Page 2 of Long Live the Baron
She shut her mouth and smiled innocently. “Yes, Mama?”
Lady Moreland appeared unwilling to tolerate Lily’s attempts to change the subject. The coronation had likely brought marital prospects to the forefront of her mind, and Lily was afraid she could not divert the direction of the conversation.
Glancing over her shoulder, she threw a pleading look to her brother, who was watching while continuing to drink his coffee.
“Lord Ashby was quite taken with you, but after he danced with you, his mother informed me he had quite lost interest. What did you talk about while you were dancing?”
Lily lifted a hand to rub her earlobe as she sought an answer. Her ability to obfuscate with babble seemed to be waning today, which was not surprising considering how tired she was from returning home at dawn.
“I simply remarked on the talent of the musicians and how fine the servants’ livery was. I may have mentioned how glorious the ballroom appeared, bedecked with hothouse flowers and?—”
Her mother groaned. “Did you chatter the entire dance?”
“I suppose I might have.”
“Oh, Lily! How will you ever make a match if you will not stop blabbering like a fool?”
“Mother, I think we should acknowledge that Lord Ashby and Lily are ill-suited.”
Lily’s heart leapt with relief when Aidan interrupted. Ever since her cousin, Sophia, had left their household to marry the Earl of Saunton the year before, Lily had had to contend with her mother’s matchmaking unaided. Now that her brother had returned home, perhaps they could work together to thwart Lady Moreland’s impatience so Lily could make the match she wished for. One founded in love and mutual admiration, such as the one her cousin enjoyed with the earl, rather than one based on suitability and her mother’s expectations.
Not that Papa would require her to make a match she did not wish for, but Mama’s pressure was enough to make life distinctly uncomfortable.
Lady Moreland frowned at her son, clearly confused. “Whatever do you mean?”
“Lord Ashby, if I am not mistaken, is an utter bore who only speaks of horseflesh and hounds. Not to mention he is thirty years her senior and has several children from his previous marriages. Lily and he have no commonalities between them and would have nothing to discuss at the breakfast table.”
“Matches have proved successful over less. And Lily’s babbling must be reined in.”
“I find Lily’s conversation delightful and her optimism infectious. She amuses me during even the most melancholy of days. If Lord Ashby does not appreciate her for the jewel she is, and will cast her off after a single dance, then he does not deserve her.”
Their mother relaxed, evidently disinclined to argue with her oldest child. “You could introduce more of your friends to her, Aidan.”
“Perhaps I shall.”
Lily had been casting looks back and forth from her mother to her brother over her shoulder and was quite relieved that the heat had left their little quarrel. She winked a thank you to her brother, who smiled in return before his eyes shifted to peer over her shoulder. His jaw dropped open in amazement.
Lily spun back to see what had captured his attention and clapped a hand over her mouth to hold back a giggle while her eyes widened in surprise.
Lady Moreland burst out laughing, clutching her midriff in an uncustomary display of emotion as she beheld her husband, who had entered the room.
The older version of Aidan, Lord Moreland was a handsome man in his fifties, with graying brown hair and a square jaw, who towered over most men. Which made his attire ever more unsuitable.
King George IV was known for his ostentatious fashion sense, which was the only explanation why, for his coronation, he had instructed the College of Arms to exhibit the strictly required dress for the lords attending.
Lord Moreland was garbed in antique dress hitherto only seen in portraits of lords long since deceased. He was wearing a tight-fitting doublet with shining buttons. His gold and white breeches formed a puffy skirt, which stopped at his upper thighs to reveal a long expanse of white-stockinged legs, and he wore heeled shoes. A red velvet cape lined with ermine and the ruff at his neck completed the humiliation of his costume.
“Good Lord! I have never been so happy that I am a mere heir and not the holder of the title!” blurted Aidan.
Lily lost her fight to hold back her reaction, shaking with glee as her father turned a ruddy shade and rolled his eyes at his family’s blatant disrespect. “The other options were worse, in my estimation. My tailor insisted this would suit me best.”
“That is hard to believe,” gasped Lily as she struggled for air.
Lord Moreland looked over to his daughter and chuckled in response. “Perhaps he advised me for his own amusement.”
When Mama finally calmed down enough to speak, their earlier discussion appeared to be forgotten. “Aidan, we will be out late, so you must stay in tonight and keep Lily company.”
Aidan nodded. “I promise to keep an eye on my little sister and ensure no harm befalls her, Mother.”
