It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas

Author:Lisa Kleypas [Kleypas, Lisa]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Historical
ISBN: 9780060562496
Publisher: Avon
Published: 2005-09-27T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 13

Enlisting Daisy and Evie to cover for her, Lillian left the ballroom with them on the pretense of repairing their appearances. According to their swiftly devised plan, the two girls would wait on the back terrace as Lillian met with Lord St. Vincent in the garden. When they all returned to the ballroom, they would assure Mercedes that she had been with them the entire time.

"Are you qu-quite certain that it's safe for you to meet with Lord St. Vincent alone?" Evie asked as they walked to the entrance hall.

"Safe as houses," Lillian replied confidently. "Oh, he may try to take a liberty, but that's rather the point, isn't it? Besides, I want to see if my perfume works on him."

"It doesn't work on anyone," Daisy said morosely. "At least not when I'm wearing it."

Lillian glanced at Evie. "What about you, dear? Had any luck?"

Daisy answered for her. "Evie hasn't allowed anyone to get close enough to find out."

"Well, I'm going to give St. Vincent the opportunity to take a good long whiff of it. Heaven knows, this perfume should have some effect on a notorious rake."

"But if someone sees you--"

"No one will see us," Lillian interrupted with a touch of impatience. "If there is any man in England who is more experienced than Lord St. Vincent at sneaking around for a tryst, I'd like to know who."

"You had better be careful," Daisy warned. "Trysts are dangerous things. I've read about lots of them, and no good ever seems to come of them."

"It will be a very short tryst," Lillian assured her. "A quarter hour at most. What could happen in that amount of time?"

"From what Annabelle s-says," Evie said darkly, "a lot."

"Where is Annabelle?" Lillian asked, realizing that she had not seen her so far that evening.

"She wasn't feeling well earlier, poor thing," Daisy said. "She seemed a bit green around the gills. I'm afraid something at lunch may not have agreed with her."

Lillian made a face and shuddered. "No doubt it was something with eels or veal knuckles or chicken feet..."

Daisy grinned at her. "Don't, you'll make yourself ill. At any rate, Mr. Hunt is taking care of her."

They exited the French doors at the back of the entrance hall and walked out onto the empty flagstone terrace. Daisy turned to shake a finger waggishly at Lillian. "If you're gone for longer than a quarter hour, Evie and I will come looking for you."

Lillian responded with a low laugh. "I won't tarry." She winked and smiled into Evie's worried face. "I'll be fine, dear. And just think of all the interesting things I'll be able to tell you when I return!"

"That's what I'm afr-fraid of," Evie replied.

Descending one side of the back staircase, Lillian picked up her skirts and ventured into the terraced gardens, past one of the ancient hedges that formed impenetrable walls around the lower levels. The torchlit garden was redolent with the colors and scents of autumn...gold and copper foliage, thick borders of roses and dahlias, flowering grasses and beds of fresh mulch that made the air pleasantly pungent.

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