room she and Chantel claimed for their own. Chantel was lounging on a settee, reading a volume of poetry, but she perked up when she spied their caller. It was rare these days that she received visitors, especially a nobleman so handsome and distinguished as Lord Claybourne.
Chantel flushed becomingly when he bent over her hand to kiss her fingers lightly, but her blue eyes widened when Fleur repeated what he’d told her about wishing to begin a courtship.
“You are a sly puss,” Chantel chided Lily. “You never told us you have a noble suitor.”
“Because it isn’t true,” she insisted.
“But I hope to make it true,” Claybourne said mildly.
“So your intentions are genuinely honorable, my lord?” Fleur asked.
“Completely.”
“Then do please sit down and tell us why you might wish to wed Lily.”
He didn’t take the seat he was offered, however, since Lily resolutely remained standing. But he did explain some of his motivation.
“To begin with, I have never met anyone quite like Miss Loring. I last saw her a full month ago but I couldn’t forget her.”
To her chagrin, Lily found herself flushing. She had not been able to forget Lord Claybourne either, but she hoped he wouldn’t divulge the reason-because he was her first romantic tryst.
Fortunately Fleur spoke before he could expound. “Even so, marriage is a serious step, my lord.”
“Indeed,” he murmured, his tone wry. “The avowed bachelor in me is trembling. But since my good friend Danvers recently wed Miss Loring’s eldest sister, I’m willing to view the marriage noose with more favor. And of course I will need heirs eventually. But the chief reason I am interested in her is that I think we might make a good match.”
Lily grimaced, not caring for the way they were discussing her as if she wasn’t even present. It was time for her to put an end to this foolishness. “You are obviously lacking in discernment, Lord Claybourne. I would make you an utterly unsuitable wife.”
He shifted his gaze to her. “How so?”
“There are numerous reasons. I am highly independent, for one thing.”
“But that is a point in your favor, since I dislike limpets. I don’t want a wife who would forever be clinging to me.”
She gave him a dulcet smile. “I daresay I would be just the opposite. I have a mind and a will of my own. And I have no intention of calling any man ‘lord and master.’”
“Nor would I expect you to. As my wife, you would be free to do as you please.”
Lily raised a skeptical eyebrow. “
His own half smile was slow, direct. “Anything within reason.”
“But it is
“I imagine we could set mutually agreed-upon limits to your behavior.”
“I doubt it,” she rejoined. “I don’t conform well to the dictates of society.”
“So you have told me.”
She couldn’t help but note the teasing glint in Claybourne’s eyes, which miffed her further. “Did I also tell you that I am something of a bluestocking? My sister Roslyn is the scholar in our family, but I like to study history and geography.”
“I can appreciate a well-informed intellect,” he replied, unperturbed.
Realizing she was unlikely to ever win this argument as long as Claybourne was pretending such forbearance, Lily shook her head. “It scarcely matters what you appreciate. I am not at leisure to entertain your suit. I am quite busy teaching our boarders.”
“I won’t interfere with your efforts.”
“No? I find that hard to believe.”
“As you said, it is for a worthy cause.”
Her smile turned cool. “Then you understand why I have no time to indulge your eccentric whims.”
He looked perfectly solemn except for the devils dancing in his eyes. “It is hardly eccentric for a gentleman to decide to take a wife.”
“In your case it is. You are the greatest Lothario in England.”
The marquess gave a mock wince of pain. “Your accusation is rather harsh, sweeting. I am no libertine, even though I like women exceedingly.”
“You won’t like
“You are gravely mistaken if you think that.”
“I am nothing like your usual conquests.”
“Quite true. You are more thorn than rose.”
“Precisely. And I am certain you will find my tart tongue uncomfortable. I tend to speak my mind.”
“Good. I can’t endure simpering, vacuous women.” Claybourne paused a moment, holding her gaze. “But in your eagerness to list your drawbacks, Miss Loring, you are forgetting one chief advantage you hold over every other potential candidate for my bride.”
“Oh. What is that?”
“My attraction to you. I find you lovely and fascinating.”
Lily raised her gaze to the ceiling, and yet some small feminine part of her was foolishly pleased by his compliment.
Vexed by the very thought, she exhaled in a huff of exasperation. “Regardless…this entire discussion is meaningless, my lord. The simple truth is, I do not wish to marry you.”
“How do you know unless you put the issue to a true test?”
Chantel interrupted their exchange at that juncture. “Yes, Lily, darling, just consider. You would be a marchioness!”
Lily softened her reply to the kindhearted older woman. “I know, Chantel, but a title is of little importance to me. I care nothing for his lordship’s rank and consequence.”
The marquess responded with a rough chuckle. “Actually I find that reassuring. If you wed me, it will be because you want me, not my title or my fortune.”
Fleur entered the dispute then. “Lily, his lordship could be the ideal husband for you.”
Lily turned to eye her in dismay. “You mean to take his side?”
“Not entirely. But I do believe you may be well-matched. Lord Claybourne is a man of passion and daring, very much like you. And I think you should allow his courtship for a time.”
“Yes,” Chantel seconded her. “There are tremendous advantages to becoming Lady Claybourne, Lily. We can see it, even if you cannot at this stage in your life.”
“But Chantel, I have no desire for a title.”
“I am not merely talking about the title. A woman needs someone to protect and care for her. When you come to be our age, you will be glad to have a husband and family. Surely you don’t want to end up poor and lonely in your later years as we have?”
Lily bit back her instinctive retort. She knew the two Cyprians worried deeply about financial security, but she hadn’t had any notion they were lonely. Even so, their circumstances were very different from her own. She had her sisters and close friends to ward off loneliness, and a modest fortune to insure she wouldn’t have to sell herself in order to survive, either in marriage or out of it.
“Lily,” Fleur remarked in a cajoling tone, “even if you don’t wish to wed his lordship now, you should give his courtship a chance. It is not every day that you find so alluring a suitor.” She sent the marquess a coy look from beneath her eyelashes. “So handsome. So charming. So masterful.”
“Yes,” Chantel said dreamily. “I could die for a man like that.”
“I could kill for a man like that,” Fleur said with more frankness. “Trust me, Lily, there are countless women who yearn to be in your shoes. Just look at him. How can you resist such a marvelous courtier?”
Lily found their observations totally exasperating, but she did look at Lord Claybourne. She couldn’t deny he had a commanding presence that was made even more compelling by his aura of virile, vital energy. Add to that his strikingly handsome features and effortless charm, and he became a lethal weapon against feminine hearts.
She could easily see why the marquess was a great favorite with females of every stamp, and why adoring
