My Fair Lily (26 page)

He placed his hands on each side of her shoulders, neatly trapping
her against the wall. They needed to talk. Just talk. He wanted to ask so many things about her. First and foremost, why did she wish to avoid him?

“Oh, hell,” he said instead, lifting her into his arms and crushing his mouth to her generous lips. Passion and frustration had built
within him for weeks, sensations he was unable to control when it came to Lily. He didn’t want to kiss her. More precisely, he desperately wanted to kiss her, but knew he shouldn’t. So what the
hell was he doing with his tongue sliding across her teeth, possessively delving inside her velvet-warm mouth?

He tried to gentle the kiss.

She clutched his lapels and drew him closer, tilted her face
upward to give him better access to her warm, lightly parted lips. She didn’t want gentle.

She wanted him. She wanted him hungry for her.

A good thing. He couldn’t manage gentle just now, not while he
held her glorious body in his arms. Not while his own body ignited in flames at her mere touch. Hell, his body blazed hot at the mere
thought of the girl. He was worse than Jasper.

She arched into him, drawing him over the edge as her breasts
came in contact with his chest and her taut nipples teased against his body. He wasn’t just on fire. He was wild, out of control, walls-of-Jericho-
toppling ablaze. All cannons firing ablaze. He wanted to strip her out of her confining clothes, touch her warm, silken skin, lick the molten
core
between her thighs and taste its flowing nectar. He wanted skin to
skin contact. He wanted to be inside her. He wanted to ignore his intense need for her, pretend she didn’t matter.

He wanted answers. He wanted
her
.

“Ewan, I can’t bear it,” she whispered against his deepening kiss. “You have to let me go. You’re with Callie.”

“Never.”

He felt a tear stream down her cheek. Her hands, no longer pinned by his, slipped upward to circle his neck. “What do you
mean by ‘never’? That you’ll never let me go? That you’ll never be with Callie? Because it seems to me you’ve made your decision, told your grandfather and the entire world quite clearly that you’ll never take an English wife. Not that I even want you to want me. I don’t. We’re friends, nothing more.”

So that was it? She was jealous of Callie? “Lily—”

“No. I have work to do. Lots of research work.”

“You’ve finished your monograph on the structure of baboon colonies. Swampland baboons, to be precise. I’ve read it. Thought it was brilliant.”

“You have? I thought your grandfather burned it.”

“He didn’t.” Ewan kissed her again, loving the sweet eagerness with which she kissed him back.

She broke away with a slight moan. “I’m helping Ashton with his Madagascar lemurs. He’s desperate. He can’t finish it without me
and doesn’t dare let your grandfather know. I promised to help him out. Go back to your party. Callie must be wondering where you are.”

“You’re doing this for Ashton?” He frowned. “Your family forbade you to work on the report. The Royal Society won’t publish
it if they suspect you wrote it.”

“Are you through listing all the reasons why I hate my life at this moment?”

“Lily—”

“I was fine until you came along. I need you to go away.
Forever.”

He’d been thinking the same, but hearing it from her was like a
kick in the teeth. She was right. Neither one of them wanted the involvement. Why couldn’t he leave it at that and walk away? “Put
on one of your pretty silk gowns. Come to Eloise’s party.”

“So your Scottish sweetheart can make fun of me in Gaelic?”

“She won’t make fun of you. I won’t allow it.”

“How thoughtful of you.” Her tone was laced with sarcasm. “I look forward to the announcement of your betrothal. You deserve each other. Your grandfather will be apoplectic. That should delight you.” She darted under his arms and hurried downstairs to the front
door, where Pruitt was standing, trying to mind his own business and at the moment obviously wishing he were anyplace but by the door.

Lily marched past him and threw it open, her pert chin raised in indignation. “Ewan, go back to your sweetheart. And don’t you dare spy on me through the window again!”

No one could out-stubborn a Scot. “Pruitt, talk sense into the girl.” Turning back to Lily, he felt his frustration mounting and knew he was about to make a Scottish ass out of himself. Why did he
care that Lily wasn’t at the party? Why did he care that she was jealous of Callie? Unnecessarily so. He felt his gut churning. “I’ll stand outside your door and wait for you.”

“Make yourself comfortable. You’ll have a long wait.”

“Make no mistake, ye’re coming to that party with me, lass. Ye canno’ hide behind yerrr baboons and yerrr books.” He winced at his rolling r’s and thickening brogue, a sign of his mounting
frustration. “If you’re not out here in five minutes, I’ll haul ye over my shoulder and carry you there myself!”

Complete ass of himself.

Instead of fury, he saw genuine confusion in Lily’s eyes. “Why?”

A simple question. One of the many he’d been asking himself. Why the party? Why the kiss? Why did he need Lily? He needed her desperately. He hated needing anyone. “No one makes up my mind for me. Not my grandfather. Not Callie. Not you. If I’ve a mind to marry a bluestocking
Sassenach
, then that’s what I’ll do.” He walked out, slamming the door behind him.

He was a complete and utter baboon’s ass.

LILY STOOD GAPING
at the front door for a long moment before finally turning to her butler. “Pruitt, what did he mean by that?”

“I’m not sure, Miss Lily. I think he just proposed to you.”

She shook her head and laughed. “No. No... that’s not... oh, crumpets. Do you really think so? He can’t have meant it. He’s going to marry Caledonia MacCorkindale. She called him
darling
.”

“But he kissed you.”

She winced. “You saw that? Never mind. Don’t answer. Truly, Pruitt. What do you think? Should I go?”

“Do you love him?”

She winced again. “Isn’t it painfully obvious?”

“Yes, Miss Lily. It is.”

“What would you do if you were in my shoes?”

“It isn’t for me to say, but I’ve never known a Farthingale to back down from a challenge.”

She nodded. “Thank you, Pruitt. You’ve been immensely helpful.”

It didn’t take Lily very long to slip out of her day gown and into the ivory silk with pale blue sash already set out on her bed. Ashton
would simply have to wait another day for his lemur papers. She’d finish the report in the morning and somehow slip it to him
tomorrow afternoon, no one the wiser.

To her surprise, Ewan was still standing by the front steps. She hadn’t really expected him to be there. He gazed at her with a surprised but satisfied smile that reached into his dark eyes. “Lass, you look beautiful.”

Prettier than Caledonia MacCorkindale? In truth, she wasn’t the most worrisome challenge. The Duke of Lotheil was the man to fear.
He wanted an English wife of noble blood for Ewan. Lily hadn’t a drop of
blue
blood in her. No, the only things blue were her eyes. The men in her family were tradesmen. Successful ones, but still commoners. Plain red blood. “Ewan—” She didn’t know what to
ask. She sensed that he didn’t know what he wanted. He’d tell her once he worked it out.

He straightened to his full height, looking ruggedly handsome and dangerous while standing under the moon’s glow. He reached out to take her hand. “Let’s go to a party, lass.”

He escorted her to Eloise’s familiar residence and led her inside, but he paused beside the music room. “Lily, will you allow me to introduce you to Evangeline? Properly this time. I know it’s asking much of you. I’ll understand if you prefer to avoid her.”

“I know how important this family reconciliation is to you and
Meggie.” She nibbled her lip, giving his request serious
consideration. “If it will help Evangeline and Desmond overcome their fear of you, accept you not only as one of the family but as their friend... of course, I’ll do it.”

“Thank you, lass.” Ewan’s tension noticeably eased. “There they
are, standing beside your uncle George. Ah, his son is talking to
Meggie. The lad seems to be around her quite a bit these days.”

Lily nodded. “You needn’t worry about him. He has a good heart.”

“He had better,” Ewan grumbled.

Lily couldn’t help but grin. “You men are the oddest creatures.”

Ewan arched an eyebrow. “Why do I think you’re about to
compare us to your swamp baboons?”

“Perhaps because you’re acting just like them. They’re quite territorial and protective of their females. Male baboons bare their teeth to show their aggression. If that doesn’t deter a young male upstart, the dominant baboon will go after him, threatening to tear
him to pieces with his sharp teeth if the upstart doesn’t back away. Just as William is now backing away from Meggie. Oh, and he’s looking straight at you. In fear.” She turned to stare at Ewan. “What did you just do?”

“Nothing,” he replied, but his expression revealed he was anything but innocent. Perhaps it was that Scottish mix of arrogance, pride, and
stubborn sense of honor that made him seem so appealingly
dangerous.

She shook her head and sighed. “Yes, you did. William is
shaking in his boots.”

“Perhaps. Come on, they’ve all seen us now.”

Evangeline turned ashen as she approached. If Lily felt any trepidation, Evangeline obviously felt it tenfold. She saw that Evangeline’s eyes were
now glistening. Were those unshed tears? Ewan had warned her of his
cousin’s sensitive nature.

Lily sighed. She wanted to despise Ewan’s cousin but simply couldn’t. She’d seen that same look of fright and loneliness in her little
cousin Harry’s eyes when Harry’s beloved father had died. “I’m
delighted to meet you, Miss Cameron.”

Evangeline responded by launching into a sincere and humble apology, obviously so remorseful that Lily found herself feeling desperately sorry for the girl. Lily had to remind herself that she,
and
not Evangeline, had been the one struck by Desmond’s cane.
However,
as Evangeline poured out her regrets, Lily saw the extent of the damage caused by her grandfather. He hadn’t taken a cane to the
girl, but he might as well have, for he’d surely struck wounding blows to her confidence with his sly and manipulative words.

“Apology accepted,” Lily said, managing a word in edgewise. The girl seemed truly distressed, and Lily never could stand to see
anyone
suffering. “Shall we make our way to the dining room? Lady
Dayne’s parties are known for their excellent food. I don’t know about you, but I’m famished.”

Evangeline’s eyes rounded in obvious surprise. “You’re asking me to join you?”

Lily nodded. “I hope you will.”

George held out his arm to Meggie and Evangeline. “I’ll escort you ladies, if you don’t mind having this old man around.” It was true that her uncle was a little over forty years old, but he’d retained
his youthful good looks, and there was no denying that he was a very handsome man. Evangeline appeared delighted, relieved, and ready to cling to his arm the entire evening if he’d let her. Since
George had a soft spot in his heart for the downtrodden, Lily knew he wouldn’t mind at all. In any event, Evangeline was a beautiful young woman. Truly, he wouldn’t mind at all.

Meggie also seemed to be fond of Farthingale men. George’s son,
William, in particular. At the moment, William was keeping a safe distance, as any young, upstart baboon would when faced with hostility
from the older, dominant male. Ewan being the dominant male. Though only a few years older, Ewan was far stronger... tall, broad—
chested, muscled thighs... muscled everywhere.

Lily watched in fascination as William circled around them, waiting for Ewan to leave before daring to approach Meggie again. She cast her poor cousin a hopeful smile, knowing he was miserable
and pining for Meggie. He could not happily pass the evening until she and Ewan walked away. Well, she needed to retrieve her spectacles from Dillie. That was as good an excuse as any to draw Ewan away.

She made quick apologies and hurried off to find her twin. Reclaiming
her spectacles was not the only reason to seek out Dillie. She wanted to confide all that had happened, especially Ewan’s kiss and what
he’d said in front of Pruitt, but that would have to wait until she’d
lost Ewan in the crowd.

Ewan clamped a hand on her elbow. “Lily, slow down.”

She gazed at him, uncertain what he intended, for he now had a worried look in his eyes. His grandfather was in attendance. So were the MacCorkindales.

“Lass,” he said in a husky voice, suddenly casting her a hot, tender smile that melted her heart. “You were brilliant in there.” He paused a moment, as though struggling to find the right words.
“You went beyond merely accepting Evie’s apology. You forgave her, offered her your friendship, and made her feel valued.”