Page 39 of Bound to the Heartless Duke
“And because,” she added, “part of me didn’t want to share that part of you. Not yet.”
Then, she stepped out of the room, leaving Magnus standing there for a long moment, his hands in his pockets as a strange ache twisted in his chest.
CHAPTER 10
The door to her chamber burst open without a warning.
“Get up.” Nathan’s voice dragged her out of slumber.
He sounded breathless, as though he had run up the stairs.
Lily blinked her eyes and let out a yawn, before pushing herself up on the bed. “Pardon?”
Why would her brother wake her up at such an early hour?
“I said, get up.” Nathan was pacing the room, glancing around as if checking for something in particular. “And while you are at it, dress nicely. Something soft and flattering.”
“You’re rambling.” Lily rose from the bed. “What’s going on?” She fixed with a confused look.
Nathan’s lips stretched into a grin that instantly made her suspicious. “Don’t look at me that way, dear sister. Rather, you should look glad.”
He puffed up his chest.
“I’ve done it,” he announced. “I’ve secured your future.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “That’s vagueandterrifying.”
Indeed, it was odd coming from her brother, who had yet to learn how to secure his own future.
Nathan gestured to the door dramatically. “Your suitor has arrived. Or he will be here in precisely ten minutes. Downstairs. In the drawing room.”
Lily’s heart lurched and stuttered, the remnants of sleep vanished. “A suitor?”
“A potential match,” he said triumphantly. “A respectable one. Connections. Land. A dash of eccentricity, but nothing you can’t handle.” He lifted his chin and gave her a proud smile. “You are very welcome, dear sister.”
Her lips parted with a short breath. “You’re serious.”
“Deadly, Lily.” He turned fully to the open door. “Hurry now. He’s here to formally meet you.”
“Who is he?” Lily pressed, despite her confusion. “What’s his name? Where does he come from?”
“Ronald Bailey,” Nathan replied, already halfway out the door. “That’s all I’ll say. It’s better if your reaction is… not practiced.”Lily blinked and quickly stepped after him. “Nathan?—”
But he was gone, shutting the door behind him.
She turned around slowly to see her disheveled reflection in the mirror.
“I don’t know whether to scream or faint,” she muttered, before sinking onto the bed.
A knock sounded at the door shortly after, and Summer stepped inside. She wore a little smile, unhelpfully.
“Shall I brush your hair and help you get dressed, My Lady?”
Twenty minutes later, Lily descended the stairs in a pale pink day dress that Summer had insisted made her look “just the right amount of innocent and intimidating.”
The day had barely begun, but her stomach was already twisting into knots, dreading the meeting.
The moment she reached the drawing room, she heard him. An unfamiliar voice that made her left eye twitch.
