Then Marcus’s sister, Lady Eleanor Pierce, arrived, along with her elderly aunt, Lady Beldon. The vivacious raven-haired beauty kissed Marcus affectionately on the cheek before she sought out Heath and gave him the same fond salutation.
It was absurd to feel a sharp twinge of jealousy at the sweet gesture, Lily knew, yet she couldn’t help it. Especially when Lady Eleanor stood there laughing delightedly up at Heath.
Recalling her plan, Lily focused her attention on Basil, pretending to hang on his every word. It dismayed her a little, therefore, when Lady Eleanor brought Heath over to join them and then somehow managed to draw Basil aside, leaving Lily alone with the very man she had earnestly hoped to avoid.
“Will you permit me to take you in to dinner?” was Heath’s first remark.
“That is kind of you, my lord,” Lily said in an offhand manner, “but Basil has already offered. You and I won’t be seated together at dinner, either.”
“I suppose you made certain of the seating arrangements?”
“Well…yes.”
“Then I will settle for sitting beside you during the wedding tomorrow.”
“I have promised to sit beside Basil tomorrow,” Lily hastened to say.
Heath arched an eyebrow. “You have two sides, do you not? I will sit on your right, and he may have the left. I believe I have earned the privilege. Fleur informs me that they have deemed me the winner of our game.”
“Yes, they have,” Lily said despondently.
“It will be our first time to be seen in public together. Somehow it seems fitting that we will be a
ttending a wedding together.”
“We will not be attending together,” she pointed out. “I will be riding to the church with my sisters.”
“As you did for your eldest sister’s wedding. I remember the moment you arrived. You captured my attention with your laughter.” Heath smiled as though it was a pleasurable memory.
“Oh? I don’t particularly recall meeting you then,” Lily lied.
His eyes sparkled with humor. “You wound me, darling. Am I really so forgettable?”
He was no such thing, she thought, trying to ignore the devilish charm dancing in his eyes.
“You cannot say you have forgotten our first kiss in the barn loft, or any of the kisses that followed.”
“My lord!” Lily hissed in a repressive undertone, glancing around to see if he had been overheard.
“Are we back to ‘my lord’ now? What have I done to earn such disdain?”
“You can hardly object to the term,” she retorted. “You know that ‘my lord’ is the proper form of address when we are in polite company.”
“I can accept that as long as you call me by my given name in private.”
Somewhat agitated, Lily looked away, searching for Basil.
“Do you expect Eddowes to come to your rescue?” Heath asked curiously. “What is he now, your protector?”
“Of a sort,” Lily replied, aware of the desperation in her thinking.
“You seem very fond of him.”
“I am indeed. We have known each other since we were in leading strings.”
Heath reached up to touch her chin, bringing her gaze back to his. “I think you have grown a little fond of me, too, Lily.”
She couldn’t issue an honest denial, no matter how much she wanted to. “Against my better judgment,” Lily murmured, finally looking straight at him. “But simply because I hold you in affection doesn’t mean I wish to marry you or spend the rest of my life with you.”