“Yes, my duchess.” Lord Kendrick glanced down at his feet with a strained smile. He made no promises of affection and even said he couldn’t promise me fidelity, which I took to mean he would take other lovers. If I was smart, I would shield my heart at all costs. The funny thing about intelligence, it often takes second place when one’s affections are engaged.
“I’m very fortunate to have such an attentive fiancé.” He was all that was kind and solicitous, which made me love him even more. According to what I had overheard her say in the past, she wasn’t naïve to her son’s rakish reputation. Since I was an unmarried woman, she and my mother often spoke about him in whispers.
Lady Helen waved a passing waiter over and grabbed a glass of champagne. She handed me one while taking my empty glass. “Kendrick, Victoria has requested an audience. She would like to thank you for the gift in person.”
He eyed the glass in my hand and cocked an eyebrow. “I believe Lady Lillian might like a glass of lemonade instead.”
“Wine is fine.” I laughed at the rhyme. My head floated on a cloud but not from the wine. To be in Lord Kendrick’s company was more addicting than the most potent spirits. He filled the room with life, and I basked in the glow of his marked attention. It didn’t matter that it was a dream on my part. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be here with your mother.”
Concern furrowed his brow, and even in my current state, I could discern why. He was afraid I was going to let something slip to his mother. Or perhaps it was starker than that; I could simply be an embarrassment to him.
The wine soured in my stomach. I pushed the negativity back. He was simply alarmed over my welfare. I was reading too much into the gesture. To think anything else was unconscionable.
“She will be in excellent hands,” Lady Helen assured him, a mischievous glint in her eye.
Several women stared as he passed them, each more beautiful than the last. Since the start of our engagement, my faith in myself had grown. But it was usually just me, Lord Kendrick, and Colt; thus, I had no competition. Well, there was Gavin. Obnoxious, yet beautiful to look at Gavin. He was a manwho, according to Colt, Lord Kendrick still lusted after. I trusted Colt, which added to my unrest.
“Lady Lillian, I believe this is the first time we have spoken alone since your engagement to my son.” Lady Helen laid her hand on my wrist. With her exquisite coiffured hair, tall stature, and illustrious title, she commanded the room by just entering.
“Yes, I believe you are correct.” I was ashamed to admit if only to myself, that I had avoided her company when she called upon my mother. She was an intimidating woman. Now I was marrying her son, and the pressure for her to like me increased.
“I hope this will be one of many. I despaired of Kendrick ever finding a suitable bride.” She removed her palm from my arm and opened the fan dangling from her wrist with a flick of her hand. It resembled a peacock, the delicate features a vivid shade of blue. It matched the ball gown she wore, the color enhancing her eyes. “I will, however, beg you to tell me how you met. He never mentioned that he was courting you. The first time I gleaned even a hint was when your mother said he called on you unexpectedly.”
“I asked him to create a vase for my mother, and he wanted to ask me a few details,” I repeated the story Lord Kendrick and I had come up with on that day. It sounded weak, even to my own ears, but it was all I had at the time.
“He is very talented, but he never mentioned having met you,” she said with an arched brow.
My stomach sank. I disliked lying, especially when she stared at me with such eagerness.Think, Lillian. You are a writer. Write a romantic beginning.
“It was quite by accident. I was working on my, um, manu—um, a scripture for church. Yes, I was deciphering a particularly puzzling bit of scripture while outside on my balcony. It was a windy day, and the paper blew away, and well, well, it blew into Kendrick’s garden, and he found it.”
“His garden?” A flush stole up her cheeks, and her smile froze. “You can see his garden from your room?”
A blush threatened to derail me. We were both thinking the same thing. I could read it in her expression. Gavin had been naked in the garden, and from what Colt had indicated, he wasn’t the first model to pose for Lord Kendrick.
Lady Helen stared at me, expectation in her slender frame. I couldn’t tell her everything; thus, I chose my words with care. If I kept it close to the truth, the lie wouldn’t feel so deceitful.
“Not see, per se. Some tall shrubs are blocking his garden from ours. I rushed down to our garden when I didn’t see the paper. I assumed it was lost. I had to rush off to see my pub, err, pastor for Bible study—without my paper, but when I returned, Kendrick called on me.”
“Was he disappointed when he saw you?” she asked, floating the fan across her face, her profile to me.
Was Lord Kendrick disappointed when he saw me?I took a drink of champagne and tried to gather my shattered dignity at her harsh question. The comradery I felt toward her dwindled into an uncomfortable knot in my throat. “Beg pardon?” Best to play stupid than to answer such an insulting inquiry.
“The pastor, was he disappointed that you didn’t bring the scripture?”
Relief shot through me, and I brought my hand to my mouth to stifle the hysterical giggles from bursting forth. I was used to people disparaging me and assumed the worse of her. “I thought you were asking me about Kendrick, um, Lord Kendrick.”
“Oh.” Her eyes widened, and she moved the fan with more speed. “Oh!”
I lost the battle with my mirth and allowed the laughter free rein. It had been an innocent misunderstanding. She wasn’t being mean to me. The knowledge was reassuring. It wouldmake for a very strained relationship otherwise. Eloping might very well push us to that edge. I prayed she would understand.
Lady Helen joined in, shaking her head at the absurdity of it. Speculation still lit her eyes. “No, I was simply referring to the scripture. It must have been a shock for Kendrick to deliver it personally.”
“Yes, it was very kind of him.” The second I laid eyes on Lord Kendrick, my entire life changed. After I was married and my book was published, I would have to apply all of my time and energy toward running two households. Children would be expected soon, and my life would change yet again. “Apart from being neighbors, we both have a love for the arts. I spoke to him about his pottery and asked if he would make a pot for my mother. He agreed.”
“Yes, my son is very talented at sculpturing and pottery.” The smile drained from her face, and worry pinched the lines around her mouth. “He is also easily sidetracked. After you are married, I expect him to leave his bohemian lifestyle behind and take up the reins of his title.”
“He is dedicated to his craft.” She was worried for her son, and although I sympathized, I had to side with Lord Kendrick. I loved to watch him create. One day, I hoped he would teach our children and me the craft of pottery. My mother despaired of me and my desire to be an author. She never took it seriously, and I resented her for it.
