Wild Lilly (29 page)

She tugged at his hand and he loosened his grip with wince. Scanning the crowd, she tried to see what had bothered him but it was hard to tell with everyone wearing masks. There were certainly enough beautiful women to catch his eye, but he hadn’t looked like a man appreciating a woman. He looked like he was in pain.

“Mr. Sleeping Bear of the Comanche.”

The announcement caused a low murmur to sweep through the crowd, and people tried to peer over the elaborate masks of the women to see the stairs.

Sleeping Bear descended the stairs with his usual arrogant grace. The white trousers fit him like a glove, and he was easily the biggest man in the room. His black hair gleamed in the light of hundreds of candles and his full lips twitched as the sound of conversation increased.

He stood next to Paul and ignored the curious looks. Lilly had to bite back a giggle as women began to move like sharks through the crowd toward Sleeping Bear. If he wasn’t careful, he might find himself carried off into a dark corner by one of the merry widows.

Speaking of dark corners, she had to get Paul alone in one soon. There was something very erotic about the mask he wore. Those delicious lips were fully exposed, but the rest of his face hidden. He caught her staring and gave her a saucy wink.

“Her Ladyship, the Viscountess Sutherland.”

Applause broke through the crowd as Catherine floated down the stairs. She was lovely, and the murmuring crowd certainly adored her. A few unexpected whistles rose up as she paused halfway down and graced them with a radiant smile. Peeking around Paul, Lilly saw Sleeping Bear totally focused on Catherine.

“Thank you all for coming.” Catherine’s voice carried over the renewed applause, and she raised her hand, waiting for it to die down. “I would like to congratulate my brother Paul on his wonderful engagement to Miss Lilly Brooks of Hartford, Connecticut.”

The crowd applauded again and Lilly pressed herself closer to Paul. He beamed down at her and she couldn’t help but smile back.

“I would like to take this moment to....” Catherine’s voice broke and she cleared her throat. “To thank you for the kindness you showed me after my husband’s passing. He would have been deeply touched by your outpouring of compassion.” The applause now was thunderous and Paul gave her hand a squeeze before escorting Catherine down the stairs and over to a quiet corner.

Sleeping Bear watched it all without expression. The crowd began to mill about as the musicians struck up a merry dancing tune. Lilly stood on her tiptoes and whispered into Sleeping Bear’s ear. “She looks lovely tonight, doesn’t she?”

He glanced down at her and a smile quirked his full lips. “She is more beautiful than a sunset and as untouchable.”

Lilly lightly smacked his arm. “I didn’t think you were the type of man to give up so easily.”

Sleeping Bear shrugged. “The warrior that does not plan his hunt is the one who fails.”

They were interrupted by a woman in a long, bright purple dress with a glittery mask festooned with silk butterflies. “Hello Miss Brooks, Mr. Bear. I’m Lady Catherine’s friend, Olivia DeBerge. Catherine has told me all about you.” She gave Sleeping Bear a wicked smile.

Sleeping Bear glanced at her, and back at Catherine who was now surrounded by men. Olivia followed his eyes and said lightly, “Catherine is now the most sought-after widow in Boston. The men have been praying she would break her mourning soon.”

Lilly tried to steer the conversation to safer topics. “How long have you known Catherine?”

Olivia continued to watch Sleeping Bear with a satisfied smile. “For the last five years. We went to finishing school together in Boston before she met Daniel. She was the life of the party, even then. Though she did get into a good deal of trouble.”

Now Sleeping Bear turned back to Olivia and said, “What kind of trouble?”

Olivia hooked her arm through his and led him toward a row of settees against the far wall. As they moved away, Lilly heard her say, “We were just sixteen and Catherine wanted to go swimming....”

Paul whispered into her ear. “I hope Sleeping Bear can run fast. Olivia DeBerge has an unquenchable taste for men.”

Catherine’s voice came from over her other shoulder in a low growl. “She better keep her hands to herself.”

They both looked at her in surprise and Catherine lifted her chin. “Sleeping Bear is our guest, and unused to our ways. I don’t want him to get hurt.”

Paul snorted and Lilly hid a giggle behind her hand.

“What?” Catherine’s tone was slightly affronted.

“I wouldn’t worry about Sleeping Bear.” Lilly smiled as Paul scowled at her. “The Comanche are...free with their sexuality. He might end up teaching her a thing or two, if she is so lucky.”

Both Catherine and Paul glared at her for different reasons and she changed the subject with a squeak. “Who wants champagne?”

A man in a mask resembling flames bowed before Catherine. “I believe the next dance is mine?”

Catherine darted one more glance at Sleeping Bear’s back. Four more women had joined Olivia, and he was laughing at whatever they had just said. Catherine graciously tipped her head with tight lips and held her hand out for the gentleman.

The familiar strains of Strauss’s waltz
Love Songs
spun out over the vast room, and Lilly clapped her hands. “Oh, I adore this piece. Come dance with me, Paul.”

His glare melted behind his mask and a soft smile curved his lips. “It would be my pleasure. I just hope your toes can survive.”

They made their way through the fantastically dressed crowd and merged into the dancers. The familiar pattern of the waltz took on a completely new meaning in Paul’s arms. Despite his protests, he was a wonderful dancer and spun her about with an expert arm. The joy of the moment filled her and she beamed up at him. This handsome, amazing, and dazzling man was going to be her husband.

“What are you smiling about?” He teased and stroked her back lightly with his hand. The men and women twirled around them like graceful flowers in their flowing dresses.

“I was just thinking how lucky I was to find you.”

He chuckled. “I’m the lucky one. Do you see all the envious looks I’m getting from the men? They all wish you were in their arms.”

She was glad the mask hid her blush. “Do you think you could sneak into my room tonight?”

His lips softened and she felt his breath catch. “If I can’t get in through the door, I’ll climb the side of the building and break in through the window.”

They moved off the dance floor together, eager for a moment alone. A thin woman with almost no lips stepped into their path and tapped Paul’s chest with her red lace fan. Dressed in almost the same shade of red as Lilly, she wore a dazzling mask that sparkled with gems in the light of the chandeliers.

“Why Paul McGregor,” she tittered and Paul stiffened next to her. “I haven’t seen you in years.”

“Hello, Matilda.” The venom in his voice shocked Lilly, and Matilda took a step back before snapping open her fan and giving Lilly an obvious once-over.

Paul tried to step around her, but Matilda threw a narrow hip in his way. “I was just telling my husband the other day how much we missed your rough humor and fascinating stories about the savage frontier.” She turned to Lilly with narrowed lips and a spiteful gleam in her eyes. “You do know Paul lives out in the middle of nowhere, don’t you? The closest thing to any culture is Kansas City, and they only have two theaters. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to give up the pleasures of civilization for all that dirt.”

Paul practically vibrated with anger, and Lilly bristled at the woman’s snide insults. “Actually, I met Paul in Caldwell. You see, I’m the town’s teacher.” She ran a hand over Paul’s muscled shoulder, pleased to see the naked envy in Matilda’s gaze. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world. The beauty of the land is amazing, and the men....” She gave a low and throaty chuckle, tracing her fingertips over the hard swell of Paul’s bicep. “The men are as hard and demanding as the frontier. It’s no place for spoiled women who are as soft and timid as their lap dogs.”

Paul began to cough and Lilly bumped Matilda aside with her hip. “If you will excuse us.”

Matilda gaped after them like a fish as Lilly grinned up at Paul. “I don’t know who that woman was, but if she ever says anything like that to you again, I’ll dump the punch bowl over her head.”

Stopping them in the middle of the crowd, Paul spun her around and captured her lips in a hard and hot kiss. Whispers and quiet laughter rose through the crowd around them, but she ignored them all and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

Pulling back, Paul’s eyes shone with a inner light that made her melt. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

He shook his head, the silver on his mask shimmering. “No, I really love you.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “And I really love you. Now, let’s go find a dark corner and you can show me how much.”

“Oh, you’re from Hartford? Then you must know the Monkins family,” prattled the young woman in a bright yellow dress and floral mask.

Lilly resisted the urge to fan herself and surveyed the room for Paul. Three hours into the party and she was already exhausted. The press of the crowd had steamed up the two-story windows, and her feet hurt from dancing. Everyone wanted to meet Lady Catherine’s brother and fiancée, some out of curiosity and others looking for gossip.

“Yes, I know David Monkins. He’s a friend of my brother-in-law.” Lilly tried to keep her eyes on the fluttery young woman, but she wanted Paul. They had managed to steal a few moments together, and Lilly craved more time in some dark hallway with him. There was something highly erotic about sneaking kisses while wearing a mask.

“David is such a dear!” The woman giggled with a glittering smile.

Lilly nodded in agreement. She finished off her third glass of champagne and felt quite relaxed as the woman continued on. She wished Paul stood next to her. He would find these women hilarious. Everything about her life was better when he was around. She had to hide a smile as the realization that she they would soon be married washed over her again. The thought warmed her from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.

Sleeping Bear stood sequestered in a corner, surrounded by a wall of various colored skirts. The sight of Olivia dancing with Sleeping Bear while Catherine tried to keep from glaring at them was quite amusing. Once, she caught Catherine, with her hands fisted at her sides and her shoulders rigid, deep in conversation with Sleeping Bear by the buffet. Lilly wondered what they argued about.

Most of the men were less than polite to Sleeping Bear, using the excuse of him being a savage Indian to spurn the man stealing the attention of their women. Many openly sneered at him as he moved past with his harem of admirers. It was hard to read his expression through the mask, but Lilly decided he appeared amused.

“Miss Brooks, don’t let Dorthea keep you all to herself,” an older woman with a peacock mask scolded. She nudged Dorthea out of the way with her ample navy-silk-covered hip.

The younger woman gave her a chilly smile and snapped open a pink lace fan. “Oh, Beatrice, I didn’t know you were invited.”

Beatrice snapped open her own fan. “Why, of course I was. Lady Catherine and I go hunting once a month together. She quite enjoys the company of my cousin, Harold.” Her lips tilted in a smug grin. “Oh, that’s right. You don’t belong to the Hunting Club, do you?”

“Hunting Club? Why, they let everyone in that can wave a dollar. I belong to the Yacht Club. You have to fulfill some very strict requirements to even be considered as a member.” The sneer she gave Beatrice left no question if Dorthea thought she would be allowed to join. “Lady Catherine goes sailing with us quite often in the summer. She remarked the other day at what a splendid sailor my brother Saul is. They have a wonderful repartee.”

Beatrice narrowed her eyes and tapped her lips with her fan. “Saul...isn’t he the one with the tragic overbite and a limp?”

“He does not have an overbite. His features are strong and noble,” Dorthea hissed. “How is Harold doing? I do hope he’s gotten past that scandal of having a child out of wedlock with his maid.”

Beatrice gasped and fanned herself hard enough that Lilly’s curls blew in the draft. “It was not his child, everyone knows that. He just did the Christian thing and helped that poor girl out.” Dorthea snorted and Beatrice continued, “How is Saul’s personal butler doing? They spend so much time together. He seems to care deeply about his butler’s...physical comforts.”

Lilly had to bite her lip to hide her smile. These women sparred with words the way men sparred with fists. She was placing bets on who would smack who with their fan first when Paul grabbed her hand and murmured, “Lilly, come with me.”

“If you’ll excuse me, ladies. It was a pleasure meeting you both.” Lilly smiled gratefully at Paul as they left the two women to hiss at each other like cats. She teetered a bit in her boots, tipsy from all the champagne. Finally, she would steal another moment alone with him. She couldn’t wait until they were properly married and she could wake up next to him every morning. The thought made her sigh and her desire for his lips deepened.

He led her past the main staircase and into the library. There were no candles lit in there, and the only illumination came from the moonlight streaming through the tall French doors. The rhinestones on his dark velvet clothing sparkled in the meager light like the stars they were supposed to be.