“Not long ago.”
“I see. And what name did he go by?”
“Beg pardon, milord?”
Lilli whispered as though on stage, “It’s Your Grace. He is a duke.”
The man hesitated for the first time. “Apologies, Your Grace. What name? Why, Edmund. Lord Edmund."
” I see. And where does he live?”
“Nowhere that I know, Your Grace. He just wanders in every month or two and fills his supplies. He isn’t fine like the two of you are.”
“How long has he been coming into the village?”
“Oh, long as I have had this shop, at least. That were fifteen years ago.”
Lilli deflated. “Oh. That is too long to be my father. Thank you for your kindness, sir.”
Oliver grunted and tossed the shopkeeper a tarnished silver coin that glinted briefly in the late afternoon sunlight. “Thank you, sir. You have been most helpful. I bid you a good day.”
With a firm grip that brooked no argument, Oliver seized the worn leather halter of Lilli’s chestnut mare. His jaw clenched as he led her horse away from the dusty shop front, the cobblestones uneven beneath their feet.
“Lilliana, that was utterly unacceptable,” he said, his deep voice carrying a note of restrained anger.
Her delicate chin lifted defiantly, green eyes flashing like emeralds. “What, going back to ask about my father? I don’t think so since I am here just for that reason. It doesn’t matter now, surely. I have not found him, and it is likely he is dead or long gone from England.”
Oliver’s heart constricted painfully in his chest as he gazed at his darling’s flushed cheeks and trembling lower lip, but he hardened himself against her distress. He would not tolerate such willful disobedience, or he would never keep her within the confines of societal expectations—hell, his own expectations, which were far less stringent than most.
“I understand your devastation,” he said, voice softening slightly as he guided her through the narrow, winding street, “but going off on your own is unacceptable for your reputation at the very least, deadly at the worst, with plenty of perilous ground in between. You are done now. We are going home. But first,” his voice dropped to a husky whisper that only she could hear, “I am putting your naughty, disobedient self over my eager lap to smack some sense into you.”
Her porcelain skin blanched. “You will not!”
Oliver laughed, the sound rich and confident in the cool air. “I absolutely am. The grace you are receiving from me is that I am not spanking you right here in the streets of the village as I would like.”
“You wouldn’t dare!” Her voice quavered despite her bold words. “I shall not speak to you until you have shown yourself sensible.”
Oliver continued to smile, watching the way her riding habit clung to her slender form as she attempted to maintain her dignity. His Little darling was showing herself again. For a woman who was extremely responsible within the confines of her home, she was definitely not that away from it—in his company, anyway. Perhaps she felt comfortable enough with him to let loose her inhibitions.Regardless, that woman is going to get what she has been begging for since I became acquainted with her.
True to her word, Lilli remained silent as Oliver escorted her up the creaking wooden stairs to their small room at the inn. Thekey turned in the lock with a decisive click. “It is time for you to answer for your actions, little one.”
Her eyes widened, pupils dilating with fear. “I will scream.”
“Then I shall go down to the innkeeper and explain that you have been disobedient.” He stepped closer, the scent of her lavender perfume filling his senses. “Any screaming will be because you are getting your arse well and truly smacked.”
The horror that washed over her lovely face, draining the last bit of color from her cheeks, was all the reaction Oliver could have hoped for. “Please, Oliver,” she whispered, her voice barely audible as she twisted her gloved hands together, “you cannot. I shall be mortified.”
He reached out to stroke her flushed cheek with his thumb. “Then you will take your correction like a lady who knows she has done wrong and has earned the smacks. And you will call me Daddy during the punishment.”
Chapter Eight
Call him Daddy? Why did that make her insides melt and make her all squirmy? But the time to worry about what he wanted her to call him was not now. Now, she had her dignity and her derrière to worry about.
“Please, Oliver. I’m not sure this is seemly, even if you are my guardian.”
“Oh, sweetheart, it is very much my right and therefore seemly. I shall use my hand, but I am removing your skirts. You may leave your chemise on, but that is all. I intend to be very careful as it is your first time, but I believe that you let out your minx when you are Little. And you let her out when I am around because you sense the Daddy in me and it brings you a feeling of security. A confidence that all will be as it should be if I am there. I will catch you when you stumble. You’re correct.”
“But… I don’t want my… um… posterior smacked. It is simply not done!”
