Page 22 of Long Live the Baron
“Which one is Lily, exactly?”
Richard growled menacingly before stomping over to look down at Brendan, who was relieved that the very large duke rose from his crouch to stand between them. The earl looked fit to do him an injury. “My wife’s cousin, you bastard!”
Brendan frowned, attempting to recall who the girl was.
“My god, man! She was with us in this room just two days ago!” Richard threw an arm out to indicate the chair in which she had presumably sat.
Brendan realized he needed to think harder before his friend punched him again. “The little one who looks like a fairy?”
The earl growled, pressing forward, but the duke held up a hand to hold him back. “She is lovely!”
“The one who never stops talking?”
“She is a lively optimist! And she barely spoke when she was with us the day of the murder.”
“I barely know her. I hardly recollect she was here after all that happened that day!”
“You will have plenty of time to correct that when you wed!”
Brendan’s jaw sagged. “I cannot marry her!”
“You bloody will! The young woman has destroyed her reputation to save your neck!”
Brendan sat up, lifting a hand to cradle his throat in reflex. He could have hung. The coroner had been about to arrest him and transport him to the Tower. Without an alibi, no one would believe he had not committed the murder, not even he, if he were an outsider hearing the facts of the case.
What her unknown reasons were for providing a false alibi did not change the facts. That he had barely noted her presence was irrelevant. The little slip of a girl had saved his bacon in the nick of time.
Collapsing back on the floor, Brendan nodded with resignation.
* * *
“What have you done?”Her mother’s wail interrupted Papa’s explanation of Lily’s situation.
Aidan careened from the intricate fireplace, his face as white as a ghost, to fall into a plump armchair. “This is all my fault … If I had been here as agreed …”
Lily stared into the empty hearth, blood thudding in her ears as her family assimilated the news of her impending scandal.
“There is no time for regrets. Lily felt compelled to act, and it is our place to support her.” Viscount Moreland’s voice was low but firm as he admonished her mother and brother.
“But, Hugh, she is ruined! Lily will never make a good match when the peerage believes she was bedded by … by … by a murderer!”
Lily winced, clasping her fingers so tight that they ached. She felt terrible for the ordeal she had created, but she could not regret following her conscience to rescue an innocent man.
You did the right thing! There was no other choice.
“Christiana, Mr. Ridley is not a murderer. Lily has provided him with an alibi to clear his name because she has knowledge of his innocence.”
“But, Hugh?—”
“Our child will be secure because we will stand with her!”
Lily flinched. She had never heard Papa raise his voice before. He was usually accommodating to her mother’s wishes, but there was one subject on which he always stood firm. Family loyalty always came first.
Lily supposed she was fortunate that this was the case. When she had knocked on the door of his study, she had not been certain how he would react to what she had to tell him, but she should have known. Papa had immediately called for the rest of the family to join them so he could break the news. Even now, he stood by her side.
She looked up at her father, towering above her. His face showed the signs of aging, but his square jaw was firm and his expression resolute.
Blowing a deep sigh, Papa relaxed his features before continuing. “I know you wanted Lily to make a good match—the best match—but her conscience dictated that she take action. Now our family must work together to help her forge a new path.”
