What he’d said finally sank in. Slowly, she opened the door all the way to glare at him. “You lie. You went to France with your father on a business trip.”
“I did. But only because he made me go to get me away from Lily Faircloth.”
The peculiarity of his claim intrigued her more than it should. And he and his fatherhadbeen at odds most of the time in Verdun. She did remember that.
He pushed his way into the room and closed the door behind him. “I hadn’t seen her again until tonight. I had hoped never to see her again, but she sneaked into the ball. She wasnotinvited.”
Feeling suddenly very exposed in her nightgown and wrapper, she crossed her arms over her breasts. “She wanted to see you.”
“To talk to me, she said.”
“About what?” Giselle asked, curious in spite of herself.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “She didn’t say. I told her she should return tomorrow evening, and I would discuss whatever the hell nonsense she wanted to discuss. But only if she left immediately tonight. So, she did. Or at least I didn’t see her again.”
She dragged in a heavy breath, unsure whether to believe him. “So, she is not your mistress.”
“No.” He gazed into her eyes. “I told the truth when I said I had no mistress.”
There had to be more to it than that, and she meant to hear all of it. She cocked her head. “Why did your father want to get you away from her?”
With a sigh, he walked over to the bed. Then he apparently noticed the trunk on the floor. “Are youpacking?” he asked with a scowl.
“Yes. I figured that with the ball done, and everyone knowing I am your fiancée, Maman and I could move to Bath for the remainder of our visit.”
“You can’t do that! What about Jones? I haven’t worried since you’ve been going in my carriage with two of my most stalwart footmen, but if you’re going to stay there …”
Bon Dieu,she had forgotten about Jones. She suppressed a shudder. “He is not interested in Maman and me. Clearly, he merely wants us to lead him to Beasley. Since we will not do that—”
“You would risk your mother on the off chance that his following you really has nothing to do with the two of you?”
Annoyed by the logic of his words, she sighed. “No, of course not.”
He seized her hand. “Don’t leave, Giselle. I’ll keep my distance, I swear. Just don’t go stay in Bath. I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you there.”
The words softened her for half a moment until she realized that she always let his tempting words change her mind.
She scowled at him. “You are avoiding the subject of your Lily.”
“She isnotmy Lily,” he snapped, eyes blazing. “Not anymore. Not since we were both sixteen.”
“Why not?” She slipped her hand from his. “Was she really your ‘one true love’?”
A muscle worked in his jaw as he dropped onto her bed. “Yes. Or I once thought she was, anyway.” He avoided her gaze. “But that was twelve years ago.”
“Before you went to France.”
He nodded.
Pulling her wrapper more tightly about her, she sat down beside him. “If you want me to stay, you must tell me everything.”
“Oh, God,” he groaned.
“I mean it, Heath.”
He hesitated, then nodded. “Lily is the daughter of one of our tenant farmers. Back then I fancied her quite a lot. Over twelve years ago, we spent my summer holiday from Eton—unbeknownst to my parents and hers—in each other’s company on the estate.”
Giselle swallowed her jealousy with some difficulty. “She is very pretty.”