Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Dinner at the inn's tavern was only bearable because of Kate and Charlotte. Mr. Davies was anything but, even though her friends appeared to have enjoyed his company.

He kept the conversation polite and amenable enough, yet he refused to look at Lily.

Meanwhile, Lily had to suffer through the sound of him softly snoring as she tried to read to everyone in the carriage. He had fallen asleep almost as soon as she began. As if she had bored him into sleep.

She would never understand a mind that could quiet itself enough.

Lack of character. Lack of purpose. There must be a reason behind his reaction to her.

Perhaps Felton had felt like Mr. Davies, and she was boring. Was she boring?

Lily was perfectly accomplished. After her mother's death, she had a slew of tutors, many of whom humored her interest in science and mathematics as long as she excelled at piano, French, dancing, and drawing. She mastered household management to begin her first lessons in Greek and Latin until she knew enough to teach herself.

For the eldest daughter of a notable physician, she was well educated. Her family thought overly so, but so was the life of a bluestocking. Learning was her favorite pastime, and she refused to stay small-minded for the comfort of those around her.

"I cannot stand that man," she mumbled under her breath.

The sound was unbearable to listen to without feeling feverish and angsty and, possibly, as if she would punch someone in the face. Not someone. Mr. Davies to be precise.

Lily rolled over in bed and whacked her pillow as a woman cried out again from across the hall.

"Go to sleep," Kate said from the opposite side of their shared room. "We have an early morning."

Lily and early mornings did not play well together, which was also part of the problem. "I am trying," she grumbled. Pillows were meant to be soft, and why this one felt as though she were sleeping on a pile of rubble was beyond her.

"Try harder."

Another indecent moan sounded from the hall.

"That is difficult while we must endure..." Lily did not finish for the risk of sounding naive. Instead, she rolled over again in a huff and stared at the ceiling. "I cannot stand that man," she repeated louder.

Kate chuckled from across the room "Go to sleep."

Lily squeezed her eyes tight and tried. "I refuse to listen to such..." She couldn't think of a word, so she ended there. "It is the height of rudeness. There are ladies sleeping."

"I am sure they are not thinking about rudeness, Lily. It is none of our concern."

There was a loud knock and then another moan. Good lord, what was he doing in there to elicit such a response?

"I refuse—" She jumped from the bed and grabbed her shawl from the chair. Lily strode across the hallway and pounded her fist against Mr. Davies's door.

Once, twice, three times, and there was no answer.

She glanced around the hall, empty of guests. For that she was thankful. This was not her best nightgown, and it was already far too late to consider that she was standing in view of the public in her nightclothes, knocking on a single man's room.

She knocked again and was about to do so once more before the door yanked open, and Mr. Davies stood there with only a sheet clenched around his waist.

Oh, good lord.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

The problem was that she couldn't look away, though that would have been for the best.

She swallowed hard, her words getting lost on their way. "We…"

He raised his eyebrows.

"…are trying to sleep."

"So am I."

He wasn't sleeping. The rude, disrespectful blackguard.

A moan, the same that she had heard from her room, and she swore originated from Mr. Davies's room, echoed from farther down the hall then. The world seemed to collapse into itself as it rang in her ears, mocking her mistake.

Her grave mistake.

The sounds were not originating from his room.

Her heart raced in her chest as she felt the burn of her embarrassment hot on her cheeks.

He leaned against the doorframe and smiled that impossible, annoying, charming smile. Why must the man possess a crooked smile? He appeared… tousled. Wickedly and indecently so. His black, curly hair stood this way and that. But it was his arms that made her mouth dry. Fine muscles, smooth and defined, and her fingers ached to touch them. To feel the power that hid behind such magnificent flesh.

She remembered falling into them only hours earlier. And how she hadn't been able to look away from him, as if waiting for an answer while the world tilted upside down .

Lily forced her eyes away to try to quell her discomfort.

"I'm flattered."

Even his voice was… rough.

Lily nodded, smacking her lips. "Good night," she said, turning to leave.

"That was all?"

"I thought..."

"Oh, I know what you thought. And while I must offer my appreciation in your estimation of my character to secure such company while I am accompanying three ladies across England, I will only say that I am not responsible."

If the floor fell away and swallowed her up, Lily would forever be grateful. It was already a terribly awkward situation, and he was not helping.

The intolerable oaf.

And he had just made her feel like the biggest idiot in the world.

He walked past her, still only clutching a sheet around his waist, and knocked on the door at the end of the hall. He was met with silence, which was appreciated. "Please," he said. "If you could keep it down, there are ladies "—and at that, he spun around and grinned at Lily—"who are wishing to sleep."

When silence followed, he stalked back to his room. "Will that be all, Miss Abrams?"

The ability to speak was a distant memory as she nodded. He had just thoroughly embarrassed her and then acted the part of a knight in shining armor. In only a sheet.

He continued to pin her stationary until, finally, she turned for her room.

"Sleep well, Miss Abrams."

She shut the door none too quietly at that.

Lily groaned as Kate woke up and sang as she dressed and readied herself for the day. How she was friends with perpetual sunshine was beyond her.

"It's not so bad." Kate threw open the window as a draft of sweet June air swept into the room. "I love listening to the birds."

"Why are you the way you are?" Lily rolled over in bed, wishing more than anything to be asleep.

"I noticed everything stopped once you spoke with Mr. Davies last evening."

She didn't wish to speak about that repugnant blackguard this early in the day. She needed tea first just to stomach riding in a carriage with him for several hours again.

"How far away is the Isle of Wight?" she asked instead.

"I am not sure exactly but a few days' worth of riding at least."

"May I sit next to Charlotte today?"

"Mr. Davies is not so bad that you can't stand sitting next to him."

He was intolerable. And he was far too handsome, and he had a crooked grin, and he was polite when she wished he would be rude. He was…

Well, his eyes for one were the most magnificent green with gold flecks and somehow magnetic. She couldn't look away.

Lily slipped out of bed and ruffled through her trunk before slipping behind the screen to dress. "He snores."

"He traveled a long way to Stonehurst. I am sure the journey is taxing."

"I was reading."

Kate laughed. "Lily, I love you. If you wish for me to sit next to that incredibly handsome man, I will make that sacrifice for you."

It was Lily's turn to laugh. She peeked out from behind the screen. "I am going to miss you, Kate."

"Oh, we will write, and I will visit if you will have me. It's not as if London will have me now after last Season."

"It's not as if they will welcome me back. I don't wish to know what the gossip is after Felton."

"It's best not to know."

Lily heard the sadness in Kate's voice. Kate had plenty of experience being the subject of harsh social gossip. That was why she had escaped to Cumbria to weather out what little she had left of her reputation.

"There will always be another scandal to take the place of yours," Lily said. She emerged from behind the screen and packed the few remaining things she had. "I will see about getting our luggage taken downstairs and if Charlotte and Mr. Davies are ready."

She left Kate and walked down the small hallway, then knocked on Charlotte's door. With no answer, Lily went downstairs to see about the luggage and discovered Mr. Davies in the tavern eating a plate of eggs.

She envied him, eating alone. He sat there with such confidence, content with his own company. Lily loved being alone, but she was also incredibly lonely at home. Charlotte and Kate had plenty to keep them busy, and Lily attempted to make friends with her stepsisters, but they didn't wish to know her.

As for her father, she'd known for some time that after her mother's death, he wished not to have a daughter any longer.

Mr. Davies sat in the middle of the tavern, as if he were at the center of the world, full of confidence.

With a deep inhale, she strode up. "Good morning."

He nodded, taking a sip of his coffee before setting down his cup.

"We are ready to have our luggage moved to the carriage. Is the duchess down here as well?"

"No."

A tavern maid interrupted, "Excuse me, miss, will you be sitting with your husband, or can I move this chair?"

Lily and Rafe both pulled a face.

"Take it," he said.

"No, he's not my husband," Lily said at the same time.

The tavern maid's eyes widened before she darted forward and dragged the chair out from between them. "Thank you kindly."

Her husband? She'd swear on all the stars in the sky she would never love a man such as Rafe Davies .

She ignored his smirk and continued, "She must be. Is she outside perhaps?"

"I have been down here for some time now and have not seen the duchess."

Lily frowned. It wasn't like Charlotte to disappear.

"Very well."

She turned to leave, but Mr. Davies called out, "Wait."

Lily turned quickly on her heel and held her hands in front of herself.

For a moment, the room quieted around her, or maybe it was a trick of the light the way his eyes narrowed down on her again as he had done last night. Awareness prickled at the back of her neck. Rakes were a hazard to young ladies everywhere, and though twice jilted, his effect broke through her newfound jaded attitude toward men.

"Yes?" Lily hated the way she leaned in, as if her body no longer wished for distance between herself and that impossible man.

"Are you reading on this carriage ride?"

" Hmph ."

He laughed as she retreated, a warm sound that melted against her like honey in her tea. She marched up to Charlotte's room, this time banging against the door.

"Charlotte, open up. Are you there?"

There was no answer.

Lily cleared her throat, still muttering under her breath about Mr. Davies before she called out again, "Charlotte?"

She had known Charlotte for many years now, and rarely did her friend ever sleep past this hour. The duchess much preferred an early start to the day.

Something felt wrong as she rushed back to her room.

Kate glanced up from her needlework by the window. "What ever is the matter? Lily, are you well?"

"Something is wrong," Lily gripped her waist. "Charlotte isn't answering her door, and Mr. Davies hasn't seen her. "

"It's not as if she disappeared." Kate set her needlework aside and stood, following Lily to Charlotte's door once more. After several attempts, they finally heard a faint noise from within.

"We need a way to open the door. Fetch Mr. Davies and the owner."

Kate returned shortly with the owner carrying a large set of keys and Mr. Davies close behind on his heels.

With a push of the key, the door unlocked. "Please, let me enter first," Lily said, unsure of what she would discover.

Charlotte's bare feet stuck out from the other side of the bed on the floor.

"Kate, come here!"

Kate rushed in as Lily swooped around the bed and fell to her knees beside Charlotte, who lay on the floor, pale, shivering, and unable to speak from fever.

"Send for a doctor," Lily shouted.

Mr. Davies's deep voice boomed orders out in the hallway before he burst through the door. He ripped the bedspread from the bed and tossed it to Lily. "Cover her up, and I will help her to bed."

He lifted Charlotte and settled her into the bed as Kate rushed back in with an armful of blankets.

"Lottie, dear, listen to me," Lily said, sinking down on the mattress beside her. "We are here, and you will be well. I won't leave you."

Charlotte closed her eyes as her body was racked by another round of violent shivers.

"We need to draw the fever away from her head." Mr. Davies turned to the inn owner lurking in the hallway. "Do you have any willow bark?"

The owner left to search the kitchen, and while the rest of the world seemed to tilt and buzz around that small room, Lily sat at Charlotte's bedside, determined not to leave her as the duke had done time and again.

Once the doctor visited, Lily could barely keep track of the time. All the while, Mr. Davies swept in as though he were back on a ship, commanding over the sickroom with great efficiency. She or Kate needed or wanted for nothing as they sat watch over Charlotte, eagerly waiting for the fever to break.

Afternoon faded to night, and Lily insisted Kate rest first. And true to her word, Lily sat by Charlotte's bedside the entire day.

"It's late," Mr. Davies said.

Lily rubbed her eyes, stifling a yawn. The sun had finally set, and darkness had seeped into the sky. A soft rain fell against the windows while candlelight flickered by Charlotte's bedside, casting a glow over everything.

"I can keep watch if you would like to sleep," he continued.

Her heart softened toward him, perhaps only a sliver, but still it softened. She rested her head in her hand and observed him as he stood in the doorway with his shirtsleeves rolled up, revealing fine, toned forearms. His cravat was untied; it had been for several hours now. The effect was all together devastating.

"She is very dear to me." Lily cleared her throat, annoyed at how scratchy it was becoming. She tore her gaze away from Rafe to watch over Charlotte. "And we're both alone in this world."

"Is that true?"

She nodded. "You can be surrounded by people and still be lonely, Mr. Davies."

He scratched the back of his neck and entered, ducking down to fit through the short door frame. He settled into a chair in the corner, his long body folded up in an attempt to fit. If it were any other day, she might laugh, but tonight, she couldn't bring herself to find the humor.

Charlotte was gravely ill, and she couldn't bear the thought of losing one of her oldest friends in this world.

"Steady on, Miss Abrams," he said. "She'll come round. You wait."

Someone squeezed Lily's hand.

She lifted her head, noticing the weight of a quilt draped over her shoulders first. Then the bright light of the early morning sun spilling around her. She squinted, forcing everything into view .

Charlotte gazed up at her with big, blue eyes. "Hello, friend."

Lily yawned, fighting back a smile and perhaps a few tears. Oh, how she hated to cry. "You are not allowed to do that ever again," she scolded.

"The doctor will be by again shortly, but I fear I must return home. I think it best you go on."

"I am not going. No, not without you. We will return to Stonehurst, and I'm sure Mr. Davies's brother will understand. I will postpone the trip until you are in better health."

"Kate can accompany you, then."

Lily brushed back a slip of hair away from Charlotte's cheek. "And who will care for you?"

"Lily, I am a duchess. I will not be lacking attention."

"Kate should return with you. You deserve to be looked after by someone who truly loves you, and I couldn't continue without knowing that will be true. I thought I would lose you, Lottie."

"And what of you?" Charlotte asked. "Am I to agree for you to continue the rest of the way, unchaperoned, with Mr. Davies?"

"Well, if you insist upon returning to Stonehurst and refuse my company, I suppose so. It will only be several more days given good weather. We will pretend to be married if need be. I will be a Davies by the end of this journey, so it won't be as if I am lying."

"But to the wrong brother, dear," Kate corrected, strolling into the room with a cup of tea.

"The doctor insisted that Charlotte does not travel such a great distance in her condition, and I think it wise to heed that advice. My reputation is already in shambles, and I will be married in a week's time. Please, Kate, go with Charlotte. I promise I will be fine."

Kate narrowed her eyes at the sleeping figure of Mr. Davies in the corner. He was propped up in the too small chair, and his head lolled to the side. It looked most uncomfortable.

She would never admit to him, but she was impressed by his ability to sleep anywhere at any time.

"He's the worst kind of rake, Lily," Kate said at last.

"Why's that? "

"He is proving to be a very honorable man. And if I'm being honest, I would rather you travel with an intolerable cad than someone with a good, kind soul. Your heart is in danger."

Lily scoffed. "We cannot stand one another. I have no fear of falling in love," she whispered.

"Then you've never fallen in love before, darling," Charlotte replied. "But if you must go, do so safely. Write when you can."