Page 20 of Inconvenient Honor
Before she could object, he pulled her into the stone building that served as the earl’s stables. When she could make out only one worker in the gloom at the far end, she seized what little privacy they had.
“Let me clarify this before we go any further,” she hissed. “I will not marry you.”
Richard opened his mouth to speak; she held up a hand to quiet him.
“The guests are gone. Your staff is discreet. The earl and countess will accept any story we tell them. Sahin Pasha took our horses. We immediately set out for the Park. We got lost. Period.”
Glenaire listened, intent.
“Nothing. Else. Happened,” she ground out.
“You could be a duchess one day,” he retorted through clenched teeth.
“What makes you think I want that?” she demanded. “Not all of us live to be fawned over.”
He gave her what she had come to think of as his “Lord of heaven and earth” expression, chin high, eyes sharp.
“You could be increasing,” he said in clipped tones.
Heat crept up Lily’s neck.Pregnant? Pray God, no.
“It won’t matter,” she lied. “In that event, I will manage the thing. You needn’t concern yourself.”
“I beg to disagree. In that unfortunate event, we will ‘manage the thing’ together. Do you understand me?”
The full force of his authoritative stance hit Lily in a wave, but she stood her ground.
“Perhaps. For now, however?—”
“Richard, what on earth? You look like you’ve been dragged through the pig sty backward!”
“Sheep,” Glenaire growled, his eyes on Lily.
Her heart skipped a beat.
“Just as bad,” Will chuckled. The “worker” had materialized as a very amused Earl of Chadbourn. “You’ve done interesting things with that shirt,” he said.
Lily tried not to think about where the shirt had been.
“No one would believe this if I told them,” the earl persisted. “Glenaire, the Marble Marquess, has straw in his hair and mud on his face.”
“You will tell no one,” Glenaire said in quelling tones.
Will bit his lip, suppressing laughter, but sobered quickly. “We were worried when you didn’t come back,” he said while he surveyed Lily with open curiosity. “Stewart sent men to search. Is there a story here? I hope it’s a good one.”
Glenaire repeated the story Lily suggested with few words.
“You’ve been walking all night?”
“Until we found the Justice farm, yes,” Richard said. His haughty expression brooked no contradiction. “We will, of course, want to hide the fact that we were gone all night if possible.”
Will looked at Lily kindly and nodded.
“We need to get Miss Thornton into the house, seen by as few eyes as possible,” Richard went on. “And into the care of your countess.” He no longer called her Lily.
“Give me a moment. I’ll find work for my people and clear out a path,” the earl said. He left them alone.
Richard started to speak, and again Lily stopped him. “You will bring my father home,” she demanded.
