No, I did the right thing. I am a man of honor, and I indirectly caused her ruin. It would have been unfair of me not to offer my hand in marriage.
Finally, the sun rose on the horizon, and Evan gave up any pretense of sleeping. He stood as his valet came into his room to help him dress in his wedding clothes. He looked at himselfin the mirror numbly as he remembered his first wedding all too well.
It had also been a marriage of convenience. Christine was eager to become a duchess at first, even though she did not seem to care about him at all. That was fine, or so he thought.
The only reason my first marriage was not a huge mistake was that it gave me Lilly. I do not care whose blood she has in her veins: she’s my daughter, and I’m glad of it. I can only hope that my second one will be more successful for everyone’s sake.
When he was dressed, he walked down the hallway to Lilly’s bed chamber. He can hear her speaking on the other side of the door. “… always sleepy in the morning. My nanny says it is because I keep waking up at night. But it is not my fault.”
Evan frowned and opened the door. “Who are you talking to, Lilly?”
There was no one else in the room, except for Prince William, who was lying down on Lilly’s bed, still fast asleep. Lilly froze and looked at him with a wide-eyed expression.
“Who are you talking to?” he repeated, looking around the room, as if expecting to find an answer to his question. But of course, there were no other humans in the room.
His daughter did not reply. Instead, she continued to stare at him as if she were frozen. Concern and irritation warred withinhim. He took a deep breath, willing his neutral facade to stay in place.Do not show your emotions to her. Be a picture of strength. She already has nightmares as it is.
“Today is a special day, Lilly,” he told her. “Do you know why?”
She shook her head silently.
“It is because I am getting married. Do you know what that means?”
Again, she shook her head. Evan wondered if she had been neglecting her lessons. Surely, she should be more knowledgeable about the ways of the world by now? He tried to smile, but he was pretty sure it came out looking more like a pained grimace. “Me getting married means you will have a new mother. You will officially meet her today. I am sure the two of you will get along.”
“A new mother?” Her voice was small and doubtful.
“Yes,” he said. “You have been calling out for a mother in the middle of the night, remember? Now you will have one.”
She blinked rapidly and looked down at her lap. “All right,” she whispered.
He felt his disappointment growing. Shouldn’t she be delighted at this news? She wanted a mother, and he had gotten her one.Her old mother abandoned her. She cannot want Christine inparticular. Just someone to fill the role of mother.“Do you have any objections? Thoughts on the matter? Anything at all?”
She shook her head.
He sighed. “It is perfectly acceptable for you to speak more than a few words at a time, you know. In fact, I would prefer it.”Just talk to me. I cannot help you if you do not.
His daughter did not respond, and eventually he sighed in resignation. Just as he was about to turn to leave, the nursery door opened, and the nanny entered, carrying Lilly’s dress.
Anger flared up at the sight of her. “Where were you?”
The woman bobbed a curtsy as she held up the dress to him. “I was getting Lilly’s dress, Your Grace.”
“You should have sent a maid to get it,” he said. “I do not appreciate Lilly being left alone. She is too young for that.”
The woman looked surprised, and then a little disgruntled about the scolding. She lowered her eyes. “My apologies, Your Grace,” she said stiffly.
He knew he was being a little unfair to her, but he could not care at the moment. “Make sure you do not let her out of your sight during the wedding.”
She nodded. “I would not dream of it, Your Grace.”
“Good. Because I will not be happy if something happens to her. Good morning.” He stepped around the nanny without another word to her and left his daughter’s nursery.
Chapter Eleven
Evan had managed to obtain a special license that allowed him to get married at his estate’s chapel instead of the local church. It was much more convenient this way, and it was safer for Lilly. He shuddered to think about what could happen to her if she escaped her nanny’s watchful eye when she was not on estate grounds.
He stood in front of the altar with the clergyman. The chapel pews only had a few people present. His daughter and her nanny were on one side of the church.
