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Truthfully, he did not know if he could handle losing her, too.
The very thought made his blood run cold. It did not matter that they had only met this past Season or had been married only a few days—she was his. His to protect and defend, even more so than anyone else under his care.
* * *
Lily
Blast the man. How was she supposed to argue with such a statement? It was infuriating, even as her heart pounded faster and part of her wanted to swoon from the romanticism.
Surely, he did not mean it in a romantic way—how could he? They had not been married a week, and besides, she was already his wife, so he hardly needed to court her.
But it felt awfully romantic.
Meaningful.
The intimate moment was interrupted by a loud knocking at the front door that made everyone in the room jump. Outside the drawing-room, she could hear someone hurrying across the foyer.
“Who could that be?” Josie asked.
“Hopefully, it is Robert, finally.” Nathan released Lily’s hand and turned, an expression of relief on his face. Lily knew he had been worried about his cousins when they did not appear at the expected time. She hoped he was correct—no one else was supposed to arrive today.
Nathan strode right out of the room without looking back.
Exasperated, Lily got to her feet, exchanging a glance with Evie, before going after him. Apparently, he had forgotten he had a wife. She should be there to greet his cousins as well.
Thankfully, her mother’s shopping trip before leaving London had provided several suitable dresses, so she was wearing the appropriate black for mourning. While her friends did not care, she wanted to make a good impression on Nathan’s cousins. He did not have any other family, from what she knew.
Brushing off her skirts, she nodded to their friends.
“This is probably goodnight, but we will see you on the morrow.”
Introductions and getting Nathan’s cousin and wife settled in their rooms took precedence over the discussions. She did not know if Nathan was going to keep his cousins in the dark about the truth of his brother’s death and his father’s perfidy.
In some cases, ignorancewasthe safer course. There was no reason for anyone to think they knew anything, and the second they did know, they would be in danger.
Gliding into the hallway, Lily pasted a demure but welcoming smile on her face. As she walked out the door, everyone turned to look at her. It appeared his cousins had brought quite the retinue with them.
Harker stood stiffly at attention just off to the side while Nathan faced his cousins. At least, Lily assumed the man was Robert, Nathan’s current heir. There was a similarity in facial features and build, though Robert’s hair was lighter. He also had a pinched expression, though that might be due to having traveled all day.
Beside him was a well-dressed blonde, who Lily assumed was his wife, Letitia. That was the summation of Lily’s knowledge about them. Nathan had not been very verbose, and she assumed they were not close.
“And who is this?” the blonde asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at Lily. Nathan turned.
“Ah, yes. It is possible my letter did not reach you in time.” Nathan held out his hand to gesture Lily forward.
She kept the polite smile on her face despite their frowns. With their late arrival, it had likely been an arduous day of travel, so she could forgive a little rudeness.
“This is my wife, Lily Jones, formerly Davies. Lady Jones, now, I suppose. Lily, these are my cousins Robert and Letitia Jones.”
The blonde’s mouth dropped open in shock. More than shock, she appeared to be almost angry.
“Wife? When did you marry?” Though his expression had not changed much, Robert’s voice was much gruffer than when he’d been speaking to Nathan alone. Neither he nor his wife appeared pleased about the revelation.
Something unsettling turned over in Lily’s stomach as she realized being Nathan’s heir might have been a position the man was looking forward to.
“Earlier this week,” Nathan said, his voice hardening. “The day before I received the news about Sebastian.”
“It has been an eventful week,” Lily interjected soothingly. Though she did not want to judge the couple by this first interaction, considering they were likely exhausted and out-of-sorts already—and her marriage to Nathan was a big surprise—she would struggle if they kept behaving so rudely. “Our courtship happened quickly. You must be tired, though. I am sure we will have plenty of time to get to know each other and tell you everything over the next few days. Harker? Please show Mr. and Mrs. Jones to their rooms.”
