Page 41 of Long Live the Baron
When he had first met with her, he had been certain she was no more than seventeen. Then he had recollected that he might have met her the year before, which would make this her second Season. Now that she was dressed in adult clothing to reveal the matured form beneath those ridiculous gowns that high society mothers made their marriageable daughters wear, he could not help but wonder if his assessment was entirely incorrect.
His bride sat back in surprise. It was not customary for ladies to discuss their ages, and he supposed he could have looked her up in Debrett’sPeerage, or simply questioned Lady Saunton on the matter, but here he was. Married and questioning his bride about details he should probably know.
Finally, she grinned, and the small, pearly white teeth and the perfect symmetry of her soft pink lips fascinated Brendan. Her enormous eyes shone with unrepressed humor, and Brendan found himself captivated by the lively woman before him.
Ye Gods! Are you a carnal beast? It is a mere three weeks since …
“I am older than I appear—twenty years of age, and this was my third Season. Another Season or two and I would have been on the shelf, so I suppose this was a strange but fortuitous turn of events.” Her face fell in sudden alarm, her hand flying up as she turned a deep shade of red to match her dress. “Oh, no! I swear I was not attempting to take advantage of your situation to trap you!”
Brendan shook his head, raising a hand to rub the back of his neck in abashment, but deep down, he admitted it set his mind at ease to know she was a mere seven years younger than himself. Their difference in ages was far less than he had erroneously calculated the previous week. “I am still deeply embarrassed about that accusation. Lady Saunton made the quality of your character clear to me, and Richard certainly seconded her opinion.”
Lily’s face revealed her profound relief as her color returned to normal. “What is the concern regarding my safety?”
The shift back to his earlier allusions stirred anxiety in his gut. He had been contending with feelings of inadequacy. Brendan was ill-prepared to manage the people who were counting on him. Considering that Lily’s honor was greater than his own, he barely deserved her vows of commitment. It was time for him to prove his worth and become a man he could respect. His days of idle carousing were in the past.
Moving over to the sideboard, he picked up a decanter. Spirits would not go amiss to steady his nerves if he were to impart this news. “Claret?”
“No, thank you.”
Brendan froze, staring down at the decanter in his hand. Young ladies had few opportunities to drink and, in his experience, they did not miss a chance to do so. Turning, he raised a quizzical brow.
Her gaze skittered away from his, and her expression was apologetic. “My family does not imbibe. After Sophia lost both her parents and came to live with us, Papa got rid of the drink in our home out of respect for her and her brother. And after what her brother did to her last year, and because Richard was nearly killed by that drunk lord breaking into their home, I made a pledge to Sophia never to drink spirits. She has seen too many loved ones destroyed, and it was the least I could do.”
Brendan grimaced at the decanter. He had forgotten the sordid affairs of the previous year.I am an absolute ass.
“But you are welcome to enjoy one, if you wish.”
He huffed at this, turning to deposit the decanter back on the surface behind him. “I should probably reduce my drinking. There will not be a lot of time for that now that I am to manage the baronial estates.”
“What was the problem you wished to share?”
Brendan walked around the room, eventually sitting beside her on the settee with several feet between them. “It is possible that the baron allowed entry to his killer. However …”
After a few moments, his bride started when she clearly perceived what he had left unsaid. “One of the servants might be involved?”
Brendan was impressed. She had reached the conclusion faster than he had. “It is a possibility. The runner we hired, Briggs, has questioned the servants. There are only five in … our … home who attend to the front door.”
Lily leaned toward him, evidently intrigued. “Who?”
“There is Michaels, the butler. And the two footmen—Wesley, whom you have met, and Stephen. In addition, the baron brought two footmen with him, Stanley and David. And there is a coachman who brought them to London, but he did not have access to the house. The baron’s valet was away that night and did not return until the next day. My valet assisted the baron but had been sent to retrieve an item that the baron had misplaced earlier in the day and was absent for several hours.”
“And whom does the runner suspect?”
“He ruled out Wesley because he was not on duty that night. Stephen was sent out on an errand by the baron, which kept him away overnight with the baron’s coachman. The other footmen deny attending to anyone that evening, but it is Michaels whom he is most concerned about.”
“Michaels? The butler? What motive would he have?”
Brendan sat up slightly. He had not known what to expect when he announced the potential danger, but Lily possessed a backbone. She was asking intelligent questions and paying acute attention. “I did not know, but Michaels has been with us since his youth. His father was the gamekeeper at our country seat, Baydon Hall. The father was killed in the woods, perhaps by poachers, and apparently his mother blamed my grandfather for his death. It is a long time ago?—”
“But Briggs thinks it might be a motive for Michaels to either have lost his temper with your father, or assisted someone else to cover up the murder?”
“There is no evidence, and Briggs is still investigating Stanley and David, but I need you to be vigilant until this matter is cleared up.”
Lily nodded, apparently musing over what he had divulged before turning back to look at him with those big brown eyes. How had he never noticed how lush her lashes were? They swept down in a fan as she blinked, which led him to notice the sweet roundness of her cheek. She was rather soft and delicate. It made him want to reach out a hand to caress the creamy curve of her jaw.
“I am sorry for your loss.” She whispered it in a low voice, the throaty quality drawing him closer, and before he knew it, he had closed the gap between them on the sofa. Sitting this close to her, he once again noted the fragrance of honey, and he wondered if it was some sort of skin cream that she used. The urge to lean down and lick her jolted through him, and he had to hold himself back from startling his virginal bride with such amorous advances.
“I suppose I must confess a secret. The others are already aware, and you might hear about it with all the gossip that is making the rounds.” He sighed deeply, leaning back as she gazed up at him with a concerned expression. “The baron was not my father.”
