Then Came You Read Free Page A

you did ask me to marry you once.”
    “Oh, yes, well . . .” Zachary frowned. The proposal had been made and rejected so quickly that he had almost forgotten about it. “Until that day Harry was my best friend. When he jilted you in that dastardly manner, I felt the only gentlemanly thing to do was to act as his second.”
    That provoked a snort of laughter. “His second? Good Gad, Zachary, it was an engagement, not a duel!”
    “And you turned down my proposal,” he remembered.
    “Dear boy, I would have made you miserable, the same way I made Harry miserable. That was why he left me.”
    “That is no excuse for him to have behaved so dishonorably,” Zachary said stiffly.
    “But I’m glad he did. If he hadn’t, I never would have traveled ‘round the world with my eccentric Aunt Sally, and she never would have left me her fortune, and I would be . . .” Lily paused and gave a delicate shudder, “married.”
    She smiled and seated herself before the fire, gesturing for him to do the same. “At the time, all I could think about was my broken heart. But I do remember your proposal as one of the nicest things that ever happened to me. One of the few times a man has acted unselfishly on my behalf. The only time, actually. You were prepared to sacrifice your own happiness and marry me, just to save my wounded pride.”
    “Is that why you’ve remained friends with me over the years?” Zachary asked with surprise. “With all the elegant, accomplished people you know, I’ve always wondered why you bother with me.”
    “Oh, yes,” she said dryly. “Spendthrifts, wastrels, and thieves. Quite an assortment of friends I have. Obviously I don’t exclude royalty and politicians.” She smiled at him. “You’re the only decent man I’ve ever known.”
    “Decency’s gotten me far, hasn’t it?” he said glumly.
    Lily looked at him in surprise, wondering what had made Zachary, a perennial idealist, look so woebegone. Something must be very wrong indeed. “Zach, you have many wonderful qualities. You’re attractive ”
    “But not handsome,” he said.
    “Intelligent ”
    “But not clever. Not a wit.”
    “Cleverness is usually born of malice, which I’m glad to say you don’t have. Now stop obligating me to praise you, and tell me why you’ve come.” Her gaze sharpened. “It’s Penelope, isn’t it?”
    Zachary stared into her fire-lit eyes. He frowned and gave a long sigh. “Your sister and your parents are staying with Wolverton at Raiford Park, making preparations for the wedding.”
    “It’s only a few weeks away.” Lily mused, warming her bare toes before the crackling blaze. “I wasn’t invited. Mother is terrified that I would make some sort of scene.” The sound of her laughter was tinged with melancholy. “Where would she get such an idea?”
    “Your past doesn’t quite recommend you ” Zachary tried to explain, and she interrupted with amused impatience.
    “Yes, of course I know that.”
    She hadn’t been on speaking terms with her family for some time. Those ties had been cut years ago by her own careless hands. She didn’t know what had driven her to rebel against the rules of propriety her family held so dear, but it didn’t matter now. She had made mistakes for which she would never be forgiven. The Lawsons had warned her that she would never be able to come back. At the time, Lily had laughed in the face of their disapproval. Now she was well acquainted with the taste of regret. Ruefully, she smiled at Zachary. “Even I wouldn’t do something to embarrass Penny. Or heaven forbid, endanger the prospect of having a wealthy earl in the family. Mother’s fondest dream.”
    “Lily, have you ever met Penelope’s fiance?”
    “Hmm…not really. Once I caught a glimpse of him in Shropshire during the opening of grouse season. Tall and taciturn, that’s how he appeared.”
    “If he marries Penelope, he will make her life hell.” Zachary intended the statement to be