Kiss or Dare by Charlie Lane

Author:Charlie Lane
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wolf Publishing

CHAPTER 15

The walls of Lillian’s room shook with the force of a small explosion.

She lurched upright, her heart pounding. She’d been jarred awake this suddenly before, and it startled her every time.

But it was the first time she’d waken so suddenly to find her father before her bed, gray hair in a messy nest about his head, scowling at her instead of bellowing down below in the workshop.

“Papa,” she said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “What happened? Why are you up here instead of down there? What exploded this time? I didn’t do it. Devon didn’t either. Unless he did? Is he here?” She was rambling. She knew it. Her sleep-fogged brain could not stop it from happening.

“No, he is not. There was no explosion. I may have opened and closed your door too hard.”

Ah, then the bang and rattle had been her door shaking in its frame.

Her father speared her with steely eyes. “You disappeared last night. Your mother said she saw you slipping off with Lord Devon, which is why we did not sound the alarms. Did you tell anyone? No. Did you take care of your reputation? Not at all.”

“Papa—”

“You will ruin yourself with this duke’s son, won’t you? Can’t keep your damned hands off one another, I suppose—”

“Papa, I—”

“Now here you are, safe and sound in your cozy bed, acting for all the world as if you’ve done nothing wrong, and—”

She wiped a tear from her cheek. Bother. When had she started crying?

“Bloody hell!” her father boomed. He sat on the bed so suddenly she bounced a bit into the air. He caught her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “Crying?” His strong inventor’s arms wound round her, like a vice holding two essential parts of a machine together. “I’ll pluck every hair from that damned pup’s head, do you hear me? I’ll smash his fingers with my—”

“I’m n-not crying because of Lord Devon, Papa. I promise.”

“What then?”

“I’m not precisely sure. All my emotions are muddled. I’ve upset you and possibly ruined everything. I’m so sorry for it all and angry with myself. But also… I had such a marvelous time last night after I left the ball with him.”

“I don’t want to know,” he grumbled.

“We went to a coffeehouse, Papa, that’s all.” That was not all, but she was not going to tell him about after the coffeehouse. “I met some new, lovely people, and I understand Lord Devon better now. That’s important, is it not? To understand the man you have to marry?”

Her father huffed and let go of her. “I suppose you don’t have to marry him. I was angry. You can understand why, yes?”

“Yes.”

“If you can find another fellow willing to wed you, I don’t see why you must marry Lord Devon.”

Lillian felt like her father had punched her in the gut. He was freeing her, freeing them, but it was too late.

“What about that Littleton fellow you were interested in?” her father asked.

“I already told him I was no longer available.

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