by Heather Boyd
"He wanted to dress me," Lilly blurted, still confused by Giles’ abrupt departure.
The housekeeper’s eyebrows shot up, and then she smoothed her expression to show nothing but mild interest. "Well, let's see what he has laid out for you."
Lilly stood and handed the shift and stockings to the housekeeper. With Mrs. Osprey’s help, Lilly donned the unfamiliar clothing, skin itching as the layers covered her body.
When the last button slipped closed, Mrs. Osprey let her look at her reflection in a tall mirror. A tiny woman gazed back, hair a tangled mess about her face. While she bit her lip, Mrs. Osprey gathered her hair and smoothed the strands back behind her head in a tight knot.
"I look like my mother."
No sooner had the words passed her lips than Lilly wanted to call them back. She resembled her mother very closely, and the tight hairstyle only heightened the similarities.
Mrs. Osprey let her hair fall. "I think a softer style would suit you better, and be more comfortable. Come sit at the dresser and let me see what I can do."
Lilly sat gingerly on the low stool but couldn’t watch Mrs. Osprey. While the housekeeper tugged and pinned, Lilly thought of Giles. Would he still be pleased to see her if she resembled her mother?
Lady Winter was very beautiful, starkly elegant, and a sought-after companion. She also boasted a loyal band of male admirers who enjoyed her tart tongue as she flailed at the less admired ladies of the ton.
Laughing at some poor creature's expense had never appealed to Lilly. But her mother managed to get away with her slights, and all because of her beauty. Lilly didn’t want to be like her.
Mrs. Osprey laid a hand upon her shoulder. "There now. The master couldn’t help but be pleased."
Lilly looked up at a stylish young woman, wispy hair allowed to escape the twisted knot on the back of her head and softening the sharp ridges of cheek and chin. Lilly smiled. Mrs. Osprey had managed to mute her resemblance to her mother, giving her softness where her mother had none.
Just to be sure that she wasn’t imagining her improved appearance, Lilly pinched her own skin. "I . . ."
Lilly couldn’t find the words to express her gratitude. The housekeeper turned away, collecting Lilly's nightgown so she might have a chance to collect herself.
"Thank you, Mrs. Osprey. I don’t believe I've ever looked so well."
Mrs. Osprey beamed. "Nonsense. You were a very pretty girl. Your mama just never let anyone see you."
Lilly smiled, but then a flash of a memory burst into her mind. A younger Mrs. Osprey, twining ribbons through her hair, chuckling at Lilly’s insistence she be her personal maid. The image contained the sharp pain of emotion.
Lilly had been as happy then as she was now. The young girl had been excited to be at her future home, whereas Lilly, at her present age, looked forward to nothing because that future would never be.
~ * ~
Women always seemed to take some time dressing, so Giles was not surprised that, after all he had done outside, he still had to wait a few minutes. The time gave him a chance to consider if he had been at all excessive in his dealings with Lilly.
He did not want her to think he was courting her, but was unable to bear seeing her unhappy, disappointed face. An altogether startling revelation, and one he would take great pains to hide.
Giles dragged his mind away from Lilly, toying with the idea of adding another garden to the north of the house until the door opened behind his back.
Lilly was stunning. Lemon muslin suited her perfectly. The dress was just a little long and trailed on the floor at her feet, but the bodice molded over her breasts like a glove. If he could just have his hands inside those gloves, he would be a perfectly happy man.
She smiled shyly at him and Giles walked forward to better view Mrs. Osprey’s handiwork. Disappointment flashed through him as he saw that her hair had been pinned and pulled back into an elegant knot with dark tortoise shell combs attempting to hold back most of the stray wisps.
He let his gaze dip to the creamy expanse of shoulder and chest that was now exposed to his gaze and could not hold back the devilish thoughts that occurred to him. It was a shame that those same thoughts flowed straight across his face.
Mrs. Osprey scowled at him and slipped a soft shawl around Lilly’s shoulders that reduced, but did not completely hide, his view. He was glad he had not chosen a sturdier, and consequently more prudish, gown. The view was spectacular. His sister would never look as well in it.
Giles held out his arm, quite prepared to escort Lilly anywhere. After a moment’s hesitation, she placed her hand on his.
A muffled sob escaped Mrs. Osprey. When Giles flicked his eyes in her direction, he found the housekeeper’s face tear-stained but smiling. Happy tears were the one thing about women he had never completely understood. Why cry when something nice happens?
He led Lilly to the top of the stairs, swept her up into his arms, and carried her down, feeling her skirts tangle between his legs in an innocent provocation.
He was hardening by the time he reached the bottom step. To hide his reaction from any gawking servants, Giles carried Lilly through the drawing room and exited out into the sunshine.
Just as he had arranged, the chaise lounge was well-stocked with pillows for Lilly's comfort and a tea tray, filled to overflowing, had been set beside it.
He lowered Lilly, shifted pillows behind her back, and handed her a plate of food. Then he poured a cup of tea and sat himself in an adjacent chair, sprawling out to relax and enjoy the view with her. This was more like it—peace, contentment, and a pretty woman by his side.
A few minutes later, Giles heard a muffled sniff and he lazily turned his eyes to Lilly. Tears flowed down her cheeks.
Lilly's teacup rattled and he quickly took it from her fingers. He reached into his inner jacket pocket for a handkerchief and brushed her tears away. The way she gazed at him at him with such profound trust made his heartbeat quicken.
Giles cleared his throat. “You look beautiful sitting there like that. If I could paint, I don’t believe I could capture just how radiant you look today, Lilly. I doubt that anyone could.”
Once she seemed calmer, he returned her tea. With his hands braced on his knees, he let his gaze trail over her shining silver-white hair, over blushing cheeks, and dip into her creamy white décolleté. Even teary-eyed, she was a vision of soft, feminine beauty and, to his considerable alarm, he wanted to keep her all to himself.
Friends would laugh him all the way out of London if word ever leaked out how he was behaving. But honestly, he couldn’t seem to help himself. Giles had never met a woman who intruded on his thoughts the way Lilly did. Her smile was addictive.
On the desk in his study, a large bundle of correspondence awaited his reply. Invitations to parties, letters of information on investment opportunities, and a growing pile of heavily scented letters from past and hopeful lovers. They all clamored for his attention, but he hadn’t the slightest desire to answer any of them.
Dithers hurried out onto the patio with a silver salver and a single letter on the top. Giles glanced at it and recognized Lord Ettington’s personal seal. As he tore it open, he noticed that Lilly basked in the sun’s light, her face turned up and a gentle smile playing over her enticingly kissable lips.
Giles shifted in his chair to make room in his trousers, and then scanned the note. “The Marquess of Ettington and his wife are expecting a child, Lilly. Jack is beside himself, and is holding a house party at his estate over Christmas. According to this, I’m to attend without argument. Anyone would think Ettington was the first man to find himself in this position. I wonder how Pixie bears him.”
An unconscious shudder shook him at the domesticated tone of Jack’s letter. Marriage had changed the coldest man in London into nothing more than a lap dog.
“Pixie? Oh, do you mean Lady Ettington? She's a tiny, dark-haired woman, isn’t she?” At Giles’ nod, Lilly smiled. “I believe I saw her
in London. Lord Ettington was hardly able to keep his eyes away from her. I could see him watching from across the ballroom floor. He seemed very intense.”
Lilly might have limited experience in society, but she clearly had been about on the most important evenings. And he enjoyed hearing her talk. “When was this?”
Lilly’s face scrunched as she concentrated, but after a moment, she shook her head. “I can’t remember, exactly. You were there, I think, beside Lady Ettington. Some memories are very confused.”
She looked away suddenly, her face blushing furiously. The unspoken sentiment behind the blush hinted that some memories weren’t quite so forgettable. Instead of being ashamed, he was glad she remembered him so clearly.
“Was Lady Ettington on my arm?”
Lilly nodded. The past was a tricky business to discuss between them. In all of the times that Lilly had seen him, he had been wrapped around a woman or inside one. How exactly did a woman of Lilly’s inexperience deal with that kind of memory?
“That might have been the occasion when I tricked my stuffy friend into acting with a bit of uncharacteristic wickedness. And my first attempt at matchmaking, by the way. Given that everyone else paired them together, it was inevitable the marriage had happened so quickly. The announcement the night after they married was the most enjoyment I have had in Town for quite some time.”
“Surely not the most enjoyment, Giles?” she retorted and then clamped her hand over her mouth.
He would guess that Lilly had just attempted to tease him about his habit of public dalliance. He laughed. “No, not the most enjoyment, naturally. There were all the times I was able to see you.”
Giles watched her skin blush fiery red, and called a halt to their flirting. It would not do to tire her too greatly, and he was truly trying very hard to remain her friend. Discussing his behavior in London was bound to touch on his wicked behavior here. He didn’t need the slightest encouragement. Despite spending considerable time on the subject, he hadn’t managed to come up with a valid excuse for ignoring every rule of society.
Once the tea had grown too cold to be pleasant, he still needed the barrier of her long skirts to hide his aroused state. He picked Lilly up, blanket and all. Walking though the manor with bulging trousers would be hard to hide otherwise. Tucked securely against his chest, arms wrapped tightly around his neck, Lilly sighed and he had to stop himself from backing her into the nearest wall and completing their nighttime adventures.
Chapter Eleven
AFTER GLANCING UP at the ceiling for the fourth time in as many minutes, Giles made a startling self-discovery. He did not enjoy being alone. After years of solitary living, he needed conversation.
The thought surprised him. Dining alone had never bothered him before. Before Lilly came to stay, that was, and turned his ability to think rationally completely upside-down.
He dropped his feet to the floor in disgust and stalked to the window. Lilly was taking her afternoon rest and he didn’t know what to do with himself. Ridiculous.
The quiet of Cottingstone had always comforted, but Giles found himself enjoying the long moments he spent in Lilly’s company. He found her a curious little creature, and she had begun asking him questions about society. Not one inquiry was shockingly improper, but in their society, one poorly worded comment could tarnish her reputation.
Imagining Lilly in London, dressed and spinning about a ballroom, set his teeth on edge. He shuddered at what the ton tabbies would do to such a delicate, uninformed creature. Society would chew her up and spit her out in minutes.
They would give Lilly little concession for failing to live up to their expectations, despite having spent the last six years in agony. They would drive her back into her room if she were not better prepared.
And Giles would be damned if he would let Lord Winter return, find her health improved, and then pack her off to some remote estate. She deserved a better life than moldering in Wales.
Giles looked down at his clenched fists. He made his hands relax, but the unease stirred over Lilly remained. She deserved a full life after all she'd endured.
Making a quick decision, Giles sat at his desk to pen an invitation, asking Lilly to join him for dinner at seven. That would give Mrs. Osprey time to attend to her other duties, without rushing Lilly's toilette. He also gave her leave to help herself to anything she might require from his sister’s bedchamber.
Katarina would be incensed when she eventually learned, but she was not here to complain right now. Besides, this was Giles’ home. He considered everything in it his.
Sealing the missive with festive red wax, he rang for Dithers. “See that this is delivered as soon as Miss Winter wakes.”
Lilly would probably enjoy the experience of receiving mail on the little silver tray. He was not sure if she received letters, or even wrote them herself. She had received none during her stay.
“I believe she is awake now, milord.” Dithers picked up the missive, but Giles couldn’t miss the half-smile that played at the corner of his servant’s mouth.
“Well, see that she receives it, and that she has suitable materials to write a reply. I believe there is a writing box in my sister’s chamber.”
“Of course, milord. I should have thought of it sooner. Is there anything else you would like delivered?”
Giles shook his head. Dithers was becoming entirely too transparent in his liking for Lilly. The grin Dithers wore was far too telling, but the man turned on his heel and left Giles alone without another word.
Giles forced himself to read his mail while he waited, struggling with a strange impatience until Dithers returned with her acceptance, and then he went in search of cook.
As he was speaking to cook, Lilly’s reply drew his attention. He looked at the note in his hand. Why the devil was he still holding the darn thing? He tucked it into his inner jacket pocket, close to his heart. Giles rolled his eyes at his own thoughts.
Cook readily agreed to his requirements: an intimate dinner for two and a sumptuous feast including all his favorite dishes. They settled on hare soup, roast duck with onion sauce, and vegetables. Dessert would be Lemon Syllabub.
He hoped she liked his choices. He had kept the menu simple since she still ate like a sparrow. He did not have any idea what her preference for food might be, but he was on a mission to smooth out her sharp curves. Curves that tormented him the moment he left her side.
Mrs. Osprey informed him with a mysterious smile that Lilly was waiting for him in the drawing room. His lady was early. Shock at his own thoughts spurred him to his feet. Lilly was not his lady, and he was a fool to think so. He was simply her temporary protector – nothing more.
Lilly strolled the drawing room, fingertips running over the ornaments cluttering up the space. Tonight, she wore a gold evening gown with her hair curled into a loose knot at the back of her head. Stunning. Long ringlets cascaded over her shoulders, and a thin gold chain hung about her neck, falling into the valley between her breasts.
He gulped back an appreciative comment on her attributes that would shock her, and sternly reminded himself to behave like a gentleman. “My dear, you take my breath away.”
“Thank you for the compliment, my lord, and the gracious invitation.”
Giles bowed formally over her hand. When he raised his eyes to hers, he found her holding back a grin. He held out his arm and they proceeded into dinner at a stately pace, but Giles wished he could settle his arm around her waist instead.
Lilly’s eyes lit up at the candlelit chamber. “Oh, you’ve gone to so much trouble.”
“It’s no trouble. I dine like this all the time.”
But that was a lie. He might dine elegantly in London, but not here at Cottingstone. His staff had exceeded his requirements. Along the walls, his servants were dressed formally for the occasion. Davis Senior pulled back Lilly’s chair, but Giles waved him away and seated her himself, admiring the curve of her neck and the trail of blonde locks down Lilly
’s back. Moving away proved difficult.
When the servants ladled out the first course, Lilly’s hands twisted in her lap. She stared at the silverware before her. Giles suddenly had the insight that she had not sat down to dine formally as an adult often, if ever. Another near blunder on his part, but one he could help correct.
As the servants stepped back, Giles tapped absently at the correct implement. “I think the workmen should be finished soon, and then we will have peace here again.”
Lilly’s eyes flickered downward to his tapping finger, and then back at his face. “I hadn’t noticed they were particularly distracting.”
Giles picked up his spoon, twisting it in his fingers, fully aware that Lilly watched his actions closely. He spooned up a lady-sized portion and tasted slowly in the manner preferred by those of society.
“It’s been frightfully disturbing to have so much noise about the place. I can hardly get my rest.”
Lilly spooned up her first taste and Giles watched her tongue swipe her top lip with interest. “Do you have much to recover from?”
“The season has been a touch wearing.”
By example, Giles helped her through the various courses of the meal without a word spoken on the subject. When the dessert course arrived, Lilly appeared more relaxed at the table and asked questions about the current events in London. It was surprising, but she knew of a great number of the highest members of London society already.
“Papa has always tried to keep me aware of the important members of the ton, even if I have not had the opportunity to meet them. He could hardly invite them to take tea in my sick room, after all.” She took a mouthful of the syllabub and closed her eyes in apparent pleasure. Giles tried not to laugh at her expression.
A flick of his hand dismissed the servants. “How has he managed to keep you undetected for so long? I assume you have been prowling about in nothing but your nightgown and cloak, given the state of your wardrobe.”
Lilly grinned. “If a ball was held in the home we were staying in, he would bring me to a secluded spot to watch people and pointed out those I needed to know.”