Chapter Fourteen

            The sound of her door opening made her groan and she buried her face in her pillows. The man that entered was silent, but she could feel his scowl as he stared down at her. The minutes ticked by, but she refused to move. Maybe he would get the hint and leave.

            “Alright that’s enough moping around, it’s time to get up.” He growled and Lillian burrowed further against the bed spread. She still refused to look at him and could feel his anger in the air. It didn’t matter though, she wasn’t in the mood to leave her room unless it was to leave for home. However as Allister refused to let her leave, she chose to hide in her room instead feigning a headache. She had missed dinner last night, sending her apologies to Elena and having a suspicion that the woman knew why she was absent.

            “This is growing tiresome Lily, you are not a child so stop acting like one. Let’s go!” He growled and she screamed as two strong hands latched onto her ankles and dragged her across the bed. She was flipped over and glared at Allister as he scowled right back. She kicked her ankles out of his grip and crossed her arms in defiance.

            “Leave me alone Ali. I am sick and need the rest.”

            “The hell you are. I will not be left alone for another second. Either you get your sweet a*s out of bed or I’ll make you.” He growled while leaning on the bed towards her, their noses practically touching. She narrowed her eyes and hissed,

            “You wouldn’t dare.”

            Allister’s eyes instantly lit with mischief and a wide grin spread across his face as he stared at his cousin. He chuckled low and Lillian realized her mistake. She gasped and tried to crawl across the bed to escape. Allister’s hand caught her ankle again and dragged her to the edge where he was now kneeling. She gave a strangled scream as he wrapped his arms behind her knees and slung her over his shoulder.

            “Allister don’t!” She cried as he laughed and stood up, keeping a firm grip on her. She beat her fists against his back and cried for him to release her, that he had no right to treat her this way.

            “I warned you little lamb. Besides you know I can’t resist a dare from you.” He knelt down and she thought for a hopeful second that he was going to release her. Nope, he grabbed a satchel that she recognized as holding her sketch pad and pencils. She groaned and continued her onslaught against his back as he opened her door and proceeded down the hallway.

            “I’m going to kill-AH! Allister!” She screamed as he swatted her rear and laughed at her misery. The commotion had attracted some attention, mainly for the very grouchy duke who was trying to hide from the women in this house. Lillian groaned and eventually went limp over Allister’s shoulder, hissing curses beneath her breath. Allister continued to stride through the halls, already seeming to master the direction of the mansion.

            She was about to ask where he was kidnapping her to when the bright sunlight answered her question and forced her eyes closed. She squinted in the bright light and looked around to see they were in the garden. She had been wanting to stroll through the flowers and take in the tranquility, but had yet had the chance. Allister finally came to a stop underneath a large tree that provided a shady retreat. He set her on the ground and she was quick to swing her fist into his chest.

            “How dare you humiliate me like that Ali!” She shouted her cheeks flaming and her fists clenched, thinking about pummeling the man before her. Allister frowned down at her and crossed his arms over his chest. He looked back at the house and sighed before turning to look at her and she noticed that his gaze had softened.

            “What happened Lily?” He whispered and the fight was swept out of her. She sighed and turned her back on him before sinking down onto the stone bench set under the tree. She looked over at the satchel that Allister had set on the bench and reached in to pull out her pad. Running her fingers over the familiar etchings on the cover brought her a semblance of peace. Allister took two steps until he was standing in front of her again. Waiting until she finally lifted her eyes to meet his.

            “What happened?” He repeated, the scowl returning to his face as she continued to ignore him. She shrugged and flipped through her sketches, feeling a stab of pain as she saw the one of drake flip past. Allister sighed and knelt before her, reaching out and placing his hands over hers to still their movement. She bit her lip to keep her tears in check before raising her eyes to see his soft blue ones shining with concern.

            “Lillian…Talk to me. You’ve always leaned on me in the past. Why can’t you now?” He whispered and she could hear the hurt in his words. She gave him a soft smile.

            “This is different Ali. I’m fine, really. I knew what the reality of the situation was, but I still…It doesn’t matter.” She suddenly said, placing a bright smile on her face. Allister frowned, not completely convinced at her act. He looked back at the house again silently vowing to have words with the duke if his cousin continued to cry because of the devil.

            “Really Ali. I guess I was just struck with a rare case of melancholy, but I’m fine now. Thank you for bringing me out to the garden.” She looked around at the nature around her and then gave him a genuinely bright smile that made his heart swell. Allister returned her smile with a softer one and reached up to cup her cheek. Happy when she leaned into his touch, at least she still looked to him for strength.

            ‘Until she replaces you.’ He shoved the thought away viciously and returned his attention to his Lily.

            “All I want in life is to see you smile little lamb. I’ll leave you to your sketching so you can rest and soak up some fresh air. I’ll fetch you in a bit.” He stood and she looked up at him surprised.

            “You’re not going to sit out here with me?”

            Her question made him feel strangely warm and he grinned at her over his shoulder. He waved his hand through the air and chuckled,

            “No little lamb. Although I’m sure you would love to sketch this god once more-” He chuckled again at her bright cheeks and scowl.

            “I have something I need to ask the lady of the house. I will return once I find Lady Elena. By the way, I think I saw some peacocks strutting around over by that pond earlier. Maybe you’ll get lucky and they’ll return.”

            He wanted to laugh at how her eyes sparkled and she swung around like an excited child, searching for the magnificent birds he spoke of. He turned back towards the house, he really did need to find Lady Elena. As much as he hated to admit it, he had found his match in schemers. She was by far the better master between the two and could no doubt teach him a thing or two. So she was better suited for what he needed to happen right now.

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            Drake growled as he stood at the balcony doors staring out at the garden. From where he stood he couldn’t see her, but he knew she was out there. What had possessed him to look out his bedroom window and watch as Allister carried Lillian over his shoulder. He had immediately turned away from the sight, not liking the anger that had seeped into his blood.

            After several minutes of pacing his floor he had finally dressed and left his room. He ended up in the sitting room looking out at the garden, unable to decide what to do after that. All last night during dinner he had berated himself as he kept glancing at the empty chair, willing her image to appear. He had been aware that two other pairs of eyes had glared at him throughout the meal. Her cousin had not hidden his displeasure at Lillian’s absence, suspecting it was Drake’s fault. The other however knew it was his fault and Elena had not been subtle about her displeasure.

            Worse yet was the attention he’d had to endure from the Lady Odette and Lady Victoria. The girls were grating on his nerves which were already raw from his encounter with Lillian. They didn’t seem to mind the absence one bit and clung to him all night. He cringed as he remembered how Lady Victoria had kept leaning towards him, displaying her indecently cut dress. Or how Lady Odette kept batting her eyelashes and gently caressing his arm.

            He sighed and shook his head at the memory. His gaze roamed over the garden once more subconsciously trying to see even a hint of Lillian. Being around those other two women made him appreciate Lillian’s company so much more. She doesn’t flaunt her body like most women, which actually made one pay more attention to what she was trying to hide. She didn’t try to manipulate or play the tease. She was open and honest, there was nothing sinister behind her words of praise. She was sweet, kind and sincere everything that Drake was not.

            “Lovely day for a stroll through the gardens.” A soft voice spoke behind him and for a second he feared one of those nuisances had tracked him down. He turned and was only slightly relieved to see it was his mother smiling at him. He watched as she moved up to his side and he tensed. He saw the steel in her eyes and knew that she was still angry with him.

            “I thought I saw Lily make her way to the garden. It is nice to see that she is feeling better. I so missed her company yesterday and would hate for her to be absent again.” She said in a deceptively sweet voice she turned to face him. Elena smiled softly up at her son and held her hand out towards the garden.

            “Were you thinking of going out in the garden Drake? It has been some time since you took a moment to relax. I would suggest you do so now before the ladies awaken from their naps and require your attention.” She said and he scowled back. He turned away from the garden intending on heading back to his study. He felt a tug on his tunic and froze. Elena had reached out and snagged his shirt.

            “Drake.” Sweat formed on the back of his neck at the sudden change in her tone. He looked down at his mother, the smile was gone from her face and she was frowning up at him. He stopped and turned to face her completely, not liking the dark gleam that had entered her violet eyes. She lifted her finger and pointed it up at him, her other hand resting on her hip. She gave him a devilish grin and he swallowed, this woman could still scare the hell out of him any day.

            “I will be most displeased if Lily is not sitting at that table tonight. So I suggest you go apologize to that lovely girl for whatever stupid thing you did this time.” She said before turning in a swirl of skirts and left. Drake looked to the place she had disappeared and wondered if he should chance her wrath and ignore her order. He groaned and pivoted on his heel out into the sunlit garden.

            “Ah hell.”

Author's Note

Sorry that this one wasn't posted yesterday I fell behind with some stuff and didn't get a chance to finish writing it. So I hope you enjoy it and I'll try and get back on a normal schedule again. Please let me know what you think!

Reviews

[Melodycraft]

Hmmm, I wondered if Lily would tell Ali what went down. Nope. A good choice I think. Ah, I love Ali dragging her out of bed, so funny. Ok, so my favorite thing is Ali having a tiny moment of realizing that Lily might not be leaning on him for support anymore if he helps her connect with Drake. Maybe he never realized how much he loved being her hero. But being her hero in this endeavor....could be the end of that role all together. So interesting!
And Drake better get out there and explain himself ASAP.

[Lemonygem]

Lol! I loved it when Ali carried Lillian over his back! And Drake better not disappoint his mama. Lovely chapter I am looking forward to the next! :D