My Fair Lily (25 page)

***

The ride to Eloise’s was an unexpected torture for Ewan. He’d done the right thing in bringing his cousin along, but hadn’t expected the flood of tears from Meggie and Evangeline the moment the two of them were settled in his carriage. Both girls were shy and sensitive, and though Meggie had overcome her fears recently, this
unexpectedly
poignant family reunion—if one could call it that—had set off her
waterworks. Then Evangeline had started crying.

The only saving grace was that they were crying for... he wasn’t exactly sure what they were crying about, but they seemed pleased to be together and neither one was angry or tossing daggers at him. Progress.

He’d hired his own conveyance for the remainder of their stay in London, preferring to move about London independent of the duke. The old bastard could come and go as he pleased in his own glossy black carriage with the imposing Lotheil crest emblazoned on it.
Ewan was not going to beg the old man for its use. He had no doubt the old man would have denied it to him once he learned Evangeline was to join them. That’s how the bastard operated. Control and
separate. Dominate and scare.

They turned onto Chipping Way and slowed behind the row of carriages stacked up to let their guests off in front of the Dayne townhouse. Lily and her family lived next door. He looked forward to seeing her. She’d be a great help to him in calming the girls. Not
that Lily
was much more than a girl herself, but she had that adorably logical way of dealing with matters. He stifled a grin at the thought of her. It wouldn’t do for Meggie and Evie to realize just how badly he ached for Lily.

The thought of Lily also gave rise to unpleasant thoughts of Callie.
Damn. Callie didn’t like competition, and Lily—whether the little
bluestocking realized it or not—was competition in her eyes. Callie didn’t have Lily’s warmth or kindness. She’d bare her claws and
scratch at Lily’s confidence until only shreds were left.

Ewan ran a hand through his hair, uncertain what to do. He
couldn’t
handle one girl. How was he to handle all four? No, if Callie was there, he’d have to stay close to her to keep her from causing mischief. Afterward, first thing tomorrow, he’d pay a call on Lily and apologize
for
any rudeness on his part or Callie’s. She’d understand once he explained.

“Evie, please stop crying,” Meggie said—she of the torrent of tears flowing down her own cheeks. “Lady Dayne is the loveliest person. You know that, of course. So are the Farthingales. They won’t hold the earlier unpleasantness against you or your brother. Not after Ewan explains the misunderstanding to them. You’ll adore Lily. We both do.”

Evie blew into the handkerchief Ewan had offered her earlier. “Why would she be nice to me? She has every reason to hate me.”

“She isn’t like that,” Ewan found himself saying. “She believes in close family ties and will be pleased we’ve taken steps toward reconciliation.” That’s what made Lily so different from Callie.
Though
beautiful on the outside, Callie wouldn’t hesitate to destroy anyone who got in her way. She was much like his grandfather. Why hadn’t he noticed the similarity before? More troubling, he’d actually
considered offering for her. Had his father not taken ill and died, he might very well be married to her now.

Ewan shuddered.

The thought made his skin crawl. No. Callie was a momentary lapse in his good judgment, a lapse he’d quickly correct, perhaps this evening if the opportunity presented itself. Having met Lily, he now understood the qualities to look for in a wife. He wanted a
Highlands girl with all of Lily’s good qualities.

In truth, he wanted Lily.

But marriage to the little bluestocking wouldn’t work, though
for entirely different reasons. They’d suit in bed. Lily was passionate about everything. She’d respond exquisitely to his guiding touch. However, as much as her passion would work for them in bed—Lord, he ached to get her naked under him—it would work against them in every other aspect of their marriage. She couldn’t be happy in Scotland, so far away from her beloved family. So far away from her beloved
halls of science.

Seeing Lily sad—knowing he was the cause of it—would destroy him.

Yet, not to see her. Not to hold her in his arms. That felt wrong, too.

Ewan helped his sister and Evangeline down from the carriage
and escorted them into Eloise’s home, relieved as they were quickly announced and now free to mingle. Eloise’s townhouse was filled with well-dressed lords and ladies. Music wafted through the
crowded salons, and butlers eased through the sea of bodies, silver trays laden with glasses of champagne held out in front of them. Ewan grabbed a glass for each girl. He didn’t bother taking one for himself. He had other things on his mind.

His first thought was to find Lily. Where was she? He’d escorted Meggie and Evie from room to room—Farthingales everywhere—but no Lily. He finally spied Lily’s twin standing beside the French doors leading out onto Eloise’s terrace. He frowned. She was
wearing spectacles, which meant she was trying to cover up Lily’s absence.

Since his sister and Evie were engaged in conversation with other guests who seemed quite friendly, Ewan left their side and made his way toward Dillie. “Where is she?” he asked, more annoyed with himself for the disappointment he felt at Lily’s
absence.

“Home. She didn’t wish to see you.”

He arched an eyebrow in surprise. It was one thing for him to decide not to see Lily, which was not at all what he’d decided. He’d merely decided not to marry her. Quite another thing for
her
to
decide not to see
him
. “Why not?”

Dillie frowned at him. “I’m not at liberty to tell you. However, if you gave it a moment’s thought, you might figure it out on your own.”

Bollix. He would never understand women. “Have I done something to offend her?” He glanced at Evangeline, wondering
whether bringing
his cousin to Eloise’s gathering had displeased her. Not that he
would blame Lily for resenting Evangeline. She and her brother hadn’t been nice to her.

“It isn’t about Evangeline,” Dillie said, following his gaze and understanding the path of his thoughts. “She’ll be pleased when I
tell her that you escorted her to the party. She was hoping you’d reconcile. How is it going?”

“It’s a first step.” If that wasn’t the cause of Lily’s
disappointment, then what was? “Will you give me a clue?”

“No. I’m sworn to twin secrecy.”

“Then I’ll have to get it out of her, won’t I?”

She shot him a grin. “I was hoping you would. Do you plan to confront her now?”

He nodded. “It’s as good a time as any.”

“I suggest you make your way through the garden to avoid the
crowd. Hop over the brick wall. That’s what we often do. Lily’s
likely to be in the parlor playing marbles with Charles and Harry. Our butler, Pruitt, will let you in. He likes you.”

Ewan arched an eyebrow in surprise. “He doesn’t know me that well.”

“You’ve come to our home once or twice. Anyway, Lily’s told him all about you. Though I’m still sworn to secrecy, I can say that
Pruitt likes what he’s heard about you.”

Great, just what he needed. A snooping butler.

He slipped out of the salon, into the garden, and over the wall with ease. He landed in the Farthingale’s side garden and
immediately
realized their parlor overlooked it. Conveniently, there were two large windows dominating the room. It would have been easy to creep to one of those windows and peer in, but he didn’t wish to
frighten the children if they were still playing in there.

Instead, he avoided the windows and went around to the front. He didn’t have long to wait before Pruitt opened the door to let him
in.

The thin, gray-haired man with kindly eyes cracked the tiniest smile, so small one might not have noticed it unless carefully watching. “You’ve caused quite a stir, m’lord. Miss Lily’s in the
parlor. Tread carefully,” he said, and Ewan wasn’t certain if the warning was for the marbles likely littering the floor, or for Lily’s heart.

Probably both.

The sconces were brightly lit, allowing him to easily make out the contents of the elegant room. Blue silk fabric covered the chairs and settees that stood upon a carpet of Oriental design. Blue silk
drapes were drawn back to frame the windows. The soft blue matched the color of Lily’s eyes.

At first he saw no one, but then noticed Lily’s dark curls bobbing just above the back support of the settee that faced the large fireplace. He heard her sweet voice as she read a story to her young cousins, just finishing it as he entered. “Lily,” he said quietly, not
wishing to disturb her or the boys who were nestled beside her and appeared to have fallen asleep on her lap.

She gasped, and then gently shifted the boys so she could rise to face him. “What are you doing here? You startled me.” She wore a casual, tea rose gown and her hair was loosely drawn back with a
matching ribbon
of tea rose velvet. Her dark hair fell below her waist and the ends curled becomingly about her slender hips. She wasn’t wearing her
spectacles since her twin had them.

His breath caught at the sparkling beauty of her blue eyes. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to.”

She glanced toward the windows. “Was that you I saw watching me from the garden earlier? Why didn’t you come in sooner? You
startled me,” she repeated, as though she had been quite spooked by a face in the window. Except he hadn’t gone close to the window.
His shadow must have swept across it.

“Sorry, lass. Truly, it wasn’t my intent to frighten you. Your sister suggested I hop over the wall, so I did.”

She frowned. “What else did she say?”

“Nothing. You’ve sworn her to that sacred, double secret oath that applies between twins, though I don’t know what secret is so important that it must be kept from me. Have I offended you in any way?”

“No. You’ve been wonderful.” She forced a smile, and his heart
tightened at the pain so obviously reflected in her eyes. “You look wonderful, too. Quite fashionable in your very proper evening clothes.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Every bit the London dandy.”

“Not at all.” She moved a little closer. “The black jacket
emphasizes your broad shoulders, and the cut of it perfectly tapers at your waist. You’ve cut your hair and shaved off your beard, but you still have the bold look of a Highlander. Stubborn. Defiant. Proud.”

“Stubborn to a fault,” he admitted.

She glanced at the angelic, sleeping boys before turning back to him. “We all have a little bit of that in my family. Stubborn, impulsive, and a host of other faults, but none so terrible as to cause any serious rift among our loved ones. I had better take the boys
upstairs to bed. Well, thank you for stopping by. I’m sure you’ll be missed at the party. Simply everyone is bound to be there.”

“I won’t be dismissed quite that easily, lass. Besides, you can’t
carry them up on your own. Where are their nannies?”

“Two quit this morning. It happens fairly often in this upside-
down household. Only one remains, though we’ll hire more
tomorrow. In the meantime, the lone surviving nanny is exhausted and roundly snoring in her bed. I don’t have the heart to wake her.”

He made up the remaining distance between them. “I’ll take the boys.” He lifted the oldest child into his arms first, settled him over one shoulder, and then scooped up little Harry in his free arm and
rested his pink-cheeked face on his other shoulder. They were so
small and trusting, not even stirring as he picked them up. Harry’s pudgy
fingers curled on the lapel of his evening jacket, and though he
merely tugged at the lapel, Ewan also felt a sweet tug at his heart.

This is how it could be with his own children. Someday. “Where
to?”

She cast him the softest smile, but the pain reflected in her eyes seemed to intensify. “Three flights up. Can you manage?”

“They weigh no more than feathers. Show me the way.”

Lily walked ahead of him, her hips lightly swaying as she
climbed the stairs. He liked the view, but her tense silence bothered him. She
wasn’t angry, but he sensed that she was deeply hurt and
determined to hide it. What had he done to cause her this anguish?

He deposited the boys in their beds, his gaze lingering on Lily as
she tucked them in and kissed each on the forehead. “Love you,” she whispered.

The girl had so much love inside her. She’d make a wonderful mother someday, tender and protective of her children. He wanted
her to whisper those words to him—
love you
—but he knew it would raise a host of other problems. He’d be leaving England in two months. Why start something that could only end badly? She’d be
miserable in the Highlands, so far away from her family.

As soon as the boys were settled, Lily hurried out of the room ahead of him. He stopped her halfway down the first flight of stairs. Obviously wary of him, she edged back against the wall. Her breaths
were uneven and he noticed the slight heave of her perfect breasts with each intake of air. Her gaze remained on him, questioning his
reason for being here. Questioning his reason for stopping her on the steps. Questioning the hunger in his eyes.