My Fair Lily (38 page)

Lily felt overwhelmed. She smiled at him and knew that smile must look ridiculous, for she was grinning from ear to ear, probably
crying too. Her heart was about to burst with joy, and she was
shaking. “I’d be honored.”

“Lily, you’re a miracle worker,” Evangeline said softly.

Lily wiped away a stray tear and stared at the Camerons, who
were now lined up in a row in front of her. Evangeline and Meggie were clasping hands and smiling at her. The three Cameron men stood tall before her, their arms folded across their arrogantly puffed
chests.
Also smiling at her. The duke cleared his throat and turned to his granddaughters. “You both did a splendid job. I’m so pleased. Evie, I’m particularly proud of you. I’ve treated you miserably all these years, yet you responded without hesitation in this, my darkest
hour.”

She blushed. “Thank you, Grandfather.”

“I’m going to need your help putting everything back in order.
Will you work with me? You’ll have a title, of course. Curator of Antiquities.
Will that do? Or would you prefer Director of Expeditions? You’ll require funds, of course. We’ll decide upon a budget, and if it isn’t enough, the board will approve more.” He turned to the other directors. “Isn’t that so?”

They all voiced their approval, stumbling over each other in
their haste to agree.

The duke appeared content. He turned to Desmond. “Since the Royal Society will take up most of my time from here on in, I’ll need your help in running the Cameron shipping line. I know you’re
familiar with the business. Will you take it over for me, Des?”

Desmond appeared wary at first, his gaze darting from Ewan to his grandfather, as though believing it was a trick. But Lily saw the hopefulness in his eyes and knew this was what he’d dreamed of. Ewan gave him an encouraging nod. There must have been a silent
exchange between the two cousins, because Desmond’s wariness
quickly disappeared. He turned to the old duke. “I’ll make you proud of me, Grandfather. I’ll start today. Right now. I won’t let you down.”

“I trust you, Des. I know the enterprise is in good hands. I’ve always been proud of you and Evie. Forgive me for not telling you sooner. Forgive me for all I’ve put you through. Things will change. Starting now.”

Though Desmond held back, Evie felt none of his reserve. She threw her arms around her grandfather and hugged him fiercely. “You’ve made us so happy. I love you, Grandfather.”

The duke hugged her back. Lily thought she detected a sniffle in his voice as he said, “I love you too, my sweet Evie.”

Ewan drew her back as his cousins and grandfather enjoyed their moment. “Lily, you’ve singlehandedly saved the Cameron
family. We Cameron men are a bad mix of pride, arrogance, and stubbornness, but you managed to overcome all our defenses. I don’t know how to thank you.” He shook his head and put a hand to her lips before she had the chance to respond. “I take it back. Yes, I do.”

She gazed at him in confusion. “You do? How?”

“I’m going to ask you again to marry me.” He took her into his arms. She always liked the feel of his solid arms around her.

She continued to stare at him. “But you’ve already asked and I’ve accepted.”

A gleam sprang into his eyes. A wicked Highlander gleam. “I
didn’t do it right.” He leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips. “I didn’t explain why I desperately wish you to marry me.”

She nodded. “Go on.” Her heart was in her throat. Butterflies
were fluttering in her stomach. Her legs had turned to butter.

She thought he was going to tell her that he loved her, so she wasn’t prepared when Ewan suddenly drew her behind him, muttering something that sounded like “Mortimer” before turning to
lunge at his grandfather. Seemingly in the same motion, he grabbed the old man
and shoved him to his knees just as a shot rang out. Desmond did the same with her, Evie, and Meggie, hauling them down and
shielding them with his body.

Everything happened all at once. The echo of that shot still resounded in her ears as Lily turned to Ewan. Her eyes widened in
horror at the
crimson spurt of blood now spewing from his body. He tried to
move, but grunted in pain and collapsed against his grandfather.

“No! Ewan!” She surged to her feet and started toward him, as
did his family and the Royal Society board members. Then she noticed Lord Mortimer withdrawing a pouch from his cloak and moving toward a lit torch. The gunpowder! He meant to kill them all!

Lily lunged toward him, at the same time fumbling for the hat pin she carried within the folds of her sash. She tackled Lord Mortimer and stuck his hand with the hat pin. He yelped and
dropped the pouch. She kicked it away and grabbed the torch to keep it out of his grasp.

“Jezebel! Witch! Ashton loved you and you betrayed him!” The soldiers of the Somerset barracks now burst through the door and quickly took Lord Mortimer into their custody.

“We’ll keep him locked up and under guard. Don’t you worry, Miss Farthingale,” said their captain.

“Search him. Search his coach. Look for gunpowder.” The
captain nodded and issued more orders to his men. Four of them secured Lord Mortimer in their custody. The others hurried off to search his belongings.

As the last of them left, Lily turned to Ewan. Meggie was in tears, kneeling beside him. “Oh, no.” Lily’s heart began to pound through her ears. He wasn’t dead. He couldn’t be. He was too proud and stubborn to die.

She heard him groan. Oh, thank goodness! “Ewan, where are you hit?”

“Just my shoulder. Solid shot this time. That hot metal lodged
deep between the muscle. Hurts like blazes.”

Evie was first to her feet. “Come on, Desmond. We have to find Lily’s uncle. He’s a doctor. The best in London.”

Lily carefully removed Ewan’s jacket and shirt and then, with the assistance of several soldiers, settled him on one of the freshly made up cots in their barracks. While she gathered clean cloths and
ordered
water boiled, Meggie and her grandfather remained by Ewan’s side. She had watched her uncle tend to the injured, but had never seen him operate on anyone who had been shot. After thoroughly
washing the
soot and grime off her hands, she returned to Ewan’s side and busied herself by cleansing his wound, doing her best to stem the
flow of blood. She didn’t know what else to do.

Despite her protests, Ewan eased himself into a sitting position on the cot. “Lily, lass. It’s just my shoulder. Nothing fatal.”

Though he tried to hide it, she heard the strain of agony in his voice. “I know,” she said in a shaky whisper, not quite believing his assurances.

He took her hand and held onto it until her uncle arrived. This was so like Ewan, determined to comfort her even though he was the injured party. George finally arrived after what seemed like forever and quickly set to work on Ewan’s shoulder. The others were herded out of the room, but Lily remained to assist him. She promptly and carefully followed each instruction. There was so much blood! Ewan was in so much pain.

***

“Sweetheart,” Ewan said softly, several hours later. The last of the metal fragments had been dug out of his shoulder and the wound properly bound. He was now safely back at Lotheil Court,
his every comfort attended to by the Lotheil servants. George had ordered him to stay in bed and rest.

Ewan was already ignoring those orders, Lily noted with frustration. He’d bathed, put on clean clothes, and had a tempting array of plum
cakes and raisin biscuits set out on a table by the hearth in the library. He was seated in one of the fat cushioned chairs in front of the hearth, his long legs stretched before him. Jasper was sprawled beside him, eyeing the raisin biscuits and whimpering. “Be quiet, ye bloody
looby. I have something important to say to Lily.”

He stood up, giving no hint of discomfort as he rose, though he
moved a little more slowly than usual and his injured shoulder was slightly stooped. He took her hand again, squeezing it lightly but with firm determination, as though to prove he wasn’t going to die. They were alone in the library. She had come straight here with him, not taken the time to return home to bathe or change into clean clothes. She was a disheveled mess and suddenly felt quite awkward
standing beside him.

He looked spectacular. Of course, he did. He was strong, proud Ewan.

She was a bluestocking who’d spent the past hours crying in the carriage on the ride to Lotheil because she thought he was going to die each time they hit a bump in the road, and crying some more in the Lotheil garden while the duke’s staff tended to Ewan upstairs. “I ought to go home to wash and change.”

“Stay. Please.”

She began to fuss and fidget. She couldn’t help it. She’d almost lost him. She was green and nauseated and still frightened out of her
wits. Yet, he seemed so calm. “Sweetheart,” he repeated to gain her attention. “I’ve been stabbed and shot twice since coming to London.”

“Oh, Ewan! I know. It’s all my fault.”

He gave her hand another gentle squeeze. “No, lass. That isn’t my point. As I said, stabbed and shot twice.”

“And almost blown to pieces.”

“Right. I don’t think this town agrees with me.”

She shook her head and sighed. “I suppose not.”

“What I’m trying to tell you is that I don’t belong here. Lass, my place is in the Highlands.”

She held her breath in sudden panic. Had he reconsidered? Decided not to marry her after all? She did look a sooty mess.
“Ewan, what are you saying?”

“I’ll be leaving here when my three months are up. Perhaps sooner, since I think I’ve accomplished what this visit was meant to
bring about. With your help, of course.”

She nodded, now wishing she’d taken a moment to tend to herself. If he was going to rescind his marriage proposal, she wished to be properly dressed to receive the bad news. Not that it mattered how she looked or what she wore while her heart was being ripped
to pieces.
She continued to hold her breath as he resumed the conversation. “Desmond is more than capable of running the dukedom of Lotheil. He’s been raised to the task. He wants it, but most of all, he’s earned it.”

“You’re just as capable. Why are we speaking of Desmond?” Lily tipped her gaze upward to study his expression. She let out a small gasp. “Has your grandfather offered the dukedom to you?”

He nodded. “The old man believes I’m a natural leader.”

“You are.”

“He claims I’ve shown more wisdom in dealing with problems than he ever has.”

“You have. He’s right to be impressed with you. You’re smart and honest and caring, and everyone respects you.”

He teasingly tweaked her nose. “Enough, lass. You’ll swell my head with such compliments. But as I said, my heart is in the
Highlands.” He gazed at her, cast her a boyishly hopeful smile that tugged at her own heart. “Rather, my heart will be in the Highlands if you’ll come back there with me. I haven’t given Grandfather my answer yet, but I know what I’d like to say.”

Her eyes rounded in amazement. “You intend to refuse him.”

“I wanted to talk it over with you first. If I refuse, I won’t be a duke. Can’t make you my duchess. But I’m Laird Carnach in my own right and I can’t think of anyone who’d make a better Lady
Carnach than
you. Life won’t be as comfortable for you up there as it is down here.
But we have beautiful hills and lochs, and you’ll never want for anything. I mean it, Lily. All I have is yours. I need you, lass. I can’t
be happy without you. I love you.”

She grinned. “More than Jasper loves me?”

He laughed. “Never thought I’d have a dog for competition. That clumsy oaf fell in love with you at first sight. I suppose I did too. Tongue-dragging, heart-thumping, baboon-stomping, head over heels in love with you. But I’m dumber than that big looby. Dumber than a baboon, too. It took me longer to admit that you’d captured my heart. So what do you say? Can you love me if I remain a mere
laird?”

She threw her arms around him, careful to avoid his injured
shoulder. “I can’t help but love you. I’d love you even if you were a baboon. If you don’t want the dukedom of Lotheil, then I don’t want
it
either. In truth, I’d make a terrible duchess. All those stuffy affairs.
All that time away from my research.”

“About that,” he said, groaning as he drew her even closer, “I’ve written to Sir William Maitland about you. I sent a letter off to him shortly after Lord Guilfoil’s lecture, and received his response about an hour ago.”

She gasped.

“He’s settled in Scotland and has invited us to visit him on our way back to the Highlands.”

“You’re taking me to meet him?” She kissed him with all the joy and passion residing in her heart.

He kissed her back, this time more urgently, his good arm sliding across her shoulders to draw her close. Jasper nuzzled his big head between them. His ears were perked and tail was wagging. “Stay put, ye looby. I’ll no’ have you interfering while I properly kiss the
lass.”

Jasper snorted in obvious disdain.

Ewan kept his attention on Lily. “You claimed my heart that first
day we met, the moment I pulled you out of that puddle. I should have admitted my feelings to you then, but I was too arrogant to
give up control of my heart. I’ve finally come to my senses.”