Page 95 of In Want of a Wife
Lily patted her cheeks, worry knotting up in her chest. “What is wrong with my face?”
“I will only be a letter away. And Charlotte owns the school. It’s not as if you will never see us again.”
“Excuse me, m’lady.”
A man covered in plaster stood in the doorway clutching his cap.
“Yes?”
“Someone to see you, m’lady.”
She glanced at her calendar. Lily had appointments upon appointments,but this afternoon, she had purposely allowed a few hours free to catch her breath. It was all a whirlwind.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know who it is, but I am unavailable.”
“Hello.”
Lily froze, too afraid to move at the warm sound of his voice. No, this she could handle. The hardest was behind them. Surely, she could.
Look, come on now.
Her heartbeat hammered in her ears as she swallowed and finally glanced up, soaking in the vision that was Rafe Davies standing in her doorway dressed in nothing else but a Savile Row bespoke suit.
“Oh, it’s time for me to return to the duchess.” Kate smiled at Lily, then passed off the kitten to Rafe. His eyes widened, panic filling his features. “Have a great afternoon.”
“Wait, Kate!”
The only sound was that of her friend’s quickly retreating footsteps down the stairs.
Lily bit her lip, fighting back a giggle as Rafe examined the small black kitten, unsure how to hold her. With a tiny meow, she climbed up his chest to sit on his shoulder.
“Don’t move. I will help.” Lily walked around the desk and slowly approached. He didn’t speak, didn’t say a word as she reached out and plucked Celeste off his shoulders. She glanced up to meet his heated stare.
“So, you aren’t on a ship right now?” She scolded herself. She had meant that as a private thought, not something she shared with him.
“No.”
She swallowed, her eyes darting down to his mouth. How she missed it against hers. How she missed him and the way his arms wrapped around her, and how he would place his chin on the top of her head, tucking her in close. She felt at home then.
But that might as well have been ages ago.
She was a schoolmistress now. And he was…
“And you’re still in London?”
“I am.”
She nodded, backing away until she was met with the top of thedesk at her hip. Thoughts swirled inside her mind, yet she couldn’t find one to give a voice to. They all seemed unimportant or too important all together, and she didn’t know where they stood, only that she should be furious with him.
Lily was certain she was still furious with him. But she missed him more.
“I saw this advertisement in the newspaper,” he said, clearing his throat. He produced last week’s copy ofThe Timesfrom behind his back. “A new seminary for young girls seeking teachers.”
“And you wish to be a teacher?” She set Celeste down. “Sorry, we are currently not accepting men who take advantage of the brokenhearted.”
“What about retired naval lieutenants seeking to make apologies to the headmistress? Any vacancies?”
She gripped the edge of the desk behind her. “It depends on the apology, I suppose.”
