To Seduce a Bride

Heath very much liked the sound of her husky laughter. “What objections do you have to wedding me, other than your desire for independence?”

Lily waited until they had negotiated their mounts across a busy avenue before she answered. “Your reputation, for one thing. You are infamous for your amorous conquests, and I have no wish to become one more of their number.”

“As my wife, you would hardly be my conquest, sweeting. In fact, some would say you would be making the conquest.”

“Oh, yes, I know,” she said sardonically. “You are a great matrimonial prize. But you have plenty of admirers pursuing you. And since I don’t like to imitate sheep, I mean to resist you on general principle. I am stubborn- minded that way.”

“I can see that,” Heath remarked, amused. “But would you really allow stubbornness to dictate your entire future?”

She didn’t respond at once, and when she did, her tone was thoughtful. “Do you keep a mistress, Lord Claybourne?”

The question surprised him for its boldness, but he gave her an honest reply. “Not regularly, no.”

“But you have had countless lovers.”

His mouth curved. “You give me too much credit. The number is not countless. Even I haven’t that much fortitude.”

“Nevertheless, I expect you are a bit too much like my father for my tastes.”

Fixing his gaze on Lily, Heath regarded her intently. “I’ll have you know, I mean to remain faithful to our marriage vows after we are wed.”

Her pause spoke volumes. Because of the veil, he couldn’t see her arched eyebrows, but he heard the cynicism in her voice when she replied. “I find that very difficult to believe.”

He would never overcome her doubts by arguing with her, Heath knew, so he settled for a mild reply. “I can see that teaching you to trust me should be my first goal.”

“You are welcome to try,” she said without much conviction.

“I realize it won’t be easy, given your low opinion of noblemen.”

Lily nodded seriously. “I’ve had good reason to think ill of your ilk just recently, my lord. Two of our boarders were in service to noble households and were seduced by their masters, then thrown out onto the streets and forced to sell their bodies to survive.” Her tone turned dark. “It is appalling, what they endured. Can you even imagine facing such an horrific experience?”

Since her question seemed rhetorical, Heath didn’t answer, nor apparently did Lily expect him to, for she went on ardently. “And then they were roundly condemned for the sin of prostitution! It isn’t fair,” she said with real anger in her voice.

“No it isn’t.”

She finally looked over at him again. “Are you simply being agreeable because you wish to impress me?”

“No,” Heath said solemnly. “I admire your passion. It’s clear you are a very compassionate and caring woman.”

Lily seemed to relax a measure. “Not as compassionate as my friend Miss Blanchard. Now she is truly good. She has the kindest soul I’ve ever known. I am not particularly good or kind. I just feel sorry for the vulnerable and helpless, especially the unfortunate women who must use their bodies as merchandise. Thankfully I was able to find those two girls employment with the household staff at Danvers Hall, even though Marcus didn’t need any more servants.”

Heath raised an eyebrow. “You sent your two boarders to Marcus?”

Lily hesitated. “Actually, I sent them to Roslyn. At the time I couldn’t ask Marcus to take them in, since I didn’t want him to know I was in London.” From her tone, he suspected Lily’s cheeks were flushing, but she gave him no chance to reply before continuing. “I could not simply ignore their plight, though. They needed someone to stand up for them. To help them to escape that awful life.”

He studied her thoughtfully. “And yet you are actively preparing your pupils to attract wealthy patrons at the soiree.”

Lily grimaced. “I know. But my friends convinced me it was the best course. If our boarders have a large enough income, they will have a greater measure of control over their lives, more choices for their futures. They won’t be quite so trapped and powerless as they are now. I am still concerned for them, however-which is why I asked you to find suitable candidates from among your bachelor friends. Our boarders deserve patrons who are kind and gentle. Widowers, perhaps, who need companionship more than passion. Or gentlemen like my friend Basil, who are amiable and tolerant, even bashful. Men who won’t behave like brutes simply because they control the purse strings.”

“Your pupils are fortunate to have you champion them so earnestly.”

For a few heartbeats, Lily eyed him as if trying to judge his sincerity. “I suppose you deserve some of the credit, Lord Claybourne.”

“Credit?”

“For causing me to come to London in the first place. If not for you wanting to court me, I never would have become involved with our boarders.”

“Now that is a novel notion,” Heath murmured with a tinge of wryness.

Lily stiffened. “I am completely serious, my lord.”

“I can see that, angel. And I commend your efforts. I was simply laughing at the irony of my courtship driving you to such lengths.”

“It is rather ironic,” she said more softly. Her mouth twisted without humor. “No doubt I can sympathize with their difficulties because of what my sisters and I went through after our family scandals erupted. We could easily have wound up in the same dire circumstances as our boarders.”

Heath found himself frowning. He didn’t like thinking of Lily at the mercy of fate like that. He hated to imagine her as a needy young girl, forced into prostitution to survive.

“And someone needs to help them,” Lily added. “They will get little assistance from most members of our class. Take yourself, for example. You are a gentleman of leisure. You treat life as a game.”

Perhaps that was true, Heath acknowledged. Pursuit of pleasure and excitement had been his aim for much of his life.

“Before meeting our girls, I was a good deal like you,” Lily continued. “I didn’t worry much about the lower classes or consider how they managed to survive. And we were so sheltered from the realities of life, I never even knew women like our boarders existed. Except for Fanny, of course, and she is certainly not typical of the demimonde. But now I feel as if I have finally found a calling.”

Heath nodded thoughtfully. He’d never given much consideration to the plight of fallen women. Oh, he’d always behaved with honor toward his servants and ensured their welfare. But otherwise, he rarely involved himself in their lives.

He could admire Lily for her newfound passion. She had channeled her rebellious spirit into striving for a worthy cause.

Just then, however, they arrived at the entrance to the park.

Lily visibly shook herself before giving him another glance. “Do forgive me, my lord. I have bored you to tears.”

“You haven’t bored me in the least. In fact, I can honestly say you are the least boring woman I have ever met.”

When he smiled, she made a face. “Well, it certainly was not my intention to entertain you. Perhaps we should ride?”

Entering the park, they guided their horses onto a wide gravel path flanked by elms and oaks. But they had gone barely ten yards when they saw two riders approaching.

Recognizing both gentlemen, Heath paused politely to greet them, but Lily urged her mare past them, leaving him to deal with his friends.

And as soon as he caught up to her, she broke into an easy canter.

“I’m certain you understand why I would rather not meet anyone in your illustrious circles,” she explained