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Chapter 254
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The League of Rogues Chapter 255
Lily held her breath as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was in her guest bedchamber at the Essex house and was unable to deny she felt like a princess from one of the fairy tales she read to Katherine. The dark-rose gown she had put on was, in a word, stunning. It didn't try to hide her height, nor did it overly embellish her more gentle curves. Rather, it brought out the beauty of her willowy figure.The dress was designed with gold bands of embroidered patterns along the sleeves and the hem. The neckline was deep and square cut, and Lily blushed as she reached up to touch her collarbone.How long had it been since she'd played the lady? Too long. There were nights she'd escaped Charles's employment as Tom and had been able to venture to Vauxhall, even Gunter's for flavored ices, or to Bond Street for shopping. And then there had been those times Hugo had had need of her skills in a more feminine guise. But tonight she was to be out in society and would have a genuin
The League of Rogues Chapter 256
Hugo sat in his private box, his wife, Melanie, beside him. But as the opera began his gaze was not on the stage. Rather, it was on the balcony across from them. Charles, his mother, and his sister were all in the Lonsdale box, but when Hugo recognized the fourth among them he smiled. His little spy was in place, playing her part as the lovely widow. Word was already spreading among the ton that Charles soon would propose. No one had ever seen him so besotted before. Perfect.He rose from his seat."Hugo? Where you going?" Melanie demanded in a harsh whisper."Apologies. I have business to attend to. I shall return shortly." He slipped out of his seat and into the corridor, waving down a serving boy."Yes, sir?" the boy asked."Do you have pen and paper?" Sometimes the boys came prepared with such items to help the opera patrons pass notes to one another."Yes, sir." The boy provided him with pen, paper, and a small polished board to write upon. Hugo scrawled a note to Lily, fold
The League of Rogues Chapter 257
Charles couldn't look at Lily after he helped her out of the coach, so he turned his focus on their destination. They faced a lovely townhouse with dead ivy crawling up the walls. He rapped the knocker, and a tall, muscular middle-aged butler met them at the door."Lord Lonsdale to see Lord Darlington.""Is there a message to take to Lord Darlington?" the butler asked."Tell him, Cam."They were allowed inside and waited in the entryway while the butler went upstairs. Charles kept himself at attention, still trying not to look at Lily. A few minutes later, the butler returned."I'm to show you to the library. His lordship will be down as soon as he is dressed. He also told me to deliver these." He held a handful of letters, addressed to all of the League members."Yes, that's correct.""I'll have my quickest lads deliver them at once."Charles and Lily were shown into the library. Charles found himself torn between wanting to speak to her and wanting to be as far away as possib
The League of Rogues Chapter 258
Lily fidgeted during the entire coach ride back to Godric's townhouse. She had learned to steel her nerves in the most dangerous of situations, and yet those same nerves fluttered wildly whenever Charles glanced her way.Did he truly mean to marry her? After what she had done? It was madness. He wouldn'twould he?When the coach stopped, he helped her down, his hands gripping her waist the same way he had when they'd gone to the opera. Like everything was normal. How she wished that were true. She fought off a shiver, longing to burrow into his warmth.Godric was waiting for them in the drawing room, as was Emily. When she saw Emily's face, she knew Godric had found some safe way of explaining the deception to her. Lily expected any number of furious reactions. Instead, Emily came up to her and embraced her tightly and whispered in her ear."You are far braver than I even knew. Godric and I shall protect you and Kat with our lives."Lily began to protest, but Emily placed a finger
The League of Rogues Chapter 259
Charles slipped out of bed in the early morning. After donning his clothes, he crept to the nursery. Katherine was awake and being tended to by Emily's nurse.The nurse curtseyed. "Good morning, my lord."Kat ran toward him, and he caught her up in his arms. "Unca Charles!""I'll be your papa soon. Would you like that?"She studied him, then laid one tiny hand on his jaw and nodded. "Papa Charles?""That's right." He pressed a kiss to her forehead and held her close, his heart fit to burst as she curled her arms around his neck, hugging him back."I have to go downstairs now, but you stay here and play with your nurse, all right?"The nurse's eyes lit up as she smiled. "What a lucky child you are, Katherine, to have such a wonderful papa soon." She led Katherine back to her pile of toys by the fire as Charles took his leave.He paused in the doorway, watching his daughter-to-be. It didn't matter that she was Hugo's by birth; she would belong to Charles in every way that mattere
The League of Rogues Chapter 260
Lily's hands trembled slightly as she entered a bookshop just off Bond Street. The dark-rose gown and yellow-gold cloak she wore made her feel out of place amid the shanty shelves and dusty tomes. Motes of dust danced and swirled in the beams of light cutting through the windows and illuminating the gilded spines of the books stacked thickly behind her.An old man sat behind the counter, sleeping, the soft repetitive sound of his snores a comfort in the thick silence of the musty little shop. In the last year she'd grown accustomed to meeting Hugo in clandestine, often dangerous places. To meet now in such a quaint little shop, just a street away from the where most of the ton were shopping for Christmas, was strange. But this was where his message had instructed her to meet.She leaned against the nearest shelf and looked out onto the street. Lily closed her eyes but a moment, replaying how Charles had looked just before she left Emily's house to come here. He had pulled her into an
The League of Rogues Chapter 261
It was an absolutely perfect day to be married. The skies were clear, and the ground was covered with freshly fallen snow. It was a day that Charles never thought he would see. He stood at the front of the church, wearing his best blue waistcoat and finest trousers. Beside him, Graham stood quiet and alert. The bruises on his face had turned a sickly yellow as they started to heal. The rest of his friends had initially taken their places beside him. This was a momentous occasion for them all, and it didn't feel right for them not to stand with Charles. But before the ceremony had started, due to the general crowding and already anxious clergyman, they'd taken their places in the front pews with their wives. Beside them were his mother and sister.Charles scanned the crowd seated in St. George's, astonished at the number of guests who could arrive on such short notice. His mother caught his eye and smiled encouragingly. He answered her with a wink, and then his gaze drifted to the fron
The League of Rogues Chapter 262
Lily was caught in a dream, like a glistening dewdrop suspended on the length of a shimmering strand of spiderweb at dawn. She felt the magic of this day infusing her with strength and hope. All around her the wedding guests talked and laughed, the sounds of their gaiety filling her heart with an intense warmth.And yet part of her felt like a fraud. She was not truly free to be herself. She was not Lily Wycliff, after all, but Lily Linley. She was not free to act as though she knew all their guests by name, even though she did. As Tom, she'd met most of them, but she was supposed to be a stranger in Charles's world. She couldn't forget to play the part.And then, of course, there was the specter of Hugo lurking in the back of her mind."You seem a bit dazed, my dear." Violet, Charles's mother, joined her in one of the few semi-secluded spots in the large dining room of Charles's townhouse."I think you're right," Lily confessed. She smoothed down her pale-blue skirts, even though
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