“It doesn’t matter,” Rose said, flushing. “Lord Evan wants to court me, and Mr. Price is a commoner.”
“Yes, I know,” Lily said. “But for a commoner, he strikes me as quite…uncommon.”
Rose didn’t reply. They both knew it didn’t matter whether he fancied her, or she him. Uncommon or not, Mr. Price was not for her.
* * *
Lily chose to take dinner alone in her chamber that evening, unable to bear sitting next to Daniel’s empty space at his table. When she had finished her meal, she took Brandy on a walk about the estate. After strolling for over an hour, she dropped Brandy back at the kennels to be cared for overnight and went to her chamber. Rose came in later and asked her to come down to the terrace and visit with her and Sophie and Alexandra, but Lily declined. She would be terrible company anyway.
Visions of Daniel plagued her, as she imagined him embracing another woman, kissing her, touching her, loving her the way he had loved Lily. As hard as she tried to shoo the images from her mind, she could not escape them. Touching her belly, she again wondered if Daniel had given her his babe—and whether he had sired any bastards during his last decade of exploits.
“Oh, Daniel,” she whispered aloud. “Why do you torment me so?”
Chapter 15
Because Lily had gone to bed so early, she awoke at dawn the next day and could not fall back to sleep. Finally giving up, she quietly summoned a maid to ready a bath for her, trying not to disturb Rose. When she had dressed in a morning outfit, she descended to the first floor, lugging her oil paints and a large canvas. She took a light breakfast in the ladies’ sitting room and then summoned a servant to help carry her supplies to the library.
“Could you unlock the art gallery for me please?”
“I’m sorry, milady,” the servant said. “That room can only be opened at the request of the duke or the duchess.”
“I’ll be the duchess in little over a week,” Lily said. “I only want to look at the art for inspiration.”
“I’m sorry, milady,” the servant said again.
“Where is the duke?”
“In his chamber. He returned very late last night.”
“Well, go get him.”
“I cannot. He asked not to be bothered.”
Lily’s heart lurched as a wave of nausea enveloped her. “He’s…alone, is he not?” she asked timidly.
“I’m afraid I wouldn’t know, my lady.”
“Well then, what about the duchess? She’ll let me in the gallery.”
“I’m sorry. She was feeling poorly yesterday and asked not to be disturbed this morning.”
“Fine. Set my supplies up in the library then, please. Make sure you drop an oilcloth about…four by four feet at least, I’d say. I’ll be back in a moment.”
“Right away, milady.”
Lily hurried though the kitchen and up the back stairwell to Daniel’s suite. If he was with another woman, she would damn well catch him in the act. How dare he bring one of his strumpets to her home! Granted, it wasn’t her home yet, but no doxy chasing would occur at Laurel Ridge once she was its mistress. On that she would not compromise. She opened the door without knocking and walked briskly through the sitting area and into the bedchamber itself.
“Daniel!”
He was in bed, naked, at least as far as she could see, as he was covered from the waist down. She gasped slightly at the sight of his muscular chest and beautiful face softened in sleep. He appeared to be alone. Thank God.
“Daniel!” she said again.
He stirred, rubbed his eyes, and looked up at her. “Lily?”
“Yes, it’s me. I want to go to the art gallery, and no one will let me in.”
“What the devil time is it?”