A Certain Wolfish Charm(46)

Simon fought the beast to maintain control when he pulled the boy away from Lily. It was difficult but not impossible. He picked the lad up by the scruff of the neck, grasping his shirt tightly, and set him away from Lily.



She already had red marks appearing on her upper arms, and she reached to rub them, a scowl on her face. "What is wrong with you, Oliver?" she demanded.



Simon wanted an answer to that, too. So, he stood between them, waiting for Oliver to speak.



"You don't know what he is," Oliver snarled.



Lily rolled her eyes, a movement Simon found to be quite endearing simply because it was so improper. "I know all about him, Oliver." Simon's heart expanded as she slipped her tiny hand into his. "I have read every scandal sheet, every rumor posted in The Times." She met Simon's eyes. "And there were a lot of them." His heart hurt with that last statement. "But people change."



"Oh, he does change, Aunt Lily. You don't know the half of it," Oliver said, reaching for her again.



"Out, Lily!" Simon ordered before the boy could hurt her. She looked as though she was going to hesitate. "Now," he barked.



Billings appeared in the doorway, as if he'd been summoned. "This way, Miss," Simon thought he heard him say. Though he honestly couldn't hear anything over the roaring in his own ears.





Twenty





Lily refused to take one more step away from the morning room where Simon was behind closed doors with Oliver. She heard a crash and reached for the doorknob, only to have Billings brush her hand away. The old man was surprisingly fast. Sometimes he seemed to appear from nowhere. She assumed that was a trait of a good butler. Unless it kept her from her goals. Then it was a nuisance.



"Miss Rutledge, His Grace will not be happy…" Billings' voice trailed off as he saw the look on her face.



"I am not terribly concerned with anyone's happiness at the moment," Lily snapped. "I am simply concerned about my nephew's safety." Another bump sounded from the room.



Billings cleared his throat, and Lily leveled her iciest glare at him. "You are excused, Billings."



After the butler grudgingly departed from the corridor, Lily frowned at the door. If she went back in, her presence might make matters worse. She'd have to talk to Simon alone once he finished with her nephew. She paced a circle in front of the door until the noise slowed and then stopped. She could just imagine the disarray caused by the altercation. She remembered how easily Simon had flipped the furniture in his study when he was simply playing with her. And wondered what in the world was happening in the breakfast room.#p#分页标题#e#



She heard words every now and then like change and unnatural. Then she heard part of a sentence in which Oliver said something about something not being fair to her.



What were they talking about? Lily placed her ear next to the door, straining to hear better.



"Tsk, tsk," Will's voice came from behind her. She nearly jumped out of her slippers at being caught eavesdropping. "Listening at doors, Lily?" he asked.



She stepped away from the door, her cheeks on fire. "I'm worried about Oliver. For some reason, he thinks Simon is unnatural."



Will draped his arm over Lily's shoulders, steering her toward the blue parlor. "Our brother, Benjamin, has the same complaint."



She blinked up at him.



Grinning, Will chucked her chin. "I'm teasing you. Of course, Oliver thinks Simon's unnatural. He's his guardian. I always thought my father was unnatural, too. It's the way of men, Lily dear. Think nothing of it."



Reaching the parlor, Will directed her inside. "Oliver wasn't always this…" She searched for the right word. "…insolent, Will. It's very disconcerting."



They sat together on the settee, and Will squeezed



her hands. "Every boy goes through an adjustment when he starts becoming a man, Lily."



She scrunched up her face. Oliver's changes seemed so… different.



"So, tell me," Will began charmingly. "Are congratulations in order?"



Her betrothal. Lily bit her bottom lip. "You knew. That's why you left."



He winked at her. "Seemed the thing to do. Are you happy?"



Was she happy? Yes and no. "He doesn't want this, Will. I feel terrible this has been forced on him."



"Perhaps it's all for the best. He's been known to be a bit stubborn in the past. He might not ever have made the decision on his own."



"I wish he had," she said softly.



Someone cleared his throat in the doorway, and Lily's eyes flashed to find Billings, looking stoic as usual, standing sentry. "Miss Hawthorne has arrived to see you, Miss Rutledge."