To Seduce a Bride

pounds to provide them security in their old age.”

Lily stared at him, wondering if she had heard correctly. “Do you mean O’Rourke is not going to prison for abducting her and holding her prisoner for the better part of an afternoon?”

“That is exactly what I mean!” Basil grumbled. “That bastard will be set free tomorrow. Claybourne arranged for his release this afternoon.”

“He just let O’Rourke go?” Lily repeated in disbelief.

“Yes! Fanny talked Claybourne into it. She wrapped him around her little finger, the way she does every other poor sod of her acquaintance.”

“But O’Rourke threatened her life! And his servants nearly killed Lord Claybourne!”

“I know that! But she has conveniently dismissed O’Rourke’s villainy. She claims he has learned his lesson. And he has sworn to provide financially for Fleur and Chantel. If you ask me, I think Fanny elected leniency because she loves that bastard. There is no other excuse for her madness.”

The disgust in Basil’s voice couldn’t hide the underlying bitterness. He was greatly upset, Lily knew. Even more because he was envious of O’Rourke than because he wanted to see the gaming hell owner pay for his crimes.

Lily understood the deep hurt Basil felt. She might not have two weeks ago, but she did now. She’d gained a newfound sensitivity over the past fortnight, because her recent love affair with Heath had made her much more sympathetic to the trials and tribulations of lovers.

“I am very sorry Fanny set O’Rourke free, Basil,” Lily said in a calmer tone. “But I don’t believe it is because she loves him.”

“Then why?” The question was a plea for understanding, and his tone held an edge of anguish, although Lily knew Basil would be embarrassed if she took note of it.

“My guess is that she earnestly wants to provide for her friends. Twenty thousand pounds is a significant fortune. If Fleur and Chantel are the least frugal, they will be set for life. And Fanny will no longer need to worry for their welfare. Instead, she can see to her own.”

“How is her welfare made better by championing that villain?” Basil’s hands clutched harder in his hair before he shook his head furiously. “Blast it all, I have had enough! I can’t bear to watch her any longer.”

“What do you mean to do, Basil?” Lily asked warily.

“I will return to Hampshire as soon as I can arrange it. I’ll give notice to my firm tomorrow.”

Lily hesitated a long moment. “You would leave London right now?”

“Yes!” he practically hissed. “I cannot stay here any longer. It is stupid to torment myself this way. I can never have Fanny. I have to accept that.”

“You love her.”

The glance he shot Lily was full of misery. “Yes, fool that I am. I have loved her for years. Why do you think I followed her here to London? I wanted to be certain she was safe and happy. I wanted just to be near her. But I can’t bear sharing her with other men.”

Seeing his anguish, Lily softened her tone even more. “I don’t think you should give up, Basil.”

“Why not? What would be the point of remaining?”

“Because I know Fanny is extremely fond of you.”

Basil continued to scowl while shaking his head. “Any feelings she has for me are brotherly, just as yours are. She doesn’t love me as a man. And she wouldn’t wed me if she did love me.”

“Basil, believe me, Fanny’s feelings toward you are far from brotherly. I am absolutely sure of it.”

His gaze arrested on Lily. “They are?”

“Most definitely. She told me so herself last week. And that was before you risked life and limb to rescue her. I have no doubt that your heroism helped to melt her heart even more.”

“Do you truly think so?” he asked as if not daring to believe.

“Indeed I do,” Lily replied. “Fanny hasn’t seen this valiant side of you until today, as I have. But now she knows that you have hidden depths that any woman would admire.”

That gave Basil pause. “I suppose I do have a hidden depth or two.”

Lily smiled at the surprise in his tone. “Of course you do. And I suspect her concerns about matrimony are based more on practical matters. Fanny thinks she cannot afford to marry you. She doesn’t know how she would earn a living. But if she no longer has to support her friends because of O’Rourke’s settlement, then she can curtail her expenses significantly. And she has her savings back now, thanks to her bargain with O’Rourke. If you could find employment that provides a higher income…Well, then, a marriage between you is not beyond the realm of possibility.”

When a fragile hope shone in his eyes, Lily pressed harder. “So you see, if you leave now, Basil, you will never know what might have been between you and Fanny. You must stay awhile longer, no matter how painful it is at the moment.”

His clutching fingers releasing his hair, Basil slowly nodded. “I think you may be right.”

“I know I am right about this,” Lily insisted.

Basil sank back in his chair, deep in thought. Then suddenly he took notice of the valise Lily had laid out on the bed and the neat piles of clothing that were stacked beside it.

His brow furrowing, he glanced back up at her. “Why the devil are you packing?”

The question made Lily recall her own troubles, but she tried to keep the despair from her voice when she replied. “I am returning to Chiswick in the morning. I plan to live with Tess for a while.”

“You are leaving London?”

Lily shrugged as she went back to folding the last of her gowns. “Why not? I have done everything I came here to do and more. I will be perfectly content to leave.”

Which was a blatant falsehood. She was immeasurably happy that things had worked out so well for her friends, but otherwise she was perfectly miserable.

“You just told me I could not leave,” Basil said slowly. “I think perhaps you should take your own advice.”

Lily couldn’t meet his gaze as the ache in her throat returned. “The two circumstances are very different.”

She felt Basil eying her. “Are they, Lily? I think our circumstances are closer than you are willing to admit.”

Turning, she sank down onto the bed. It was true, she thought bleakly. She had insisted that Basil needed to remain in London, and so did she.

She couldn’t leave Heath. She couldn’t bear to just walk away.

She bit her trembling lower lip as she stared down at the carpet.

When she remained silent, Basil’s tone became more insistent. “What are your feelings for Claybourne, Lily?”

Her feelings? How did she answer that complex question? Her feelings for Heath were…complicated. Intense. Confused. Overwhelming. And in the end, so very simple.

“Come now, you made me bare my soul.”

She nodded faintly. Basil was one of her oldest, dearest friends, and she wouldn’t try to deceive him, even if she had been doing the same to herself for quite some time. But she couldn’t fool herself any longer.

She loved Heath.

She was dreadfully, desperately, painfully in love with him.

Sometime in the past fortnight, the walls she had so determinedly built to protect herself had tumbled down, leaving her vulnerable and defenseless to his passionate enchantment.

She had fallen in love with her determined suitor.

The expression on her face must have satisfied Basil, for he softened his tone. “If you love him, will you accept his marriage proposal then?”

Her fingers clenched on the gown she held. “I never thought I would marry,” she murmured hoarsely.

A week ago she had been afraid to give herself to Heath in marriage, afraid to make the irrevocable commitment that would bind her to him for life.