Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

A soft melody filled the air of the drawing room as Lillian’s fingers danced across the pianoforte. She would usually play this particular melody with a cheerful demeanor and a happy smile, but that was far from what it was that day. Today, the melody was filled with sadness and sorrow, and as much as Lillian did not wish to express in words how heartbroken she was by her mother’s betrayal, she could not help the fact that her feelings spilled freely onto the ivory notes.

Despite her explanation regarding the innocence of the Duke, her mother still insisted upon her staying at home and remaining there until she decided otherwise. The revelation that Lord Bertram was the man who had written those terrible things about the Duke in the newspaper and who had also been the man who had threatened her in a letter, as well as entering the Duke’s home and creating a mess, appeared lost on her mother. Lillian was not certain why, but she assumed that it was due to her lack of obedience towards her mother.

The Duke was set to depart London that morning, and Lillian was devastated by that. What if she never again had the chance to gaze into the Duke’s intense hazel eyes, or hear his laugh? Would she be forced to marry another gentleman, chosen by her mother?

Or would her mother finally conclude that Lillian was miserable without the Duke, and allow her to communicate with him from afar?

These questions were unanswered, and it frustrated Lillian excessively. Of course, her mother refused to speak of the Duke, and Lillian was not even allowed to mention his name in her company.

A wrong note pulled Lillian from her faraway state, and she found herself back in the drawing room, staring irately at her trembling hands.

“Correct me if I am wrong, sister, but I do not recall the melody that way.”

Lillian had been deep in thought and had forgotten that her brother was reading in the corner of the drawing room. She drew in a slow breath and straightened her shoulders.

“I made a mistake.”

“That is odd. You are quite proficient on the pianoforte,” he pointed out. “Particularly this melody.”

“I am. I do not know what has happened to me,” she sighed.

That statement was not really true - she was aware of what was the matter. Her heart was broken, which led to her poor performance with the keys. The once-loved melody filled with happiness and hope for the future was now nothing more than a sad reminder of what she had lost.

“Why do you not try again?” he suggested.

Lillian turned herself around on the bench and stared at her brother.

“I wish to know something.”

Timothy did not tear his gaze away from the book in his hand but still replied.

“You always wish to know something, sister. It has been that way since the moment that you were able to speak. You have the most inquisitive mind of anyone I have ever met.”

“While normally I would take that as a compliment, I am not certain whether that is a good trait to have.”

Timothy’s interest was piqued, and he gazed at Lillian.

“Why would you say that?”

“I feel as though my inquisitive mind has placed me in the predicament I am in now, with no way to escape.”

“Tell me what you wish to know, Lillian.”

“Has the Duke left London yet?”

“I would think so, yes. It is a long journey back to Cornwall, and the earlier the departure, the better.”

Lillian’s shoulders slumped.

“I did not get the opportunity to say goodbye to him, or to thank him for…”

Her voice trailed off and she was overwhelmed with sadness. She sniffed and wiped under her eyes.

“My apologies, brother. It would appear that my eyes still have tears in them, even though I was under the impression that I had no more tears left to cry.”

Timothy closed the book and set it on the table beside him then leaned forward.

“I am sorry, Lillian. Seeing you this way brings me much sadness. It was never my intention to hurt you.”

“It was not you who hurt me, Timothy. And while I understand Mother’s reasoning for keeping me in the house to prevent any other scandal, it is very unfair. There is a chance that I might never get to see the Duke ever again, and it hurts me immensely.”

“It is clear that it does, sister.”

“I wish that there was something I could do to convince Mother that he is not a bad man.”

“You have done what you could, Lillian. I had hoped for a better outcome than the one we received, but it is not always in the cards.”

“Nothing I wish is ever in the cards. Now Mother will marry me off to the next eligible gentleman who walks through the door, and I will be forced to live my life pining for the one man who filled me with excitement at the prospect of marriage.”

“You felt that when you were with Yarmouth?” Timothy asked with a furrowed brow.

“Indeed. I had never felt anything like it before. It was powerful but gentle enough to ease my worries. He was wonderful, Timothy, and while I am well aware that he is your friend, and possibly out of my reach, that is how he made me feel and I cannot deny that. Nor will I.”

“I was not fully aware of the depth of your feelings for Yarmouth. I knew that you were fond of him, but I did not think that there were thoughts of marriage.”

“It was probably one-sided, so do not fret.”

Timothy pursed his lips and pondered for a short while.

“I must say, sister, I would not mind if Yarmouth courted you.”

“What?” Lillian exclaimed.

“I will not repeat myself, as I am certain that you heard me.”

“I did indeed. I am merely shocked at hearing that.”

Timothy frowned.

“Why does that shock you?”

“The Duke is your friend, and I am your sister. He is older than I am.”

“Rather older than younger, not so?”

Lillian shook her head.

“That is not the point am trying to make.”

“Then what is it?”

Lillian was rather perplexed, and she stared at her brother.

“Do you mean to tell me that you would not object in the least if the Duke wished to court me?”

“Not at all.”

“And why is that?” she asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

“Because I know Yarmouth, and I have for a long time. There is no man on this earth I would more easily trust with you, or your heart, than Yarmouth.”

Stunned to silence, Lillian stared at her brother, and a tear ran down her cheek. Of course it did not matter what her brother had to say, or whether he approved of their relationship. The Duke was on his way back to Cornwall, and she would never be allowed to tell him of her feelings for him.

The sound of the front door opening caused the two Colborne siblings to cease their conversation, and Lillian sighed. Their parents’ voices suddenly spilled in from the front door as they entered, and Lillian pursed her lips, not wishing to speak about the Duke any longer. She was not allowed to utter his name in her mother’s presence, so she turned back to the pianoforte.

As Lord and Lady Welsford entered the drawing room, they happily greeted their two children.

“Good afternoon, my dears,” Lady Welsford smiled.

“Good afternoon, Mother, Father.”

“Oh, good. I am delighted to see that you have left your room, Lillian. I do hope that you are feeling better,” Lady Welsford spoke in a relatively caring voice.

“Quite the opposite, thank you, Mother,” Lillian muttered as she paged through the sheet music in front of her.

“Mother, Father, do you perhaps have a moment?” Timothy inquired as he rose to his feet.

“Of course,” Lord Welsford nodded. “Is there something the matter?”

“Indeed, very much so.”

“What is it, Timothy? Has something happened?” Lady Welsford asked clutching the pearl necklace around her neck.

“While I respect your wish to keep Lillian inside our home to prevent further scandal, I do not enjoy seeing my sister unhappy.”

Lord and Lady Welsford exchanged glances, and their brows furrowed.

“She is not unhappy. She is merely sulking as she is facing the repercussions of her actions,” Lady Welsford stated.

“That is not true, Mother. She is miserable, and I cannot idly stand by and see my sister with a broken heart.”

“What do you suggest, Timothy?”

“It is clear that Lord Bertram is no longer an option for marriage, as he threatened to ruin her reputation so that no one else would wish to marry her, and that is certainly not the kind of man I wish my sister to marry.”

“While I do agree with you on that aspect, Timothy, I am not certain that I understand what you are suggesting.”

“Lillian is in love with Yarmouth, although she would never openly admit it to either of you. You have made it perfectly clear that she is not allowed to bring up the subject in any way, and it has been driving her to such a deep level of unhappiness that it has started to affect me. I cannot see my sister in such a state any longer.”

“But the Duke has left for Cornwall. Certainly, you do not suggest that we send someone to make him turn his coach around?”

“Anything would be better than hearing my sister’s sobs at all hours of the night.”

Lord Welsford approached Lillian and touched her shoulder.

“Is this true, my dear daughter?”

“Timothy exaggerates,” she spoke through her tears.

Lord Welsford touched her chin and tilted it upwards. The moisture of her tears was clearly visible and Lord Welsford's eyes softened.

“My dear child. How did I not notice this? You are in agony.”

“I have brought this on myself, Father. I am the only one to blame. I fell in love with a man, regardless of his reputation, and not even the rumors of him stopped me from falling in love with him. Although it did not matter whether they were true or not, I knew they were lies. His eyes were much too soft, and his touch was much too tender for it to be true.”

“Men can be excellent liars, Lillian,” Lady Welsford pointed out.

Lillian shook her head.

“But the Duke was not. He is a kind man, a man with integrity and grace. I have said all this before, but it did not reach your ears. You shunned him based on rumors alone, and you do not know him as I know him. You do not know him as Timothy knows him.”

“It is true. The Duke is a good man, and his only vice is caring too much for people who are important to him. He protected Lillian by telling her that they should not have any more contact. That was why he wished to leave London; he was trying to keep Lillian from harm.”

Lord Welsford glanced at Lady Welsford and cleared his throat.

“It appears that you have acted rather rashly when it came to Yarmouth.”

“I was merely protecting our daughter,” Lady Welsford defended.

“And while I appreciate that, my dear, I agree with Timothy. It is not fair to Lillian to keep her here at home. And for her to be as miserable as she is.”

“I was not going to allow her to marry Lord Bertram either, if you must know. I heard from Lady Montague that he does not possess the fortune and good name that we initially believed he had. Not that it matters, since Lillian was never truly interested in becoming his wife.”

“Not in the least, Mother.”

Loud footsteps were heard in the hallway and a footman cleared his throat.

“Pardon the interruption, but there is a caller for Lady Lillian.”

Lord and Lady Welsford exchanged perplexed glances and even Lillian frowned at the news.

“I am not in any mood to entertain Lord Bertram, or anyone for that matter, Peters,” Lillian sighed.

“Not even me?”

The deep, baritone voice of the Duke filled the air, and Lillian immediately rose to her feet. As their gazes met, Lillian’s heart raced in her chest. The sight of the Duke was truly a welcome one indeed.