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“Youwill act as chaperone?” the countess said uncertainly.
“But of course,” the duke confirmed. “I assure you that while she is in my company, I will not allow Lily to be accosted by any young gentleman, unsuitable or otherwise.”
“But what of yourself?”
“I believe we are all agreed that I am not a young gentleman.”
“This is a very strange situation,” the countess stated crossly. “But I suppose I must give my permission if you are not to be late for your appointment,” she added after St. Albans had given another impatient glance at his pocket watch.
Lily didn’t understand Gabriel’s choice of carriage either or why he should go to such lengths to have her accompany him.
But she was prepared to do the latter in order to have her questions answered.
She waited only long enough for them to be seated side by side in the phaeton and the duke had instructed the horses to pull away from Truro House before making her thoughts known. “What are you about, Your Grace?”
“Gabriel,” he corrected huskily. “And what I am ‘about’ is ensuring we are able to spend some time alone together. That I might have you to myself for the rest of the afternoon.” His voice warmed at the statement.
Lily gave him a wary glance. “Why would you wish to do that?”
“Would you like me to tell you or show you?”
Lily eyed him uncertainly. “I am afraid I do not understand… Oh!” she gasped when Gabriel reached out to place one of her gloved hands against the hot and very sizeable bulge inside his pantaloons. She swallowed. “You are aroused.” Her cheeks burned with that knowledge as she hastily removed her hand to tightly clasp her reticule.
“It is worse than that, I am afraid,” he confirmed ruefully. “I have been in this uncomfortable condition every time thoughts of you have intruded into my previously peaceful existence—which has been often—since the day I kissed you in my library.”
Which, Lily calculated, was nine days ago. “It does not sound a very pleasant state to be in.”
“It is not,” he confirmed grimly.
Lily frowned. “What do you expect me to do about it?”
“That is the subject of the conversation I should like us to have this afternoon.”
“Conversation?” she repeated skeptically.
“Initially, yes.”
“And once the initial conversation is over?”
He glanced at her, the heat evident in the pale blue eyes that were usually flinty with disapproval. “That will depend upon you.”
Lily’s cheeks warmed. “And where is this ‘initial conversation’ to take place?”
“I have arranged a private room for us, so that we might talk privately, with the lady in charge of a house of the demimonde. It is a far from perfect arrangement,” he acknowledged after Lily gave another shocked gasp. “But for the moment, it is the only place I can think of where we might be alone together and so avoid having a member of our respective families interrupt us. Is that arrangement acceptable to you?”
Lily knew the houses of the demimonde were where ladies who were not part of Society, despite some of them being well-born but usually outside of marriage, entertained the gentlemen of theton. For Gabriel to be so well acquainted with the lady who ran one of those houses must mean that he had—still did?—visit one or possibly more of the ladies who resided there.
Lily was curious to see inside such a house, at the same time as she did not wish to meet or see any of the ladies Gabriel had intimate relations with. After all, he had told her that he had not remained celibate since his wife died.
“I have not visited such a house, or anyone inside one, for several years. My name alone was enough to secure our privacy.” Gabriel seemed to guess some of her thoughts. “I would not take you there now if I had any other choice. If we both agree to continue to explore our…friendship, I will find somewhere more suitable for us to meet in future.”
Lily wondered what that even meant.
Did she and Gabriel Lordhavea future? And if so, what sort of future was it?
Lily’s curiosity was now such that she found she could not refuse him outright, as she knew she should. “And if I refuse to accompany you?”
He drew in a deep breath before slowly releasing it again. “Then the conversation will not take place, and we will simply go about our lives as if none of this had ever happened.”