smile.
“What does it say?” Annie asked in a singsong voice.
Lily’s only answer was a raised brow.
“Ah, they are lovely, me lady. They must ’ave cost ’im a small fortune.” Mary’s nose was stuck in a vase full of roses. “If only we could sell ’em.” She sighed.
Lily whirled around to face her, her gray skirts swishing around her ankles. “Sell them?”
Mary shook her head. “’Twas only a jest, me lady.”
Lily snapped her fingers. “No, no. It’s brilliant actually. Perfect!” She swung around again. “Annie, gather up the flowers. Mary, get the sweets from the cupboard. Evans, wave down a hack.”
Evans straightened his shoulders and nodded. He marched off to do his lady’s bidding while Mary shuffled off toward the pantry, shaking her head and mumbling under her breath.
Annie plunked her hands on her hips. “Lily, what exactly do you plan to do?” Her voice held a warning note.
“I plan to fetch my bonnet. Mary and I are going to Vauxhall and we’re selling the lot of it.”
Annie clapped a hand over her mouth and then slowly let it drop. “You cannot be serious! You cannot sell the flowers. They were gifts!”
“No? Watch me.” Lily rushed toward the front door and snatched her bonnet from the brass hat stand in the corner. She pulled the hat over her head, pushed wayward tendrils of hair inside, and hastily tied the ribbons in a bow under her chin. Then she grabbed up two of the nearest vases. “Annie, help me with these, please.”
Shaking her head, Annie reluctantly scooped up a vase.
It took the better part of a quarter hour for the four of them to pack everything into the rented hack that Evans had managed to secure. Mary and Lily sat in the middle of the garden of flowers, and Annie called through the window. “Be sure to pay Lord Colton a visit to thank him while you’re out.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “I will do no such thing.”
The coach pulled away from the town house and clattered down the street. Lily sat snuggled in the flowers, a wide smile on her face. She expelled her breath, long and slow, enjoying the feeling of intense relief that poured through her veins. Her shoulders relaxed for the first time in months. With the money from the flowers, she would be able to feed her family for another sennight or more.
She adjusted her position within the flowers. Everyone in the ton knew the rumors about Colton’s finances. Like his father, Devon Morgan enjoyed gambling. Too much. It had cost him his fortune and his prospects. The flowers, no doubt, were purchased on credit he could ill afford.
Colton might be a spendthrift, but Lily was not. If flowers were all she had to sell, then flowers she would sell. Fortune tended to help those who helped themselves.
Now you know. Indeed. The flowers were Colton’s next volley. Well played. But the man obviously didn’t know with whom he was dealing. She would show him.
Colton was sure to be at the Foxdowns’ soiree tonight. She would attend too. She couldn’t help but feel oddly grateful to him for being her savior in this particular instance. Worse, she couldn’t tamp down the inexplicable urge to see him. She was appreciative, true. But if she thanked him, no doubt the blackguard would take it as a sign of weakness. He’d assume he was wearing her down. She hated to be rude, but there was no help for it.
She laid her head against the seat and closed her eyes. Hmm. Or, perhaps gratitude was just what this situation called for. Perhaps allowing him to think he was wearing her down was exactly what was needed. She smiled to herself.
She popped open her eyes. “Mary, as soon as we return home we must prepare my hair and clothing for the party tonight. I plan to wear my lavender ball gown.” Lily readjusted a vase on her lap.
Mary glanced across the mounds of flowers and nodded.
“Very well, Lord Colton,” Lily whispered into the petals. “I shall see your bet and raise you.”
CHAPTER 7
“I heard
“What does it say?” Annie asked in a singsong voice.
Lily’s only answer was a raised brow.
“Ah, they are lovely, me lady. They must ’ave cost ’im a small fortune.” Mary’s nose was stuck in a vase full of roses. “If only we could sell ’em.” She sighed.
Lily whirled around to face her, her gray skirts swishing around her ankles. “Sell them?”
Mary shook her head. “’Twas only a jest, me lady.”
Lily snapped her fingers. “No, no. It’s brilliant actually. Perfect!” She swung around again. “Annie, gather up the flowers. Mary, get the sweets from the cupboard. Evans, wave down a hack.”
Evans straightened his shoulders and nodded. He marched off to do his lady’s bidding while Mary shuffled off toward the pantry, shaking her head and mumbling under her breath.
Annie plunked her hands on her hips. “Lily, what exactly do you plan to do?” Her voice held a warning note.
“I plan to fetch my bonnet. Mary and I are going to Vauxhall and we’re selling the lot of it.”
Annie clapped a hand over her mouth and then slowly let it drop. “You cannot be serious! You cannot sell the flowers. They were gifts!”
“No? Watch me.” Lily rushed toward the front door and snatched her bonnet from the brass hat stand in the corner. She pulled the hat over her head, pushed wayward tendrils of hair inside, and hastily tied the ribbons in a bow under her chin. Then she grabbed up two of the nearest vases. “Annie, help me with these, please.”
Shaking her head, Annie reluctantly scooped up a vase.
It took the better part of a quarter hour for the four of them to pack everything into the rented hack that Evans had managed to secure. Mary and Lily sat in the middle of the garden of flowers, and Annie called through the window. “Be sure to pay Lord Colton a visit to thank him while you’re out.”
Lily rolled her eyes. “I will do no such thing.”
The coach pulled away from the town house and clattered down the street. Lily sat snuggled in the flowers, a wide smile on her face. She expelled her breath, long and slow, enjoying the feeling of intense relief that poured through her veins. Her shoulders relaxed for the first time in months. With the money from the flowers, she would be able to feed her family for another sennight or more.
She adjusted her position within the flowers. Everyone in the ton knew the rumors about Colton’s finances. Like his father, Devon Morgan enjoyed gambling. Too much. It had cost him his fortune and his prospects. The flowers, no doubt, were purchased on credit he could ill afford.
Colton might be a spendthrift, but Lily was not. If flowers were all she had to sell, then flowers she would sell. Fortune tended to help those who helped themselves.
Now you know. Indeed. The flowers were Colton’s next volley. Well played. But the man obviously didn’t know with whom he was dealing. She would show him.
Colton was sure to be at the Foxdowns’ soiree tonight. She would attend too. She couldn’t help but feel oddly grateful to him for being her savior in this particular instance. Worse, she couldn’t tamp down the inexplicable urge to see him. She was appreciative, true. But if she thanked him, no doubt the blackguard would take it as a sign of weakness. He’d assume he was wearing her down. She hated to be rude, but there was no help for it.
She laid her head against the seat and closed her eyes. Hmm. Or, perhaps gratitude was just what this situation called for. Perhaps allowing him to think he was wearing her down was exactly what was needed. She smiled to herself.
She popped open her eyes. “Mary, as soon as we return home we must prepare my hair and clothing for the party tonight. I plan to wear my lavender ball gown.” Lily readjusted a vase on her lap.
Mary glanced across the mounds of flowers and nodded.
“Very well, Lord Colton,” Lily whispered into the petals. “I shall see your bet and raise you.”
CHAPTER 7
“I heard
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