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Belle relaxed, letting the flow of Lily’s reading settle over her. Her voice was gentle and soothing, the poems light-hearted and as romantic as Belle expected them to be. As she enjoyed her breakfast, she silently listened to the tales of lovers, of fates and destinies, of happily-ever-afters.
It seemed Lily was in a good mood because although Belle knew there were as many sad poems as there were happy ones, she seemed to be avoiding them. The lilt of her voice grew as she delved deeper into her readings and by the time Belle was done eating, she was certain there was a reason for it.
“Did you enjoy that one?” Lily asked her with shining eyes.
Belle nodded. “Thoroughly. With the way you read it, I would have easily believed that you were the one to write it in the first place.”
“Me?” Lily shook her head, her smile broadening. “I wish my talent was half as good as this is, but sadly, I’m lacking. I find I’m not nearly as captivating.”
“I’m sure many poets would have said the same thing until they took the initiative to share it with the world. Perhaps you only need a little more practice.”
Lily shook her head. “Practice isn’t what I need. It’s experience.”
“You mean…”
“I mean I want to feel my heart pound when the man I love is near, and my skin tingle from his touch, and my breathing quickening whenever he leans down to kiss me.” Lily hugged the book tightly to her chest, her expression growing wistful. “Hannah, have you ever been in love?”
“Never,” she said instantly, happy Lily had asked her the one question she could confidently answer.
“Neither have I,” Lily said. “I wish to be, though. I want to feel the things my parents no doubt felt for each other when they were younger.”
Belle leaned forward. “Is there someone you have in mind?”
She felt a twinge of disappointment when Lily confidently shook her head, looking just as sad at that fact. “I wish I did. Perhaps I’m fated to meet him soon. It surely feels as if my days are bound to get a little more interesting, now that you’re here.”
“I cannot begin to fathom what you mean by that and I have a feeling I don’t want to.”
Lily laughed. “As you wish, Hannah. Now, let me continue. There are a few more poems in this book that I’m certain you’re going to enjoy.”
And she did. Every single one of them. But Belle had a feeling that had more to do with Lily’s presence than anything else.
* * *
Getting away from his work proved more difficult than he expected it to be, and it was mostly his fault. He shouldn’t have lingered so long at the Stanton home, should have just checked to make sure that Belle was all right and went back home. Maybe then the mountain of things he needed to get done wouldn’t have piled up on him.
Even so, Stephen found it hard to regret it. His lips still tingled with the thought of Hannah’s so close to his, only seconds away from sharing those moments of bliss when they met. Had Miss Julia not walked in when she did, it would have been perfect, magical almost.
His role as a duke was nothing compared to that.
Enduring it, however, was more than he could bear and he suffered dearly throughout dinner. And then in the morning, when he thought might have calmed down some, his mother began to pester him once again about the many invitations they’d received to upcoming balls. He’d barely managed to escape to his office, intending to get to the bottom of the confusing books.
There’s no understanding this, though.
No matter how hard he tried, the numbers simply didn’t add up and Stephen was beginning to give himself a headache. He leaned back, dropping his pen and picking up his whiskey, rubbing his steadily pounding temples. He wouldn’t be able to figure this out any time soon. He needed professional help.
Finishing the rest of his drink, he got to his feet and quickly made his way out the manor. He didn’t know where his mother was and he was afraid that if she happened upon him, she would begin talking about that debut ball he was loath to attend. He didn’t want to think about the ball right now. He simply wanted to leave, to be free from the hassle of what she claimed were his duties.
I wonder what Hannah is doing right now.
Once he was safely in his carriage and on his way to his father’s accountant’s office, it was inevitable that his mind would drift to Hannah. She was his constant thought, crossed between both worry and yearning, thinking to use the former to satisfy the latter. Even though he saw her just yesterday, he already wanted to see her again.
There were too many things left unsaid between them. It didn’t sit well with Stephen to kiss her and then never mention it again, but whenever he had the chance to, it was taken from him. And it didn’t make it any easier that reading Hannah was so difficult.
Should I stop by today? Will it be too obvious?
He tortured himself with the thought of her smiling face as the question swirled in his mind. By the time he arrived at the accountant’s office, he knew what he was going to do, although he couldn’t tell if it was the smartest thing to do.
Mr. Reid, his father’s accountant, was a man Stephen had only met once. But on that one occasion he seemed like a very no-nonsense kind of man, so he was sure this visit wouldn’t take very long. The moment he introduced himself to Mr. Reid’s secretary, she led him to the office.
