My Fair Lily by Meara Platt

Author:Meara Platt [Platt, Meara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Regency, Romance
ISBN: 9781620154854
Barnesnoble:
Goodreads: 23150518
Publisher: Booktrope
Published: 2014-10-13T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 13

EWAN PAUSED OUTSIDE of Desmond’s townhouse in Kensington the following afternoon. It seemed elegant on the surface, but a closer inspection revealed early signs of wear around the window frames and paint beginning to peel around the lintels. Were his cousins hurting for funds? He had no doubt that their grandfather kept tight control of the purse strings, providing just enough to allow them to maintain the appearance of comfort, but never enough to grant them any freedom from his domination.

The door opened as he approached. An elderly butler ushered him in, his steps achingly slow as he settled Ewan in the salon, and then inched across the room, back into the entry hall, and up the staircase with the speed of a snail to see if his master was home to visitors. Ewan, never a patient man on his best days, wanted to haul the old man over his shoulder and carry him upstairs himself. It was the only way he’d have the answers he desired before nightfall.

Evangeline returned home while he waited, obviously having come from a shopping trip. He was never happier to see his younger cousin. Though only a year or two older than Meggie, the strain in her eyes made her appear substantially older. She was still a beautiful girl— or would be, if she ever learned to smile. “Let me help you with those packages,” he said, startling her.

She glowered at him, her cheeks pink from a mix of the cool outdoors and anger on finding him standing in her home. “What are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to sort things out between us, and to correct any idle gossip you may have heard about last night.”

“To correct it? Or to gloat?” She drew away when he reached for her packages. One appeared to hold dishes and the other was shaped like a teapot. No personal items, just the functional sort that would be set out in a cupboard display.

He sighed and took them from her anyway. “Where do they go?”

“In the dining room.” Her lips began to quiver and she was obviously about to cry.

He sighed again. “Summon your brother down here. I think your butler died along the way. Not sure he made it up the stairs.” He drew aside one of the dining room chairs and settled into it. “I’ll wait here, Evie.”

That use of her name drew him back fifteen years. It surprised her as well. “What do you want with us? You’ve won, Ewan. Why can’t you leave us alone?”

“I haven’t won anything. Nor do I wish for anything from our grandfather. By the way, I’m sorry I broke Desmond’s nose.”

Evangline nodded. “He shouldn’t have struck your friend. Lily. Is that her name? He didn’t mean to, but she stepped between him and Meggie... it just happened. And he told me he’d seen you at Tattersalls. I know he stood by while those villains punched the stuffing out of you. He didn’t know they wielded knives. He would have helped you had he realized you were in serious danger.

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