Page 9 of Bound to the Heartless Duke (Regency Beasts #4)

She had gone to almost every room in the manor, except the Duke’s, and had found nothing to busy herself with.

His maids seemed to have everything under control.

They cleaned thoroughly and always served their meals on time.

His footmen mowed and trimmed the lawns, and the butler, the same one she had argued with at Blackmore Manor, played his role well in supervising the new members of staff with such seamless efficiency she couldn’t help but envy.

As for Nathan, he seemed to have forgotten what the presence of the Duke’s servants in their home meant. In fact, he had immediately liked the idea.

Unfortunately for him, the servants were not there to attend to him. Lily guessed it was a directive from the Duke himself, but she didn’t tell her brother. She might have, if only he had been around.

He had ordered one of the maids to bring him some snacks and tea, but his snacks and tea never arrived.

After waiting for what seemed like forever to him, he had stormed into the kitchen, demanding an explanation for the delay, and Hastings had come in to interfere.

Lily was brewing some tea when he came in, but she chose not to get involved.

“Apologies, Mr Lord,” Hastings said, his voice calm as if he wasn’t dealing with an angry man. “But we are here only in service of the Duke of Blackmore.”

Nathan turned red with rage. “Well, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the Duke of Blackmore is living in my house at the moment, and if you’re going to serve him, then you should also serve the master of the house,” he snapped.

Lily turned away, hiding a smile.

“My Lord, I believe this is a conversation you should have with the Duke,” Hastings said.

Lily looked over her shoulder to see the blood drain from her brother’s face.

She knew that Nathan would never dare take such a matter to the Duke, not when he feared him. He cast his gaze around the kitchen, looking for Summer, the only person he could terrorize. He frowned when he couldn’t find her.

Still, not wanting to appear weak in front of the servants, he jutted his chin and said, “Well, if none of you is going to attend to me, then stay out of my sight!”

With that, he turned on his heel and walked out of the kitchen.

Lily chuckled to herself as Hastings told everyone to get back to work. She took her tea back to the drawing room, where she picked up a book to read.

Apparently, Nathan was the only person the Duke’s maids were instructed not to attend.

Lily soon noticed that they cleaned up after her, even when she told them not to bother.

They brought her tea when they saw her reading or embroidering in the drawing room.

She didn’t quite get used to it, but she had to live with it.

She was in the drawing room, doing some embroidery as usual, when Hastings came in bearing a silver tray.

“A letter for you, My Lady,” he said, holding out the tray.

Lily dropped everything she was doing and stood up.

“Thank you, Hastings,” she said, taking the letter.

Hastings bowed his head and swiftly retreated from the room.

Lily sat back on the sofa and opened the letter, hoping for good news. Excitement bubbled up in her chest when she read the sender’s address.

It’s from the matchmaker!

She unfolded the letter and started to read.

Dear Lady Lily,

I appreciate your interest in my services.

It is a great honor. However, I must express my concerns about your situation.

Rumors about your family’s financial troubles and your brother’s questionable decisions have reached my ears.

This, unfortunately, has affected your reputation and has become the subject of gossip amongst the ton.

I do not think that it would be wise for me to take on your case.

I apologize, and I do hope you understand.

Yours,

Lady Beecham.

Disappointed, Lily sighed and dropped the letter on her lap.

Why must it be so difficult? She had done everything right, and yet it seemed like the world was deliberately working against her. What else was she to do if even the matchmaker wasn’t willing to help her?

The clock was ticking, and she was aware of it.

She was running out of options, and there was not much else for her to do.

Was it foolish of her to think that she could overcome these obstacles in her own way?

Did she dream too big when she thought she could solve most of her problems by marrying?

Why did it have to be so hard to find a man willing toa take a wife even if her dowry was basically non-existent and she was from a family riddled with debts? !

Amid all the pressure, Lily knew she needed to do this right. She had to find a husband, or she could spend the rest of her life regretting her decision.

But how would she even know whom to choose, especially with the rumors? What man would be willing to risk his image and associate with a family on the brink of bankruptcy?

She sighed again and closed her eyes.

Nathan was walking past the drawing room, having just come back home, when he saw her looking downcast. A rare sight to him.

“What is it?” he asked, drawing her out of her thoughts.

Lily instantly lifted her head and turned to him.

He walked into the room. “What is that letter?”

She was tempted to ignore him, as it was his fault that she found herself in this situation in the first place.

“It’s a letter from the matchmaker, Nathan,” she said, slowly standing up to face him. “It turns out that you have made quite a reputation for yourself and our family out there. Do you know how much damage you have done?”

He waved her off, and she frowned.

“Don’t worry too much about it, Lily,” he said. “Everything will be fine, I promise you.”

She rolled her eyes. “The last time you said that, we lost several valuables to debt collectors. So, if you have a big plan brewing somewhere, you’d better tell it to me right away.”

He raised a finger and pointed it at her. “In due time, Lily. In due time. You need to learn to calm down.”

She scoffed. “Calm down? Really?”

He shrugged and turned to walk out. “It’s what I do, Lily!”

Why is he behaving like this?

But Lily already knew the answer.

Their father had done nothing but indulge him all his life, and he had grown up spoiled and dependent. So, it was no surprise that he turned out that way.

But she wasn’t ready to let her brother’s bad decisions, coupled with his poor upbringing, ruin everything for her. She wasn’t going to stand by and watch them lose their house to the Duke or anybody. And she wasn’t going to let the matchmaker’s letter bring her down either.

She could try attending social gatherings, as the Duke had suggested, even though she didn’t want to accept his suggestions. Who knew? Maybe she would find a husband at one of those gatherings.

She sat back on the sofa, her frustration flaring.

What if she couldn’t find a husband at any of those gatherings either? As the matchmaker wrote in the letter, rumors were already circling about her family. Even worse, rumors in the ton traveled fast, so she wouldn’t know which man had or had not heard them.

She raised a hand and rubbed her forehead, feeling a megrim coming on. What had she even done to deserve this?

She thought about Nathan’s mysterious plan to make all their problems go away.

It wasn’t his first time saying that, and it also wouldn’t be her first time feeling uneasy because of it. After all, her brother excelled at making matters worse with his bad decisions and spending habits.

She deeply wished whatever it was he had up his sleeve wasn’t extreme and wouldn’t cause more problems; they already had enough to deal with.

With a sigh, Lily stood up to go upstairs.

One part of her plan might have gone down the drain, but there was still another. She might as well take the Duke’s suggestion and go prepare a dress for the ball he had mentioned.