Chapter 3 #3
Lilli walked over to Lady St. Matthews and kissed her cheek. “I am well. Thank you for your help earlier,” she said to Oliver without meeting his gaze. She felt her cheeks grow warm.
“My dear Lady, have a seat. You are flushed. Do you have a fever?” He grabbed the throw her grandmother had knitted years ago and, after leading her to the sofa, he covered her lap.
“I’m quite well, Your Grace. Truly.” How should she deal with this man that seems to be oversolicitous? And who caused her belly to riot and her center to sparkle.
There was an awkward silence that Lady St. Matthews broke by shuffling to stand. “Help me up, Lauren. I would like to go to my room. Or better yet, take me to the conservatory. I’ve not admired the flowers for a while.”
“Grandmother, I can take you,” offered Lilli.
“No, you should rest today. You had a trying morning.”
“But I feel well.”
“Good. Let’s hope that continues. Tea should be here soon.”
Lilli watched her grandmother leave and turned back to find she was looking directly at the Duke. “Sir, I thank you for your help and staying to see there are no ill effects but as you observe, I am well. Please, don’t let me take up any more of your time.”
“You are entirely recovered?”
“Yes, entirely.”
“In that case,” he began with deceptive calmness, “pray tell me what you were thinking, to be caught so far away from the manor with a rain cloud coming in?”
By the end of the question, the kind tone was gone, and she heard the irritation in his voice.
It was clear he was agitated with her. Her bottom clenched at the tone.
She felt chastised and immediately resented his ability to make her feel that way.
Yet, it gave her belly a warmth to wrap its nervousness in.
Why were her body and mind so disjointed and disorderly when she was around this man?
“What? I can assure you I did not do that deliberately. Had I known, I would have been safely inside.” She stood abruptly and felt a slight dizziness.
“Sit.”
“I will not.”
But the dizziness returned, and she grabbed the sofa arm. She sat and glared at Oliver, daring him to make mention of it. He wisely did not, but he did appear concerned. Odd, he didn’t really know her.
His tone had tempered. “And how would you have not known? The rain had been obviously coming in for the better part of an hour. I had arrived to discuss some things with your grandmother and decided to hold my departure because the signs were clear a downpour was imminent.”
“I had other things on my mind.”
His voice took on a distinctively concerned quality. “What things were so important and distracting that you missed the considerable darkening of the sky, the breeze increasing, and the distance you had traveled?”
“I have many things that I must consider. I am tasked with overseeing this estate, my grandmother’s health, the village, the inner workings of the household, at times, comes under my purview as well.
Never mind keeping up some semblance of social connections.
Now I may be called upon to deal with you in my future and the upturning of my whole existence.
I daresay I am constantly overrun with distraction, Your Grace.
” Her frustration turned to tears, that she angrily dashed away.
“It is too much to put on you. Will you allow me to help? For instance, the village’s wellbeing is my concern, surely, as the current duke in residence.”
“Help? What have you that I do not? What thing do you possess that would put me in a better position than I already experience? I visit the village often and offer whatever I can to make life easier to those in need.” She immediately threw her hand up to stop his words.
“No, do not answer that question, for I do not want to know your response.”
“My darling Lady Lilliana, there is a great deal of things I can do but I will not voice them now. Suffice to say I am at your disposal. And without further expounding, I would tell you that I will increase my attendance to the poor in the village so that our joint efforts will make more of an impact.”
“They will appreciate your efforts, I am sure, until you aren’t interested any longer.
In my experience, men do not have staying power when life gets tough.
No thank you, Your Grace. I will continue as I have done.
I’m more tired than I first knew from my unfortunate accident.
I think it is time to take your leave, Sir. ”
“Oliver. Surely we are on first name basis at this juncture.”
“You certainly are but I am not sure it is proper in any situation to refer to a non-related duke by his given name.”
“Yes, you may be right except I give you leave to use it in private. I think you are right about being tired. I meant what I said, Lilli. I meant every word. I also mean it when I say that being as distracted as you were today is dangerous. You could have run into a fox den, or badger. You may have fallen and been unable to get home. Finding you would have been a challenge if you were too far away. Your wellbeing is not to be dismissed. It is paramount that you take it into consideration at all times. Do not put yourself in jeopardy again.”
His imperial attitude incited her anger. “I said it was an accident. What do you want from me? Am I a gypsy? Can I know the future?”
“I require assurances that it is an accident that will not be repeated.”
“Yes, fine. If it will get you gone, sir, I give you my word.”
He stood briskly. “Good. We understand each other. I shall go now. Tell Lady St. Matthews I apologize for not taking my leave of her.”
“I’m sure she will understand.”
Before the tall stately gentleman took his leave of Lilli, he turned back at the doorway. “Broken promises have consequences. Remember that, my darling Lilli.”
The duke hesitated as though he wanted to do something but after some consideration, he decided against it.
Watching him leave the room and then hearing the resounding echo of the heavy wooden front door closing, signaling his exit, should have brought her relief.
His presence was strong in any room he was in and not to be ignored.
Instead of making her day lighter, she felt a weight descend.
She found herself longing for him to take over parts of her tasks as he had offered.
At the very least, coddle her some. He possessed a powerful personality and an arrogance—no, confidence, to go with his entitlement.
He was master of all he surveyed and today that had included Lilli. And dammit, she liked it.
The next week was filled with mundane tasks and enjoyable time spent with Lady Elizabeth visiting close neighbors after their last dinner party attendance.
It had taken quite a while before Lilli had been able to do this very thing.
Her memories were so traumatic of the carriage ride home after visiting with her mother But with patience and perseverance, her grandmothers had been able to entice her to go with them with several armed footmen.
Regardless of her grandmother’s advanced years, she was often agreeable to socialize and required Lilli to attend in most cases.
On the days she was not, it was up to Lilli to represent the estate and family.
Such was the case of the larger dinner party she attended, given by her friend Lady Mary Margaret Downing’s parents.
Lady Elizabeth did not often stay away from home these days, and Lord and Lady Downing lived a distance away.
Most others had friends or family nearby or lived nearby themselves.
Lilliana did not. Therefore, staying the weekend was to be expected.
Lilli would spend the night before and after the party because she and Mary Margaret were close friends and had been for years.
It was perfect. Until she found that Mary Margaret’s brother had been at Eton with Oliver.
They were going to spend the weekend with several other men from their Eton days.
“Mary Margaret, has the duke spent weekends with you before?”
“The duke? It’s possible. Point him out to me again?” Lilli did very discretely. “Yes, several years ago, I believe. When I was preparing to go to London, he came and visited. Is that a problem?”
“No, I just had never seen him when I visited you. It was idle curiosity.”
“Nice try. There is never anything idle about you or your interests. Do you fancy him?”
“No. Of course not. Besides, he is now the Duke of Weston. Completely above my station in life.”
“Poppycock. You are very well set in the ton, if you would only embrace it. Any man would think himself fortunate to gain a wife such as yourself. The daughter of an Earl and granddaughter to two Marquesses. Who here can be of better heritage?”
Lilli squeezed her friend’s hand instead of hugging her, which was her first desire. “You are always good for one’s ego, my lovely friend.”
“Thank you,” she said with a smile, “but that isn’t going to get me off the subject of you taking notice of His Grace.”
“I recently met him and just wondered about him. I find he lives rather close to me if I do not take the public roads.”
“Convenient.”
“No, it is not. Well, not necessarily. Grandmother has taken a liking to him, and I must say I believe she is influenced by the duke’s late father.”
“I see. Well, I think we should spare some of our attention on him, discreetly. It might be fun finding out what these gentlemen are up to.”
“No, I have no interest in doing that, Mary Margaret. I want to enjoy my time and cannot if I incorporate him into the mix.”
Mary Margaret pouted. “Pooh. I had wanted to liven our weekend up.”
“Promise me.”
“Fine. I’ll do what I can. If we aren’t to entertain ourselves that way, we might as well mingle and find some gentlemen to dance with us. Mother is having another dinner party in two days. She said she didn’t get to invite everyone to the first one and Father agreed to another.”
“My goodness. I am glad I do not have to organize two in three days. I don’t even have many now, for Grandmother is feeling more frail these days.”
“I’m sorry about that. Come on. I think we should appear available to dance.”
The evening was entertaining, not at all filled with spying on Oliver, however, he did inquire about a dance, and her dances were claimed.
“I do apologize. If you are in attendance in two days for the second dinner party, I should be happy to offer you a dance then.”
“Another one? That is shear agony, I’m sure.”
“Lady Mary Margaret assures me that her mother could not invite everyone to this event and therefore created another so no one felt slighted. I have decided to stay longer.”
“That sounds a bit tortuous. I intend to stay until Tuesday so that will suit. I suppose I shall be here for the second round as well. Are you enjoying yourself?”
“I always do when I visit. I hear Lord Charles is a friend of yours from school.”
“Yes, he is. We attended Eton at the same time. Then I went on to Oxford, and he went to Scotland. Did you have tutors?”
“Yes. More than I would have liked. There is Lady Sheridan. I believe we have spoken the limit without a reason, Your Grace.”
“Ah, yes. Propriety. I shall see you at breakfast, if you do not sleep too late.”
“Good evening, Your Grace.”
His voice dropped low, “Stay out of trouble tonight, my darling. Come to me if you are in need.”
“What would I be in need of, sir?”
“One never knows with you. Agree to call on me should you encounter any difficulties.”
“I shall take it under advisement, sir.”
“Minx. See that you do.” He gave her a short bow and walked away.
Why must he be so amiable and make her feel like she was misjudging him? And yet, he negated those feelings by demanding she go to him for her needs. She determined there would be no such need.