"…Simon!" his mother's irritated voice interrupted his daydream.
"Yes, Mother?"
"I'm worried about Benjamin," she admitted, her frown darkening. "I haven't heard a word from him for far too long."
That was what had led to this visit from his mother? "I never send you letters. Does that mean you're worried about me all the time?" he asked, trying to charm her.
"Who needs to hear from you? You're in all the society rags, all the time. Besides you can't compare yourself to Benjamin. In fact, the three of you are all very different from each other."#p#分页标题#e#
He raised his brow at that. The three of them were all too similar in the most important of ways.
She continued with a frown. "If I ever received a
letter from you, I'd be worried. But Benjamin writes me several times a week. This isn't like him."
Several times a week? Simon bit back a smile. He had no idea his youngest brother was such a mama's boy. He couldn't wait to tell Will. Ben would never live it down. "For God's sake! He's a grown man, Mother."
A light knock interrupted their conversation. "Come!" Simon called.
The study door pushed open, and Lily tentatively peeked around the corner. Simon's smile grew. His lovely bride-to-be always stood toe to toe with him, never backing down. But she was intimidated by his mother? A strong wind would blow the duchess away. His mother couldn't be all that scary. She was tiny and old, the only member of the Westfield family no one of sound mind should fear.
"Ah, Lily love." He gestured to the seat beside his mother. "Sit, please."
She gracefully slid into the wingback chair he'd indicated, worrying her bottom lip. The movement made Simon long to dismiss his mother, wipe his desk clean, and finally claim his bride-to-be.
His mother coughed delicately. "Simon?"
He shook his head, hoping to clear his lustful thoughts and bring his attention to the matter at hand. "Um, Mother, you remember Miss Rutledge. She's been keeping a watchful eye on Daniel's son for me."
"Indeed?" his mother asked, raking her grey eyes across Lily's form. Hmm, perhaps Lily did have a reason to be frightened, after all. "Do you really intend to marry my son?"
Lily gulped but nodded slightly.
"I do hope you're not always so meek, Miss Rutledge. My son can be quite the bully, and he needs a wife who will bring him to heel."
Simon's mouth fell open. "Mother!" Lily didn't need any help standing up to him.
She spared him only a glance. "Don't interrupt your mother." Then she refocused on Lily. "Stand up to him now, or it will never get any better for you."
Lily's eyes widened. "I don't let him bully me, Your Grace."
His mother's eyes began to twinkle. "Glad to hear it. Now what date have we planned on?"
Simon shrugged. "Whenever Will returns with the special license."
The duchess' mouth fell open. "Special license! You should wait for the banns. Don't you know what people will say?"
They were already saying it, not that he could tell his mother that bit of information. It was better she not know, at least not yet. He'd like to get his paws on Prisca Hawthorne for thrusting them into this situation. "They'll say I'm impatient to marry my bride. That won't come as a surprise to anyone who knows me."
His mother pursed her lips and turned in her seat to focus on Lily. "Do you know what you're getting yourself into with my son?"
Lily shook her head. "No, but we'll make it work," she replied, echoing his earlier sentiment.
The duchess exchanged a meaningful glance with Simon. Lily hadn't really answered the question his mother was asking. She silently berated him for keeping Lily in the dark. However, he'd never let his mother intimidate him, and he wasn't about to let her start.#p#分页标题#e#
Distraction had often worked when he was a lad.
"So, Mother, Will tells me that Benjamin's in Scotland. There's no need to worry about him. You should probably return to Hampton Meadows and wait for his mountain of letters to arrive."
His mother narrowed her grey eyes at him. Distraction hadn't worked at all. "I'll leave Westfield Hall when I'm ready, Simon. Thank you for making me feel so comfortable." She touched Lily's hand. "Do tell me Oliver's here. I'd so like to see him again."
Lily nodded. "Indeed, Your Grace. I'm certain he'd love to see you, too."
Simon held in a snort. Oliver couldn't care less about meeting ancient duchesses. He'd have to make certain his mother didn't become too attached to Lily or let anything slip that shouldn't.