Chapter 14

The air was thick with roses. From the open windows, wind blew in, bringing with it the scent from below.

Will put down his quill and sighed. He had been shut up a lot since the night with Lissie. But in his absence, life flowed on. Summer was blooming. And London was as loud as ever—her fighting, light, and noise pursuing him wherever he went. Following it swiftly on were her less than favorable smells—and there was no escaping them, either.

All the same, summer was in the air. London was febrile, and when the heat rose, so did the atmosphere. Suddenly, Will"s position was untenable. They were isolated, with traitors at every turn.

His loyalties were being pulled two separate ways—to his king and to his family—and at some point, he was going to have to choose. But Will"s political woes were the tip of the iceberg. No matter how many times he tried to stop it, Lissie"s kiss replayed in his mind.

It was there all the time, like a smell he could not shift.

I should never have kissed her.

The voice in Will"s head berated him sharply. In a moment of reflection, he realized something else, too.

She kissed me back!

Will"s memories swirled in the morning air. Lissie had surprised him with her strength and passion. Even the thought produced a tingle up Will"s spine, which interfered with his rather dry duties. On the desk was spread a mounting stack of demands and a dwindling pile of coins to pay for them all.

It was no good. He couldn"t cover them. And more than that, he didn"t really care right then. The only thing he could think of was the texture of her hair, the spiraling curl that fell from Lissie"s forehead as he kissed her. More than anything, the sleek, silken texture of her hair had entranced him.

How he wished he could have yanked her headdress off and kissed her. The thought of it boiled up in his mind. Will became heated. A sole bead of sweat trickled from the tip of his head down the back of his neck.

It was no use. He was never getting Lissie Duncan out of his mind.

Wearily, Will put down his quill and looked at the desultory pile of coins beside him. No matter how often he counted it, he still did not have enough to pay his dues. Something needed to be done before things came to a head.

Then there were the warrants stacked a mile high, recalling Jack Clott to the summer assizes. Again.

"Will? Will? Are you there?"

Too late.

His mother"s nasal tones protruded from the small study, tucked into the side of the chamber.

Sighing once more, Will abandoned all hope of ever finishing his work. He usually enjoyed it in here, the quietest spot in the house, for thinking. But not today.

"Bowden, the steward, claims there are bills unpaid. What on Earth are you doing?" she demanded. The duchess stood before him, her gown flowing to the ground and fire sparking from her eyes.

"We will get a reputation! Pray attend to it forthwith."

"I am, Mother," muttered Will, more to himself than anything else. "If that were our only woe!"

Instantly, he wished he had not said this. His mother, who had been on her way out of the drafty study, froze solidly, then turned around.

"What other woes?" she snapped.

"I... It is of no importance," said Will, trying to keep his true feelings bottled down. Instead of talking about Lissie, Will did his best to change the subject.

"Your face says otherwise," replied his mother sagely. Now she sat down. Unbidden, the duchess pulled up a chair from beside him and inched closer.

"Tell me, Will. What is it?"

His mother"s eyes delved into his own. Will felt himself tense up.

"It is...the situation in London. That is all," he said with a small smile.

"That is all?" asked the duchess, her voice faint with irony.

Irritated, Will tried to brush his mother aside.

"Yes. That"s all. I just have to raise the funds for an army, just like all the other dukes are doing. "Tis the only hardship."

The duchess looked at him like he was simple.

""Tis hardly nothing, Will. We must take care. The situation in London is delicate."

Will struggled to maintain his composure.

"I know, Mother," he finally said. "And we will do all we can to help. If that means going to fight, then I am ready!"

His mother frowned as if she had something to say about this, but at the last minute, cut herself short. Instead, she turned away, dabbing her face with her handkerchief. Will felt wretched. This was hard for her too, he remembered. Their loyalty came at a price, but it couldn"t be avoided.

However, the duchess was not fooled. She knew there was more to Will"s demeanor than worrying about the house of York.

"And what of the other matter, Will? The one that remains to be settled. Every bit as important in its own way as the other. For we cannot help the king until we can make good our situation and that of Mary-Ann."

There it was. That other matter.

"I hope you have not changed your mind, Will," said the duchess reproachfully. She confronted him with her sky-blue eyes.

"I have not changed my mind," he assured her, casting his eyes up to the skies.

"Well, that is good, then. I hope you are near to making your choice."

Will pushed back on his seat and breathed the air streaming in from the open window. More than anything, he longed to be out there on horseback. Away from London and away from duties.

And by his side would be Lissie, riding to his manor house in the country, laughing and gay, a million miles away from the formalities of London. A small smile crept across Will"s face. It always did when he thought of Lissie.

When he thought of them.

Something about this felt right. Instinctively, Will knew she understood him.

Seeing the look on her son"s face, the duchess thought she knew why. With a rueful shake, she tutted.

"So then, the little Scottish hen?" asked his mother gently. Her eyes glanced away. Will could tell she was disappointed, but was trying to console him.

But Will tensed up suddenly. He knew his mother a whole load better than that. This was all fake. She just wanted him to open up to her. Then, she would deploy the act.

Not wanting his mother to take control of everything, Will acted, "No, not her," he said softly.

The duchess"s blue eyes widened. "Well, then, who?" she asked, eyes avid. "We need to prepare for the engagement party!"

Paralysis froze Will"s mind. He just could not think. A breeze danced in from the window, knocking over his papers and creating a distraction.

"I, um," he battled. Then, he was seized by something else. A memory.

"Lady Lettice," he said quickly, lowering his gaze to the floor. But without looking, Will knew that this was not the right answer.

"Lettice," repeated his mother. She looked out to the garden beyond, yawning. "Well, congratulations. A true English rose," she quipped.

Will bit his lip as he attempted to smile at his mother.

"I only hope she will be as loyal as you are!"

His mother"s words were serious, but she wore an enticing smile.

"Oh, she is!" he replied. Meanwhile, his thoughts returned to Lissie.

Shewould understand his support for the true king. He felt certain. Yet, that was not the reason she was in his mind. She was just in his mind, stuck there, on a never-ending loop. And instead of thinking about his engagement, he was thinking about Lissie.

Somehow, he could not quite picture her fitting into the stultified life in London, nor could he see her settling into polite society and bonding over cold caudle with Tilly or Lettie.

"Well! We must put the word out and announce this engagement to the world," his mother exclaimed.

She smiled excitedly. "We cannot wait! You must go and find her!"

This, Will was not expecting. The whole point in telling his mother what she wanted to hear was to buy him some time. Not this.

"Do not fret, Son, I know exactly where to find her," assured his mother, smiling.

Will"s heart sank.

Of course, she does. Mother knows everything,thought Will glumly.

Somehow he had not only condemned himself to a loveless marriage, but now he was to be sent chasing down the cream of London society.

"I will aid you to find Lettie. Oh, Will, I am so happy. Finally, our family can prosper. A proper English lady!"

Will"s heart sank like stone.

A proper English lady,he thought sullenly. Yes, apart from being Prussian-French, born in Poland and raised in Lithuania. Apart from that, completely English. But none of this mattered. His mother was in her element, rushing about, planning things, and organizing.

"Oh Will, finally, this will turn our fortunes around. Finally, Mary-Ann can marry. Come now to the Fortescue manor to announce the good news."

As his mother took charge of everything, Will sighed.

Marriage.

To Lettie.

The thought of it was too grim to dwell on. And now he was being sent to announce it. A sudden thought flashed through his mind. How would Lissie take it? He hardly dared think.

Then, as an afterthought, he wondered, And how will Lettie take it?

* * *

"Forsooth Will!I will gladly take your hand. I only wondered what had taken you so long."

Lady Lettice Fortescue beamed from the great hall. It was another nightly ball in another noble"s manor. Or maybe their townhouse.

Sipping at his mead, Will was not sure. Another drink and he would not remember his betrothed"s name. Any more, and he would not remember his. And that suited Will fine. Because right then, he did not want to remember. Looking around the tightly packed hall, he already could not remember which lord"s patronage he was under. The night was so long and seemed to melt into any of the others in town that week.

Will stared down at his drink in despair and tried his hardest to grin.

"I, um, was waiting for the right time," announced a desperate Will. By now, half the hall was listening.

Well, he supposed they would have to hear sometime, although not like this—and preferably not at all.

In glum curiosity, he cast his head around the candlelight hall. Is she here? Lissie, that was. She had been to all these other things, Will supposed. It seemed reasonable to assume she would be here.

Just the thought of her made his stomach prickle. How would she react when she heard the news? It was not set to be announced until the morrow, but from the way Lettie was carrying on, the entire room knew it by now.

"Come, Will, pray, let us dance!" said Lettie, giving his hand a joyful tug and pulling Will into the center of the melee.

Will did his best to smile, allowing Lettie to lead him into the dance. Bowing, he took her hand, kissing it formally. And as he did, his heart sank. It was not her fault. And Will felt a pang of guilt as he led the guileless young woman into the dance.

There, he watched as she fell over her shoes and tugged at his hand too forcibly. It did not matter. It was not her gracelessness that was the problem. Nor were her lack of looks. Neither of these things was the issue. There was only one fault Will could find with poor Lettie: She was not Lissie.

And this was the biggest problem of all.

Teeth clenched, Will just about got to the end of the first dance with all his toes still intact. This was hardly a foregone conclusion, as Lettie seemed to have stomped on each one of them in the course of their entanglement.

And entanglement was the right word. The circle they were dancing in became broken several times, with dancers falling in and out of the line. Will just about hopped to the end of it and was aching to get away and just go home by himself when a sudden hand tugged him back into the line.

Sighing, Will checked himself and prepared for round three. But dancing with Lettie required fortification, and he turned to take a goblet of mead when a voice made him look.

"Och, two left feet!"

There was only one accent like that in the whole of London. Immediately, Will looked up.

Beside him in the circle, Lissie capered. She was still getting the hang of caroling and dancing along with the verses and music. Misjudging the movement, she swerved to her left, immediately knocking into Will.

"Och! Pardon me," she scoffed. But so far, she had not seen Will. In surprise, Will almost gasped.

Then, he saw Trenton on the other side of her. It was clear their hand-holding was more than just part of the dance, and upon seeing them, Will"s guts curdled almost into vomit. The music took a sharp turn, almost propelling Lissie from the circle and immediately into Will"s lap once more. Catching her securely, Will managed to stop her from going flying. As he did, he was struck by the shape of her body in his arms.

It was faltering, and it was brief, but for just a short moment, he had her there, in his flesh. The sensation of her touch brushed across him, enlivening and exciting his senses. And she was so sweet.

Will"s entire body ached for her touch. More than anything, he wanted her to turn around, see him, and respond.

Well, he got his wish. Sort of.

Lissie turned around, and screamed.

"Och!"

It was just a little yelp, but it betrayed her hostility. Jumping about a yard backward, Will found himself apologizing. A little mad since it had been her fall into him.

"Pray, excuse me, madam," said Will formally. He could not really be anything else.

He was here with Lettie now. And Lissie was with Trenton, as Will observed dolefully. Behind her, Trenton gave him a little wink, making Will uncontrollably wish to punch him. Somehow, he resisted. Just. Instead, he focused on Lissie. Despite her fall, she was looking most comely. In fact, maybe even because of her fall. Inadvertently, Will had glimpsed a flash of her stocking, Of course, he looked away and helped her up as primly as he could.

Lissie just stared. Tonight, she was head to toe in blue, complementing her eyes to a tee. On her finger was a large stone ring, the likes of which he had never seen before. It glinted green in the dark light as he helped her to her feet.

But it was her eyes he was locked onto. They sparkled and flashed more than any gemstone, taking on a catlike quality. Lissie looked at him archly, her still gaze hiding its hostility, but Will knew it was there.

"Excuse me," Will said with a slight smile. Tensely, he hesitated.

It wouldn"t do to spend so long talking to someone else. And although Lettie did not say anything, he could feel her glaring too. Intense irritation burned him. This was not how he wanted it.

Lissie murmured her thanks and went on her way, pulling Trenton with her.

Around him, the room swarmed, Trenton and Lissie evaporating into a sea of bodies.

"Come, Will," insisted Lettie, taking his hand and delving back into the ring. Then, the performers picked up their instruments and sounded a sharp note, signifying more dancing.

Without warning, Will was jettisoned from side to side in a tidal wave of song. And beside him, Lettie glared intently, her pale eyes fixed on Lissie. But she was gone, right at the very back of the room. Every now and then, Will caught them closing in together, Trenton"s hand going around the small of her back.

Something jumped in the pit of Will"s stomach.

"Will? Will? Comest thou into the dance!" Lettie called. But her call went unheeded.

His eyes were with Lissie. There, at the back of the room with Trenton. Smiling. Laughing. Flirting. Having too much fun.

By himself in the crowd, Will seethed and wondered how this could have ever happened.