A Certain Wolfish Charm(84)

"Charles and Mary will be sharing our box tonight," Simon informed her and directed her toward the staircase.



"Oh, how nice," Lily replied.



Beside them, Mary Alstott leaned toward Lily, her brown eyes wide. "I think it's quite brave of you to come out in society like this after the…"



Charles coughed loudly, interrupting his wife's statement. Mary stopped talking to place her hand on her husband's chest. "Are you all right?"



Lily frowned as she watched them. All the male members of the Westfield family seemed to share the same predisposition toward untimely changes of subject matter.



"Yes, yes, of course," he said. "I am a bit parched, however. Come, Mary. We'll find some wine."



"Perhaps we should take our seats," Simon suggested. He ushered Lily through the crowd and up the stairs to his box.



The number of theatre-goers was slightly overwhelming. Lily had never imagined such a crush. One lady after another looked at her out of the corner of their eyes, and Lily was certain she wasn't dressed nearly nice enough for this. "Perhaps we shouldn't have come," she muttered to herself.



Simon stopped walking and frowned at her. "Why?"



"I beg your pardon?" Lily blinked at him.



"Why shouldn't we have come?"



Lily shook her head. How was it possible he'd heard her? "I… um… Well, I feel a little underdressed."



A roguish smile lit his face as he directed her down the corridor past one box after another. "You're beautiful, Lily. And you're the Duchess of Blackmoor. You could walk in here wearing rags if you wanted."



"Rags?" She couldn't hold in a giggle.



"Personally, I prefer you wearing nothing at all."



"Simon!"



He ignored her rebuke, pressing her lower back toward one of the boxes. "Ah, here we are. Sit right near the front, love, so you have a good view of the stage."



Moments later, the Alstotts joined them and the theatre grew dim, signaling the remaining patrons to find their seats. Lily sat forward against the rail, excitement coursing through her veins as the stage captured her attention.



Simon's hand clasped hers when the play began. With a sidelong glance, she saw his bright smile in the darkness and it warmed her heart.



***





Simon couldn't concentrate on the play even the slightest. He held Lily's hand clasped comfortably in his for fear that, if he let go, he would lose her. It was a foolish thought. She was safely seated beside him, entranced by Kean's performance.



Still, the worry persisted. Both Charles and Mary had very nearly told Lily the word about Town. The society rags were full with the news of his nuptials and rife with unflattering speculation. Not one column mentioned how wonderful Lily was. Instead unsubstantiated gossip filled the pages. One author after another suggested Lily was already expecting Simon's child before their nuptials, hence the swift wedding.



One enterprising columnist had discovered Lily's dowry. They wrote that when no one would take Blackmoor's bribe to take Lily and the child off his hands, he had no choice but to marry her himself.#p#分页标题#e#



To add insult to injury, not only was her virtue maligned, but there were many uncomplimentary comments about her appearance, from her hair color to her height.



Simon's gaze traveled over her body in the darkness. She was perfect. She was tall and lithesome. Every part of her fit every part of him.



At first, he'd wanted to cancel their excursion and return to Westfield Hall, but that would only give credence to the reports. It would be better for them to hold their heads high and ignore the lies all together.



When the curtain fell for intermission, Lily stood up to stretch, exuberance sparkling in her hazel eyes. "This is amazing," she gushed.



Simon caressed her knuckles. He loved seeing her so happy. "Would you like some refreshment, love?"



"No, but thank you. I'll return in just a moment, Simon," she said as she pulled her hand from his grasp.



"Where are you going?" he asked, rising from his seat, ready to trail her like a faithful puppy.



"Women have to have some secrets," Mary broke in. "Come along, Lily. I'll accompany you to the retiring room."



Lily hooked her arm with Mary's, promised to return soon, and stepped out of the box. Simon watched her go, and a feeling of dread seeped over him.



Charles brought his attention back to the present when he called Simon's name. What Simon truly wanted to do was go after his wife. But he couldn't imagine the scandal he would cause if he followed her to the ladies' retiring room. And though worse had been said about him, he didn't want to give the gossipmongers anything else to say about Lily.