Page 5 of Lily and the Duke
Yes, exactly what had she meant by that, Lily inwardly chastised herself.
The fact Gabriel Lord had been present and listening during the whole of their discussion of the Spinsters’ Alliance, was embarrassing enough. It would not do for Lily to add to that awkwardness by insulting this very powerful and influential gentleman.
That may be so—Lily knew itwasso!—but, wisely or unwisely, his words had stung, and she refused to cower in the face of his disapproval.
Which, she admitted, might have been easier for her to do if she was not constantly breathing in his tempting scent: a combination of citrus and cedarwood, with an undertone of male musk she realized must be uniquely the duke’s own.
Nor should he be allowed to look so heart-poundingly handsome and distinguished in a fitted black superfine and gray pantaloons. He also wore a gray brocade waistcoat buttoned over a snowy white shirt. There was a diamond pin visible amongst the folds of his perfectly tied neckcloth.
The darkness of his hair was liberally sprinkled with gray, as might be expected of a gentleman aged eight and thirty. But somehow, on this autocratic gentleman, it only succeeded in rendering him even more breathtakingly handsome and distinguished.
Those looks were added to by the intelligence visible in his pale blue eyes. He had sharp cheekbones either side of a long slash of a nose, and Lily knew that his lips, when they were not thinned in disapproval as they were now, had a fullness that hinted at what might, on any other gentleman, have been a sensual nature.
Lily immediately halted her wayward thoughts to again inwardly berate herself for indulging in such flights of fancy.
Gabriel Lord, the Duke of St. Albans, whilst being extremely handsome, gave no indication of having a sensual bone in his body. Indeed, his having remained unmarried since the death of his wife, nor ever taken a mistress amongst the married ladies in Society, implied that he felt no burning need to regularly indulge in the desires of the flesh.
Lily did not know whether to feel happy or sad about that fact.
Happy, because her attraction to this gentleman was so deep, it would actually hurt her to know the identity of any woman who regularly had shared or did share his bed.
Sad, because if the beautiful and accomplished ladies of theton, married or otherwise, had not succeeded in seducing him into a relationship or remarriage, then it meant there was absolutely no possibility of him ever considering someone as young and inexperienced—with a potentially scandalous family—as Lily, to be of any interest.
And the duke, she realized, was still waiting for her answer!
She straightened with purpose. “You should, in all good conscience, have made your presence known to us the moment you realized our discussion was a private one,” she accused rather than answered his question.
“Should I?”
“Yes!” She glared.
“Why?”
“Because— Well, because—”
“Because you did not wish me to hear Chloe describe me as being an angel, immediately followed by the total astonishment of the other five ladies in the room for having heard me described in such glowing terms?” he derided.
Lily felt the burn of embarrassment in her cheeks. “Listeners never hear anything good about themselves.”
“Yet I did. From my daughter, at least,” the duke said dryly. “And young ladies who do not wish their conversations to beoverheard should be more aware of their surroundings and the people within them.”
“I will ensure we do not make that mistake again.” Lily fully intended to do so by making sure the members of the alliance never again met in the home Chloe shared with her father. The very opinionated Duke of St. Albans.
“I do not approve of Chloe being involved with a coven of misandrists.” He did not hesitate to voice that opinion now.
“We are not witches, so we have not formed a coven. We are merely young ladies who are tired of having their needs and desires dismissed as being unimportant to the gentlemen in their lives—if they are considered at all. Of being forced to marrywhom we do not love. Nor do I personally have a dislike of men,” she added with a frown.
St. Albans lifted one eyebrow. “You know the meaning of that word?”
“I know the meaning of many words, Your Grace,” she scorned. “Indeed, my many governesses ensured that I am well versed in literature and politics as well as music, needlework, and the running of a home.”
“The conversation I overheard today between you and your friends implied a lack of respect for men as much as an aversion to marrying any of them.”
Lily inwardly conceded that Georgiana seemed to feel that way, and Lily knew part of the reason for that was the disinterest of her own father, the Earl of Shefford.
But the remainder of her friends simply did not wish to be bullied into marrying someone they did not love. “Then I believeyou misunderstood our conversation,” Lily snapped and then instantly winced as she realized exactly whom she was snappingat.
Not only did she risk making an adversary of the powerful Duke of St. Albans, but he was also known to be a very close friend of the Prince Regent. The one gentleman who might banish her from society altogether if he so chose or was asked to do so by his very close friend. Much as Lily found society tedious on occasion, she would not wish to be completely cut off from it or her friends.
