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His thoughts betrayed him. He did feel something for Tricia. How could he not? She was beautiful, no doubt, but she wasn’t the only beautiful woman at the ball last night. Certainly not the only beautiful woman at the lawn party this afternoon.
It was her fire. Her willingness to embrace the forbidden.
Was he in love? How should he know? Either way, taking her to wife would hardly be a hardship.
“But…” Lily prompted.
“But nothing.” Thomas stood. “Why did you come here, Lily? My personal life is certainly none of your concern.”
“But it is, Thomas. How do you think I know about this? You left her in your room today, in your bedchamber, with only your valet to help her. How did you think she was going to get dressed?”
Thomas was taken aback. “I…”
“You didn’t give it a speck of thought, did you?” Lily rolled her eyes. “You ruined a young lady and then you left her alone in your bedchamber.”
“I told Longbottom to look after her.”
“And that was proper?”
“Since when do you concern yourself with what is proper, Lily?”
“When it involves an innocent young maiden,” Lily said. “Who did you think she was going to call? Her maid, who reports to her mother? Rose? For the love of God, I only thank goodness she had the presence of mind to ask for me.”
Thomas swallowed, and a feeling of immense guilt overwhelmed him. Sure, he felt guilty after doing the deed, but there’s only so much guilt you can feel when your cock is satisfied.
He did hate seeing Tricia between Polk and Jonathan at dinner.
“You’re going to have to do the right thing, Thomas.”
“I already told her I would do the right thing,” he said. “She said she would not marry me unless I loved her.”
“Then tell her you love her,” Lily said.
“I won’t lie to the young lass.”
Lily opened her mouth, but then she closed it. “I would never counsel you to lie.”
“She already told me she would turn me down if I was not in love with her. So don’t accuse me of not being willing to do the right thing.”
“I didn’t come here to make accusations, Thomas.” Lily looked her brother in the eye. “I came here to tell you that she fancies herself in love with you. You do need a wife, and I advise you to give her more than a passing look.”
“I think I’ve given her significantly more than a passing look,” he said dryly.
She huffed in response. “That’s not what I mean and you know it. You thought enough of her to bed her. And while as a younger man you weren’t all that discriminating, it seems for the past several years you have been.”
“I was in mourning for the last year,” he said.
“I’m talking about before that, after Rose and I got married. You weren’t gallivanting about like a stag in rut the way you used to.”
Thomas shook his head. “Why do I have to have a sister who speaks of such things?”
“Propriety means nothing to me, as you well know.” Lily looked at her fingernails. “I believe she could make you happy, Thomas, if you let her. She’s a beautiful young thing, and if you did marry her, your children and Rose’s children would be double cousins.”
“Who in the hell cares?”
“I admit that’s not a huge selling point. The bigger selling point is that she’s beautiful, she’s lovely, she comes from a good bloodline, and she wants you. She already let you take her virginity. And if you didn’t use a French letter, you may well have?—”
Thomas pounded his fists on the desk, raked his fingers through his long and unruly hair. “Don’t you think that thought hasn’t occurred to me?”
