”
That question stumped Lily. “I have no earthly idea.” She had never encountered this sort of predicament, having to deal with a nobleman who might actually wish to marry her.
“Well,” Tess commented at her silence, “I must go for now, Lily. As you said, I am dreadfully late for my appointment. But I promise I will return later and help you sort this all out.”
“Yes, go, please. Your meeting is much more important.”
Tess spent most of her time doing charitable works, focusing her efforts primarily on the Families of Fallen Soldiers, since she had tragically lost her betrothed to war two years ago at Waterloo. And she was currently occupied in persuading the local gentry to contribute to her cause.
When Tess had gone, Lily picked up her valise and his lordship’s gift basket and turned to mount the front steps of the manor.
Recalling her friend’s amused response to the prospect of Claybourne courting her, Lily shook her head in consternation. The notion might indeed have been humorous if it wasn’t so alarming.
She knew she would be too vulnerable to him if she remained here at Danvers Hall while Arabella and Marcus were away on their monthlong wedding journey. Dealing with a nobleman like Claybourne was beyond her experience. He was completely, dangerously unlike any man she had ever known, with his easy smile, his heart-stirring charm, his breathtaking sensuality.
Yet she was not about to sit here waiting to be the victim of his unwanted courtship. She had to take action. If for no other reason than to prove that she was her own woman, in control of her own destiny.
Come now, be honest with yourself, a nagging voice in Lily’s head chided. You are afraid you will let your reckless nature lead you astray. That you will surrender to his unquestionable allure.
A pained smile tugged at her mouth. That was the real trouble, Lily acknowledged unwillingly. The deplorable truth was, she didn’t trust her ability to resist Lord Claybourne if he became her suitor. He would simply be too tempting.
Perhaps she would do well to leave home for a time. But where to go? Now that she had ample funds, she could pay a visit to her former neighbors and friends in Hampshire, but she had little desire to travel all that distance and be compelled to remain away from home like a fugitive.
What about going to London to stay with Fanny? Not Fanny’s main residence where she plied her courtesan trade, of course. But she owned a boardinghouse in London… Coincidentally, they had discussed it just last night at the wedding ball.
Lily frowned as she let herself in the front entrance door. Fanny had not been her usual vivacious self at the ball, and when pressed, she’d confessed that she was worried about two of her close friends who were having financial difficulties.
Lily had pondered their problem during her sleepless night of tossing and turning, but she hadn’t come up with any bright ideas for earning nearly thirty thousand pounds.
Perhaps by going to London, she might help Fanny determine a way to aid her friends, and solve her own problem of eluding Lord Claybourne at the same time.
It certainly deserved some serious consideration, Lily decided as she turned her valise and basket over to a footman and went in search of her sister Roslyn.
She found Roslyn in the morning room, cataloging the vast array of wedding gifts the guests had sent to the Earl of Danvers and his new countess, Arabella. Fortunately, Roslyn professed to be perfectly fine after her ordeal.
Despite her assurances, however, Lily wished she could have been there to help her sister last night, especially since she was probably better able to face down an armed highwayman. She at least knew how to fire a pistol with fair accuracy…although she was well aware that Roslyn’s delicate golden looks were deceptive. There was a vein of fine steel in her sister’s elegant aristocratic spine. And according to Winifred, Roslyn had comported herself with remarkable courage, saving her ladyship from being robbed of one particularly cherished piece of jewelry.
“It sounds as if you were very brave,” Lily said after hearing Roslyn’s abbreviated version of the tale.
“I was frightened out of my mind,” Roslyn replied dryly. “But at least no one was harmed.”
“Except for the brigand. I understand Winifred’s bailiff has initiated a search for a wounded man.”
Roslyn nodded. “Yes, although we don’t hold out much hope of finding him.” She studied Lily in turn. “Are you certain you are all right, Lily? You look as if something has upset you.”
Though knowing her cheeks were still flushed from her encounter with Lord Claybourne, Lily decided not to confide the reason for her high color. Roslyn had enough to worry her, recovering from a highway robbery after nearly being shot. And she had worked her fingers to the bone for weeks, planning and preparing for Arabella’s wedding celebrations.
And admittedly, Lily thought with a tinge of guilt, she didn’t want to confess about her foolish lapse in judgment last night. After all her vows of never wanting anything to do with eligible noblemen, it smacked of hypocrisy to have enjoyed Lord Claybourne’s stunning kisses so much.
“I am not upset,” Lily replied. “I merely have a touch of the headache, and having Tess drive me home in her gig didn’t help.”
She told her sister about getting foxed on champagne, leaving out the part about being in the stable loft afterward.
But as usual, Roslyn was too perceptive. “Is that all that is wrong, Lily?”
She bit back a sigh, knowing she would have to offer some valid explanation. “Well, perhaps not all. Winifred is still driving me to distraction with her maddening attempts at matchmaking.”
“I know,” Roslyn agreed wholeheartedly. “I was her target last night and again this morning. You were right about her wanting to pair me with Arden. It was mortifying in the extreme.”
“Well, I don’t intend to remain here to become Winifred’s hapless victim,” Lily said, coming to a decision. “I mean go to London and stay at Fanny’s lodging house. She has room, and she has asked my advice in dealing with two of her friends who operate the house. I don’t know if I can help them, but I would like to try.”
Roslyn stared at her in surprise. “You intend to hide out in London in order to elude Winifred’s matchmaking schemes? Are such drastic measures really necessary?”
Lily returned a wry grimace. “I am beginning to think so. If I can’t be found, then I needn’t worry about any unwanted suitors, do I? I cannot stay here in Chiswick, obviously. And no one will think to look for me at Fanny’s place, including Marcus. You know he would not approve of my intimacy with her scandalous friends.”
And Lord Claybourne will never find me there either. Relieved by the notion, Lily suddenly thought of another way to throw the marquess off her track and instantly felt more cheerful. “I have it! You can tell Winifred and anyone else who inquires that I have gone to Hampshire to visit friends at our old home.”
Roslyn’s brows drew together in puzzlement. “Why would you want her to think-”
She cut off her sister, not wanting to admit how irresistible she found the marquess. “Please, Rose, just humor me this once.”
Roslyn’s gaze became searching. “Lily…is there more you aren’t telling me?”
“Not at all. Don’t worry about me, dearest. It is nothing I cannot handle.” Lily smiled reassuringly before adding under her breath, “I simply have absolutely no intention of allowing any man to court me, let alone wed me.”
She had held that adamant view since she was sixteen, Lily reflected when eventually she left her sister and went upstairs to her bedchamber to unpack her valise and then pack again for an unexpected visit to London.
She’d sworn she would never let herself become so vulnerable-to be helplessly trapped in matrimony, at the mercy of her husband’s whims, unable to escape. If a woman married, she legally belonged to her husband; she was his property to treat as brutally as he pleased. She would never give any man that power over her, Lily vowed.
Nor would she ever give her heart away, only to have it cruelly crushed, the way her mother had done in her first marriage, and as Arabella had done in her first, short-lived betrothal.
Thankfully, Arabella seemed to have a genuine chance for love and happiness with Marcus now, Lily admitted to herself, remembering the gentleness in their hands when they touched each other, the tender look in their eyes when they shared loving glances. And her mother professed to have finally found happiness in her second marriage with her French lover, Henri Vachel.
As far as Lily was concerned, however, marriage was an odious word. She doubted she would ever overcome her lack of faith in men.
And she didn’t need anyone but her sisters and her friends to be happy. She was mistress of her own life and content to stay that way forever. She knew what she wanted for her future, and it was not being shackled to a husband who would hurt her and betray her and use his power against her and make her so miserable that she cried into her pillow every night, the way her father had done her mother.
And now that she had her own modest fortune, Lily reminded herself, she could indulge in her long-held dreams. From the time she could read, she had pored over history tomes and geological maps and expedition accounts, in part as a way to escape her parents’ battles. She had longed for the day when she could take control of her life; when she could fulfill her desire to travel the world and explore unknown lands and experience new adventures.
Oh, she might have someday liked to have children to love and cherish, but she would leave that to Arabella, and perhaps Roslyn. For herself, Lily was satisfied with teaching at the Freemantle Academy for Young Ladies, molding girls on the cusp of womanhood to stand up for themselves, despite their merchant-class origins, and providing them with skills to compete in the haughty world of the ton.
She had few duties at the Academy during the summer term, however, since most of the pupils had returned home to their families. So this was an ideal time to go to London-in more ways than one.
Most definitely she would be glad to escape Lord Claybourne’s unwanted attentions. And she would find it very satisfying if she could help Fanny’s fellow Cyprians solve their financial problems.
Just as gratifying, Lily reflected with a small frisson of pleasure, she would be starting a brand new chapter in her life. Now that the wedding celebrations were finally over, she could begin charting her own course for a life of freedom and adventure.
By the time Tess arrived and joined Lily in her bedchamber, she had written a note to Fanny, which she’d sent off to London by messenger, and had nearly finished packing.
“Roslyn doesn’t seem to have suffered from her ordeal, thankfully,” Tess said, taking a seat in a side chair. “But she tells me you are planning an excursion to London.”
“Yes,” Lily replied as she rummaged through her wardrobe for the final items she would need for an extended stay. “I mean to leave this afternoon.”
“Surely that is a bit rash-fleeing home so you can escape Lord Claybourne’s attentions.”
“Not at all. But in truth, I have another very good reason to go. Fanny is in a bit of financial difficulty.”
Tess frowned. “What sort of difficulty?”
“It is a matter of gambling debts, although not Fanny’s. This past spring two of her oldest courtesan friends lost enormous sums at the Faro tables, and the gaming hell owner is demanding repayment now. Fanny is trying to keep her friends out of debtors’ prison, or worse.”
“You are speaking of Fleur and Chantel?”
“Yes. They took Fanny under their wing when she first came to London eight years ago, so she is not about to abandon them.” Lily glanced back at Tess. “I didn’t want to mention their troubles to Roslyn, for then she would feel obliged to get involved, and she deserves to rest after all her endeavors. But I hope to help Fanny myself.”
Tess’s frown deepened. “And you intend to stay at Fanny’s rooming house? Lily, that place is little more than a home for lightskirts, run by two famous Cyprians.”
“I suppose so.”
Fleur Delee and Chantel Amour had been the most celebrated courtesans of their day, but they had passed their prime long ago and were now in their sixth decade. When their careers had waned and they’d had difficulty supporting themselves, Fanny had bought a large mansion to provide them a home. Not wanting to be a burden, they offset expenses by taking in boarders, mainly other members of the demimonde.
“But that,” Lily explained, “is precisely why their boardinghouse could be an ideal hiding place for me. Claybourne is unlikely to find me there. And if he should happen to learn where I’ve gone”-Lily smiled a little-“I expect he will be too scandalized to discover me living with lightskirts to want me for his future marchioness.”
Tess shook her head in exasperation. “You could be asking for trouble.”
That comment made Lily laugh. “I wouldn’t mind a bit of trouble to enliven my life. Indeed, that is part of my plan’s charm. I mean to look upon it as an adventure…the first of many, I hope.”
“You couldn’t find another adventure besides taking up with Fanny’s notorious friends?”
Lily arched an eyebrow. “You don’t expect me to keep away from them because of any prudish notions I ought to have?”
“I suspect,” Tess said dryly, “there isn’t a prudish bone in your body. But aren’t you the least concerned about your reputation?”
“Not overmuch. I doubt I will be recognized, since I know few people in London. And I intend to remain as inconspicuous as possible.”
“I should hope so. Advertising your presence there would not be good for your sisters-or for your continued career at the Academy, either.”
“Indeed. So I must keep my location a secret. I will take refuge there and tell the world I have gone to visit my former home in Hampshire. Only you and Roslyn will know where I truly am. Certainly I don’t want Winifred to know.”
“You intend to deceive her?” Tess asked in surprise.
Lily’s smile turned rueful. “I fear I have no choice. Otherwise she will doubtless tell the marquess I am in London, and then he will likely call on me there, and I don’t want to have to deal with him. So you must help Winifred misdirect him and throw him off my trail.”
Tess finally laughed. “Very well, if you insist. But just remember, I warned you. Is there anything I may do to help you prepare?”
“No, thank you. But you and Roslyn could handle my few classes at the Academy, if you don’t mind?”
“Of course I don’t mind. You have done the same for me numerous times.”
Lily smiled, glad that her obligations would be taken care of. And their elderly butler, Simpkin, could be trusted to look after Boots and the kittens. She would say farewell to the felines before she set out for London this afternoon.
At the thought, Lily felt a swell of anticipation bubble up inside her. Living with Fanny’s Cyprian friends should indeed prove an interesting adventure.
And in the meantime, she wouldn’t be bedeviled by a handsome, devastatingly charming nobleman or have to worry about fending off his unwanted, thoroughly bewildering desire to court her.