The Lady and the Earl (9 page)

“I
suppose
I should go unpack before dinner
.
 
Perhaps
even clean up a bit,” Connor said, breaking the silence.

“Oh, there
isn’t
time.  Father and Lilly are already waiting for me in the dining room. 
That is
where I was heading when you entered the house so dramatically.  You have to come with me.  I cannot wait to see Father’s face when he sees you!” Allana said, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the dining room.

*
           *          *

Lord
Marcus Tananguard hugged his son, freely letting silent tears fall from his eyes.  It was an emotional reunion for everyone.  Even Lilly shed a few tears as Connor hugged her appreciatively for all
she’d
done for his family.  After the reunion, the four sat down to enjoy a long dinner together.  The two hours around the table, though, went by in a rush as the four caught up on the years they had missed.

Lilly listened and watched her husband, Allana, and Connor talk.  It was such a joyous reunion, should she share her wonderful news with them as well? 
She’d
been debating the idea through all of dinner.  Finally, she could contain it no longer.  She cleared her throat nervously. 

“Since this is such a happy evening,” Lilly began.  “I have some news for everyone.”  They all looked at her curiously.  “I am with child,” she finished beaming with pride. 
Her husband’s
face paled.

“Lilly!”
Allana screeched. 
“Oh Lilly,
how
wonderful
for you
.”
  She rushed to Lilly’s side
and hugged her tenderly. 

“Congratulations,” Connor said smiling.  He too
came
to her side and gave her a hug.

“Lilly, are you certain?”
Marcus
asked quietly.  He hadn’t moved from his chair.

“Yes, Marcus, about three months certain.
  Even the doctor has assured me.  I…I saw him yesterday because I was afraid it might be something else.  I was just waiting for the right moment to tell you.”  Tears entered
her husband’s
eyes as he looked at h
er
.  

Lilly
walked toward him.  “All will be well, Marcus.  The doctor said I
will
be fine if I
am careful
.”  She placed her hand on his shoulder
,
hoping to reassure him.  She sensed fear in him from the prospects of losing her at childbirth like he had his first wife
when bringing Allana into the world
.

Marcus
looked at
Lilly
long and hard
as if
knowing she needed his support more than anything right then.  He wiped away his fears, grinned boyishly at her before picking her up off the
floor
and into his arms
. 
“A baby.
  My lovely Lilly is going to finally have a baby,” he said laughing heartily.  She giggled
, relief flooding her body,
as he swung her around in a circle.

*
           *          *

Allana watched
her father and Lilly
with relief. 
Her father had been so pale when the news was shared.  L
illy was ecstatic, and she had every right to be.  They had been trying for years.  Lilly just wasn’t as young as she used to be, and Allana knew that was what scared her father.  

“Excuse us, you two, but I am taking my wife upstairs,”
Lord
Tananguard said
, cradling Lill
y in his arms. 
Lord
Tananguar
d was a large man.  He was tall with salt and pepper colored hair,
and
he was quite fit at the age of fifty
. 
H
e was
sixteen
years her senior
, but what was age when one was in love?
 
And t
hey were still very much in love.  They met in London six months before Connor had left for school.  Lilly was a rich American heiress who had never married because of the responsibility of taking care of her sick father.  After his death, she left the
plantation she
’d
inherited to the charge of her father’s best friend and had gone to Europe to escape her mundane life.  The place she picked to visit first, and the place that would cause her to never return home, was London.   There she met Marcus Tananguard and f
ell
in love.  Now, after eight years of marriage, she was finally pregnant.

Allana watched as her father carried her lovely stepmother out of the dining room, disappearing
around the corner.  “I hope I’
m still in love with my husband when I’ve been married as long as they have,” Allana said longingly.  She cared for Lucas, but couldn’t shake the feeling something was missing between the two of them.  They were both strongly attracted to each other, and they were…they were…well, sometimes that seemed to be all there was. 

A sick feeling entered Allana’s stomach at the thought.  There had to be something else betwee
n Lucas and herself, but what? 
He was fun,
certainly
, but he was also conceited, vulgar, and inappropriate, kissing and groping her as if they were already wed. 
He’d
given her
that desired
first kiss
after two weeks of courtship, and it seemed every time he kissed her he taught her something new. 
Initially,
it had been exciting and fun, but it had been
a
month since th
e
first
kiss
and the excitement had worn off.  Now it was more of a chore than fun
, trying to fend him off the way she did.  Yet, she continued to allow him to court her, thinking his forwardness was acceptable since they were going to be wed someday.    

“You will, Pet.  Marry a man who adores you like Father does Lilly, and you will,” Connor said breaking through Allana’s thoughts.

“I hope y
ou’
re right, Connor,” she said as a desperate feeling swept over her.  She didn’t love Lucas.  She was trying to make herself fall in love with him, but so far it hadn’t worked.  Would that love ever come?  A tall, dark-haired man with blue eyes entered her thoughts, and her heart quickened.  She couldn’t keep thinking of him.  He had to be the reason she couldn’t
give her heart to Lucas.  If only she could let go of him.  But, since her encounter with the Earl of
Westbrook
four years ago, her soul wouldn’t let her.  She was
captivated.
  He was the one she really wanted, and yet she knew she
w
ould never have him.

“What i
s goi
ng through your mind, Allana?”
Connor asked, once again breaking through her thoughts.  

“Oh, nothing,” she answered, blushing slightly from her thoughts of
Lord
Declan
Cunningham.  “Shall we move to the drawing room?  There is still so much to catch up on,” she said
,
changing the subject.

“Of course.
  Lead the way,” Connor replied, following her out of the room.

Allana and Connor moved to the small sitting room opposite the dining room.  They sat in two cozy chairs that faced a warm fireplace.  A small pianoforte sat in one corner of the room, and in the other
corner
,
there was a round table with two hard backed chairs.  Next to that sat a small cabinet where
Lord
Tananguard kept some glasses and sherry.  Connor filled
a glass
with the drink and
left
the remainder of the bottle next to him. 

The two talked late into the night, filling each other in on the years they had missed.  Several times Allana wanted to ask Connor about
Lord
Cunningham, who
was
mentioned earlier in conjunction with Connor’s political and business affairs
.  E
ver since Connor mentioned his name, he was all Allana could think about.  Every part of her wanted to know more about her secret love, but she refused to bring him up.  Instead she talked of Lilly and the things
she’d
learned from her stepmother.

“She is so wonderful, Connor.  Look at what she has done with me.”  Allana stood from her chair and turned for Connor.  “Am I
not a lady?  Can you believe I
turned out so well
?” she
asked, laughing lightly.

“I have to admit,
I was quite shocked to see how lovely you
’ve become, Pet.  I keep thinking,
w
ho is this beautiful
woman
, and what has she done with my little sister?
  I knew you would
be pretty, but you are
absolutely
stunning
.  I
’
m afraid I won’t be able to return to London or travel to America until you are safely married,” he said teasingly.  He emptied his glass at those words and thoughts. 
Apparently, there was more truth to his words than implied. 

Allana shook her head. 
“Flatterer
.
 
But what is this talk of America?”

“Well,” Connor began as he filled his glass
with more sherry
, “over the past few years I ha
ve made some very good investments, and Lilly has that property in America.  I thought perhaps she might sell to me, or at least let me manage it for her.  I have always dreamed of going to the new world, and now I have the money to pay for the trip myself as well as buy some property
of my own
if I wanted.  Of course, I think it would be more profitable for Lilly and Father if they simply let me go run hers
—
”

“But Connor, you just got back.  How can you
think of such things already?”
Allana cut in.

“It
’s what I want, Allana.  It’s something I ha
ve been planning for some time.  And it
’
s something I can finally do because I no longer need Father’s financial support to go.” 

They looked at each other for a few moments. 
Allana was doing her best to form a good argument in her mind.  Before she could speak, he moved on. 

“It’s getting late, Pet.  You should go to bed.”  He watched her as he took small sips from his glass.    

She looked at him, still contemplating arguing with him about going to America so soon, but gave in.  She really was tired, and she didn’t feel like starting a debate she
doubted she could
win.

“Yes, I think I will.”  She rose from her chair.  “Good night, Connor.  It is good to have you back.”  She kissed his cheek and headed for the door.  As she got there, she hesitated.  “Connor, at least wait for a
while
before you mention anything
to father about leaving.  G
ive him some time to enjoy having you home before you bombard him with this plan.”

“I will think about it.  Now go to bed.  You look exhausted.” 

She hesitated again.

“What is it this time?”

“Well…I was just wondering…oh, never mind,” she finished,
cheeks flushing a healthy shade of red
.

“No, tell me,” Connor said,
face furrowing in curiosity.

“It really doesn’t ma
tter.  I wi
ll just go to bed now—
”

“You canno
t start something and not finish
it
.  Tell me what you were wondering,” Connor demanded.

“Well…you see…I was wondering,” she hesitated
then sighed in resignation
.  “What is
Lord
Cunningham like
?”
She couldn’t resist it any longer; she had to ask about him.   

“Why
?” he
asked curiously.

“Oh, no reason.
  I…I was
curious about him
.
”
  In reality, she wanted to know as much about him as possible.  Was he anything like the man
she’d
created in her mind?
 
That man
was literally perfect.  In all honesty, no man could compare, which was probably why she continued to think about him instead of
the man she should be
thinking about
.  Shame filled her being.  She was in love with a man who did not exist.