Page 9 (1/2)

Amelia smiled as she patted Lily’s shoulder "My dear, it just so happens, today you are in luck"

Chapter Five

Blue was the color of the evening

As she surveyed the Morland drawing roo that color, in one shade or another Her own sio silk, a dark shade suitable for lis for her eyes Fro her waist, the duke’s impeccable tailcoat looked black But up close, Lily would have guessed it to be a very deep blue

And then, rounding out the party, there were five officers of the Royal Navy, each attired in for and buttons caught the candlelight, sparkling like stars against a navy blue sky

Unfortunately, the scene was lacking one particular shade of blue--the intense cobalt hue of Julian’s eyes They’d delayed dinner half an hour already, and still he hadn’t appeared Lily oscillated between fear for his health and a desire to cause him personal injury How could he abandon her like this? Didn’t he understand what a challenge this night would be for her? She hadn’t attended a dinner party with strangers present in months And never without Leo All around her, discussion blooerminated entirely new topics of debate She was lost in the thick jungle of conversation Fro her, Lily knew her friend would have liked to beher attention

Lily was on her own

Well, wasn’t this exactly what she kept insisting to Julian she could handle? And handle it she would

Squaring her shoulders and readying a polite sht out a fa by the as Michael d’Orsay, one of Amelia’s five brothers Lily had known him as a cowlicked boy in Gloucestershire, and noas Lieutenant-Coain," she said "What great fortune that your ship has just returned And how good of you to bring your friends" How resourceful of Amelia to invite theroup of clean-shaven, respectable, eligible men desperate for a dinner invitation, than naval officers just returned froood to see you, too" His expression went grave "I was so sorry to hear the news of Leo"

"Thank you I know you can understand the pain of losing a brother" Hugh d’Orsay had been killed at Waterloo

"Yes But Leo’s death … so unexpected Tragic" Sadness etched his face, ht-and-twenty years Of all the d’Orsay brothers, she and Leo had been closest to Michael, since they all three were of an age He and Leo had gone off to Eton together

She didn’t want to ignore Michael’s feelings, but she couldn’t bear to talk about Leo right now As rarely as she went out in society, this happened too often for her coan to feel that her oounds had scabbed over, along would come an acquaintance for whom Leo’s death was a new development And that person would want to talk of him and mourn him--as was only natural, for her brother had been loved by ain Lily would feel ripped apart She couldn’t cope with that tonight, not atop everything else

She looked around the roohts were promptly driven froed to a tall, well-forold braid He was not an especially handsoent, playful eyes

And he was headed straight for her

Nerves danced in the crooks of her elbows To Michael, she whispered, "Did you tell your friends about y "Should I have? I wasn’t certain if …"

Before she could answer, the officer had joined the Lily "I can see you ht I shall have to pull rank and colued to Michael’s mouth Names were especially hard to catch, as they came without context

"Lady Lily Chatwick, may I introduce my superior officer, Commander …"

Oh, drat She missed it Was it Merriman? Or perhaps Barryman? Lily’s eyes flickered over the raved on a buckle or his scabbard But then, wouldn’t it see a man’s person than to sihted to make your acquaintance, Commander" She had that, at least Thank heaven for military ranks

And thank heaven for Amelia, who came to her rescue roup

A her aside "I’er Shall we continue to wait for Mr Bellahed with disappointment "Don’t delay"

The Duke of Morland’s mien was, as usual, censorious "I loathe that lass of whiskey

Lily felt horrible She knew the duke hated parties, and here she’d forced hiuest of honor--or rather, dishonor--had not even bothered to show his face