Chapter 23

Twenty-Three

L ily did not know what to say – everything had unraveled – and Maximilian now backed away from her, staring in disbelief, as Connor put his arm around her.

"Didn't she tell you who her father was, Maximilian? No…she's too clever for that. I raised her. I should know. How's your father these days?" Connor said, as Maximilian's face turned red with anger.

"You tricked me," he stammered, but Lily shook her head.

"No…please, Maximilian. It wasn't like that, I promise you. I didn't mean to…" she said, but Maximilian interrupted her.

"You're the one who wrote the scandal papers, aren't you? That's why you wanted to get close to me. You were at the assembly rooms and then with the Count and Countess of Morecambe, and on that first night, too…it all makes sense now. Oh…what have I done?" he exclaimed, and it seemed the realization of his revelation had now occurred to him.

"Yes, quite the fool, Maximilian," Lily's father said.

Maximilian cursed him, pointing his finger angrily at Lily and shaking his head.

"You wanted to destroy me. But you won't. I promise you that," he said, and with that, he stormed out of the house, banging the door behind him.

Lily stared up at her father with fury. He had a satisfied smirk on his face – the look of a man who knows victory is his.

"Father…" she said, shaking her head.

Pulling the scandal sheet from her pocket, she tore it in two, and her father stared at her in astonishment, his expression turning to anger.

"You believe him, don't you?" he snarled, and Lily faced him defiantly.

"Is it true? What happened – is it true, Father? Did you blackmail them? Did you turn William against them?" Lily asked.

She wanted to hear him say it – to admit he had done those terrible things, even as he had tried to make himself the victim.

"They put me in prison," he snarled.

"You put yourself in prison, Father. They forgave you. They sent you away, but…you couldn't let it rest. You wanted revenge, and you've used me to get it," Lily stammered.

She had always trusted her father. He had been her role model, and she had defended him against her mother's criticism. But now…

"But don't you see it, Lily? Don't you see what they've done to me?" he exclaimed, but Lily had heard enough.

Everything she had thought true was proved false – the duke and duchess were not the enemy. It was her father who was the villain in all of this, and Lily could only feel a terrible sense of shame in what she had done, and in what she had intended to do. So set had she been on taking revenge, she had failed to see the truth, and now she had lost everything.

"I see what you've done to yourself, Father. You used me to take revenge on people who weren't guilty. You wanted me to destroy them," Lily said, shaking her head.

Her father reached out to her, but she shook his hand away, turning from him, as now he grew angry.

"I'm your father, Lily. Do you really believe them over me?" he exclaimed.

"But it's the truth, Father. You blackmailed them, you lied, you cheated, and you wanted me to…publish that," she said, pointing to the torn pages of the scandal sheet lying on the hallway floor.

"I wanted you to show loyalty, Lily," he snarled.

At that moment, Mr. and Mrs. Saunders appeared in the hallway. It seemed they had been listening from the drawing room, and now they appeared in the hallway, accompanied by Alicia, who had an anxious look on her face.

"Lily, are you all right?" she exclaimed, as tears welled up in Lily's eyes.

"I think you should go, Connor," Mr. Saunders said, shaking his head.

Connor glared at him.

"When it comes to my daughter, I won't be told what to do," he snarled, but Mr. Saunders pointed to the door.

"From what I've heard, you've put yourself at odds with such a title. How could you use her like that? And for your own revenge. I knew you'd had dealings with the Duke of Lancaster, but this…" he said, glancing at Lily, who was now being comforted by Alicia.

"I did what I had to do," Connor snarled, but Lily could not bear to look at him.

He had betrayed her. He had betrayed his own daughter, and Lily could feel nothing but sorrow for the way she had been used…

Maximilian was lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He had returned to Burnley Abbey in a fit of rage, but his anger had now turned to sadness – even when he tried to do the right thing, he was thwarted.

I suppose it's poetic justice, he thought to himself, imagining the gleeful looks on the faces of all the women he had wronged at hearing of his downfall.

He felt an utter fool, and the thought of telling his parents what had happened filled him with dread. He had trusted Lily emphatically – trusted her with his family's darkest secret – and unbeknownst to him, he had fallen into a trap. There was no doubt as to who the writer of the scandal sheets was – Lily had planned the whole thing, getting close to him, gaining his confidence, ready for the final, devastating blow.

"I don't want anything to do with any woman ever again," he told himself, for whether rakish or noble, it seemed he could not win.

Lily had been different. He had fallen in love with her and come to believe she could feel the same for him. But it had all been an act, and Maximilian had been left humiliated. He sighed, rolling onto his side, and pulling the blankets over his head, just as a gentle tap came at the door.

"Maximilian?" his mother called out.

Maximilian would gladly have ignored her, but the door now opened without invitation, and his mother appeared, smiling sympathetically at him.

"I don't know what's brought this on, but… Lily's downstairs in the hallway. She's asking to speak with you," the duchess said, coming to sit on the edge of his bed.

Maximilian sat up in surprise.

He did not want to speak to Lily, even as he felt intrigued as to what she might say. Had she come to apologize to him? There was surely nothing more to say. She had proved herself the agitator. Any pretense of love or affection was insincere. There was nothing between them, even as Maximilian had hoped there could be.

"If I told you, Mother, you'd only be angry with me," he said, but his mother shook her head.

"I wouldn't be, Maximilian – not necessarily. I've seen such a change come over you these past few days. After the picnic you were…ecstatic. What's changed?" she asked.

Maximilian sighed.

"I learned something about Lily. Something I can't tell you. She's…not what we thought her to be," he said.

"Oh, Maximilian – is anyone ever who they seem? Why don't you go down and talk to her? She seemed terribly upset. Don't let the chance of happiness slip away from you. Whatever it is, let her explain," she said.

Maximilian felt torn. He wanted to hear Lily's explanation, and yet the thought of what she had done – what she could still do – was enough to terrify him. The secret was there to be exposed – a secret kept for all these years. A scandal like this would engulf the family. It had the power to bring down the dukedom, and that was just what Connor Edge wanted.

"I don't think I'll ever be happy, Mother," Maximilian admitted, but his mother shook her head.

"Give yourself a chance, Maximilian," she replied, patting him on the arm, before leaving the room.

Maximilian was in two minds, but curiosity now got the better of her. He did not understand why she had come – was it a threat, or would she show genuine remorse? Reluctantly, he got out of bed and made his way downstairs. She was standing in the hallway, her back turned, but at the sound of his footfall on the stairs, she turned. There was no one else around, and Maximilian was surprised to see tears in her eyes, as she looked up at him imploringly, shaking her head.

"Maximilian, I'm so sorry," she said, as he came to stand before her.

"I don't know you," he said, and she reached out and took his hand in hers.

"I know I've done a terrible thing, but I want you to understand why," she said.

He pulled his hand away from her, convinced this was just another act. Perhaps, even now, she was still convinced she could learn something more about him – something more to publish and damage him with.

"You lied to me," he said, and she nodded.

"I know I did. But that's because I believed what my father had told me. I believed the Duke and Duchess had thrown him to the lions, that they were nothing but wicked charlatans, only interested in covering up their sordid secrets with an innocent man's blood. I came to Lancashire to bring them down, to avenge my father, and I did it by exposing you. I know how it sounds, but the more I came to know you, the more I doubted myself, and now…well, I know the truth about my father. I know what he did, and it sickens me to my very heart," she said, shaking her head, as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.

Maximilian stared at her. He did not know whether to believe her or not. How could he trust her after everything she had done to him?

"But it was all a lie," he said, even as she shook her head.

"No, it wasn't. I enjoyed the time we spent together. It meant a great deal. It was… I saw a change in you. I admit, I expected things to be easy. I was going to write a final scandal sheet, exposing everything you did to me. But there was nothing to expose…" she said, her words trailing off, as Maximilian shook his head.

"And I'm supposed to believe your sincerity? I know what everyone thinks of me, and perhaps I should've just behaved as you all expected. It hardly mattered, did it? You know the truth now. You know something far more interesting than the foibles and fumbles of a ballroom – you know about William. I trusted you, Lily. I told you the truth. I wanted you to know because I'd fallen in love with you. I'd never told anyone about it before, but I wanted to tell you. I hoped…to build a bond between us. But I don't understand why you've come now – except to cause more trouble for me and my family," he said, folding his arms and fixing her with an angry glare.

Her tears were crocodile tears. There was no sincerity there, or so he told himself. He could not believe she would disown her own father, even as Connor had been exposed to her as nothing but a wicked man, seeking revenge for his own perceived injustice.

"I've come because I'm sorry, Maximilian. I'm truly sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I know the truth now. Please…can you find it in your heart to forgive me?" she asked.

Maximilian looked at her and sighed. He did not know if he could believe her or not. The look in her eyes, the tone of her voice, the hand reaching out imploringly…

"I… I thought you were different. You made me a different person, but… I realize I was wrong. Perhaps all women are the same. Perhaps I wasn't the one in the wrong, or the one who needed to change," he said.

Lily shook her head. Tears rolled down her cheeks, she tried to take his hand in hers, but he pulled it away.

"I don't need you. I was a fool to think you might love me, but I realize the truth now. It was all nonsense – pure fantasy. You played me for a fool. Perhaps I deserved it. You'll publish your wicked words – just like you did before. But it hardly matters, does it? I'll still be the Duke of Lancaster, and let womankind be damned," he exclaimed, turning away from her, ashamed of what he had allowed to happen.

His father would never forgive his stupidity. But he had trusted Lily, and she had betrayed his trust. He had allowed her to capture his heart, and for just a short while, Maximilian had known what it was to be in love and believe himself loved in return. But all that was gone, and now he was left with nothing but the possibility of ruin – for him and the family he loved.

"It matters to me. I'm sorry I hurt you. I was always so used to writing those scandal papers, to destroying lives…it hardly seemed to matter anymore. But my own feelings got in the way," she said.

Maximilian scoffed at her.

"Oh, I see…and I should feel sorry for you, should I?" he demanded, but she shook her head.

"I'm not seeking sympathy. I wanted… I realized I felt the same way about you. It was the strangest feeling, anger, yet…a feeling of…growing love," she said, and he looked up at her in surprise.

But still, he doubted her. She was well practiced in deceit – she had made a profession out of it. He could not trust anything she said, and shaking his head, he pointed towards the door.

"I can't believe you, Lily. You should go. I'm finished with women. I'll go back to my roses. At least their thorns are visible," he said, shaking his head sadly.

But as he turned to make his way back upstairs, the door from the servants' staircase opened, and Connor himself appeared, his face set in anger.

"I knew she'd be here – but for what reason? What side have you taken, Lily?" he demanded.

Lily stared at him in horror.

"I… I don't want anything to do with you, Father…you lied to me. You humiliated me. None of it was true," she exclaimed, as Connor lunged forward.

Instinctively, Maximilian stepped between them, protecting Lily, even as Connor now drew a dagger from his belt.

"Get out of my way. She's coming with me," he snarled.

"So you can continue to spread your lies, I suppose?" Maximilian replied, holding Connor's gaze unflinchingly.