The dowager countess snorted and started along the garden path at a dignified pace. “Liar.”
With a choked cough Lilli fell into step beside her. “I beg your pardon?”
Her grandmother dropped a sardonic look in her direction. “There’s a tortured sort of giddiness in your eyes, like you’ve just been allowed a taste of something you desperately want but cannot have.” Her eyes sharpened and it was as though the ground opened up beneath Lilli. “He kissed you. Didn’t he?”
“I…um…no?”
A full–bodied chuckle erupted from the dowager countess’s throat. “Don’t trouble yourself, my dear. Enjoy it. Savor it. Know that all is as it should be. It’s just the stone working its magic.”
Outraged by her grandmama’s calm when Lilli felt like she’d been tossed straight into an apocalyptic typhoon, she halted, hands on hips, and glared at her. “How can you say such things when my chance of having a future with Mr. Henley is as absurd as sprouting wings and taking flight? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the stone must be wrong.”
“Is that what it feels like to you?” Grandmama stared back at her with steely determination. “Forget the stone for a moment and focus on what your heart tells you. Is Mr. Henley the man you are destined to share your life with or not?”
Lilli’s lips parted. She wanted to say he wasn’t, but the words required to do so failed her. Eventually she expelled a weary breath and accepted the truth. “Yes.”
The verbal admission lifted her spirit. She felt light, unburdened, for the first time since she’d realized who Mr. Henley was and how difficult it would be for them to build a future together.
As if reading her mind her grandmother said, “Just because the stone has brought you together with your true love doesn’t mean your journey will be easy. Mine wasn’t. There were challenges to overcome. Papa was not of a mind to let a renowned rake court me. Reputations were at stake just as they are for you now. But facing these challenges and finding the courage to overcome them will make you all the more deserving of the ultimate prize.”
“Risking scandal is no small thing. Papa would kill me. Mama too, I’ll wager. This isn’t just about me, it’s also about them.”
“Yes, it is. But their positions will withstand a great deal more than you realize. If it makes things easier for you, I can assure you of my support.”
“Thank you. That means a great deal. But I’m still not sure I’m brave enough to take this on.”
Her grandmother laughed. “Of all my granddaughters you are by far the most daring. Annie is known for her sweetness, Henrietta for her high spirits, and Eva for being a lovely romantic. But you’re like a musket – unstoppable once your trigger’s been pulled.”
It was impossible for Lilli to keep from laughing. She still had concerns. Her head was filled with them, but her heart was lighter because of her grandmother’s unrelenting belief in her. A thought struck as they resumed their stroll back to the house. “You orchestrated my meeting with him. Didn’t you?”
Grandmama’s lips twitched. “I may or may not have noticed him heading toward this part of the garden. And I may or may not have invited you to walk with me immediately after.”
“I suspect your sudden need to rest when we happened upon him was equally coincidental,” Lilli murmured, albeit with an edge of amusement. “As was your suggestion I walk with him so you could enjoy your solitude.”
Linking her arm with Lilli’s, the dowager countess confided, “I may be old but I’m not obtuse. It would be hard enough for a titled gentleman to find the opportunity to further his acquaintance with you away from prying eyes. Being an employee, I realized Mr. Henley might need some help, so I decided to step in.”
“Thank you.” Lilli appreciated her doing so even if the encounter had only made matters harder for her. Because forgetting about Mr. Henley was no longer possible. Perhaps it never had been, but after being kissed by him she knew she could never share such an intimate moment with any other man. It would feel wrong and disloyal.
Which was properly stupid given the fact that no promises had been made between them. For God’s sake, she’d known him for what, a week? And during that time they’d only spoken on three occasions, yet there could be no denying the strong connection she’d felt with him when she’d met his gaze for the very first time.
The comforting warmth he’d instilled in her breast, that need for added closeness and the overall feeling of rightness she had experienced in his presence, as though he were the missing piece to a puzzle she’d been attempting to solve her entire life could not be denied. Despite her attempts to do precisely that.
As she and her grandmother came within view of the picnic, Lilli drew a deep breath to bolster herself. She dreaded the turmoil the coming days and weeks would bring, but she knew deep down she’d have to face it. Because she would never forgive herself if she turned her back on Mr. Henley and the happily ever after she knew with certainty he could provide.
Five
Tristan was in hell.
There simply wasn’t any other way to describe the torture he was presently being subjected to. For two days he’d ridden with Henry, helped him with his correspondence, polished his boots and pressed all his clothes. Twice. He’d even taken to doing sums whenever he had a spare moment, since he’d been certain that focusing on the calculation of numbers was sure to drive a certain young lady from his mind.
It hadn’t.
If anything, her constant presence in his thoughts made him an abysmal mathematician. He couldn’t focus. All he could think of was her, the concern she’d shown toward her seemingly tired grandmother, the sympathy in her eyes when he’d spoken of Iris and Emma, and the exquisite press of her lips against his.
She’d felt so perfect in his arms, like a long lost piece of his heart that had finally found its way home.
Stupid.
He shook his head and glanced up from the ledger he’d been attempting to study and found Henry watching him from the doorway.
