To Seduce a Bride (Courtship Wars)

By surrounding herself with the other boarders, Lily persuaded herself, and avoiding being alone with him, she stood a better chance of resisting him.

She should have realized her ambition was wishful thinking. Seeing Heath so soon after her stunning carnal experience with him brought a host of sensual memories cascading into her mind and body. And although she determinedly pretended disinterest upon greeting him, she couldn’t forget a single sensation of yesterday’s erotic interlude: The play of rippling chest muscles against her palms. The feel of his hard, powerful body beneath her. The heat of his mouth as he suckled her nipples. The stunning firestorm he had started inside her…

She now understood firsthand why women leaped into his bed and fought for his favor.

Fortunately Fleur and Chantel were there to take the lead in their class, introducing Lord Claybourne to the girls and setting the scene for the upcoming soiree.

Lily hadn’t expected his impact to be so remarkable, however. She watched as Heath effortlessly charmed the entire gathering of females, putting them at ease and making them laugh. By the end of the session, they were practically swooning over him. Yet he parried Ada Shaw’s brazen overtures expertly and fended off Sally Nead’s flirtation good-naturedly.

He could woo the birds out of their trees, Lily thought morosely.

It was his effort with shy Peg Wallace, however, that warmed her heart. Peg’s timidity melted under his gentle attentions, and Lily felt compelled to thank him for his kindness when the class ended.

She did so by drawing Heath aside a little way. “I think it only fitting,” she added reluctantly, “that Fleur award you another point for helping our pupils today.”

“Are you certain you wish to be so generous?” he asked, his sensual lips uptilting in amusement. “With the point they granted me for your fencing lesson yesterday, that will bring my total to seven. At this rate, I may very well win our game.”

Lily winced. She most certainly did not want him to win the right to extend his courtship for three more endless months. But she felt she needed to be fair. “You deserve to be rewarded in this instance.”

“I am willing to exchange some points if you will accompany me to a play at Drury Lane this evening.”

She couldn’t help but smile at his persistence. She had no doubt that his invitation to the theater was a ploy to get her alone in an even more intimate setting. “Sadly, I must decline. I don’t wish to be seen in public with you, remember? Besides, you have already used up your allotted time with me today.”

He gave her a smile of heart-stopping charm. “I had to try. Then I will see you tomorrow at Lady Freemantle’s garden party? I would offer my escort, but I suspect it is too much to ask for you to ride with me in my carriage.”

“Thank you, but I am riding with Fanny,” Lily was glad to say. Chiswick was some half dozen miles from London’s Mayfair district, and under no circumstances did she want to be alone with Heath for so long. Just standing this close to him in a roomful of people was unsettling enough.

And a new tension filled her stomach when he brought her hand to his lips and lightly kissed her fingers.

Lily forced herself to remain calm, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of knowing he had so much power over her. But when he took his leave, she stood there for a deplorably long moment afterward, feeling the warm tingling in her fingers where his lips had brushed.

When Saturday dawned cool and cloudy, Lily hoped the rain would hold off for Winifred’s garden party. After conducting morning classes for the academy, she donned a fashionable gown of pale green sprigged muslin with a matching bonnet for the occasion.

Fanny was dressed even more stylishly, Lily saw when the carriage arrived to pick her up, no doubt in order to face the supercilious gentry who were sure to attend.

But the guests were not Fanny’s chief concern; instead it was Mick O’Rourke.

“I wrote a long letter to him, explaining our plan to repay the debt,” Fanny told Lily as soon as they were on their way, “but I never received a reply. I admit it worries me.”

“Do you expect him to retaliate for what I did the other day?” Lily asked, frowning.

“I don’t know. It’s possible he is waiting for me to come to him on bended knee to beg him to relent.”

“You should not have to prostrate yourself before him,” Lily declared militantly. “Especially when the debt is not even yours.”

“I know. But I may have no choice if he wants his money at once.”

Lily’s frown deepened. “If you like, I can sound out

Winifred this afternoon to see if she would be willing to contribute the funds immediately.”

“You might mention it to gain a feel for her willingness,” Fanny replied. “But hopefully, after the soiree on Monday we won’t need her financial backing.”

They spoke about preparations for the soiree then, and discussed last-minute details. Fanny intended to send her dresser to the boardinghouse to help the girls with their gowns and hair, and Lily wanted her three favorites to have special attention to improve their chances of landing new patrons.

When she and Fanny arrived at Freemantle Park, Lily found her sisters already there before her, on the terrace overlooking the magnificent gardens. Immediately upon spying her, Arabella and Roslyn left the gathering to embrace her warmly. And after a fond reunion with Fanny, they drew Lily inside to a quiet parlor so they could have some privacy.

Lily was rather surprised to discover how fervently glad she was to see her sisters. They had written to each other frequently in the past weeks since Arabella’s wedding, but it wasn’t the same as being able to talk and laugh together in person. Moreover, a good deal had happened since then. Particularly Roslyn’s betrothal to the Duke of Arden.