“I will take milady now, Your Grace. It is a good thing this is Lady Lilliana’s home and not someone else’s. Come along, milady. I’ve got you.” The maid grabbed a second quilt off the arm of the closest chair and wrapped Lilli up tighter in it. Then with a haughty sniff, she led a shivering Lilli toward the door. Before she walked through the hallway, she cried out, “Avert your eyes. Avert your eyes. Her ladyship is coming through.”
After her hot bath and warm clothes, Lilli made her way to the drawing room where her grandmother enjoyed her paper and books in the mornings and her knitting and conversation during the afternoon. Lilli enjoyed the morning room, but it was too late in the day to enjoy the sun from that vantage point. The drawing room tended to be much less cheerful until midafternoon when the sun found its way to that side of the house.
When she entered the room, the first person she laid her eyes on was her grandmother and the second person was the duke, who stood immediately upon her entry.
He walked toward her, giving her an appraising look as he drew closer. “How are you feeling? Are you warm? Feeling any ill effects from the morning’s events?”
“Yes, my dear, are you well? His Grace wouldn’t go home until he had proof of your recovery from the morning’s unpleasantries.”
Lilli walked over to Lady St. Matthews and kissed her cheek. “I am well. Thank you for your help earlier,” she said to Oliver without meeting his gaze. She felt her cheeks grow warm.
“My dear Lady, have a seat. You are flushed. Do you have a fever?” He grabbed the throw her grandmother had knitted years ago and, after leading her to the sofa, he covered her lap.
“I’m quite well, Your Grace. Truly.” How should she deal with this man that seems to be oversolicitous? And who caused her belly to riot and her center to sparkle.
There was an awkward silence that Lady St. Matthews broke by shuffling to stand. “Help me up, Lauren. I would like to go to my room. Or better yet, take me to the conservatory. I’ve not admired the flowers for a while.”
“Grandmother, I can take you,” offered Lilli.
“No, you should rest today. You had a trying morning.”
“But I feel well.”
“Good. Let’s hope that continues. Tea should be here soon.”
Lilli watched her grandmother leave and turned back to find she was looking directly at the Duke. “Sir, I thank you for your help and staying to see there are no ill effects but as you observe, I am well. Please, don’t let me take up any more of your time.”
“You are entirely recovered?”
“Yes, entirely.”
“In that case,” he began with deceptive calmness, “pray tell me what you were thinking, to be caught so far away from the manor with a rain cloud coming in?”
By the end of the question, the kind tone was gone, and she heard the irritation in his voice. It was clear he was agitated with her. Her bottom clenched at the tone. She felt chastised and immediately resented his ability to make her feel that way. Yet, it gave her belly a warmth to wrap its nervousness in. Why were her body and mind so disjointed and disorderly when she was around this man?
“What? I can assure you I did not do that deliberately. Had I known, I would have been safely inside.” She stood abruptly and felt a slight dizziness.
“Sit.”
“I will not.”
But the dizziness returned, and she grabbed the sofa arm. She sat and glared at Oliver, daring him to make mention of it. He wisely did not, but he did appear concerned. Odd, he didn’t really know her.
His tone had tempered. “And how would you have not known? The rain had been obviously coming in for the better part of an hour. I had arrived to discuss some things with your grandmother and decided to hold my departure because the signs were clear a downpour was imminent.”
“I had other things on my mind.”
His voice took on a distinctively concerned quality. “What things were so important and distracting that you missed the considerable darkening of the sky, the breeze increasing, and the distance you had traveled?”
“I have many things that I must consider. I am tasked with overseeing this estate, my grandmother’s health, the village, the inner workings of the household, at times, comes under my purview as well. Never mind keeping up some semblance of social connections. Now I may be called upon to deal with you in my future and the upturning of my whole existence. I daresayI am constantly overrun with distraction,Your Grace.” Her frustration turned to tears, that she angrily dashed away.
“It is too much to put on you. Will you allow me to help? For instance, the village’s wellbeing is my concern, surely, as the current duke in residence.”
“Help? What have you that I do not? What thing do you possess that would put me in a better position than I already experience? I visit the village often and offer whatever I can to make life easier to those in need.” She immediately threw her hand up to stop his words. “No, do not answer that question, for I do not want to know your response.”
“My darling Lady Lilliana, there is a great deal of things I can do but I will not voice them now. Suffice to say I am at your disposal. And without further expounding, I would tell you that I will increase my attendance to the poor in the village so that our joint efforts will make more of an impact.”
“They will appreciate your efforts, I am sure, until you aren’t interested any longer. In my experience, men do not have staying power when life gets tough. No thank you, Your Grace. I will continue as I have done. I’m more tired than I first knew from my unfortunate accident. I think it is time to take your leave, Sir.”
