"But, Mother, even if Mr. Bainbridge did lose interest," she ignored her plummeting heart as she continued, "after spending time with him and other gentlemen, I do not believe I would ever choose to marry Mr. Quigley."
"To be vain is unbecoming, child," Mrs. Crosgrove said, her chin raised. "And you would do well to not readily dismiss Mr. Quigley as you do. Though he has less a year, he flatters more than Mr. Bainbridge."
"Yes, he flatters," Lilyanna said as she looked up to the ceiling, "but I cannot converse with him. However, Mr. Bainbridge and I speak as if old friends, though I have known him for only a short time."
"To converse is not as important as you m think," Mrs. Crosgrove said, moving to stand in front of the fire. "With an admiring husband, you will feel loved each day of your life."
Lilyanna tried to keep her frustration in check, but her voice continued to raise. "But I do not feel loved by simple praise. How am I to feel any sort of joy when all Mr. Quigley's compliments ring untrue?"
Mrs. Crosgrove looked at her with a dubious expression. "His compliments are very truthful, I daresay."
"That may be," Lilyanna said, though doubts still filled her, "but I know I receive no satisfaction from anything he says. I also know, Mother, I feel cared for when a gentleman takes the time to get to know me, to speak with me and listen to my own opinions and beliefs."
"You do not know what you say, Lilyanna," her mother said, averting her gaze.
"But I do, Mother, if only—"
"No, you do not!" Mrs. Crosgrove shouted, causing Lilyanna to take a step back in surprise as her mother continued in a slow, cold voice. "You do not know, Lilyanna. Conversation and friendship, that is what your father and I had, but you know what I have received from my choice. Me, abandoned for twenty years with a husband so absorbed in his own world he could not give a single thought about his wife and daughter."
Stunned into silence, Lilyanna remained mute and stationary. She watched as Mrs. Crosgrove turned around so Lilyanna could not read her face.
"You must leave now, as you will not want to arrive late," she said softly. "Enjoy yourself tonight but not at the sake of forgetting your manners."
Lilyanna heard the finality of her mother's tone, so without another word, she turned on her heel, leaving Mrs. Crosgrove alone in the parlor.
When she reached the horse-drawn carriage outside where the footmen and coachman stood waiting, she said, "My mother will not be accompanying me this evening. We may leave at once."
The men nodded, and one of the footmen helped Lilyanna into the carriage, closing the door behind her. As soon as the horses jolted forward, Lilyanna felt her shoulders slump, the conversation she had just finished with her mother churning in her mind.
Lilyanna had always thought her mother happy with her marriage, but had the woman simply hidden her dejection and feigned her joy for fear of Captain Crosgrove staying away from Heatherhill even more?
"And that is why she advises me to do the same," Lilyanna said aloud. "She believes if I reveal my shortcomings, no gentleman could ever stay interested in me."
She felt sorrow for her mother's unhappy life and frustration with her father and his choice to stay away from home for so long. She had always been proud of Captain Crosgrove's decision to serve his country, but could he not have retired years before, could he not have spent more time with his family?
The carriage turned along cobbled streets and followed the circular roads of the Circus when Lilyanna's frustration turned to her mother.
She knew Mrs. Crosgrove enjoyed the prospect of Lilyanna having multiple men competing for her attention, for that meant Lilyanna could be her happiest with whatever gentleman they could find.
"But should I not have some say in the matter of the man I shall marry?" she said, sighing with aggravation. "How can she expect me to mislead anyone?"
As the carriage rolled to a stop in front of the Royal Crescent, Lilyanna took a deep breath, holding it until the footman opened the door for her and helped her exit the carriage.
She tried to calm her raging emotions as she walked up the steps of the Godfreys' home, determining right then to forget her aggravation and enjoy the evening, even if Mr. Quigley proved to have been invited.
Elijah smiled as he watched Lilyanna enter the room, noting how fetching she looked with her blond ringlets fluttering around her neck and temples.
He waited impatiently as Hazel and Isaac welcomed her into their home, and as soon as Lilyanna walked off to one side of the parlor, Elijah strode directly toward her, feeling his heart swell when she smiled up at him.
"Miss Crosgrove," he began with a bow, "it is a pleasure to see you this evening."
"The pleasure is mine, I am sure, Mr. Bainbridge."
"I notice Mrs. Crosgrove is not with you," he said as he looked to the doorway. "Is she arriving later, perhaps?"
"No," Lilyanna said, frown lines appearing on her forehead. "I have already informed Mrs. Godfrey upon my arrival, but my mother is feeling ill and decided to forgo the party this evening."
"What a pity," Elijah replied, though he feared his relieved smile might give away his lack of sincerity.
He watched as Lilyanna glanced distractedly to the floor.
"And how are you feeling, Miss Crosgrove?" he asked, his smile fading.
"I am well," she said with a sigh. "Although, you must forgive me for a moment. I was deep in thought on my way here, and I am afraid my mind is still preoccupied."
"Is there anything I may do to help?"
"I am not sure."
"What about a distraction?"
She nodded. "That may be exactly what I need."
"Wonderful," he said with a smile. "Now, what would you like me to distract you with?"
"Perhaps you could tell me some happy news," she suggested.
"Happy news. Well, I need to think on that for a moment," he said, putting a finger to his lips before his face lit up. "Ah, but I think I have just the thing for you."
He watched as Lilyanna's smile grew.
"However," he added, "I admit my tale does not have much of a happy ending, but I believe you shall enjoy it, nonetheless. Also, you must promise to never speak of it to a single soul."
Lilyanna took a step closer to him. "I promise."
"Very well," Elijah said after he scrutinized her playfully, "I deem you trustworthy. Now, my story begins the day after your dinner party last week. My sister, after hearing your performance, became inspired to try her hand at the pianoforte once more, something I was sure I would never see again."
"Oh, how wonderful," Lilyanna exclaimed.
"Yes, it was nice, at first," Elijah continued. "However, Hazel's rambunctiously-natured hands continuously slipped up, and she soon grew tired of her mistakes. Ultimately, in her apparent frustration with her imperfection, she slammed her fists onto the keys, resulting in more than a few broken strings."
"Oh, no," Lilyanna said, giggling behind her gloved hand.
Elijah could not help but respond with his own laughter. "Indeed. I was not there at the time, but I did hear the ruckus in the next room and immediately went in search for the source. Hazel claimed a book had fallen and caused the damage, however, Mr. Godfrey, who was present in the room, told me later the truth of what had happened."
Lilyanna's lilting laughter thrilled Elijah to the bone.
"Oh, poor Mrs. Godfrey," she said in between laughs.
"On the contrary," Elijah said, "I believe the pianoforte warrants more sympathy than my brutal sister does."
Elijah chuckled to see Lilyanna break out into another fit of giggles. Their laughter continued until they noticed the looks they received from others in the room, and they both took deep breaths to calm down.
"And now you see why my story has such a terrible ending," Elijah said, "for we have yet to fix the wretched instrument, which means we will not have the pleasure of hearing you play this evening."
"Oh, your ending is not as bad as you though
t," Lilyanna said, smiling. "I am sure we will find something to do together to pass the evening way. Will we not, Mr. Bainbridge?"
Elijah lifted his brows and looked down at Lilyanna with a knowing expression. Her pretty blue eyes dawned in recognition, and, to his great pleasure, she blushed a furious red.
"Oh, Mr. Bainbridge," she stuttered, "of course, I did not mean, well, I meant…"
Elijah resisted the urge to stroke her reddened cheeks as he leaned closer to her. "I simply do not know what you are implying, Miss Crosgrove," he said in a quiet voice, "but I am not quite sure it is entirely appropriate."
Lilyanna shook her head. "I promise, Mr. Bainbridge, I was not hinting toward anything, I only meant—"
Her words stopped abruptly when Elijah reached out to hold her hand in his own, moving close enough to her to whisper in her ear.
"Take a breath, Miss Crosgrove," he said softly. "I am only teasing."
Lilyanna had barely managed to do as she was instructed before Elijah was called away by Hazel to welcome the other guests joining the party. Her heart beat furiously, and she feared the sweat from her palms would seep straight through her gloves.
Never had a gentleman been so close to her, even while dancing. She felt chills along her neck where his breath had been only moments before, and she felt her cheeks burn even redder.
She glanced to where Elijah stood greeting the other guests and marveled again at how handsome he was, his thick sideburns lining his handsome jaw, his cravat crisp and clean.
Her gaze moved to the other guests gathered in the parlor, the Copleys being the only couple Lilyanna was in close acquaintanceship with, and relief filled her soul when she realized Mr. Quigley was not in attendance.
When all the guests had arrived and the meal was served, Lilyanna's heart skipped a beat as she discovered she was to be placed between Mrs. Godfrey, who sat at one head of the table, and Elijah, who sat on Lilyanna's other side.
Her joy distracted her so much during the first course, however, that she used the wrong spoon from her place setting, therefore having to have another spoon brought out for her when the next course was presented.
As the meal progressed, she listened so intently to Elijah recounting stories of his youth, she dropped a piece of meat slathered in sauce right onto her lap. The meat rolled across her table napkin and dress, staining both instantly, then landed helplessly on the floor next to her.
She glanced around to ensure her blunder had gone unnoticed and blushed furiously to see Hazel looking in her direction. To Lilyanna's surprise, however, Hazel smiled and handed over her own table napkin for Lilyanna to use, since Lilyanna's would no longer be of any use.
Lilyanna took the napkin, nodding her thanks as Hazel motioned for a footman to remove the meat from the floor.
"I am so sorry," Lilyanna said quietly after wiping away what little she could of the sauce on her lap. "My mother would be appalled with my conduct."
"It is fortunate she is not here then," Hazel said with a smile. "Do not trouble yourself. I have spilt far worse in far grander company."
They exchanged smiles, and Lilyanna felt the knot in her stomach loosen to discover Hazel in a more amiable mood than the last time she saw her.
Before long, the courses ended and the women went through. Lilyanna joined in the conversation as much as she could for the next hour, however, she quickly became distracted with thoughts of when the men would join them.
She eventually moved to a seat next to the fireplace where Mrs. Copley spoke with another woman about a book she had recently read. Lilyanna folded her hands over her stained skirts and halfheartedly listened as she gazed into the fire and recalled how wonderful the meal was with Elijah. Each time they had made eye contact, each time they had spoken with one another, her heart had leapt with pleasure.
She pictured the smile occupying his mouth, and she wondered how it would feel to have his lips pressed against her own.
"Miss Crosgrove?"
Lilyanna jumped to hear Elijah's deep voice right next to her, her daydream having prevented her from noticing his, as well as the other gentlemen's, return to the room.
"Mr. Bainbridge," she said, straightening in her chair. "I did not hear you come in."
"I noticed," Elijah said with a smile. "Now tell me, whatever were you thinking about to have caused such a smile upon your lips?"
Lilyanna blinked as she attempted to rid her mind of the image. "Oh, nothing really," she said.
"Well, if it was nothing, it certainly seemed a happy nothing."
Lilyanna's face turned red, and she could not help but smile. "I daresay, it was a happy nothing."
Before another word could be spoken between them, Lilyanna looked up to see Hazel joining them.
"Why, Miss Crosgrove," she said, "you seem flushed. Are you too warm by the fire?"
Her cheeks burned even brighter. "I suppose I am," she said. "I think I should like to move elsewhere to cool down for a moment."
"Of course," Hazel said. She turned to face the rest of the party and said, "Shall we have a game of drawing profiles, everyone?"
Hazel's suggestion met with various murmurs of excitement and affirmative responses.
"Wonderful," she said, clapping her hands together. "Choose your partners while Mr. Godfrey secures the supplies."
She nodded to Isaac who already approached the butler to make his request.
"Brother," Hazel said, directing her attention to Elijah, "why do you not partner with Miss Crosgrove and take her to the corner of the room farthest from the fire. She will be far cooler there and better in no time."
"Thank you, Mrs. Godfrey," Lilyanna said, following Elijah across the room and trying to hide her giddiness as best she could.
The corner they settled in was far enough away from the rest of the group for Lilyanna's and Elijah's conversation to go unheard, and Lilyanna felt grateful to Hazel for the privacy she had secured them.
Sheets of paper and drawing utensils were divvied out among the group, and the first person in each partnership took his or her turn sitting parallel to the wall. Candles cast shadowed replicas of each profile onto the wall while the other person traced the likeness until switching turns.
"Would you like to draw first, Miss Crosgrove," Elijah asked as he handed Lilyanna a sheet of paper, "or shall I?"
"You may draw first, Mr. Bainbridge."
"Very well," he said, and Lilyanna positioned herself in a chair next to the wall before Elijah placed his paper where her shadow rested. "Only know I do not express humility when I say I draw very poorly."
Lilyanna smiled as she looked straight ahead, pulling her shoulders back to ensure her neck looked long and graceful. "Nonsense, Mr. Bainbridge," she said. "I am sure you draw quite well."
"You shall see."
A comfortable silence arose between them as Elijah traced Lilyanna's profile. However, as the moments passed by and each of the couples in the room switched turns drawing, Elijah remained where he was.
"Almost finished?" she questioned, though her gaze remained forward.
She heard Elijah sigh.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
"Yes," he answered, gruffly, "everything."
Lilyanna laughed. "Is my profile that bad?"
"No," he said. "It is my rendition that lacks perfection, I assure you."
"You have completed your drawing then?"
"I am afraid no matter how long I spend, I will not be able to capture your beauty."
Lilyanna looked to him, sure he was teasing her, but she smiled, blushing to see him gazing still on his paper, seemingly unaware of the flattering remark he had just given her.
"I am sure it looks fine, Mr. Bainbridge" Lilyanna said as she stood to switch him spots. "It is, after all, only a profile."
"I hope you draw better than I, Miss Crosgrove," Elijah said with a frown as he settled in the chair, placing the paper on his lap facedown.
"I do enjoy drawing," Lilyanna co
nfessed as she watched him shift on his chair until he was comfortable, a scowl imminent on his face, "I always have, but I am no expert."
"Do you draw often?" he asked, looking up at her.
"As often as I can manage," she replied with a smile, motioning for him to look forward before beginning her sketch of the dark outline on the wall, choosing not to trace the profile directly.
"I am afraid my mother does not approve of the skill," she continued. "She says I could be doing something more useful in my spare time."
"I think drawing is useful."
Lilyanna looked over to his handsome face. "How so?" she asked before resuming her drawing.
"Well," Elijah began, "if one finds joy in partaking in a wholesome venture, it is useful because the action helps one become happier. And there is nothing wrong with being happy."
Lilyanna stopped drawing to look at Elijah.
"What is it?" he asked as he met her gaze.
She shook her head. "Nothing. I only…well, what you say is true. It makes perfect sense."
"I think so," Elijah said, looking ahead again.
Lilyanna returned her attention to the drawing, wishing she could draw more than the simple sketch of his profile as she glanced sidelong at his handsome face, strong jaw, and brown eyes.
"So, Miss Crosgrove," he continued next to her, "we know your mother does not like you to draw, but what of your father? Does he discourage you, as well, from pursuing the art?"
"Oh, no," Lilyanna responded as she sketched the curves of Elijah's thick, dark hair, "my father has always been one to defend my desire. He always brings home, from whatever country he visits, a new leather-bound book filled with blank paper. Father has me fill the books with drawings and sketches to show him when he visits home."
"And what are your drawings of?"
Lilyanna drew the finishing touches of the profile, pulling her paper from the wall and facing Elijah with her answer.
"Father always requires a few of myself," she said, "and then I include whatever comes to mind. Faces of people I have recently met, activities I have participated in, drawings of Heatherhill, the countryside, wildlife, anything I can conjure. With such a variety of drawings to show Father at each of his visits, it was as if he was there the whole time, as if he, well, as if he did not miss any of my growing up."
When Two Rivers Meet (Regency Romance) Page 8