Then Came You (The Gamblers #1)(81)

The changes she saw in the mirror made Lily uneasy. “Did you bring any of my bandeaus?” she asked, running her hands through her dancing curls. “My hair is falling into my eyes.” Efficiently Annie brought them to her, and Lily chose a ribbon of gold adorned with topaz. She tied it around her forehead and scowled as she saw that the exotic band contrasted oddly with the girlish style of the dress. “Damn!” Ripping the ornament from her head, she pushed her hair back impatiently. “Please, bring some scissors and cut some of this mop off.”

“But miss,” Annie protested. “It looks so pretty and soft around your face.”

“Then let it be.” She buried her head in her hands and groaned. “I don’t care. I can’t go through with this, Annie.”

“Go through with what?” the maid asked in confusion.

“This sham of a…oh, you don’t need to know. Just help me get away from here and tell Lord Raiford…” She paused in indecision.

A new voice entered the conversation. “Tell Lord Raiford what?” Alex wandered into the room, having returned from a brief excursion through the city. From the satisfied expression on his face, Lily knew he’d been successful in finding a minister who would marry them at such short notice. Heaven only knew what he’d told the man.

Annie regarded Alex with rapt admiration, never having seen a man allowed to intrude on Miss Lawson’s privacy without asking permission. She retreated to the corner of the room and fussed with a light silk shawl, watching with discreet delight as Alex went to stand behind Lily.

He slid his hands over Lily’s shoulders and bent low to her ear. “Little coward,” he whispered. “You’re not going to run away from me.”

“I wasn’t planning to,” she lied with an air of dignity.

“You look beautiful in that gown. I can’t wait to take it off you.”

“Is that all you ever think about?” Lily asked in a low tone, mindful of Annie’s pricked ears.

He smiled and kissed the side of her neck. “Are you almost finished?”

“No,” she said with an emphatic shake of her head.

“We have to leave soon.”

Lily slipped away from him, standing up from the chair and striding about the room. She paced back and forth, passing by him repeatedly. “My lord,” she said in agitation, “I’ve been thinking about the folly of decisions made in haste, and in the last few minutes I’ve come to the conclusion that I was reckless in agreeing to—”

One long arm reached out and caught her to him, like a cat interrupting the frantic scurrying of a mouse. His mouth came swiftly upon hers, and she inhaled sharply, her mind reeling with surprise. Behind her back, Alex waved his hand in a gesture for Annie to leave the room. With a grin and a bobbing curtsey, the maid departed with discreet haste. Alex kissed Lily long and hard, until he felt her lean heavily against him, her knees wobbling. He lifted his head and stared into her drowsy dark eyes. “Marrying me is the least reckless thing you’ve ever done.”

She plucked fitfully at the lapels of his coat and smoothed them. “I…I just wish I had some sort of guarantee.”

“Will this do?” He kissed her with raw passion, parting her lips and setting her nerves ablaze with a slow search for her tongue. Lily’s hands crept around his neck, and her breath became labored, her body turning light and hot. When he dragged his mouth from hers, she kept her arms around him to preserve her balance.

“Alex,” she said unsteadily.

“Hmm?” His lips played at the sensitive corner of her mouth.

“I won’t be the usual sort of wife. I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”

“I know.”

She slanted a suspicious upward glance through her lashes. “But how can I be certain you won’t want me to change?”

He smiled sardonically. “Into what?”

“You’ll want me to become respectable and leave off riding astride, and begin collecting recipes for cow-heel jelly and shoe-blacking, and sitting in the parlor with an embroidery frame on my lap—”

“Hush,” he said with a laugh, cradling her face in his hands. He brushed his lips over hers. “No wonder you’ve avoided marriage for so long. Burn every embroidery frame in the house, if you want. Let Mrs. Hodges bother with the cow-heel jelly—whatever the hell that’s for—no, don’t tell me, please.” His fingertips slid up and down her slender neck, toying with the fine curls at her nape. “I don’t want to change you, sweetheart. Just rein you in a little.”

As he had intended, the comment nettled her. “You’re quite welcome to try,” she said pertly, and he laughed.

Giving her time only to find her gloves, he guided her downstairs to the phaeton outside. After helping her up, Alex nodded to the groom to release the horses, and they headed south in the direction of the river. Lily found herself almost enjoying the ride. Perched on the high seat of the phaeton, she watched with amusement as Alex worked to control the beautifully matched horses. The animals were fresh and filled with explosive energy, requiring all his attention. Lily made certain to give Alex enough room on the seat to allow sufficient arm movement. Finally the horses evened their pace enough to allow conversation.

“Why haven’t you had their tails docked?” Lily asked, gesturing to the horses’ long black tails. Surgically removing the animals’ tails, including several of the vertebrae, was a popular custom, for the sake of both fashion and practicality. “They could become tangled in the reins.”