Page 78 of The Lady and the Footballer
He had stood outside Lily’s bedroom window for so long, throwing tiny pebbles at it, that eventually one of the maids had noticed and felt sorry enough for him to come outside. She had been suspicious at first, but he had explained himself enough that she had finally relented and told him that the family had attended a function at Lord Montgomery’s that evening.
He was torn between wondering whether Lily really cared so little about their separation that she could attend a social event and having concerns about her walking into a place that could be more dangerous than the neighborhood where he had been raised, where she might find herself trapped by Lord Nathaniel once more without Colin there to rescue her.
Colin’s feelings for Lily won out, and with some information from the maid as to where Lord Montgomery’s residence was located, he was now lurking in the dark gardens beyond the terrace, where he could see through the window into the small ballroom within.
If anyone saw him, they would probably call the constable, believing he was trying to steal something from the place, so he would just have to stay out of sight. The true question was how he was going to find Lily.
As he watched the house, he noted that one of the windows brightened as though someone had lit a lantern. He wondered about it, as an instinct he had always trusted on the football field called him toward it.
Lily was in there.
He stealthily walked through the garden toward the ground-floor window, keeping himself out of the light. He cursed a few times as some low-growing plants and hedgerows nearly took him out, until he finally reached the window. When he stood on his toes high enough to see within, he was unsurprised at what awaited him.
There was Lily, rifling through what was sure to be Lord Montgomery’s desk drawer. Beside her was her partner-in-crime, Miss Whitmore. She should have been watching at the door, but instead, she was across the room in a cabinet, haphazardly pulling out papers that were sure to tell the earl that someone had been snooping.
It was a room that was intended to display the man’s wealth with its dark mahogany paneling, towering bookshelves lined with leather-bound volumes, and a massive, claw-footed desk. Lily and Miss Whitmore were searching by the illumination of a brass reading lamp on top of the desk, while the expensive rug muffled their footsteps.
He grasped the window and was able to open it an inch but no further, as he didn’t have enough leverage due to its height.
“Lily,” he hissed, and her head snapped up, looking around the room.
“Colin?” she said, recognizing his voice as she still hadn’t caught sight of him.
“At the window,” he whispered, and her head swung around, her eyes meeting his in surprise and what was, if he wasn’t mistaken, pleasure at seeing him.
She placed the book she was searching through on the desk and raced to the window, reaching down and opening it the rest of the way.
“What are you doing here?” she asked incredulously.
“You asked to have a conversation.”
“Yes, but here? Now? Colin, that was two days ago!”
“I know, but it took me some time to sort through my finances and determine what was possible.”
“I’m not sure I follow.”
“I—”
Before he could say anything, Miss Whitmore interrupted. “As much as I would love to be present for this conversation, I do believe our time before being discovered is limited. Mr. Thornton, I am happy for your presence to help us here, but I also believe that, given the circumstances, it would be most disadvantageous if you were discovered.”
She was right. This was not the time or place for him to speak to Lily about his intentions, but it would have to be soon, for he wasn’t sure how long he could go without her knowing how he felt and what he wanted.
“I will help you.”
“But, Colin?—”
“Please Lily?” He looked up at her with pleading eyes, and while she bit her lip in uncertainty, she relented.
He grasped the window ledge and hoisted himself up. He almost made it, but the window was so high off the ground that it took Lily and Miss Whitmore together to heave him in the rest of the way. He landed with a thump that he hoped was not audible beyond this room.
“Where have you searched?” he asked, and they quickly filled him in. They had managed to cover a good portion of the room in the short time they had been within.
“I just found this book,” Lily said. “I think it is what we are looking for.” She laid it on the desk and flipped it open. It was a printed diary, with a calendar at the front which appeared to include matches between all of the teams vying for the FA Cup, not just the Athletics.
“Look,” Colin said, pointing to the page. “Not only are the scores noted, but there are initials below, along with currency. It is probably the amounts Montgomery bribed various players.”
Lily continued flipping through the book until she found notes at the back that were a code to which players the initials were referring.
