Chapter 25

25

"T ricia?"

Tricia scrambled to hide the papers she was reading from.

"What is it, Kitty Kat?" she said, fearing that her racing heart could be heard by her little sister.

"You have the lamp on again."

"I only just came to bed, Kat," Tricia said. "I've been talking to mother and the other ladies."

Kat yawned, splitting her pretty little face. "I'm still amazed that Cameron talked the countess into letting me sit with the grownups. It was a lovely dinner, wasn't it?"

"Yes, delicious," Tricia agreed.

It had been flattering to have two such handsome men taking care of her and filling her wine goblet until she told them she had to stop. Otherwise, she would be a little tipsy by now.

"Did you like the young gentlemen you sat with?" she asked. Then she sighed. "No one pays much attention to me, I'm afraid."

"Don't you worry your head about that, Kitty Kat. You shall have your day in the sun soon. One day you will be the most sought-after young lady of the season."

"Do you truly think so?"

"I know so. Now go back to sleep. Sorry for the light. I'll douse it."

She shouldn't be reading The Ruby anyway. The idea of two gentlemen was exciting to read about—and goodness, her bloomers must be wet—but she had no desire to actually live that fantasy.

Though she couldn't resist sliding her hand between her legs, remembering what Thomas had done to her. How it had felt.

If only she could experience it all again.

But he hadn't come near her after dinner. He'd hardly even looked her way.

Well, nothing could be done about it now.

All she could do now was go to bed and hope for the best in the morning.

* * *

Once the viscount had rejoined the men, Thomas strode toward his study. As the host of the party, he should be in attendance with the other men, but he could not help himself. Something was not adding up, and he was determined to find out what it was.

He sat down behind his desk and began opening and closing drawers, looking for something—anything—that seemed out of place.

He was scrounging around, trying to play detective, when?—

"Thomas, there you are."

He looked up, nearly bumping his head on the desk drawer.

In the doorway stood his sister Lily, the Duchess of Lybrook.

He cocked his head. "Lily, what the devil are you doing about at this hour?"

Lily chuckled softly. "I'm an old married woman, brother. I don't have to report to you on what I'm doing out at this hour. As you well know, my husband is having a brandy with Cameron and most of the other men. I was just taking a stroll about the house, and I noticed the lamp lit here in your study."

"So?"

She raised an eyebrow. "So…why aren't you acting as host, Thomas?"

Thomas paused. He was not sure if he wanted to bring his sister—who had already settled herself contentedly into her new life—into this.

"I've a lot on my mind," is all he said.

"Might one of those things be Patricia?"

This time Thomas did hit his head on the drawer, and an ache sprang up in his skull.

"Bloody hell, Lily. Now see what you made me do."

Lily strode forward, putting out her hands. "Do let me have a look, Thomas."

He turned, let his sister look at the back of his head.

"There's no blood, you'll be fine."

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, Lily, I have work to do."

"There is no work that cannot wait until morning, brother dear."

He sighed. "For the love of God, Lily, you've never been one to hold your tongue. What is it that you want with me?"

His sister strode back toward the entrance and closed the door to the study.

Not a good sign.

"Have a seat, Thomas."

He dropped into his chair behind the desk. It still felt wrong to sit here. This was his father's desk, not his.

But in that moment, Lily sounded so much like his father. Not the deep voice, of course, but the intonation.

Have a seat, Thomas.

It may as well have been his father speaking.

"Have your say, Lily."

She frowned. "I daresay you know where I'm going with this, Thomas."

"To be honest, Lily, I haven't the faintest idea. But do get on with it."

Lily cleared her throat. "Lady Tricia."

For the love of God… Thomas raked his fingers through his disheveled hair, nudging the place where he'd hit his head on the desk. The pain sprang up again.

Lily knew. His sister knew.

"How in God's holy hell?—"

Lily held up a hand. "That's not important. What is important is what you plan to do about it."

"I shan't force her into marriage. As I recall, you weren't the least bit thrilled when the duke tried to do the same to you."

"I didn't fancy myself in love with the duke."

"Don't be absurd. Tricia is no more in love with me than I am with her."

But the words as he said them didn't ring true. For Tricia… Or for himself.

"None of what you're saying matters," Lily went on. "Lady Tricia is not me."

"She acts a lot like you sometimes."

Lily wrinkled her nose. "Well, she's not me. She does fancy herself in love with you, Thomas. And I am afraid you may have broken her heart as well as her body."

"She didn't have any complaints," Thomas said dryly.

Lily turned away. "Spare me the details, please. If Mummy knew what you had done… Or God forbid, Cameron… Good Lord, even Daniel would force you to do the right thing."

"Daniel doesn't have a lot to say about what I've done after what he did to you."

Lily turned back to Thomas and took a step toward his desk. "But he did the right thing, Thomas. Of course, I fought him. I didn't want to marry him, but it turned out that…"

"What, Lily? You've never been one to hold back your thoughts and feelings."

"This isn't something I thought I'd ever discuss with my brother," Lily said, "but I'm a married woman now, so I suppose there's no harm. To be honest, looking back, I would have never allowed Daniel to do what he did if I hadn't had feelings for him."

"Don't give me that poppycock," Thomas said. "You barely knew the man."

"True, but I felt something. His love of art, I suppose, is what drew me to him. The fact that he had a Vermeer in his bedroom, of all places. And?—"

Thomas held up his hand. "Stop right there. I've no need to know more detail, Lily. As it stands I'm about ready to lose my meal."

"I don't intend to offer any more of the lurid details," she said. "But know only this. That young lady deserves happiness. Right now, she thinks she can find it with you."

Thomas looked down at the collection of miscellaneous papers strewn about his desk. "I have too many other responsibilities. I shall take a wife and do my duty. But I'm not looking for a love match."

"Have you forgotten that Mummy and Papa had a love match?"

"No, I'm not forgetting that at all. But…"

His thoughts betrayed him. He did feel something for Tricia. How could he not? She was beautiful, no doubt, but she wasn't the only beautiful woman at the ball last night. Certainly not the only beautiful woman at the lawn party this afternoon.

It was her fire. Her willingness to embrace the forbidden.

Was he in love? How should he know? Either way, taking her to wife would hardly be a hardship.

"But…" Lily prompted.

"But nothing." Thomas stood. "Why did you come here, Lily? My personal life is certainly none of your concern."

"But it is, Thomas. How do you think I know about this? You left her in your room today, in your bedchamber, with only your valet to help her. How did you think she was going to get dressed?"

Thomas was taken aback. "I…"

"You didn't give it a speck of thought, did you?" Lily rolled her eyes. "You ruined a young lady and then you left her alone in your bedchamber."

"I told Longbottom to look after her."

"And that was proper?"

"Since when do you concern yourself with what is proper, Lily?"

"When it involves an innocent young maiden," Lily said. "Who did you think she was going to call? Her maid, who reports to her mother? Rose? For the love of God, I only thank goodness she had the presence of mind to ask for me."

Thomas swallowed, and a feeling of immense guilt overwhelmed him. Sure, he felt guilty after doing the deed, but there's only so much guilt you can feel when your cock is satisfied.

He did hate seeing Tricia between Polk and Jonathan at dinner.

"You're going to have to do the right thing, Thomas."

"I already told her I would do the right thing," he said. "She said she would not marry me unless I loved her."

"Then tell her you love her," Lily said.

"I won't lie to the young lass."

Lily opened her mouth, but then she closed it. "I would never counsel you to lie."

"She already told me she would turn me down if I was not in love with her. So don't accuse me of not being willing to do the right thing."

"I didn't come here to make accusations, Thomas." Lily looked her brother in the eye. "I came here to tell you that she fancies herself in love with you. You do need a wife, and I advise you to give her more than a passing look."

"I think I've given her significantly more than a passing look," he said dryly.

She huffed in response. "That's not what I mean and you know it. You thought enough of her to bed her. And while as a younger man you weren't all that discriminating, it seems for the past several years you have been."

"I was in mourning for the last year," he said.

"I'm talking about before that, after Rose and I got married. You weren't gallivanting about like a stag in rut the way you used to."

Thomas shook his head. "Why do I have to have a sister who speaks of such things?"

"Propriety means nothing to me, as you well know." Lily looked at her fingernails. "I believe she could make you happy, Thomas, if you let her. She's a beautiful young thing, and if you did marry her, your children and Rose's children would be double cousins."

"Who in the hell cares?"

"I admit that's not a huge selling point. The bigger selling point is that she's beautiful, she's lovely, she comes from a good bloodline, and she wants you. She already let you take her virginity. And if you didn't use a French letter, you may well have?—"

Thomas pounded his fists on the desk, raked his fingers through his long and unruly hair. "Don't you think that thought hasn't occurred to me?"

"Then I advise you to go see her."

Thomas squinted wearily at the grandfather clock by the door of his study. "At this hour?"

"Of course not at this hour, you supercilious fool. Tomorrow. First thing."

Thomas sighed. "All right. I shall take care of it on the morrow. In the meantime, though, Lily, I need your help."