Darling Beast

Maude gave her a look. “You’re right clever, hinney, but you’re no Shakespeare.”



“Hmm.” Lily bent back to her play. Wantonish sounded like a perfectly lovely word to her—quite sly and suggestive, rather like the heroine of her play. Just because no one had thought of the word before now didn’t seem like a good enough reason not to use it.



She dipped her quill in the inkpot and wrote another line: “A Wastrel might indeed be wantonish but he’d surely not be wastefulish as well.”



Lily cocked her head, eyeing the drying ink. Hmmm. Two imaginary words in one line. Best not tell Maude.



Someone knocked on the theater door.



Both Lily and Maude paused and stared at the door, because that had never happened before. Granted, they’d lived at the theater for less than a sennight, but still. It wasn’t the sort of place most people happened by.



Lily frowned. “Where’s Indio?”



Maude shrugged. “Went out to play right after luncheon.”



“I told him to stay close,” Lily muttered, feeling a faint twinge of apprehension. She’d walked around to Mr. Harte’s rooms the day after she’d met Indio’s “monster,” but the man had been ridiculously adamant that the hulking brute couldn’t be moved from the garden. None of Lily’s well-reasoned arguments had persuaded the stubborn man and in the end she’d been forced to come away again, quite unsatisfied. Fortunately the mute hadn’t ventured near the ruined theater since. Unfortunately Indio had acquired a strange fascination with him. Several times the boy had disappeared with Daffodil into the garden, despite Lily’s dire threats regarding pudding and little boys who didn’t mind their mothers.



She sighed as she rose to get the door. She was going to have to speak to Indio again about his “monster”—always assuming her son emerged from the garden.



Lily pulled open the door to find a man dressed in a violet suit standing without, his back to her as he surveyed the garden.



He turned and she was dazzled by his alarming prettiness. He had bright-blue eyes, long chocolate lashes, cheekbones sharp enough to cut glass, and a soft, curving mouth that she really wasn’t envious of. And to top it all off—as if to prove Providence really, truly wasn’t fair—he had guinea-gold hair, smooth and curling perfectly.



When Lily had been a very small girl she’d prayed every night for golden hair.



She blinked now. “Erm… yes?”



He smiled. Lethally. “Have I the pleasure to address the illustrious Robin Goodfellow?”



Lily straightened and raised her chin, employing her own smile—which, she had on good authority, could be quite devastating. Lily Stump might occasionally have bad posture, might have hair that wasn’t gold and sometimes wasn’t perfectly arranged, might in the dark of night have fears and self-doubts, but Robin Goodfellow had none of those things. Robin Goodfellow was a very popular actress who was beloved by all of London.



And she knew it.



So Robin Goodfellow smiled with just the right amount of impishness at the very pretty man—and by God made him blink.



“You do indeed,” she said throatily.



A spark of admiration lit within his gorgeous blue eyes. “Ah. Then may I introduce myself? I am Valentine Napier, Duke of Montgomery. I was informed by Mr. Harte that you resided here and I thought to make your acquaintance.”



He swept the lace-trimmed black tricorn from his head and bowed low, holding his stick in the other hand.



Behind her, something clattered.



Lily didn’t turn to see what Maude had dropped. Instead she inclined her head coquettishly and dipped into a curtsy. “I’m most pleased to meet you, Your Grace. Won’t you take a dish of tea with me?”



“I’d be honored, ma’am.”



Lily pivoted and exchanged a significant look with Maude. They hadn’t planned for such a contingency, but Maude was an old hand in the theater and knew well the art of a false facade. “It’s such a lovely day. We’ll take our tea in the garden, Maude.”



“Yes, ma’am,” Maude said, immediately assuming the mask of a perfect servant.



When Lily looked back, the duke was eyeing her speculatively. “Isn’t it a bit cold for tea outside?”



She didn’t so much as narrow her eyes. He knew damned well why she wouldn’t let him in the wretched theater—she wasn’t about to parade her lowered state of affairs before him.



“La, Your Grace, but I like the fresh air. Of course should you prefer a stuffy indoor setting—”



“No, no,” he demurred, a gleam in his eye.



She’d scored that point and well he knew it. But he seemed to take the setback in good humor. He stepped aside as Maude hurried out with two chairs—mismatched, of course, but Lily knew better than to apologize. To show any sort of weakness to a man like the duke was as ill-advised as a mouse’s bolting in front of a waiting cat.



He gestured gallantly to a seat and she settled herself gracefully, watching as he took his own chair. The duke moved with a sort of lazy elegance that, she thought, belied how dangerous he might be.



He glanced around at the devastated garden. “It’s a rather macabre spot, don’t you find?”



“Not at all, Your Grace,” Lily lied. Surely he didn’t think he’d catch her out with such a mundane snare? “The atmosphere of the garden is terribly mysterious. I find it altogether charming—and a wonderful influence for my stagecraft. An actress must always find inspiration for herself and her art.”



“I’m gratified to hear you say so,” the duke replied smoothly, “for as you know, I am now part owner of Harte’s Folly.” She must’ve given herself away somehow—a slight, involuntary movement or a widening of the eyes—for he leaned forward. “Ah, you didn’t know.”



Wretched creature. She made herself relax. “La, I’m not apprised of every little business dealing with the garden, Your Grace.”



“Of course not,” he murmured as Maude came out with a small footstool. She set it between them and disappeared back into the theater. The duke cocked an eyebrow at the plain wooden footstool and addressed it. “But this ‘little business dealing’ does put me in the position of your”—he cleared his throat delicately and looked up at her—“employer.”



Maude returned with a tray of tea at that moment, saving Lily from an ill-conceived reply.



Lily smiled as Maude set down the tray and poured tea for them both. Maude handed her the dish of tea with a question in her eyes. Lily held her gaze and murmured her thanks, signaling that she wasn’t in need of help.



The maidservant gave a quiet huff and left.



“She’s very loyal, isn’t she?” the duke observed.



Lily took a sip of the tea. It was weak—Maude must’ve used the last of the good tea leaves—but hot. “Aren’t all good servants loyal, Your Grace?”



He cocked his head as if seriously considering her comment, before replying decisively. “Not necessarily. A servant can serve quite adequately—even superbly—without any loyalty to his master at all.” He smiled, quick and mercurial. “As long, of course, as the master has fitted the servant with a proper bit between his teeth.”



Lily repressed a shiver. What a very loathsome image. But then aristocrats weren’t like other people. They played with the lives of ordinary folk as easily as Indio poked a stick into an ant’s nest, never considering the destruction they caused.



“I find I don’t much like the thought of bits,” Lily murmured.



“No?” he asked. “Would you allow horses to run free?”



“People aren’t horses.”



“No, but servants are quite close,” he retorted. “Both servants and horses live to serve their master—or at least they should do. Otherwise they’re quite useless and need to be put down.”



She stared at him, watching for the twinkle of the eye, the twitch of the lip, to indicate he jested.



His countenance was pleasant but grave.



Was he jesting?



He took a sip of tea, watching her. “Don’t you think so, Miss Goodfellow?”



“No, Your Grace,” she said sweetly, “I do not.”



At that his wide lips did break into a smile—beautiful and corrupt. “You speak your mind, ma’am. How refreshing. Tell me, have you a protector?”



Oh, dear God, she’d rather bed a snake. Not to mention the insultingly frank way he’d made his proposition.



She smiled again—though it was becoming harder and harder to keep her expression polite. “Your Grace flatters me with his attention, but I have no wish for a protector.”



“Don’t you?” He let his gaze travel skeptically over the falling-down theater she lived in. “But no doubt you know best your own circumstance.” His voice was politely doubtful. “I have another use for your, er, person that you might find more to your liking: an acquaintance of mine is hosting a house party in a few weeks and is planning to stage an especially written play as part of the festivities. He has engaged a theatrical troupe of players, but the lead actress has unfortunately found herself unable to play.” He made a slight moue. “A delicate indisposition, you understand.”



“I do indeed,” Lily said coolly, feeling pity for the actress who had discovered herself with child and thus out of work. She hoped the poor woman had someone to care for her. Without Maude she wasn’t sure what she would have done when Indio arrived. “But I’m surprised, Your Grace.”



He tilted his head, his blue eyes sparkling with interest. “Indeed?”



“I would think the arranging of a simple house party play quite beneath your attention.”



“Ah.” He smiled almost to himself. “I find I do like doing the occasional favor. It makes the receiver so much more in my debt.”



Lily swallowed. Would the duke consider her in his debt now? Probably, but it really didn’t matter: she needed the work. Private theatricals were quite popular, but naturally expensive to produce and thus few and far between. She was lucky to have the offer. “I’d be pleased to act in the play.”



“Wonderful,” the duke said. “I’m told that rehearsals won’t begin for another fortnight or so, as the play isn’t finished yet. I’ll contact you at the appropriate time, shall I?”



“Thank you.”



He smiled slowly. “Your talents are very much praised, Miss Goodfellow. I find myself looking forward to the party—and the play—with unforeseen anticipation.”



Lily was still considering the proper reply to such a complicated comment when a muddy whirlwind burst from the blackened trees, followed closely by a tumbling ball of red-and-black mud. “Mama! Mama! You’ll never guess—”



Indio skidded to a stop as he caught sight of their guest, falling abruptly silent.



Sadly, Daffodil had no such impulse. The little greyhound halted by her friend and began yapping shrilly, the force of her barks making her front legs bounce off the ground.



The duke narrowed his eyes very slightly at the dog and Lily suddenly felt an irrational fear for her pet.



Maude came out of the theater and snatched up Daffodil, who decided to turn affectionate, laving the maidservant’s face with her pink tongue.



“Enough of that now,” Maude scolded. “Come here, Indio.”



She held out her hand for the boy and Indio started forward.



“A moment,” Montgomery drawled. He halted the boy with a touch of his hand to Indio’s shoulder. The duke glanced at Lily. “This is your son?”



Lily nodded, her fingers balling into fists in her lap. She didn’t know why the duke should take an interest in Indio, but she didn’t like it. Not at all.