Page 57 of Broken

“You forget I live an active life. A man must eat to feed his passions.”

Carrington burst out laughing, and Giles was happy his comment had distracted the younger man from his troubles.

“Active is one way to describe your life. But with all the rest you supposedly get when in Northamptonshire, I would have thought you’d not continue to eat quite so well.” Carrington grinned. “In fact, I must compliment you. You appear in remarkably better spirits for a man whose self-imposed celibacy has become a well-known annual event. I’d say you were happy.”

Giles laid his hand on the doorknob. Was the bubbling feeling of contentment he’d woken with so transparent to others? It couldn’t be. “Carrington, let’s go down to breakfast.”

He left the room and, after a moment, heard Carrington’s rushed footsteps following. For a change, the younger man held his tongue until they were left alone in the breakfast room. But Carrington’s gaze pinned him in place. “Have you a woman here?”

Giles breathed deep. Here was his moment to inform Carrington of Lilly’s unchaperoned presence, yet he hesitated. After last night’s passionate encounter, he didn’t know how to describe what existed between him and Lilly. Lovers sounded far too coarse.

“You have, haven’t you?” Carrington offered. “I’ll head back to London. You should have mentioned you planned to have company you would prefer your last lover not hear about. Lady Montgomery sent her regards, by the way.”

“You mean she tried to seduce you?” Sabine Montgomery had shown her leg to more than one of his close friends and, to her mortification, she’d been rebuffed every time.

“I did not take up her generous offer. You’ve known all along how things stand with me.”

Giles sighed and set aside his napkin. “That I do. How is Aggie bearing up?”

Carrington paced again. “I don’t know. She won’t speak to me.”

“Can you blame her? What woman in her right mind could be happy the man she loves has been forced to offer for another?”

Carrington threw his lanky body into a chair and dropped his head into his hands. “I know. I wasn’t paying enough attention.”

Giles watched him, pitying the circumstances that had changed Carrington’s charmed existence. His was a situation most men feared. “My betrothed is here.”

The minute the words left his lips, Giles knew he’d just created more problems. As a rule, he didn’t like to lie, but his first thought was to spare Lilly’s reputation.

Carrington’s head snapped up but, for a change, the talkative man remained silent.

The lie thickened his tongue until Giles had to clear his throat. “That is to say, my former betrothed, Lillian Winters, a near invalid, is residing upstairs. Without chaperone.”

Truth was better.

Carrington looked at the floor, and then his shoulders shook. Concerned, Giles moved to his side and laid a hand upon him. The minute he touched Carrington, his shakes became laughter. Giles scowled, far from amused by his friend’s reaction.

The other man stood and moved about the room, wiping at the corner of his eyes as his laughter continued in an unstoppable rush. Resigned, Giles waited for him to calm, but he did not think the situation warranted such an outpouring of emotion.

Eventually, Carrington met his gaze. The other man blinked, realizing perhaps that Giles didn’t think the situation was in any way funny. Lilly deserved better respect than this, and he was glad she still lay abed. Carrington returned to his chair and sat down.

“No wonder you look so happy. You’ve taken the girl to bed.” Carrington nodded, assuming Giles’ silence was confirmation. “Given my recent difficulties, I think you should tell me everything that has happened since you left London. It might be possible to save you yet.”

“Save me?”

“But of course. The first thing you should do is return to London. Given Lady Montgomery’s nature, I’m sure you could prevail upon her to provide you with a plausible alibi that would negate any claim by the chit. Of course, I’ll be only too happy to do the same.”

“I don’t need to be saved,” Giles growled. He’d not lie outright about Lilly’s presence in his home. He’d known there’d be consequences of her being left here, and he’d tried to point them out to her thick-headed father. But after last night, marriage to Lilly held an unexpected appeal. She was a passionate woman and very undemanding. They could deal well together, but there was no need to rush into any decision. He would cross that bridge when he faced it. For the time being, Carrington would hold his tongue and, when Baron Winter returned, Giles would see if his attraction to Lilly waned. “I wouldn’t be happy to leave Lilly.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

The discussion with Lord Carrington had taken hours and, in the end, Giles had not been able to convince his friend that Lilly wouldn’t trick him into marriage. She simply wasn’t so calculating.

They had parted company when it seemed likely they could come to blows over Carrington’s disparaging remarks, and his friend had taken off on a country walk to cool his head. Just in case he got lost, Giles had asked for one of the grooms to follow discreetly. Carrington might navigate society with barely a thought, but he’d become lost within five minutes in the country if he were truly alone.

The door creaked and Giles prepared to deal with his friend in a more rational frame of mind. However, it was not Carrington at all but his housekeeper.

“Beg pardon for disturbing you, but I wish to speak with you about Miss Winter. She returned an untouched luncheon tray and has let a whole pot of tea grow cold without tasting a drop. She won’t say why.”