His father’s strangeness aside, there was something not quite … right about the current state of affairs at Castonbury Park, and now that he was here Giles fully intended, before too much more time had elapsed, to find out exactly what it was.
Perhaps he would know more when he’d had a chance to thoroughly review the estate account books which Everett, the estate manager, was having delivered to him later today.
Lily frowned at Giles’s reply. ‘I believe my own father had hoped that your return might bring about some improvement to His Grace.’
Giles’s mouth twisted humourlessly. ‘No doubt you did not share Mr Seagrove’s optimism?’
‘I, my lord?’ She raised surprised brows. ‘I cannot say that I had given the subject of your return any thought whatsoever.’
Giles found himself chuckling huskily. ‘I am finding your lack of a good opinion of me to be a great leveller, Miss Seagrove!’ he explained as she regarded him questioningly.
Lily, finding herself once again distracted by the difference a smile made to Giles Montague’s countenance, now felt the warmth of colour enter her cheeks at his drawled rebuke. ‘I am sure I meant you no insult, my lord.’
He continued to smile ruefully. ‘Perhaps that is what I find most telling of all!’
Lily gave a pained frown. ‘I merely meant, as your return to Castonbury was in no way assured, that I tried not to—that I did not consider at any length what effect, if any,’ she said, her cheeks now ablaze, ‘it might have upon His Grace’s health or the people here.’ Only, she recalled guiltily, in regard to how selfish it was of her to wish that Giles Montague might never return at all!
This, she now accepted, had been a childish hope on her part; Lord Giles Montague was now, to all intents and purposes, the future Duke of Rothermere, so it was only to be expected that he would come back to Castonbury Park, if only for the purpose of ensuring that his future inheritance continued to flourish.
‘I believe you have instructed a great deal of work to be done about the estate …?’ Indeed, village gossip had been rife with nothing else but the ‘doings of Lord Giles’ these past two days.
He raised dark brows. ‘Work, I might remind you, which you yourself pointed out to me only days ago, was in need of my immediate attention.’
‘I was not criticising, my lord—’
‘No?’ He looked down at her.
‘Certainly not.’ Lily had absolutely no doubt that Giles Montague would make a very capable Duke of Rothermere when that time came, his years as an officer in the army having given him an air of authority totally in keeping with the lofty position. Yes, the arrogantly disdainful Giles Montague was more than suited to becoming the future Duke of Rothermere. Lily simply could not see herself remaining in Castonbury once that dreadful day came.
Quite where she would go, or what she would do, or how she would explain her departure to Mr Seagrove if he was still with them—and she prayed that he would be—Lily had no idea. She only knew that she would find remaining in Castonbury, under the charitable auspices of the hateful Giles Montague, absolutely intolerable!
‘I am gratified to hear it,’ the infuriating man drawled. He paused beside the gate into the vicarage garden.
Lily frowned her irritation as she was also forced to pause. ‘I do not believe I care to continue this conversation, my lord.’
His mouth quirked with derision. ‘And I do not believe it is really necessary for you to do so, when I already know, after our conversation a year ago, with what horror you must have viewed the thought of my returning for even a short visit.’
‘Then why did you bother to ask?’ Lily eyed him impatiently.
He shrugged those broad shoulders. ‘I thought to amuse myself, perhaps.’
‘Indeed, my lord? And did you not find enough “amusements” in London these past nine months?’
His eyes narrowed. ‘And what would you know of my movements these past months?’
Lily felt the warmth of colour in her cheeks. ‘No matter what you might consider to the contrary, my lord, Castonbury is not completely cut off from civilisation!’ And besides, it was his sister Phaedra who had confided, in a whisper, that her brother was reputed to be enjoying the favours of many beautiful women, as well as frequenting the gambling and drinking dens!
The present Duke of Rothermere was rumoured to have once been a man who enjoyed all of the … amusements London had to offer, as well as some of the more local ones, so perhaps his second son was taking after him in enjoying those often less than respect able pursuits?
He gave an exasperated shake of his head. ‘Unless you have forgotten, I spent my early years growing up here.’
Lily tilted her chin proudly. ‘I have not forgotten anything about you, my lord.’
His mouth thinned. ‘Including, no doubt, my words to you a year ago!’
‘Most especially I will never forget those, my lord,’ she assured him before turning to push open the gate for herself as Giles Montague made no effort to do so.
‘Never is a very long time, Lily.’
‘You—Oh, bother!’ Lily had turned sharply back to face him, catching her parcel on the gatepost as she did so, and succeeding in knocking it from her arms and to the ground. She huffed at her own clumsiness even as she bent down to retrieve the parcel.
Giles, having intended on doing the same, instead found himself wincing as their two heads met painfully together, Lily’s brow coming into sharp contact with the hardness of his chin. Unfortunately it was in the exact same spot as his friend Milburn’s fist had landed six days previously!
‘Oh, my word!’ The dropped parcel forgotten, Lily now raised a gloved hand to her obviously painful brow, those moss-green eyes having filled with tears.
Giles pushed aside his own discomfort to quickly discard his cane and reach out to grasp the tops of her arms as he looked down at her anxiously. ‘Let me see!’ He pushed her hand aside, a frown darkening his own brow as he saw the bump that was already forming under her delicate skin. ‘Do not poke and prod at it!’ he instructed sternly as he clasped her gloved fingers firmly in his own even as they crept to the painful spot.
Giles tensed as he became aware of the warmth of Lily’s fingers through the thin lace of her glove, the rapid rise and fall of her breasts against the bodice of her grey gown, her pulse beating rapidly at the base of her slender neck, and when Giles raised his gaze it was to see Lily catch the full redness of her bottom lip between tiny white teeth.
Because of the painful bump to her forehead? Or something else …?
Green eyes now looked up at him in questioning confusion from between long and silky black lashes. ‘My lord …?’ she breathed huskily.
The very air about them seemed to have stilled, even the birds in the trees seemed to have ceased their singing to look down, watchful, expectant, upon the two people standing in a frozen tableau beneath them.
Giles drew a ragged breath into his starved lungs, aware as he did so of his own rapidly beating heart pounding in his ears. Because he could feel the warmth of Lily’s hand against his own? Look down upon the rapid rise and fall of her creamy breasts above the curved neckline of her gown? Smell the lightness of her floral perfume on her smooth, ivory skin?
Giles’s nostrils flared at this sudden, unwelcome awareness as he released her before stepping back abruptly. ‘We should go in now, your brow