Secrets of a Wedding Night

by Valerie Bowman

  “I do hope so,” Annie replied with a nervous laugh.

  “You don’t happen to know if Lord Ashbourne will be here tonight, do you?” Frances asked, a sly smile on her face.

  Annie frowned. “Lord Ashbourne? Why, he’s older than … Lily.”

  Lily laughed. “Yes, and I’m positively ancient.”

  Frances sighed. “Who cares how old he is? He’s positively gorgeous. Those silver eyes, that chestnut-brown hair, those wide, square shoulders.” She shivered. “Oh, I know he would never look twice at me, of course, but it doesn’t keep me from wanting to catch a glimpse of him whenever possible.” She winked at the sisters.

  Lily shook her head, and the two younger girls trailed off giggling together.

  Lily scanned the crowded ballroom. She’d seen Medford only briefly when they’d first arrived. She’d barely had a chance to thank him again for his kindness before he was called off to perform a multitude of hostlike duties. She hadn’t seen him since.

  Her gaze fell on Mr. Eggleston. He stood across the room, his eyes fixed upon Annie who was still off laughing in the corner with Frances. Her sister’s laughter made her smile.

  She searched the crowd again before she realized she’d been looking for Devon. He wasn’t there. She sighed. Perhaps after last night, he’d decided not to come after all. He and Medford were hardly friends. It would stand to reason that Devon might skip this particular event.

  She did her best to shake off the odd feeling of melancholy the thought gave her. It was just as well if Devon weren’t here. Hadn’t she just been thinking moments earlier they should go their separate ways? It made no sense to contradict herself now.

  The music began moments later and, with it, the dancing. Lily searched the floor, expecting to see Annie and Arthur Eggleston there together. Frances flew past in the arms of a handsome young buck. But Annie was not there. Instead, a brief perusal of the room revealed Eggleston standing on the sidelines seemingly in a deep conversation with another young man.

  Lily swung around to find her sister. Perhaps another young man had caught Annie’s fancy or persuaded her to dance. Lily located her sister standing only a few yards away and she hurried over to her.

  “I cannot imagine why he does not come,” Annie said, her cheeks growing pale. She bit her lower lip.

  A twinge of anger shot through Lily on her sister’s behalf. How dare Eggleston lead Annie to believe he would ask her to dance and then completely ignore her for the first one?

  She glanced about and realized that most of the ballroom was watching Annie. To be left on the sidelines at the first dance at one’s debut was unimaginable.

  A slow simmer began in Lily’s chest. She clenched her fists and glared at Arthur Eggleston.

  Annie did her best to maintain a brave façade. She wandered over to the refreshment table and drank punch and laughed with a few of the other wallflower girls and their chaperones. She appeared gay and happy, but Lily knew better.

  The strains of the first song came to an end and the dancers returned to the sidelines. Annie returned to Lily’s side.

  Lily noticed Eggleston making his way out of the ballroom. “Of all the nerve.” Lily did her best to keep her voice low, but Annie swung around to look.

  “What is it?” Annie’s eyes were wide and panic-stricken.

  Lily expelled her breath. “Nothing, dear. Nothing. It doesn’t matter.”

  “It’s Mr. Eggleston, isn’t it?” Annie glanced around the ballroom and caught sight of him. The heartbreak on her face crushed Lily.

  “He’s leaving,” Annie whispered, touching her white glove to her lips.

  Lily squeezed her sister’s hand. “Please, darling, think nothing of it. You’re sure to have a dozen new suitors. Don’t give Mr. Eggleston a second thought.”

  Annie blinked back tears. Lily could see them, unshed, in her younger sister’s eyes and the pain ripped at her own heart. She had half a mind to follow that young man outside and take a switch to him.

  The strains of a waltz were beginning and Lily glanced around, stricken. She would make this right. Couples were pairing off all around her and still Annie stood there as if frozen to her spot; no young swain came her way. Unthinkable. Annie was the most beautiful girl in the ballroom. It was utterly ridiculous that not one young man asked her to dance.

  “Don’t worry, darling,” Lily whispered to Annie. “Viscount Medford is here. He’ll dance with you.”

  The unshed tears in Annie’s eyes hurt more than any tantrum could. “No, no, Lily, please don’t ask him to,” she whispered brokenly. “I couldn’t bear it.”

  Annie turned away. She slowly made her way to the wall and took a seat in one of the chairs that lined it. Lily watched her go, torn between the urge to hug and comfort her sister and the urge to chase Arthur Eggleston down and rip his beating heart from his cowardly little chest.

  Medford. She must find Medford. Her eyes scanned the crowded ballroom, but Lord Medford was nowhere to be seen. Blast it. He was busy playing host. He could be any number of places. Outside seeing to the traffic, in the kitchens seeing to the concessions, or dealing with any number of items that come up when one hosts a ball. There was no time to track him down.

  She turned back toward Annie. Comfort. She must offer comfort.

  She’d barely made her way back to her sister’s side when a deep voice sounded from behind them both.

  “Excuse me, Miss Andrews, but would you do me the great honor of allowing me this dance?”

  Lily spun around. Her heart leaped in her chest. Her hand flew to her throat.

  There he was.

  Her knight in shining armor.

  Their knight in shining armor.

  Devon Morgan stood there, looking tall, dark, and even more handsome than usual. He bowed at the waist to Annie and offered his long, lean hand.

  Annie blushed from ear to ear and gave him the most beautiful smile Lily had ever seen. Lily smiled herself, her heart warming as she watched her sister put her hand in Devon’s larger one and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor.

  The smile Annie bestowed on Devon could not have painted him any greater a hero. “I never thought I’d say this,” Lily whispered to herself, “but thank God for Devon Morgan.”

  She watched them dance, admiring the way in which her sister matched him pace for pace. Colton was a famously good dancer, and the fact that Annie was a match for him spoke to her sister’s skill. Lily’s chest swelled with pride.

  Moments later, Medford appeared at Lily’s side. “What’s wrong?”

  “There you are,” Lily replied, not taking her eyes from Devon and Annie.

  “Do you require my assistance?”

  “No. No. Everything is fine. Annie’s dancing with Colton.” She nodded toward the couple.

  Medford’s hazel eyes flickered toward the dance floor. “So I see. I thought that lad Eggleston would be dancing with her.”

  “So did I. And he best pray I do not find him before my sister does. I swear I will never know why Eggleston didn’t ask her to dance. Annie was so sure he would.”

  Medford expelled his breath. “I think I know why. Though I confess I’m hesitant to tell you.”

  Her gaze flew to his. She clutched at his coat sleeve. “Why? You must tell me, why?”

  Medford cleared his throat uncomfortably. He lowered his voice and glanced about. “There’s been a rumor that Annie doesn’t have a dowry. I heard it myself in mixed company. Not exactly the type of thing one needs when one is making one’s debut.”

  Lily set her shoulders and lifted her chin. “So that’s why Eggleston didn’t ask her to dance, is it?”

  There was no telling who would have started such a rumor, but because it was entirely true, Lily couldn’t exactly deny it. She’d always counted on Annie’s dowryless state to save her poor sister from some loveless, awful marriage, but Lily hadn’t expected word to travel so quickly before Annie’s debut and ruin her sister’s most coveted night
.

  “I see Colton hasn’t heard the rumor,” Medford sneered. “That blackguard would go anywhere he smelled the scent of money. Even to your sister. Just proves what a reprehensible rake he is.”

  “He’s dancing with Annie when Annie needed a partner,” Lily replied softly. “I find myself in Lord Colton’s debt right now.”

  Medford eyed her askance. He straightened his cravat and cleared his throat. “Yes. Well. You should know there’s a rumor floating around tonight about Colton too.”

  Lily nodded absently. “Really.”

  “Yes. I’ve yet to hear the details, but I intend to find out. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Medford bowed to her and blended back into the crowd. Lily let him go, barely noticing his departure. Instead, she watched Annie dance with a smile on her face.

  The strains of the waltz soon came to an end, and Devon guided Annie back toward Lily. Annie stared up at him like a lovelorn puppy and giggled as he deposited her next to Lily.

  “Thank you for the dance, Miss Andrews,” he said, bowing to her again. He bent over the hand she extended.

  “No, thank you, Lord Colton,” Annie said, with a curtsy. “I do not know what I would have done without you. You quite came to my rescue.”

  Lily curtsied to Devon too. “Yes, thank you, my lord. My sister and I both are greatly appreciative.”

  “The pleasure was entirely mine, I assure you.” He bowed over Lily’s hand and a current of fire ran up her arm. She longed to take him into one of the salons and kiss him until neither one of them could breathe. She snapped her fan open.

  Annie placed a hand on Devon’s sleeve and looked up at him with her big, brown eyes. “Oh, and I almost forgot. Thank you very much for rescuing Bandit too. I’m sure if she could speak, she’d be most grateful.”

  Devon smiled at that.

  Annie drifted into the crowd where a line of young men quickly gathered around her skirts as the third dance of the evening began. Arthur Eggleston pushed past the other swains and elbowed his way up to Annie.

  “Annie—Miss Andrews—you promised me a dance, do you remember?”

  Annie looked for a minute as if she might deliver the crushing set-down the lad so obviously deserved, but to Lily’s chagrin, Annie turned and offered her hand to him. “Yes, Mr. Eggleston. I remember.” She allowed him to escort her to the floor.

  “I cannot believe it,” Lily said to Devon, resisting the urge to stamp her foot in frustration. “That young man completely abandoned her and now she’s dancing with him.”

  Devon slid his hands into his pockets. “Don’t think too harshly of young Mr. Eggleston. Sometimes these swains don’t recognize the prettiest and best of the lot without someone a bit older and more experienced, say, pointing her out to him.”

  Devon’s eyes devoured Lily, making her feel warm all over.

  She scanned the dance floor for Annie one more time. “Oh, she does look happy, doesn’t she?”

  Devon nodded. “That she does. And I can remember only one other young lady with such beauty and grace.” He smiled at her. “Now, may I interest you in a dance?”

  A warm blush spread across Lily’s cheeks. “Careful,” she whispered. “You’re wasting your considerable talents trying to charm me.”

  He grinned at her. “Dance with me then, and put me out of my misery.”

  Lily agreed. They danced. And, for a time, she was catapulted back to the splendor and excitement of her own debut. When there had been only Devon. Yes, she must have danced with the Earl of Merrill that evening too, though she didn’t remember it. But her dances with Devon, especially the one alone with him in the garden, were etched in her brain never to be erased.

  Feeling suddenly reckless, Lily glanced up at him and said, “Don’t feel too bad about your failure to seduce me, Colton. You’re not the first to have tried and failed.”

  His smile lit up the room. He leaned down and his warm breath whispered in her ear. “Failure? I’d hardly call it a failure given what we did last night.”

  A rush of excitement flashed through Lily’s insides. The man had a point. A delicious point. She closed her eyes and let Devon sweep her around and around. The dancing wiped out everything else in her mind. She’d have this moment to remember forever during the long, cold nights of her future.

  Lily spent the remainder of the evening overseeing the many requests for Annie’s dances and ensuring her sister rested properly and received enough refreshment in between her multiple trips to the dance floor. It was quite a chore, being a chaperone. No doubt her mother had had her hands full at Lily’s debut. But she couldn’t have wished a more perfect night for Annie. It had been a smashing success, thanks to Devon Morgan. Lily couldn’t help but smile at that thought. The man continued to surprise her. Well, she just might surprise him.

  Suddenly, the idea of allowing him to completely seduce her didn’t seem so dangerous after all. Ooh, perhaps she’d seduce him! She shivered at that thought. Well, perhaps that was a bit too much, but she would be sure to thank him. That much was certain. Just how she thanked him remained to be seen.

  Long after midnight when all the dances had been danced and all the refreshments had been removed, Lily led her sister to the foyer where they waited for a footman to bring them their cloaks. She’d thanked Medford’s butler prettily and even winked back at Devon Morgan when he raised his glass in a silent salute to her sister’s success. Lily tried to ignore the gaggle of women who flitted about him, but relished the fact that the two of them had their own secret.

  The butler ushered Lily and Annie outside and they made their way to Medford’s coach. He’d put the conveyance at their disposal for the evening. Just as they were about to enter the vehicle, Lord Medford himself jogged up.

  “Medford, there you are. I wondered where you’d got off to. I looked for you to say good-bye and to thank you again.” Lily allowed her sister to enter the coach ahead of her.

  Medford was nearly out of breath. “I found out the details of the rumor about Colton, Lily.” He pressed a letter into her hand. “I insist you read this at your earliest convenience. I’ll call on you tomorrow.”

  A frown formed between Lily’s brows. She’d forgotten Medford had even mentioned a rumor about Devon and now he was delivering her a letter about the matter? How odd.

  “Very well. Thank you,” she stammered. She pushed the paper into her coat pocket and allowed the coachman to help her into the carriage.

  “What was that about?” Annie asked, reclining against the seat cushions. “Oh, I’m all but exhausted.”

  Lily glanced out the window to see Medford making his way back into the house. “Not sure, really. Now tell me, darling, what was your very favorite part of the evening?”

  CHAPTER 17

  Lily saw Annie tucked in comfortably before she retreated to her own bedchamber.

  “Thank you, Lily,” Annie had whispered, a smile still playing on her lips. “It was a wonderful evening, thanks to you and Lord Medford and of course, Lord Colton. Thank you for everything.”

  Lily smoothed her sister’s hair and leaned down and kissed her forehead. “I’m glad it made you happy, Annie, truly I am. Mama would have been so proud.” She watched her sister drift into a peaceful slumber before she backed out of the room quietly, closing the door behind her.

  It was true she had not necessarily wanted Annie to have a debut, but now that she’d had it and it had been a smashing success, Lily smiled to herself, humming a strain of one of the waltzes she’d heard earlier. She made her way into her bedchamber, then her dressing room. God only knew what the future would hold for the two of them, but tonight, Annie would sleep soundly with dreams of her debut floating through her head. As it should be.

  Lily stretched and stared out the darkened window. Her thoughts turned to Devon Morgan. Her thoughts tended to do that of late. She smiled to herself. He’d certainly surprised her. She bit her knuckle to keep from a full-blown grin. Regardless of what had happened between them
years ago, Devon was a gentleman. And she would never, never be able to repay him for his kindness to Annie tonight. She’d forever be in his debt. Lily sighed. It really was too bad that Colton was completely unsuitable. But oh my, he was handsome, his broad shoulders, his dark hair, his irresistible smile, his deep, dark eyes. And the way he’d looked at her tonight. Why, it nearly singed her eyelashes to think of it.

  Lily pulled off her cloak and hung it on a peg on a wall. She was about to call for Mary to help her with her stays when she spotted the bit of parchment sticking from her cloak pocket. The letter from Viscount Medford.

  She pulled it out and hastily unfolded it.

  My Dear Lady Merrill,

  I regret to inform you I have learned about a bet at Brooks’s. The bet, placed by the Marquis of Colton, involves you, yourself. The bet is entitled How to Seduce the Woman who Wrote SECRETS OF A WEDDING NIGHT. I further regret to inform you the odds are in favor of Colton.

  I am your servant and shall call on you at your first convenience tomorrow to discuss how you would like me to handle this distressing news. My apologies for being the bearer of what is sure to be such unwelcome information.

  Yours,

  L. Medford

  Lily reread the words quickly. They didn’t make sense at first. Question after question popped into her mind like ghastly fireworks. There was a bet? At the club’s? Between herself and Colton? And she didn’t know about it? How was that possible?

  Colton had turned his seduction plot into a moneymaking venture? Lily cupped her hand over her mouth, afraid she would retch. Oh, God. He was still the same awful gambler he’d always been. His seduction plan had always been in place. And that’s all it had been to him. A bet. He had no feelings, didn’t truly care about her at all. She bit the back of her hand.

  Oh, God, it was mortifying. She’d let him do things to her, such intimate things, when it was all about money. All he’d planned to do was lure her into bed, and fool that she was, she’d nearly allowed it! She shuddered. She’d been so close to succumbing to him, had even contemplated seducing him! She doubled over, disbelief and disgust roiling through her.