Page 37 of Persuasions of an Earl's Daughter

Which all added up to her regarding romance as something that was not for her.

At least until August.

“Come, sit.” Klara tugged out the chair next to her and patted the seat.

Lilly shuffled over in her loose boots and hoped their hosts did not notice her wrinkled skirts and the two buttons August had failed to do up.

“Where’s August?” she asked as Astrid fussed over her, first setting a spoon and a neatly folded napkin in front of her then placing a bowl of something warm and fragrant down.

“Kroppkakor,” Klara said, pressing the bowl toward her.

“It smells wonderful.” Aware of the two ladies watching her, Lilly dug into the tender dumplings and closed her eyes and groaned softly. “Itiswonderful.”

Astrid sat on the other side of her and propped her hand on her chin to eye Lilly. “You need to eat more.”

“I eat plenty,” Lilly assured her, “just not today.” She took another spoonful and glanced around the kitchen. “Where is August?”

“He went to the pub,” Klara explained.

But of course. The man was a highlight of London society. Of course he would give her the most pleasure she’d ever experienced then dash off for a drink and a chance to boast about his escapades. How foolish—

“He said he was going to try to get transport for you,” Astrid added.

“Oh.”

“So tell us, how did you two meet?” Astrid leaned in closer. “We do love a story of romance and there is much romance there we think.” She shared an amused look with Klara, and Lilly felt heat spill into her cheeks at the idea of their hosts hearing her cries earlier.

Lilly dabbed her lips with the napkin. She could hardly tell their hosts the truth yet the idea of lying to such lovely women didn’t sit well with her. “I did not like him at first,” she admitted.

“Ah.” Klara’s eyes widened. “Hate to love. How wonderful. Sometimes the heart mistakes attraction for something else.”

Lilly wasn’t certain about that. Though she could not deny her physical attraction to August, she doubted her heart had much to do with it. If anything, she blamed her drive to experience more of life. She was being accompanied by the most notorious and handsome rake in England. But of course she’d end up desiring him. It was almost unavoidable.

Except she was no woman of poor control. She could have denied him if she’d wished, could have ignored his handsome looks. Quite why she reacted the way she did to August, she had yet to figure out.

Klara tapped Lilly’s arm. “So what turned it from dislike?”

Lilly pursed her lips. “Well...I suppose I like how he’s kind to others. And he’s brave. He never seems to think about himself.”

She frowned as she uttered the words. It was all true. He’d scarcely rested or eaten since coming to her rescue. He’d helped nurse her better and given up too many coats to her at this point. He’d been kind to everyone from her eccentric Aunt Sarah to the stable boy at his cousin’s house who needed work.

And that, Lilly had to admit, might explain much better why she was unable to resist him. She only wished she hadn’t figured that out. It was going to make this journey all the more difficult now she knew she might feel something more than desire for him.

∞∞∞

In his youth, August would have welcomed the four ales set in front of him combined with a slap on the back. Alas, as he neared his thirties, drinking vast quantities of alcohol rarely served him well the next day, not to mention he needed to keep his wits about him. Not that he was worried about confronting horse thieves or travelling onward with a headache but he couldn’t afford to let Lilly work her way under his skin any further. When he’d told himself maybe one taste of her, one kiss, one chance at giving her pleasure, would cure him of the distraction that was Lilly, he knew he’d been fooling himself.

He wanted more. He wanted impossible things.

He sipped one ale and pushed another along the bar toward the man with fists so scarred and large that August had anticipated a punch or two thrown instead of the hearty welcome.

“I’ll never drink it all,” August said and prayed he didn’t offend the huge man.

The man chuckled. “And yet you look to be in need of it.”

“Need or not, I don’t have the constitution for it these days.”

A lively song started up on the piano and a cheer sprung up from the patrons combined with demands for specific songs. The skinny lad at the piano ignored the demands and played with an expertise more suited to parlor rooms. Chairs and tables were shoved aside, and several people took to dancing, drinks in hand.

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