Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

S till in a dreamy state since her encounter with the Duke, Lillian sipped her tea. The breakfast room was quiet, which suited Lillian perfectly, as she did not wish to share her thoughts with anyone, least of all Timothy, who sat opposite her. He focused deeply on the newspaper in front of him and occasionally drank some of his tea.

Lillian’s heart pounded as she recalled the Duke’s hand brushing her cheek, and how gentle his touch had been. If she had not been terrified of being seen, she would have gathered the courage to tell the Duke that her fondness for him had grown, although she was uncertain if he felt the same. But she also recalled his desperate gaze and his promise to her that he would not allow anyone to harm her.

She exhaled slowly, composing herself. She certainly did not wish to swoon at the table. Timothy would think she had fainted, and it would cause more questions. And Lillian was not in the mood to explain herself.

Timothy paged through the newspaper, his brow furrowed.

“What is the matter, brother? You appear perplexed.”

He closed the newspaper, and his jaw clenched.

“It is nothing of concern. I was merely trying to see whether there was anything else written about His Grace. But there is nothing. There was only that one article, and none ever again. Perhaps the writer has moved on, and decided to leave His Grace be. And you, for that matter.”

“Timothy, quiet,” Lillian hushed her. “I do not want that information to fall onto the wrong ears.”

“Apologies, sister. I am merely irate, as His Grace and I are no closer to unmasking this man than we were when Yarmouth arrived in Town.”

“I understand. And that I am not allowed to leave the house makes it even more difficult.”

Timothy grinned at Lillian and shook his head.

“It is adorable that you think you would be able to solve this.”

Lillian straightened her shoulders and raised an eyebrow at him.

“You underestimate me, brother.”

Timothy chuckled and drew in a deep breath.

“I find it rather interesting that there was nothing else written about His Grace,” Lillian pointed out and lowered her voice to be more discreet, “or even about me.”

“And why is that interesting to you? Is it not enough that you are being threatened by this madman?”

“I am justifiably terrified, but that is not the point. The person who published the article only did so once. He did not make any more attempts to further ruin His Grace’s reputation, or anyone else’s for that matter. He did, however, send letters. Not only to His Grace but to me as well. And I think I know why.”

Timothy cocked his head.

“I do not understand what you are attempting to say.”

“It was personal, for obvious reasons.”

“Meaning?”

“Someone who was wronged by His Grace might be seeking revenge,” Lillian stated.

“That is preposterous. Yarmouth would not harm anyone, nor wrong them. And he had not been in London for years. Why on earth would this person only write untruths of him now?” Timothy shook his head in disagreement. “That certainly does not make any sense.”

“I am not certain as to why, but there might be someone who feels wronged by His Grace and has only recently decided to seek revenge.”

“While I doubt that is possible, I will inquire of Yarmouth.”

“Perhaps someone in his past. The brother of a young lady he wronged, perhaps?”

Timothy stared at her.

“That is oddly specific, sister.”

“It was merely a thought,” Lillian answered, and a small smile appeared on her lips.

Luckily, she had not been wronged by the Duke. In fact, she could not imagine the Duke wronging anyone. He was such a polite and kind man, who was rather protective of her as well, which only added to her feelings for him.

A light knock on the door caused the siblings to shift their focus, and a maid stood in the doorway.

“Lord Timothy, a note came for you from Fletcher House,” she said quietly.

“Ah, thank you,” Timothy said as he rose to his feet and approached the maid.

Taking the note from her, he unfolded it, and his eyes widened in shock. Lillian immediately noticed his distress.

“Whatever is the matter, Timothy?”

“It is from Yarmouth.”

“Did something happen?” she inquired.

“The drawing room window at his home was shattered, and his study was ransacked.”

Lillian’s jaw dropped in shock, and she stared at Timothy.

“Is the Duke well?”

“He is. Nothing of value was stolen, and no one was harmed.”

Lillian breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.

“I am relieved to hear that.”

Timothy’s jaw tightened, and he cleared his throat.

“Pardon me, sister.”

Before Lillian was able to respond, Timothy exited the room and left Lillian behind. As she pondered in silence, a dreadful thought caused her to shudder. What if the person who had damaged the Duke’s home had seen them together last eve? Despite being shielded by the cover of darkness, it was still possible that someone had noticed her and the Duke disappearing into the trees of the small park. What if it was the same person who had sent the threatening letters? Her heart pounded in her chest, and she felt rather dizzy. She could not keep that from her brother, despite every shred of her being urging her to stay silent. What would Timothy think of her?

Lillian shook her head and quietly left the room in search of her brother. She found him in the drawing room, where he paced nervously.

“Brother, are you well?” she asked.

“I am worried about the Duke, Lillian. His return to London was to be peaceful, and allow him to spend Christmas with our family. Now, it has caused you to be imprisoned at home, with threats looming over your head, and now his home has been violated. I think the correct question would be, is he well.”

“Is he?”

“I am not certain. I can imagine that this is not easy for him, having his home violated in such a manner. It is unacceptable. Perhaps I should speak with Father and convince him to allow the Duke to stay here.”

“Mother will never permit that.”

Timothy shook his head.

“But we must do something. He is my friend, and I do not wish him to be in danger.”

Lillian nodded and was filled with guilt. She had to say something. She drew in a deep breath and looked at her brother, who paced the length of the drawing room.

“Brother?” Lillian asked. Timothy turned on his heel and stared at Lillian with a furrowed brow. “I must tell you something.”

“Can it wait? I wish to visit Yarmouth and see if he is well.”

“It cannot wait,” Lillian uttered as she shook her head.

Timothy shifted his weight and stared impatiently at her.

“Well? What is it that you wish to tell me?”

“It is more of a confession, really.”

“Lillian,” her brother warned.

Lillian clasped her hands together and stepped forward.

“What happened was my fault.”

“How on earth could it be your fault, sister?” he asked incredulously. “You did not leave the house.”

“But I did.”

Timothy rubbed his temples and stared at her.

“What?”

“Last eve, I sat in my window and noticed Yarmouth’s carriage slowly pass by the house. It stopped, and the Duke saw me. I motioned to him to wait for me, and I met with him outside.”

“Please tell me that is not true.”

Lillian nodded regretfully.

“I pulled the Duke aside under the shadow of the foliage in the small park in the square. I required a moment alone with him, which was most improper, but at that point, it did not appear that way to me. It was innocent, I can assure you.”

“And why did you wish to speak with him so privately that it was necessary to hide away?”

Lillian lowered her gaze and realized that her feelings could no longer be hidden.

“I wished to apologize to him and to assure him that I was well. He did not need to be too concerned, as I was locked inside our home until further notice.”

“Sister, I cannot believe that you jeopardized your reputation by meeting with him in such a manner. You could have been seen.”

“And that is why it is my fault. I suspect that the person who is threatening us saw us together. And to retaliate, they violated the Duke’s home.”

“Lillian, why would you do such a thing?”

Lillian gulped and stared at her brother.

“I care for the Duke, perhaps too much.”

Timothy stepped back and studied his sister.

“You care for the Duke.”

“Indeed,” she whispered, twisting a curl around her finger.

Timothy sighed wearily and shook his head.

“That is not a good choice to make. I do hope that you are aware of that.”

“I do. I wish I had made a different choice, but I cannot change it. But I am willing to fix it.”

“And how do you think to do that?”

“I am not certain. I feel guilty for allowing this to happen to the Duke. And I wish to apologize to him,” Lillian uttered quietly.

“I will inform him of your apology.”

“No, I wish to do it in person.”

“No, sister. You cannot be seen in his company. If the man who is threatening you both sees you together again, he might attempt something even more drastic.”

“I will be accompanying you. I do not see the issue.”

“Lillian, please do not be difficult.”

Lillian crossed her arms defiantly.

“But I must tell him that I did not mean this to happen.”

“I am certain that he is well aware of that. But as I said, I do not wish you to join me.”

“The Duke is not at fault here, brother. He was a perfect gentleman. There was a moment between us that I thought he might kiss me, but he did not.”

“I do not wish to hear another word, sister. It is best that you stay here. I will ensure that your apology reaches Yarmouth.”

“Very well,” Lillian sighed.

“I am sorry, sister, but I cannot allow this.”

“Nor can I.”

Lillian’s blood ran cold inside her veins, and she slowly turned to the door of the drawing room. Her mother stood there, with a very disapproving and angry expression on her face. Lillian exhaled as her mother crossed her arms, glaring at her daughter.

“Mother.”

“Not another word from you, Lillian. Leave us be, Timothy.”

“Very well,” Timothy nodded and looked apologetically at Lillian before leaving the drawing room.

Lillian grew increasingly nervous as her mother approached her, and she shivered with fear.

“Mother, I-”

“I said, not another word. Do I make myself clear?” Lillian, too afraid to say anything, simply nodded. “I cannot even begin to explain how disappointed I am with you. You not only disobeyed my wishes, but you slipped out of the house to meet the Duke,” her mother exclaimed.

“But nothing happened, Mother. I merely apologized to him-”

“Harsher rumors have started from less,” her mother interjected. “Do you have any idea what this could do to your reputation, and the reputation of the family? It could cause irreparable damage. What would we do if Lord Bertram were to hear of this? He would not be interested in you any longer. And then what will become of you? What will become of the reputation of the family?”

“Is the reputation of our family more important than my happiness, Mother?”

“They are equally important, but at certain times in one’s life, one must prioritize some things above others.”

“And my happiness does not deserve to be a top priority?” Lillian asked incredulously.

“Cease the theatrics, Lillian,” her mother hissed.

“Why is it so very shameful for you that I am not yet married? Would you rather me marry a man I do not love than end up as a spinster?” Lillian exclaimed.

“Do not speak to me in that manner. To your bedchambers, now.”

Lillian’s lower lip quivered as she was filled with anger and sadness. Her eyes welled up with tears, but she knew that further defiance would not be accepted by her mother. She had already crossed a line, and now there was no way back from it. Her mother had tolerated a great deal of defiance from Lillian for her entire life, but Lillian realized that her mother had now had enough. Her mother’s face had never before colored to such a deep crimson hue, and it was only a matter of time before her mother might suffer an apoplexy, she was sure.

“Do not simply stand there. Go, Lillian.”

Her mother pointed to the stairs and glared at Lillian.

Lillian turned on her heel and left the drawing room as calmly as possible. She did not wish to make a scene or to show her mother any reaction. That would only give her mother the satisfaction of having affected her, and Lillian wanted no such thing. After what her mother had said to her, she would now prefer to be alone to manage the overwhelming emotions inside her.

She made her way to her bedchamber, quietly closed the door behind her, then turned to the window, her heart aching. The glimmer of hope that had grown inside her was now extinguished, and she was certain that it would never rekindle again. Marching to the window, she angrily closed the curtains, not wishing to see the outside world, and threw herself onto her bed.