If manners didn’t dictate that a young lady should never make it too obvious that she was delighted more with one suitor’s presence than another, she very well might have grinned at him. As it was, she managed to hide her surfeit of happiness by resettling her skirts and folding her hands demurely in her lap.
Her reaction surprised and confused her. Only yesterday she’d been frightened that he would appear. Today, she’d been frightened and quite convinced that hewouldn’t. It cheered herthat he was in attendance—apparently he’d simply arrived so late he’d been shunted to the rear of the group.
Lily pressed her lips together in consternation, only realizing at that precise moment how many gentlemen truly surrounded her. There were at least ten of them, and as there were only four chairs in proximity to her, several of the gentlemen stood behind her sofa. Others stood behind those who were seated.
A chill ran down her back and she clenched her fingers together when that sudden, irrational fear took hold. It happened to her sometimes, when she felt very closed in. Usually the sight of a window or an open door soothed her. She lifted her eyes and looked for one now, but all she could see were the waistcoats of the gentlemen ringed around her. The sudden, irrational urge to stand and flee gripped her in sharp talons.
The archway is still there,Lily told herself, even as her breathing tightened in her chest.And this room has a great many large windows. You could get out if you needed to.
Dear heavens, one of the gentlemen was speaking to her, and she’d be expected to respond any moment now or be thought unforgivably rude.
What was he saying?
But her slightly panicked eyes rose to search for the exit again, and instead met Bradford’s gaze. He studied her for half a second, then frowned.
“Don’t you think, Miss Preston?” a voice to her left said.
“Everyone, stepback,” Lord Hayes fairly barked, interrupting the man. “We’re far too close. We’re nearly smothering the lady. And those of you who’ve been in attendance for more than an hour should clear out. If you haven’t found the opportunity to speak to her yet, try again tomorrow.”
Bradford was being unforgivably rude by most social standards, yet Lily was so thankful when some of the other mencomplied that she could have cried. The men at her back stepped away, and two of the gentlemen sitting in chairs stood, said their polite goodbyes, and left.
Others took their place, and through the shuffle, Lily could see the archway clearly once more, along with one of the windows. The relief lasted but a moment, as one of the gentlemen made to move a chair into their arrangement, effectively sealing off the only break in their grouping.
“Good heavens, sir,” Bradford groused good-naturedly from where he now stood behind Lily. “How’s the maid going to replenish the tea tray without ending up in a gentleman’s lap? Sit over there.”
The young lord followed his instruction, and Lily took another full breath, shooting a momentary, grateful glance over her shoulder.
“I say, Hayes, I never knew you were such a stickler for decorum and seating arrangements,” the man next to him murmured in a teasing tone.
Lily supposed she wasn’t meant to overhear their conversation, especially since there was another taking place at her front that she was expected to participate in.
“I’ve always been a fan of order,” Hayes admitted easily in a low voice. “Especially when that order increases comfort and efficiency.”
“I like horses very much,” Lily said to Lord Bennett, when it came time to do so. “Such marvelous, beautiful creatures. My brother adores his Percheron, but I know some prefer a chestnut. What do you think, Lord Hearston?”
The nearby gentlemen quickly digressed into a conversation that surrounded Lily more than it actually involved her. Lily smiled—William had been correct when he said the fastest way to distract most men was to ask their preference regarding horses. It was not only a topic they all could participate in, itwas one that would be helpful in sussing out who was more interested in showmanship than in the care of the animals themselves.
William had given Lily several such conversational ideas to help distract anyone who brushed too close to the truth of her own potential scandal. It didn’t escape her sense of irony that the gentleman standing to the rear of her could expose her with a single careless sentence. And yet, one thing she knew about Lord Hayes was that he wasn’t the least bit careless.
“How is your daughter, Hayes?” the man next to him asked.
Lily wished she’d paid better attention to remembering his name, for he obviously had some degree of personal connection to her former employer.
“Very well, thank you,” he said. Then, as if Hayes knew that she was carefully eavesdropping, he added, “She’s at home with her governess. I had a dastardly time retaining a good one.”
Lily resisted the urge to stiffen.
The man chuckled. “That must be blamed on your location, for governesses are thick on the ground here in town.”
“Ah, but that’s the catch. One cannot hire just anyone. Who knows what they might be hiding?”
It was decided. Bradford absolutely knew Lily was listening. Not that she would stop, now that she’d started. Not that shecould.
“Good heavens, Bradford. You sound as if one of them made off with the silver.”
Lily couldn’t help it—her shoulders tensed. This was it—one of the moments where he could destroy her reputation.
“Nothing quite as tangible as that, but just as precious, I’d wager.”
