A Matter of Circumstance and Celludrones (12 page)

“What are you hiding?” His right hand went to the window on the other
side of her head, caging her in.

“Nothing.” She tilted her head back, her gaze holding his in a murky
blend of indignation and bewilderment.

“Your mother told you something.” This was why he’d gone looking for
Lily and somewhere along the line she’d convinced him she was clueless.
Greyston was many things, a bastard, rogue, scavenger, but never a fool. Not
until Lily had come along. “I saw it in your eyes when we were talking about
your connection to McAllister and Cragloden.”

“That was something else.” Crimson streaked her cheekbones. Was she
blushing? “It had nothing to do with you.”

He lowered his head, bringing his warning closer. “Your denials no
longer work on me, Lily.”

Her breathing changed, shallow and flustered, sighs of warm air on his
face. “Greyston, don’t…”

She thinks this is a seduction?
On that thought, his gaze
dipped to her mouth. Her lips were right there, mere inches from his, soft and
inviting. There wasn’t much more space between the rest of them either, a
mistake his body suddenly registered.

“We can play your games all night long,” he said, his blood thickening
with desire and heating with anger at the same time, “but here’s your last
warning. I don’t play nice.”

The colour bled from her cheeks. “The morning my mother left, as she
hugged me goodbye…” Lily drew in a deep breath. “She said she’d done an
unforgivably stupid thing when she was young and that she was going to
Cragloden to fix it. She said she wouldn’t allow the sins of her past to plague
my future.”

She wrapped her arms around her waist, the movement drawing his
attention to the high collar buttoned halfway up her throat. And lower still,
to the modest swell beneath a busy bodice of frilly lace and lemon and white stripes.
It took him a few heartbeats longer than it should have to notice she’d
finished.

“That’s all?” His gaze swept up, distrust straining his jaw. “That’s
what you found so hard to tell me?”

Once again, she couldn’t quite meet his eyes. “I thought my mother had
been talking about a delicate indiscretion in her past,” she said in a small,
flustered voice. “Possibly while she was still married.”

“As in an affair?”

The colour rushed back to her face. “Well, yes, that did seem to be
the most logical explanation. Until you pointed out that I was the connection
to Cragloden. And while an old family scandal could most certainly plague my
future, with everything that’s happened recently, it occurred to me that
perhaps I’d jumped to the wrong conclusion.”

Her simple sincerity blunted the edge of his anger. She wasn’t keeping
secrets and she wasn’t deliberately misleading him. “Only perhaps?”

He should have felt disappointment that she really didn’t know
anything, even if he’d have had to take that information forcibly. Instead,
relief loosened the tension at his jaw. He’d always walked alone, but Lily was
different, unique, and possibly the only person in this world capable of
walking alongside him. He didn’t want to have to
take
from her.

“More so since hearing your account of Cragloden,” she conceded with a
fleeting grimace.

There and gone, leaving his gaze lingering on the curve of her mouth.
Okay, maybe there was one thing he wouldn’t mind taking from her. She was
growing on him, one innocent blush at a time.

Except, all that blushing and flustering hadn’t been for him, he
realised. She’d worked herself up into a breathless frenzy at the horror of
actually having to say
delicate indiscretion
out loud. If he took her in
his arms and kissed every last drop of primness out of her, she’d likely have
an apoplexy on the spot. Or worse, demand a proposal of marriage in return.

Greyston’s arms fell to his side as he stepped back hastily. “I should
go check if Neco has found anything.”

Her brow puzzled as she watched his retreat. Greyston kept going until
he was standing in the corridor with the door firmly closed between them.

There were plenty of desirable women around, and he’d learned how to
give up longing for that which he couldn’t have at a fine young age. His thoughts
turned to Evelyn as he made his way to his room. But a dalliance there wasn’t
without conflict either and it didn’t help to find William exactly as he’d left
him: perched beside the window, twisting his cap in his hands and looking stiff
enough to fracture into a hundred pieces if someone so much as nudged him.

“You’re supposed to be the great adventurer, man,” Greyston muttered.
“Make yourself comfortable at least.”

“Sorry, m’lord.” William started to rise, then sat again. “I’m not
accustomed to sharing quarters with a lord of the realm, m’lord.”

A pity the lad’s hesitation didn’t apply to ladies of the realm. “I’ve
never considered myself a bloody lord of anything, so I guess that makes us
equals.”
And may the best man win, fair and square.
When William’s eyes
widened on him, Greyston clarified, “Feel free to call me Greyston.”

Just when he thought the lad would protest,
a la
Lily style,
William cracked a small grin.

“Round one to that Irish spirit.” Greyston stripped his jacket from
his shoulders and tossed it over his bed. “Now, where’s Neco? Has he been back?
Ah, there we go,” he added at the knock at the door. “Enter.”

When the door opened, it was Evelyn who stepped over the threshold.

“I’m in desperate need of a man.” Her blue gaze sparkled with amusement
as she glanced from one to the other. “Either of you will do.”

Her vibrant energy was infectious. Greyston actually considered her
offer as he appraised her many wonderful qualities through half-lidded eyes.
Hell, no law said a woman had to be fussy. Most men weren’t.

William got there first, jumping to his feet. “What’s the trouble,
Lady Eve?”

Evelyn smiled at the lad. “Puppy slipped from my arms and darted into
the men’s smoking lounge.”

“You have a wicked sense of humour,” Greyston said, chuckling at her
propensity for flirtatious dramatics. A trait William was apparently acquainted
with.

“Life would be so very boring without adding the occasional sprinkle
of spice.”

He inclined his head in agreement. “I’m surprised you didn’t barge in
after him yourself.”

“I’m not in the habit of barging into inappropriate places,” she
replied indignantly, then ruined the effect with a cheeky grin. “My entrance
was quite graceful. Unfortunately the dour doorman promptly escorted me
straight out again and promised he’d deal with the problem.” She stood aside to
let William pass, then turned to follow with a parting, “Needless to say, I was
not reassured.”

Chapter Nine

 
T
he train pulled into Edinburgh shortly after
breakfast the following morning. Greyston instructed them to remain onboard
while he procured a hackney cab. Two minutes later, Evelyn popped her head
inside Lily’s cabin.

“Come on.” Her eyes danced with excitement. “I’ve never set foot on
Scottish soil and I refuse to wait another second.”

The air around Evelyn stirred with fresh promises and guilty
pleasures. No wonder Greyston was entranced with her. Not that Lily begrudged
Evelyn her beauty and the thrall she spun. One word from her, Lily knew, and
her friend would turn that vivacious charm into venom icy enough to shrivel
Greyston’s every glance her way.

And he’d been doing plenty of that.

She’d noticed the way Greyston looked at Evelyn, on the platform at
Euston, in the dining car last night, at the breakfast table this morning. As
much as Lily told herself she didn’t care, well, she did.

Yesterday, Greyston’s dark, mesmerising gaze had settled on her lips
and in that brief moment, with only inches between them, his hands either side
her head, the whole of him overpowering her senses, everything in her had
stilled…he was about to kiss her.

Only he hadn’t. He’d reacted like he’d suddenly remembered what a drab
maiden she was and he hadn’t been able to get out of her cabin fast enough. So
Lily wouldn’t give the word.

She’d never be the colourful creature who walked fearless in the
shadow of scandal, the kind of woman that could enamour a man such as Greyston.
She’d spent too many years believing that carelessly flaunting society rules
was the karma that had sent her mother to the wrong place at the wrong time and
gotten her killed. And even now that Lily had accepted the truth; that she, in
all her inconspicuous, inane dullness and impeccable propriety, was in fact the
reason behind her mother’s visit to Cragloden, well…that didn’t really change a
thing when it came to her and Greyston.

Lily snapped the latch of her valise and straightened to give Evelyn a
droll look. “Then you’ll have to set forth without me.”

“You’re not seriously playing lapdog to Grey’s imperious command?”

“Speaking of dogs—”

“William’s taken Puppy for a walk.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“Apparently.” Evelyn waved a hand vaguely from her position in the
doorway. “I only read the quick reference page of the instruction manual, but
William has promised to read it front to back and fill me in on the finer
detail.”

Lily recalled a pertinent remark, heard in passing years ago. “I’d be
very interested in reading that manual myself,” she said. “Did you know, the
life cell of an automaton is much smaller, but not so very different in design
from that of celludrones?”

“Why, no, I didn’t know.” Evelyn rounded her eyes in mock fascination,
not an unusual expression on her. “Do you know what else I didn’t know?” She
put a finger to her lips. “Hmm, let’s see. I didn’t know Ana was capable of acting
and thinking just like a human.”

“It wasn’t about not trusting you, Evie. Keeping Ana’s special
features secret was as natural to me as breathing or walking. It was never even
about making the decision of who to tell or not.”

“I’ve already forgiven you, but you have to permit me the odd jab to
your conscience.” Evelyn stepped inside, closing the door on a troupe of
passengers coming down the corridor. “Where is Ana, anyway?”

“She’s gone to retrieve my spare pair of walking boots before our
trunks are loaded onto the carriage.” Lily lifted her skirts to reveal
stocking-clad feet. “The reason I can’t go exploring Scotland with you this
very second.”

“Whatever happened to your shoes?”

“Do you recall how well-behaved Puppy was after supper last night?”

Evelyn winced. “He was merrily chomping his way through your shoes?”

“He’s such a delightful addition to our party.”

“Oh, Lily, I’m so terribly sorry. I’ll replace your boots, of course.”

“Don’t be silly.” Lily patted the valise resting on the bench. “But I
did save the shredded remains for the next time we need an hour or two of
peace.”

“He’s such a menace.” Evelyn rolled her eyes. “You must think me
awfully frivolous to want him.”

“Yes, he’s a menace and no, not frivolous to want a pet.” Lily frowned
at her friend. “Though I don’t understand why you don’t get a real dog.”

“Devon loves real dogs.”

“Ah, and he hates automatons.”

Anger glinted in Evelyn’s eyes. “He finds the notion of wasting
emotion on a machine pathetic.”

Lily closed the distance between them and placed a comforting hand on
Evelyn’s arm to soften what had to be said. “Isn’t love complicated enough
without adding unnecessary obstacles?”

“Love is all consuming.
Love
,” Evelyn said in a dark tone,
“will swallow you whole if you allow it. If I give Devon an inch in this
battle, he’ll take my all in the war.”

“He is rather domineering.” At the memory of her last encounter with
the duke, Lily’s sympathy slid firmly into her friend’s quarter. Still, she
truly wished the two of them would reconcile.

“Devon’s about as flexible as an iron rod. There’s only one way to
make him bend and if I can’t, if I can’t melt him…” Evelyn stood back, hugging
herself. The hard glint left her eyes. “Then what’s the point of us?”

“He worries, Evie. He doesn’t want you to place yourself in the
slightest danger because he loves you so deeply.”

“Devon risks his life every other day for our country. I’m not privy
to state affairs, but I’ve seen the scars and they’re not from paper cuts or a
gentleman’s disagreement at parliamentary meetings. Last week he returned from
a foreign dignitary commission in Germany with bruises covering half his body.
Do you think I don’t worry, too? I’d never, however, ask him to choose between
me and his duty to the Crown.”

Lily was momentarily dumbfounded—she’d never imagined Devon went into
the field—and then a thought struck that made too much sense to ignore.
“Wouldn’t you? Isn’t this what your fascination with risqué sports is about? To
show him what it feels like to be the one left behind, waiting and dreading bad
news?”

“Of course not,” Evelyn stated, hard and fast.

“A back-handed ultimatum, then?” Lily asked hopefully. She was a
little mad at Devon herself. If anything happened to him, Evelyn would be
devastated. “I’ll stop if you stop?”

“That kind of subterfuge is far too subtle to work on Devon, or most
men, actually.” Evelyn shook her head, frowning. “Besides, you forget my aim
was to hide my participation and win Devon over slowly.”

“True,” Lily snapped, now irritated at the both of them. If pig-headedness
didn’t keep them apart, sooner rather than later, death would.

She almost said as much to Evelyn, but Ana returned with her shoes
just then to diffuse the moment.

A short while later, they packed into the hansom cab. Neco sat outside
with the driver and Ana squashed up with William and Greyston, giving Lily and
Evelyn more room on the opposite bench. Puppy was constrained with a makeshift
leash of pink ribbon and tucked under Evelyn’s arm for good measure.