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Chapter Twenty

L ily spent the next two weeks waiting in anticipation.

Of Lord Nathaniel seeking retribution and telling her father about finding her with Colin at the Montgomery Mill.

Of wondering if anything would happen to any of the players or the workers at her father’s mill.

Of wishing to see Colin again.

She couldn’t get him off her mind.

Every time she remembered what had happened between them, her entire body flushed, from her cheeks down to her very core.

Thanks to Emmaline and her discovery of her parents’ naughty prints, Lily had known what could happen between a man and a woman, but she hadn’t been aware of just how it could make her feel .

Colin had taken her to a world that she hadn’t known existed, and now all she wanted was to return to it again.

But not just with any man.

With him.

She was well aware that the connection they shared was not one she was going to find with another.

The only person she had truly confided in was Mrs. O’Connor, who understood, yet, was also cautious of the situation.

“He is more of a man than any I have ever met,” Lily told the cook as she sat on her usual stool and watched her.

She wished she could help to keep her hands busy, but her mother had once found her peeling potatoes and had told her if she ever found her doing such a thing again, she would forbid her from ever coming down here.

“I would never have thought that would mean anything to me – until him.”

“He is a footballer,” Mrs. O’Connor said.

“It is more than that,” Lily insisted. “It is how he treats me like I am worth more than anything he has ever held in his arms. He respects me, considers my opinion, listens to me when I have an idea, and makes me feel that I matter just as much, if not more, than any other.”

“Sounds like you just might have a keeper, then,” Mrs. O’Connor said, looking over her shoulder at Lily with a kind smile.

“Don’t I wish it,” Lily sighed. “He is kind, sees the good in people, and protects those he loves. I never feel safer than when I am with him.”

“I know that feeling,” Mrs. O’Connor said with a reminiscing smile. “And it’s better than almost anything else. Is he worth giving up everything for?”

“Yes,” Lily said without hesitation. “But it’s not up to me.

So many others would be affected if the truth of what is between us emerges.

Colin. His family. The football club. Those who work under him at the mill.

I don’t have a solution. I only know that a stolen moment with him is worth more than a lifetime with another. ”

Mrs. O’Connor looked at Lily with pity but said nothing else as they heard her name being called from above. Lily gave Mrs. O’Connor a quick hug before hurrying up the stairs. She had nearly missed dinnertime.

“Good evening, Mother, Father.”

Lily was joining her parents for a rare night when all of them were dining at home.

Usually, her father was at one engagement or another, or her mother had led all of them or just her father out for a social event.

“Lily.”

Her father sat there, stone-faced, while her mother drummed her fingertips on the table, a frown covering her face.

“Is something the matter?” Lily asked as some dread lined her stomach.

“That is for you to tell us, Lily.”

“Very well.”

Please do not be about Colin , she prayed. Anything but that.

“Have you been seeing Colin Thornton behind our backs?”

All hope washed away like a bucket had been poured on her head.

She tried to decide as quickly as possible what she should say. Should she deny it? Admit to a partial truth?

Her pause, however, was far too long and far too telling.

“Lily Evans, so help me, if you have—” Her mother began, but her father held up a hand to stop her as the footmen brought out the first course, their crisp footsteps and swift movements cutting through the tension in the air.

“He is a friend,” she told a half-truth, looking at her father imploringly. “You asked him to look out for me when I was near the mill, and that is what he has done.”

“I see,” her father said, his nostrils flaring. “Then why were you caught with him in a compromising position?”

Lily straightened. “Who would say such a thing? It’s a lie!”

Well, a partial lie. Lord Nathaniel had caught her in Colin’s arms, yes, but they hadn’t been doing anything compromising. At least, not at that moment.

Her parents exchanged a glance.

“There have been rumors,” her father finally said.

“Rumors,” Lily repeated. “So, you are basing your opinions on unsubstantiated rumors rather than your daughter’s word.”

“We might not know if this is true,” her mother said, “but this could all be avoided if you would settle down with a good man.”

“A good man meaning one chosen by you,” Lily said, uncharacteristically defiant. “I must ask you something. What if the rumors were true? What if I was in a romantic relationship with Mr. Thornton?”

Her mother gasped while her father’s fingers curled into fists on top of the table.

“For I will tell you this,” Lily continued, her anger growing as years of being told what to do, being denied what she wanted, of listening to her parents look down on those beneath them rose within her, bubbling to the surface.

“Colin Thornton is a better man than all the men you have paraded before me combined. You shudder at the thought of me being with him, but the truth is, I would be the lucky one to have a man like him.”

“Where is this coming from?” her mother said in despair. “You have been spending far too much time with that awful Whitmore girl?—”

“This has nothing to do with Emmaline!” Lily protested, her mother’s comment only further angering her.

She pushed her chair back and stood, ready to storm out, but her father wasn’t finished.

“Whether or not anything is happening between you and Thornton, you will not be seen anywhere near him in the future. Do you understand me?”

Had he heard nothing she had just said?

“Or else what?”

“Or else he will lose his job. His position on the team. And I will marry you off to whomever I choose, which could very well be Lord Nathaniel if no one else is interested."

It was all of their worst nightmares coming to fruition.

“You wouldn’t do that,” she said, trying to call his bluff.

“Oh yes, I would,” he said, leaning in toward her, his brow furrowed.

“No, you wouldn’t,” she said much more confidently.

“For this weekend is the second round of the FA Cup. Colin is your best chance at winning against the Old Etonians. You are not going to sacrifice all of the time and effort and money you have put into this club because of a rumor about me and Mr. Thornton.”

As she repeated his name, she realized she had made a mistake. A huge mistake. She could only hope her parents wouldn’t notice.

“So, there is something afoot,” her mother said, straightening her shoulders. “ Colin to you, is it?”

“I have heard the players call him that, which is why I did as well,” she attempted, but it wasn’t enough.

Her father’s face was mottled an angry purple shade.

“I’ve had enough of this,” he snapped. “Your mother is right. I have been far too lenient with you. I do need to marry you off, and it will happen soon before this nonsense can go any further.”

“I will not marry someone I do not love.”

“You are not going to have a choice!”

What were they going to do? Lock her in her room until the wedding and march her up the aisle with a gun to her back?

“If you will excuse me,” she said, pushing back her chair. “I have lost my appetite.”

She hurried up to her bedroom, no longer caring if anyone knew that she was sneaking out of the house. She had been gone for twelve hours one night, and no one had even noticed – although, she supposed, they would be watching her more closely now, but what could she do?

She checked the time. It was late, and she couldn’t remember if Manchester had practiced this evening. She was sure Colin would either be at home or with the other players at the King’s Head. She would have to take a chance.

She pulled a cloak over her head, not hiding her identity this time, and stole out into the night to find a hack.

She didn’t know the path forward.

She only knew who she was seeking.

Colin.

Colin stretched his legs before him as he took a hearty drink of ale.

It had been a long day, made even longer by his uncertainty about when he would see Lily again and his constant on-edge watchfulness for any suspicious activity.

He would have to talk to some of his teammates, but he was unsure whom he could fully trust.

Rhys? Tommy?

First, he had to ensure Lily would accept sharing their secrets with his teammates.

Well, not all of their secrets.

“Surprised you’re still here,” Tommy said, retaking his seat after he had tried and failed to speak to a woman across the pub. “Usually, you’ve retired by now.”

“True,” Colin said, tipping his cup toward Tommy. “But it’s been a long day. Needed the extra drink. And I need to talk to you about something.”

He’d share some of what he discovered – but not all of it yet.

“Anything,” Tommy said, his eyes gleaming. “It’s a rare day you have anything too interesting to discuss.”

“Are you calling me a bore?”

“Something like that.”

Colin took a sip of his drink, ignoring Tommy’s comment.

“Does this have to do with the Evans girl?” Tommy said before Colin could begin.

“Why would you ask that?”

“I’ve seen how the two of you look at one another, whether it’s across the football pitch or from opposite sides of the same room. If only you looked at the football like that.”

Colin scoffed. “I do perfectly well, thank you very much.”

“Sure, but you don’t lust after the ball the way you do that woman.”

Colin rolled his eyes, but he worried, for if Tommy had noticed, other people might have as well.

“It’s not her that I need to tell you about, but it does involve her,” he started, until Tommy’s eyes stared past him to the entrance of the bar, his eyes widening.

“Hold that thought,” Tommy said, pointing across the room, and Colin’s gaze followed his finger, his heart nearly stopping when he saw what he was pointing at.

Or, rather, who.

She wore a soft lavender gown of lightweight silk, its bustle modest and its trimmings understated—just a row of delicate white lace at the collar and cuffs.

Not exactly the attire for The King’s Head.

Her hair was loosely pinned, a few curls escaping, though not enough to soften her determined expression.

“What is she doing here?” he practically exploded, looking at Tommy with a panicked glance.

“Just as I thought,” Tommy said smugly. “You are involved with her.”

“I’m not—I didn’t—I— Oh, for pity’s sake,” he said with exasperation.

Before he could decide what he would do about Lily’s presence, she spotted him across the room and came marching toward their table. He stood, ready to greet her, but Rhys beat him to it.

“Miss Evans,” Rhys said, taking a step away from his chair to practically bow over her hand to kiss her fingers. “Are you in need of assistance?”

“Yes,” she said, her eyes swinging over to Colin. “Quite a bit of it, actually.”

“Are you looking for your father?” Rhys asked, his usual surliness softened in the presence of a beautiful woman.

“No,” she scoffed. “He is the last person I am looking for right now. However, I could use a conversation with your centre forward.”

All eyes at the table turned toward Colin, who slowly meandered toward Lily, lowering his voice so the entire team was not involved in this conversation.

“I can handle this, Rhys,” he said in a low voice, his eyes on Lily, but that only earned him a returning look of reproach.

“By this , do you mean me?” Lily asked, one brow raised.

“Well, are you here to see me or not?”

She fixed him with a leveled stare before lowering herself into the very place he had been sitting.

She picked up his cup, taking a long drink of ale.

Colin couldn’t help but admire the graceful column of her throat until she slammed the drink back on the table, sputtering and coughing as she attempted to keep it in.

“That was—that was?—”

“Not the fine wine you are used to?” Tommy asked, leaning in.

He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it, his eyes twinkling as they flicked to Colin more than once, trying to get a rise out of him.

Colin wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.

“Tommy Ward, at your service. Now, what seems to be the problem?”