Page 18 of The Undesirable Duke
Lillian gasped in surprise and turned to her brother.
“I hardly think that is true. She is determined to make my life miserable and marry me off to the man she wants me to marry. I have no say in it whatsoever.”
Timothy shifted his weight from side to side and grinned at her.
“Perhaps you ought to show some interest in another suitor. Perhaps if you do that, she will not be as adamant.”
“That would work, except that I have not met someone who has caught my interest, brother.”
“What of this gentleman who caught you and stopped you from falling on your delicate little face?”
Lillian chuckled and her cheeks colored.
“I wish I knew his name. You would be able to find him with a snap of your fingers.”
“You deem me very resourceful, sister.”
Lillian playfully nudged Timothy and giggled.
“You are.”
“I am,” he admitted with amusement. “Please do not be hard on Mother. She is doing the best that she can.”
Lillian sighed and tilted her head to the side.
“It is at times such as these that I wish I had a sister.”
“We both know that would not help in the least,” Timothy laughed. “But do not fret, sister. I am always here when you need me.”
“Thank you, brother. I would not have been able to last as long as I have with Mother if it were not for you.”
“Shall we go back inside, then? We should not leave Mother to her own devices, should we?”
Lillian grinned.
“Perhaps a few more minutes?”
“Very well.”
Lillian smiled at her brother. Ever since she could remember, he had protected her, and shielded her from the dangers of the world, their mother included. And it was true what she had told him. If it was not for him, she would not have held out that long with her mother and her overbearing nature.
Chapter Seven
“There is the Duke.”
With every step that Samuel took around Mayfair, members of thetonwhispered not so subtly as he passed by. It was becoming very much an annoyance to him, and ignoring them was not an option any longer.
Rather than direct his anger at them, he restrained himself and made a clever decision. He knew that the newspaper the article was published in was printed by a printing shop in Lambeth, as he had visited the shop often as a child. His father had used the printers for his business purposes, but Samuel had not been there in many years. Nevertheless, he still remembered where it was located, and ordered his coachman to steer the carriage in that direction.
From inside the carriage, he watched as the streets of London passed him by. As they traveled to a different part of town, the view from his window changed rather suddenly, as soon as the carriage crossed Lambeth Bridge. He was no longer in the upper-class part of town, and while Lambeth was perfectly respectable for him, as a gentleman, to stroll around in, it was certainly not a place for young women.
A smile appeared on Samuel’s face as he thought of the young woman with the golden hair who he had saved from falling in Mayfair. The young lady had certainly made an impression on him, and he was unable to get her out of his mind. He was not certain how he would find her again, although he found that he wished to, but he had enough to deal with at present, and could not search for a golden-haired young lady as well as for the writer of the article.
Perhaps he should consider staying in London longer.
Once the carriage came to a halt, Samuel stepped down and inhaled sharply of the cold air. According to his knowledge, the printers were only a short distance from where his carriage had stopped, and he could walk the rest of the way.
“I will not be long,” he said to his coachman, who nodded in response.
