Page 6 of The Viscount and the Wallflower (The Unlikely Betrothal Series #4)

Chapter 6

A lex was still on edge from when he had kissed Lily the day before. She hadn’t given him leave to refer to her by her given name, but in his dreams when she came to him, he thought of her as his Lily. Alex kept his distance from her the evening after their kiss, with Lord Knox in her presence. He wasn’t certain of the state of the man’s courtship, and he didn’t wish to interfere.

He supposed that wasn’t exactly true. If one didn’t wish to interfere, they shouldn’t do the things he did to the lady in an alcove. If she hadn’t shivered from being in soaked clothing, he couldn’t swear that he might not have done more. She had been a goddess with her long red hair down around her waist and her eyelids heavy from desire .

He wasn’t the type of man who dallied with innocents, but there was something about her. Lily drew him in. She was like a perfect rose, just beginning to bloom. She didn’t even realize it, which made her even more tempting and beautiful.

It wasn’t in his imagination how she responded to him. Hell, she said she enjoyed it. But then she was seated with Knox at dinner, and he was in her presence most of the evening. She didn’t seem all that interested in the man, and every time he glanced at her, her gaze found its way to his.

But he had believed that before, and the lady chose the other gentleman, he reminded himself. The pain of that realization hit him harder than he cared to admit. He tried to shake it off, but the pain of those scars coming to the surface told him to guard his heart from bringing the same torture and misery upon himself yet again.

Once he dressed that next morning, he made his way to the breakfast room. Lily was seated at the table by herself, so he quickly made his selections and took the seat beside her.

“Did you enjoy the music last night?” he asked.

“Very much so. Did you?”

He took a bite of his eggs and swallowed before answering. “I did. I was surprised you didn’t perform.”

She released a stream of laughter, and he grinned at the way it sounded like the most beautiful, melodic bells. “You never want to hear me sing. I never had much talent for music.”

“Well, I am far more impressed with your skills in maths and languages anyway,” he said, winking at her.

He glanced over at her after he took a bite of toast, and her cheeks were a pretty shade of pink. He pushed aside the thoughts of what color her skin would be if he did all the things he dreamt of the previous evening. His cock twitched, already far too aware of her presence.

“Are you going on the trip to the village today?” he asked.

“I am,” she replied, glancing around the room as if she were looking for someone. “Lord Knox is supposed to escort me.”

She shifted her focus back to Alex. “Would you join us?”

The last thing Alex wished to do was to be the third wheel to whatever the situation was between her and Knox. It was all too familiar and reminded him he was quickly losing control of the situation between them.

“I believe I am going to stay back today.” He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “I have some writing to do.”

She grinned at him, and the air threatened to leave his body at how much he wished to pick her up and carry her from the room. The characters in the play he was writing would do just that. If he couldn’t do and say the things he wished to her in real life, he certainly could in his play.

After breakfast, Alex spent hours poring over his writing. He continued to work on the idea for his next play and wanted to get as much as he could down on paper. It hadn’t been as easy as he had hoped to make progress since his thoughts kept shifting to Lily and what she was doing at the village with Knox. The thought only made him want to break his quill and throw it across the room. A childish action, to be sure, but he kept enough control over his ire to keep his quill intact and pressed to the parchment. He did his best to push it aside and use his irritation as motivation and ideas for his writing.

It hadn’t been easy keeping his writing a secret. His father would find such a thing to be a waste of time. He would tell Alex that it was time he could spend managing his estates and partaking in activities that would be deemed more accepted by society. His father might suffer apoplexy if he knew Alex sold his plays, as earning an income from such an effort would be deemed an act beneath the members of their society.

The haute ton enjoyed having money, but they didn’t work or dirty their hands with the actions required to make money besides participating in society and coordinating with their men of business.

So he wrote in secret and did what he wished, with no one being the wiser. His encounter with the enticing Lady Lily had inspired him. Everything about her had driven him to distraction, and he feared he was steadily losing his heart to her. He wasn’t certain he would survive another heartbreak after he picked up the pieces from the last one, especially given that he had never felt as strong a feeling for anyone as he did for Lily.

Lily wasn’t just beautiful. She was the type of woman who would challenge him intellectually. She shared the same interests he did, possibly more so. He had never been compelled to share his biggest secret with anyone, but yet he was already tempted to do so with her.

Alex hadn’t been opposed to marriage, the opposite, in fact, until he had experienced the sting of rejection. Marrying just any chit in order to get an heir off of her didn’t sit right with him. There was a part of him concerned a wife might not appreciate the time he spent writing, but he believed Lily would find his writing intriguing. That she would be proud of him .

A wide grin formed at the thought of her reading over his work and giving him her input. He also thought about what it would be like to have her at his side every day and in his bed every night, which he quickly came to realize that he wanted more than anything.

Tossing his quill on the desk in his chamber, Alex decided he was far too distracted to get any more writing done that day. He rose and stretched his arms wide after he had remained seated for so long. Alex decided he would see if perhaps the guests had returned from the village, and if not, he would take a walk and think about what he wished to do about his growing feelings for Lily.

She may come back betrothed to Knox, and then there would be nothing he could do. Knots formed in his stomach at the thought that she would be lost to him. He wasn’t certain he could allow that to happen, but that would mean he must offer for her. Especially if her father was so intent on seeing her wed to a titled gentleman. What if she didn’t accept him? She seemed as affected by their kiss as he was.

Alex made his way downstairs, finding many guests congregating in the salon and on the terrace. He glanced around for Lily and didn’t see her anywhere. He continued on to the terrace and took the stairs down to the yard, intending to clear his mind with a bit of fresh air.

Once he reached the back of the house, he noted Lily following Lord Camden around to the other side of the house. Camden glanced around as if he were determining if they had been seen, and Alex backed out of sight.

What was she doing sneaking out with the man? Marquess Theodore Camden was a notorious rake of the ton and could only attempt to lure Lily away from the other guests for nefarious reasons. Especially since he had spent most of the house party with Lady Juliet.

After a few moments, Alex moved again, hurrying in the direction they had gone. Bile rose in his throat, thinking about why a known rake would pursue the woman he loved. He loved her? He shook off the thought, unwilling to allow himself to ponder his feelings at present. First, he needed to ensure that the blackguard didn’t put a single finger on Lily.

He peeked around the corner when he reached the side of the house they had disappeared to. Alex wasn’t quite certain he could believe what he saw. Lily leaned against the brick of the house, looking at where Camden sat on the grass with charcoals and parchment. He appeared to be drawing her. Why would the man do so?

Alex couldn’t help but watch them. They didn’t even speak to each other. Camden looked up every so often from his parchment and then back to continue his work. He must have watched them for at least a half hour before Camden said something to her.

He held his breath, hoping he might hear what they said. Unable to make out the words, he only heard low mumbles. Lily started in his direction, but Camden remained behind. Alex jumped behind a bush, hiding himself so she didn’t see him.

Lily passed by and returned the way she came. He listened to see if Camden would follow, but he hadn’t done so yet. The bush rustled as Alex worked his way out once he was certain Lily was out of sight. He went to round the corner and walked straight into Camden.

“Callan,” the man said, taking a few steps back with wide eyes. “What are you doing out here?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

The man gave him an indifferent shrug, and Alex clenched his jaw.

“Just out for a walk.”

Liar. The man would tell Alex what he was about, even if it required physical means to do so.

“Then why did I see Lady Lily out here with you? Surely, with your reputation, you don’t expect me to believe that you had innocent intentions.”

Camden sighed and waved him off. “She agreed to help me with something. We became friends of sorts during our trip to the village. Nothing more, I assure you. ”

“I thought Knox was her escort to the village.”

Camden eyed him curiously. “He wasn’t feeling well, or I believe that is what Lady Lily said.”

Alex rubbed his hand down his face. He could have spent the day with her instead of allowing the rake before him to do so.

“What did you need her help with?”

“Why do you care so much? If you have your sights set on the lady, I assure you I do not have a horse in that particular race.”

“Just answer the question,” Alex ground out. “What were you doing with her, away from the rest of the guests? You appeared to be drawing something.”

It was Camden’s turn to clench his jaw. “I shall show you, but you will keep this to yourself.”

Alex nodded in agreement.

The man pulled the parchment from a satchel he carried and handed it to Alex.

Alex’s breath caught at what he saw. Camden had drawn her and captured her with the precision of a professional artist. She was almost just as beautiful on paper as she was in person. From one artist of sorts to another, Alex was impressed with the man’s talent.

He glanced up at Camden. “Why? Why did you draw this? ”

“She has such a unique beauty, and I wanted to see if I could capture her essence on parchment. The rest is my business, and I ask you to pretend you saw nothing. I don’t have designs on Lady Lily if that is what you are concerned about.”

Alex released a sigh of relief and stared at the drawing again. “Can I keep this?” Alex asked. “I’ll pay you for it.”

Camden gave him a knowing grin, and it annoyed Alex to no end. “It’s all yours. I wish you luck with the lady.”

The man stepped around him and took off around the side of the house before Alex could say anything else. He stared down at the drawing again. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to accept what he already suspected to be true. Alex was in love with Lily, and he couldn’t handle another heartbreak.