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Lily
Talbot House was beautiful. It was not hers, of course, but where they would be staying. On the other hand, since Nathan’s brother was unwed, that made her the current lady of the house, did it not?
She was not entirely sure of her position in the household.
“This is where the captain sleeps,” Mrs. Potts said, pointing out the door as they passed it. The pride in her voice as she used Nathan’s title was clear. “Your bedroom is the next one. The earl’s room is at the end of the hall, along with the future Countess’, when he has one.” The anticipation in her voice made Lily think the housekeeper was hoping that time came sooner rather than later. The older woman glanced at Lily. “The accommodations on the estate are more spacious. You and the captain will have your own wing there, and the captain made mention he would be looking for a house of his own, eventually. Likely, he would move up his search now.”
Would he? Lily had no idea. They had not had the time to discuss such niceties, such as where they would live or if they would even live together.
She let out her breath on a sigh as Mrs. Potts opened the door to her room. All her things, which had been hastily packed up the day before, had been delivered and were sitting against one of the walls within the room. It was a very nice room, even larger than the one in the house her parents had rented for the Season. The décor was a bit too pink for her—Lily preferred blues and greens—but she could live with it for a while.
At least she could redo this room without having to worry she would be stepping on the future countess’ toes. She would have to work on carving out a place for herself within the Jones household. Something she had not had time to stop and think about, considering all that had happened.
“Would you like me to ring for your ladies’ maid?” Mrs. Potts asked.
“Oh, yes, please.” Relief suffused her. Chastity would be a welcome familiarity in this sea of new and different, and Lily would be far more comfortable in one of her own gowns. Josie’s borrowed wedding dress was just another reminder of how her life, and her plan for her life, had changed over the past few days.
“Thank you for the tour,” Lily said.
“Of course. I have taken the liberty of preparing a menu for tonight’s supper. Tomorrow morning, would you like to go over the menu for the next week?” Mrs. Potts’ smile of expectation was impossible to refuse, even though deciding menus had never been one of Lily’s interests. Still, she was the lady of the house, and it was her duty, one Mrs. Potts’ clearly expected her to take up. Lily would not disappoint her.
“That would be lovely, thank you.”
Mrs. Potts left, and Lily heaved a sigh of relief. Moving to the bed, she sat and looked around a room filled with her things, yet entirely unfamiliar to her. How odd her husband, who she barely knew, would be one of the most familiar things in the house.
* * *
Nathan
Supper was a delicious but slightly awkward affair. Nathan was unused to eating in the dining room, at one end of the very long table, across from someone. It made conversation a bit awkward. He’d never been one to stand on ceremony, but he did not want to disappoint the servants, who clearly felt this was what should transpire on the evening of his wedding. They wanted to impress Lily, and he did not want to spoil their effort.
However, he thought both he and Lily were relieved when dinner came to an end. With so many listening ears, he had decided against talking about his thoughts on what kind of danger she may still be in. He also wanted to question her more on what she might know and ensure she had told him everything about the questions the highwayman had asked.
Perhaps the listening ears were not such an inconvenience since such matters should probably not be discussed on their wedding night. Hardly the stuff of romance, and while Nathan might not be highly accomplished at courtship, he knew that much.
“I suppose I shall leave you to enjoy a drink,” Lily said, getting to her feet. When Nathan rose as well, she froze, eyes wide in surprise.
“Actually, that is not one of my habits, though I indulge when the occasion calls for it,” he said, smiling. “It is not something I do on my own. Would you like an escort to the library, perhaps?”
“Oh… I… yes… the library.” Lily floundered over her words, and he realized she must have expected him to suggest they retire immediately. “Yes, that would be lovely, thank you.”
Though his body was ready to jump right into bed with her, he thought giving her some time to get more used to his company would be best. They had not seen much of each other this afternoon when she had unpacked her belongings, and he was busy thinking over the implications of the traitor’s actions. Mrs. Potts had told him Lily had been enamored of the library during her tour, so he hoped that would be a good starting point for them.
She did have a reputation as a bluestocking. So far, although their conversations had not been any different from those he normally had with debutantes and ladies among theton,the possibility of more remained, and he was interested to see what books she would be drawn to. Perhaps they could even find something in common, though his hopes were not high.
Offering her his arm, he took more enjoyment than he would have expected over such an innocent touch.
Which reminded him of something else he’d pondered that afternoon.
“I meant to ask you, who taught you how to box?” A little smile curved her lips when he looked down at her, though the rest of her expression remained serene.
“Evie. She taught all of us to box, fence, and shoot. She was determined we not be without the means to defend ourselves if need be.” The corner of Lily’s mouth quirked downward as if a thought occurred to her that was not as pleasing. Nathan could only imagine she was thinking of the time Miss Stuart had spent on the streets of London after her parents died and before her uncle found and claimed her again.
It was not common knowledge, but Nathan knew because of Elijah’s confidence in him. Clearly, Lily knew as well. Which made sense and also explained the closeness he’d seen between the four women. They trusted each other with their secrets, and in turn, Miss Stuart had trusted them enough to recruit them to her cause when she decided to hunt for the traitor on her own. The wisdom in such a maneuver was up for debate, but he had to admit, so far, the women had shown themselves to be useful.
“You are very good,” he said truthfully. Complimenting women was part of the courtship dance he could do, and he much preferred to commend a woman on her skill at something rather than her beauty. Though Lily was beautiful, and he had noticed women expected compliments on their looks, acknowledging their activities or skills caught their attention.
As expected, Lily’s smile became a little more sincere.
