Persuasion (29 page)

Dorian frowned and took a seat beside him on the armchair next to him.

“Not particularly. It isn't as though we're affianced, William!”

“From the state of the floor, I would suggest that with a miss of Lily Mercer's

credentials, you're near as dammit! You've compromised her, Dorian. I

wouldn't be surprised if within the next day or so, Devlin rides down and

demands you marry her. Talk about killing a bird with two stones! With the

fforbes-Hyde fortune, he'll be able to salvage the family name and also wash

his hands of his younger sister! Perfect for the Mercers, no?”

“How can she be compromised? No one has caught us!” Dorian scoffed.

He snorted. “You can't be serious? Did I not see her sneaking out of the

house? Who is to say that someone else hasn't?”

Dorian shook his head. “Stop it, William. What's the matter with you? Why

are we even discussing this?”

“There is nothing wrong with me, Dorian. I just don't want to see you hurt.

Is that so wrong?”

“No and I appreciate that you do care, but this is just unnecessary. She

doesn't want to marry at all, never mind me!”

“Women of the demimonde say that, Dorian, hardly ladies of good family!”

“Don't be ridiculous! What are you inferring?”

“I don't particularly know what I'm inferring, but it seems to me that her

motives are hardly pure!”

He watched as Dorian's jaw tensed. “Look, what is this business deal you

wanted to discuss?”

“I hardly think it matters when your emotional well-being is at stake.”

“Emotional well-being?”

“You don't remember?” William asked all concern. “You were truly at a low

point, Dorian, the last time we met at your country estate. I hardly think it is

wise to involve yourself with a woman whose sole interest could quite

possibly be in your funds! And her . . . well, her sojourn here this evening . .

. it hardly rings true, does it?”

Almost as though those words clicked in Dorian's brain, William watched as

his cousin's face tautened. He couldn't help but feel pleased and he had to

work hard to hide a smirk. Apparently, love did not mean trust.

He watched as suspicions started to plant themselves into Dorian's brain and

knew that he'd done enough. As long as the seed had indeed taken root,

that was all that counted. The rest could come later. Slowly but surely he

could fill Dorian with poison, until eventually the man snapped and

hopefully, did away with himself.

If he didn't, then William would simply have to edge him along.

He had done quite enough waiting and didn't intend on doing any more!

“I swear, if I didn't know better I'd say you were . . . ,” Janie hesitated and

shook her head, impatient at her own folly.

“I was . . . what?” Lily complained crossly, her head ducked half in and half

out of the porcelain pot that looked set to become her close friend.

She had spent the last two hours in close contact with the porcelain and if

her stomach was anything by which to go, she would be here a lot longer!

She still felt quite ridiculously poorly and she had to admit that she was

beginning to feel very sorry for herself!

It seemed that she had been quite imbecilic in believing she would

oversleep. She had awoken at an ungodly hour of the morn and had been in

this awkward position ever since.

“There's no point in discussing it, Miss Lily. You can't possibly be . . . . No,

well, you can't possibly be what I was thinking. It's just so strange. No one

else in the house is poorly and your aunt and uncle always share your

mealtimes. There's no reason why you should be ill and yet, here you are . .

. .”

Lily bit her lip as she pondered Janie's words and knew them to be true.

“What were you thinking, Janie? Please. Please, tell me,” she whispered, her

voice raspy.

The maid hesitated and her words were almost lost as another wave of

nausea overcame Lily and she dove once again for the bowl.

Janie's hand hovered above her charge's head and she slowly and gently

stroked Lily's hair, offering comfort where it was needed.

“Tell me, Janie. I must know,” Lily begged moments later, her throat raw.

“Well . . . ."

Had Lily not known that Janie was simply embarrassed, she would have

snapped at her, but instead she begged the Good Lord for patience.

To say that Lily felt concern for whatever it was that was ailing her was an

understatement. If Janie knew what it was, then all for the good. She did not

fancy having a physician poking and prodding at her, and, if her illness

continued for much longer, she knew her Aunt Millie would indeed send for a

doctor.

Ever since her father's death, she had disliked those with a career in

medicine on principal. She distrusted them all, viewing them as quacks, as

the majority of them were just that. And she highly doubted that the

physicians in London would be any different to their country counterparts.

Indeed, she felt quite certain they would simply charge more for their lack of

knowledge!

Janie sucked in a breath. “When a woman is in the family way, miss, a . . .

well, she . . . it's likely that for the first few months, she'll ail in the

mornings. It's a symptom of being in the family way,” she blurted out.

Lily bit the inside of her lip as she stared down into the cavernous pot and its

nasty contents.

Pregnant? Lily Mercer? Expecting a child out of wedlock? Could that be true?

Surely not!

She gulped and felt the sickness press against her gullet once more until the

force of it was such that she couldn't hold back any longer. Her nausea and

concern were released in a wave of queasiness until she almost fell out of

bed with its ferocity.

When it had lessened, she sank back into her pillows and cuddled into the

blankets for warmth. Shivers racked her frame for what felt like endless

moments until the pure woolen coverings worked their magic and brought

her body back up to temperature.

Her teeth ceased to chatter and color returned to her cheeks as she rested

with her body snuggled into the bed.

Janie hovered above her, patting her hand and then once again stroking her

hair.

Lily appreciated Janie, but the only thing that would ease her sickness was

to have Dorian in bed beside her, heating her with his warmth and

comforting her with his embrace. A breath soughed gently out of her mouth.

It was laden with regret, and she slowly sat up, realizing that she had to go

see him. Now. It was more urgent than ever if what Janie had said was the

truth.

“I need a bath, Janie, and I need to go out. Prepare the cream muslin and

the brown velvet pelisse, it looks rather nippy outside.”

“But, ma'am, you can't go outside in your condition!” the maid protested

urgently.

“What condition?” Lily retorted with a snap. “I-I, there's nothing wrong with

me. I must just have eaten something that disagreed with me!”

Janie nodded, but her lips were pursed with an irritation she failed to hide.

“Would you like me to arrange for the carriage to be prepared for your use?”

Lily shook her head. She wasn't entirely sure where the Earl's house actually

was. It would be hard enough navigating the streets of London on foot,

never mind asking a coachman to follow her lead! “No, I wish to walk.

Alone.”

“Alone? But you can't do that, Miss Lily! It isn't proper!”

It was far too late for that! She had far surpassed the boundaries of society's

dictates. “I find myself past caring, Janie. I shall walk alone and do not dare

tell my aunt! Or my uncle,” she quickly added. “I need some respite, some

space. I miss the freedom of the estate.”

Janie frowned.

Lily could see that she was not best pleased with Lily's mandate. Shrugging

her shoulders obdurately, she snuggled deeper into the bed and watched as

Janie stalked off, annoyance written into every taut limb of the maid's body.

She did not like to anger Janie, but, in this case, there was no alternative.

She could hardly have Janie accompanying her as she went to speak to a

man who could well be the father of her child, could she?

At the prospect of being pregnant, Lily blanched once again. She had not

truly thought of the consequences of partaking in bed sports with Dorian,

and, if she were indeed set for confinement within the upcoming year, then

Lily knew she was truly done for.

Not only would she have to explain the hideous background to their

relationship and why she had pursued him, Lily would have to drop this

news. This added an extra urgency to the matter. She had disliked the idea

of divulging all to Dorian and she liked it even less now!

With a frown pleating her brows, she watched as Janie stalked back into the

bedroom with a troop of footmen leading the way, each yielding the heavy

weight of the bath tub and a horde of maids laden down with buckets of

steaming water at their backs.

The tub was placed before the fireplace and the maids began to fill it,

emptying their loads and quickly retreating from the bedroom. When only

Janie remained, Lily climbed unsteadily out of bed. Hearing Janie's tut, she

grimaced and knew that the maid had seen her faint stumble and was

doubting her sense in wanting to go out for the day.

She shrugged off Janie's vexed look and stripped out of her uncomfortable,

sweat-stained night rail. Her body was equally as damp from the

perspiration her skin had exuded during her frequent ailments and it was

with relief that she sunk into the piping hot water and felt the heat penetrate

her flesh and her cold limbs. A shudder rushed through her as her body

reacted to the warmth, but finally it began to work at her knotted shoulders

and tense frame.

For a few moments, she rested, allowed her body to recharge itself and then

she began to cleanse herself. After twenty minutes in the warm water, her

skin was slightly pruned, but it had been worth it. She felt alive once more.

Janie dried and then dressed her and readied her for the outdoors with a

bonnet that covered her ears, winter gloves with rabbit fur as a lining, and

heavier than normal stockings to keep her legs warm. It was only the middle

of Summer, but it looked set to be grim, and she was glad for the extra

warmth! Ordinarily, the drop in temperature wouldn't overly affect her, but,

at this moment in time, Lily felt as though a great gust of wind would have

the power to knock her over!

By the end of the hour, Lily was dressed and had two sovereigns tucked into

her left glove were she in need of funds.

Before she exited her bedroom, she turned to face Janie and reached for her

hands. “There is something I must do,” she admitted earnestly. “Something

that I alone can do. I won't be long, but please, Janie, I beg you, do not

inform my aunt. I have to do this.”

Janie frowned down at her but gently returned the squeeze and nodded. “Do

be back before three o'clock this afternoon though, Miss Lily. Otherwise I'll

be more worried than I can say!”

“I don't want you to worry. Indeed, there is no reason for concern. However,

I-I believe that if my aunt were to see you and ask you of my whereabouts,

you could not lie to her, so I release you for the day. Enjoy your free time,

Janie.”

“But miss, I've already had my free day!”

“I know you have, but you work hard for me, Janie, and an extra afternoon

off won't do you any harm,” Lily said with a smile. “If you hurry for your own

coat and gloves, we can leave the house together and separate once we're

away from this street. Would that be all right?”

“Yes, Miss Lily. That would be grand if you're sure you don't need me?”

“Of course I do, Janie!” Lily retorted with a wry grin. “But, as I am still

learning, there are things that one must do alone and this is one of them.”

Janie looked faintly perplexed at this but hurried off to do her bidding. Only

ten minutes passed between that conversation and their parting of ways at

the end of Hammond Avenue, the street on which her aunt and uncle's

house sat.

It was with relief that she was alone to seek out the Earl's home. During the

journeys to his townhouse, she had noticed various landmarks and knew

that it would not be overly difficult to walk there and back before the end of

the day. She traversed the journey she believed to be correct and within fifty

minutes stood before a building she believed to be the Earl's.

It had been surprisingly easy to meander through the streets of the capital.

She'd received a few odd stares, partly because of her winter attire but

mostly because she was alone. But Lily was a lady born and bred. She had

frozen any looks sent her way with a chilling glance and had simply gone on

her way, unerringly focused on finding the Earl and speaking with him.

The house in the light was surprisingly pleasant. In the dark, it was

admittedly rather haunting, all large shadows and big, hulking annexes. But

with a pale sun shining upon it, she enjoyed its complex mixture of grandeur

and inelegance, grand because of its size and Georgian design, homeliness

from the hodgepodge extensions and the neat front gardens.