Page 3 of Lily and the Duke
Her feelings for St. Albans and the secret of her sister’s elopement were enough for her to know she would never marry. She believed it would be unfair to any gentleman to do so. Not just because of the scandal of her sister’s elopement and marriage to a penniless Frenchman, but because she knew herself to be completely in love with the unattainable Gabriel Lord, the Duke of St. Albans.
“Oh, dear me.” A flustered Chloe suddenly jumped to her feet as the longcase clock in the hallway began to strike the hour of three. “Forgive me, ladies, but I must leave immediately. Papa wishes me to have a new gown made for my birthday in three weeks’ time, and I have finally managed to acquire an appointment today with my seamstress to discuss designs and the color. It is in only ten minutes’ time.”
“I am sure she will wait for you,” Georgiana dismissed in deference to the Duke of St. Albans’s importance in Society.
“I am sure she will not,” Chloe scoffed. “Mrs. Ashton has become very much the rage this Season, so much so that it has takenuntil now for me to even secure this appointment to speak with her.”
“Then you must go now,” Lily encouraged with a wistful smile. There was no money for new dresses for her this Season.
Indeed, she and her mama had been busy all winter reworking and refreshing the designs of the half dozen gowns Lily had worn the previous Season, as well as some of her mother’s that could be suitably adjusted to her slighter figure and this year’s fashion.
“I must leave too.” Georgiana offered no further reason as to her actions, as was usually her way, when she rose to her feet.
“We are both scheduled to have afternoon tea with our maternal grandmother.” Juliet made the excuse for herself and her cousin, Amanda.
Their very rich and widowed maternal grandmother, Lily knew. Which was why Juliet’s and Amanda’s mothers, being the two daughters of the wealthy lady, often arranged for their own daughters to spend time with the elderly grandmother. No doubt in the hope she would bestow money to them upon her death.
Rose also stood. “I had not realized it was so late.”
“Would you care to accompany me in my carriage as far as my seamstress?” Chloe invited. “It is but a short walk from there to Appleby House.”
None of the other ladies made comment on this suggestion. Mainly because they all knew, although it was not discussed, that the Applebys were even more seriously strapped for money than Lily’s father was. As such, they did not have enough wealth to own a second carriage.
A lack of funds, which was no doubt the reason, now that Lily thought on it, that Rose’s parents were so insistent upon her upholding the agreement for her to become the wife of the wealthy Earl of Kingswood upon her nineteenth birthday at the end of this summer.
It was a pity that Lily’s own parents had not had the foresight to arrange such an advantageous marriage for her. Knowing she was engaged to someone else, Lily would have focused her attentions upon her fiancé rather than fallen hopelessly in love with the unattainable and haughty Duke of St. Albans the moment she set eyes upon him. A fiancé who, it might be hoped, would have also overlooked her sister’s scandalous elopement.
“Could you see yourself out, Lily?” Chloe gave an apologetic smile once there was only her, Rose, and Lily remaining in the room. “I really dare not be late for Mrs. Ashton.”
“Of course. I will see you all again this evening, in any case, at Lord and Lady Chelsea’s ball.” Being left alone for a while would also allow her, for a few minutes at least, to peruse the books in the St. Albans library.
But as she tidied up the sheets of paper containing the notes she had taken of their meeting, she became aware of a rustle of movement from the other end of the library.
A mouse, perhaps?
It was not unheard of for some of the vermin to enter even the most prestigious and well-maintained London houses.
Or possibly it was the black cat that Chloe adored, searching for the mouse?
Lily was not afraid, in either case—
Her thoughts came to an abrupt halt, her mouth suddenly dry, her lips falling open, and her heart seeming to cease beating altogether, as a tall and imposing gentleman unbent his powerful frame from the wingback armchair facing the unlit fireplace at the opposite end of the library.
The imposing figure of none other than the fourteenthDuke of St. Albans.
CHAPTER TWO
Gabriel was easily able to discern the complete shock, followed by an expression of wariness, on the face of Lady Lily Tremayne. A young lady whom he knew to be a close friend of his daughter, Chloe.
He had not realized quitehowclose until he overheard the reason for six young ladies having decided to hold a meeting today in his library.
Upon hearing that reason, he had initially been too taken aback to even think of making them aware of his presence. Then, once the conversation began, he had been too intrigued as those young ladies began to thrash out the rules—excuse him,guidelines—for this new association they had formed.
It was his secretary Jacobson’s day off, and Gabriel had fully intended to take advantage of the younger man’s absence to enjoy a leisurely morning at home before lunching at his club with his friend, Hellsmere.
Jacobson’s position as Gabriel’s secretary required he live at St. Albans House. But that young man had announced this morningthat he intended to spend the day with friends and would return later this evening.
Gabriel suspected one of those “friends” was actually a young lady, but he preferred not to intrude by asking. Jacobson was an employee, not an acquaintance.
