“You cannot just pull me into a fight only to end it when you please.”
He spun around so he was inches away from her again. The feeling of him so close took her breath away despite the obvious anger in his eyes. “Watch me,” he growled.
Do not look at his lips, no matter how tempted you are.She turned away before she could do something as stupid as kiss her husband. “Goodnight, Evan,” she muttered before storming out of the room.
Chapter Nineteen
The next morning, Marina knocked softly on Lilly’s door. “Lilly? It is Marina. Can I come in?”
“Yes,” said a small voice.
Marina opened the door to see Lilly awake and sitting up in bed. Her eyes were rimmed red, and she wondered if Lilly got any sleep at all. “Good morning,” Marina said, taking a seat at Lilly’s bedside. “How are you feeling?” She kept her voice gentle.
“Tired.” Her voice was hoarse.The girl has definitely been sobbing throughout the night. Poor thing.“I am sorry, Marina. I should not have thrown carrots at you. I should not have yelled. I hope you forgive me.” She said each word carefully, as if she had rehearsed it.
Marina wondered if Evan had told her what to say the night before, when he checked in on her and her nightmare. If not him, then maybe she had talked about it with her nanny.I hopeso. At least she would be talking with someone then.“It is all right,” she said. “I appreciate your apology, and I forgive you.”
“Thank you.” Lilly hugged her knees to her chest.
Marina glanced at the girl’s shelf, on the other side of the room. Books and figurines decorated most of the shelf, but Lilly’s teddy bear was also there, as if it was masquerading as a decoration. “Do you want Mr. Bear today?” she asked. “You can hug him while I read to you for a while. We can start our day slowly.”
She shook her head. “I want my mommy.”
A lump formed in Marina’s throat. “I know,” she said softly. She wished she knew exactly what to do to take away this little girl’s pain, but she also knew that was impossible. “Why don’t you tell me about her?”
Lilly looked almost surprised before she smiled softly. “She was beautiful. She could sing a bajillion different songs. She danced with princes and kings, and everyone loved her. I’m gonna be just like her one day. She hugged her knees tighter. “She told me that she would come back for me one day. Had to go away. He made her go.”
“Who made her go?”
“Papa.”
Marina did not know how much of Lilly’s recounting was true and how much of it was fantasy. But she knew that it didn’t matter. As far as Lilly was concerned, her mother was a fairytale princess who was so lovely that she charmed everyone she had ever met.Best not to dispel her of that notion. Despite what Evan thinks, having an imagination is not necessarily a bad thing.“She sounds wonderful, Lilly.”
A tear ran down Lilly’s cheek. “He made her go away,” she muttered.
Marina stayed quiet for a moment or two, trying to think about what to say to the little girl. “I do not know what happened between your father and the late duchess,” she finally said. “But I know he loves you very much. He just wants you to be happy.”
Lilly turned away from her but didn’t say anything.
Marina stood up and quietly walked over to the bookshelf. She grabbed Mr. Bear and set him on the bed, next to Lilly. “It is all right to be angry and sad,” she said. “I understand. I feel those feelings all the time.”
Lilly picked up Mr. Bear and hugged him to her chest. “Don’t like them,” she mumbled.
“Neither do I,” Marina said. “But sometimes we have to let the bad feelings out, or they will spoil the good times.”
Lilly sighed dramatically and flopped down against the pillows again and pulled the blankets over her head. “Tired,” she mumbled.
“I am not surprised.” Marina looked at the clock on the wall. “Breakfast will not be served for another hour. Why don’t you close your eyes while I sit by your bedside? Maybe you’ll fall back asleep.”
The girl was quiet, and for a moment Marina thought she was already asleep. Then she heard a tiny voice say: “Will you read to me?”
Marina smiled. “Happily.” She grabbed one of the fishing books off the nightstand and opened it up to a random page. “Even though one does not think of sharks as fish, they are considered …”
The rest of the day went peacefully enough. The extra rest time did Lilly some good, and she had perked up a little more for her lessons. When they went outside for their evening walk with Prince William, Evan did not join them. Marina was sad about that but not surprised.
However, shewassurprised when she went downstairs for dinner that night to find out that Evan was dining alone in his room.So, he is avoiding me, not his daughter.She felt a flash of irritation.Fine. I will just avoid him as well.
After that night, she had her meals inside her room instead of seeing him for dinner, even when the servants reported the dukewas planning to eat in the dining room.If I keep eating meals in my room, will I ever see him at any other time of the day?
