Lily in Bloom (2 page)

“Apology accepted. Accidents happen to everyone.” She smiled at him as he looked at her in surprise.

“Do you mean it?” He returned her smile, looking relieved.

“Don’t look too happy, Toby. I have not forgiven you and you will be in trouble when we get home.” Eric spoke sternly to his son but he turned and smiled his thanks to Lily.

“Are you ready to get to your feet?” Eric once again looked at Lily and the butterflies flew up in her chest as she nodded her head. He slowly lifted her from the ground as if she weighed no more than a feather and lightly set her on her feet. She felt slightly dizzy but was afraid to speak. What was happening to her?

As he removed his hands, she began to sway and he once again placed his arms around her, pulling her closer to steady her. She felt hot and her body was tingling everywhere it was touching his, which only made her head swim more. She could not help herself, she tilted her head back and looked up into his handsome face.

Recognition and what Lily thought might be desire crossed over Eric's face as he looked down at her and she almost forgot to breathe. She felt her arms traveling up around his neck and she had no power to stop them. His face seemed to be moving closer to hers, slowly but surely, and Lily eyes fluttered closed.

“What the devil is going on here?” An angry voice interrupted the moment and Eric’s head snapped up. Lily turned to see her brother striding toward them.

James reached the group on the sidewalk. His face was set in hard lines, fists clenched at his sides. “I knew I should not have allowed you to buy those dresses. Five minutes in one of them—”

“James, calm down.” Elise stepped between James and Eric. “Lily fell and hit her head. This man was only helping her.”

James stopped abruptly. His look turned from anger to concern. “Are you all right? Should I call a doctor?”

“I’m fine. Just a little dizzy.” Lily tried to speak normally but Eric was still holding her and she was having trouble concentrating.

“Perhaps we should see if you can stand on your own now.” Eric slowly let her go. Even in her dizziness she thought she felt his fingers graze down her back. Lily managed to steady herself. She still felt off balance but now that she wasn’t so close to Eric she felt like she could breathe again. A slow throb was building in the back of her head and working its way to her temples.

“Thank you for your help. We are in your debt. I must apologize for my outburst…” James shook Eric’s hand.

“No need for apologies. I understand completely,” Eric replied.

“I’m James Carter and this is my wife, Elise, and my sister, Lillian.” Lily blinked. How could her brother not recognize the man she dreamed of so often?

“Eric Sampson, I believe we have met. This is my son, Toby. I am afraid I can take no such offer since it was my son that knocked her over in the first place. Your sister was most gracious. I would like to make this up to you in some way.”

“Eric Sampson? Of course. You own a few of our ships.” James seemed delighted now, his anger completely forgotten. Lily could have rolled her eyes. Lately, James thought of little else besides his shipbuilding business. It was one of the reasons her family had travelled to Boston for this season.

“Your ships were of excellent quality. We are still using them. I have been planning on contacting you for a new contract. Would you consider coming to my home this Friday for dinner? I would like to show Miss Carter my gratitude and perhaps discuss some business with you.” Eric smiled and Lily felt her head throb again.

James smiled back, looking ecstatic. “We would be delighted. Tell your wife we look forward to seeing her again as well.”

“Thank you for the thought, but my wife passed away two years ago.” Eric looked at his feet, his face tightening.

“How horrible,” Elise murmured.

 Lily, who had been focusing all of her energy on remaining standing, looked up suddenly. The movement caused the blood to rush from her head the world begin to go dark. She tried to grab at air but she couldn’t seem to balance. For the second time in minutes, she fell to the ground.

Lily opened her eyes to the sight of blue sky before her and tried to figure out why on earth she would be looking at the sky in the middle of the day. Slowly, the sounds around her began to penetrate her mind.

“Lily…Lily, can you hear me?” She turned to see the faces of her brother and sister-in-law staring down at her.

“What?” Confusion clouded her mind.

“James, I will get her into a hired carriage. You go fetch the doctor with ours. She must have hit her head worse than we thought.”

“Did I hit my head again?” Lily asked, feeling very confused.

“No, I caught you this time,” a deep, gentle voice whispered in her ear. Reality slowly returned. She was cradled in Eric’s arms, his hand subtly stroking her back. If she hadn’t been so dizzy, the intimacy would have taken her breath away.

“Mr. Sampson, would you be so kind as to help me get her into the buggy?” Elise hailed the carriage over as Eric gently picked her up off the ground.

The driver got down off the seat to open the door as Eric carried her over.

“Where can I take you folks?” he asked with concern.

“Eight-twenty Commonwealth Avenue, please.” Elise stepped out of the way as Eric climbed in. He set her gently down on the seat. His eyes locked with hers as he gave her hand a squeeze. Gently, he brought her hand to his lips and gave it a light kiss. Lily’s heart beat in her chest and she looked away for a moment unsure of what to do or say. The moment was broken. Eric dropped her hand and stepped back out.

“I can follow you to help you when you arrive home,” Eric offered to Elise as she climbed in.

“Thank you, but we should be fine. It was nice to meet you. We look forward to seeing you on Friday.” Elise motioned to the driver and Lily lifted her head briefly to see Eric, holding his son, watching the carriage drive away.

THE WEEK PASSED QUICKLY
for Lily. Her fall been nothing serious, and the family had set themselves to outfitting Lily for the season. She tried not to think about the upcoming dinner. Lily told herself she should not get excited, that Eric was not interested in her and he had just invited them as a token of his appreciation. But her mind would drift back to the intimate moments they had shared. She would feel his hands on her back again. A hope was creeping into her thoughts that he might share the same attraction for her that that she did for him. She shook her head. She was acting like she was fifteen again. Lily barely knew the man and she was not going to let her feelings run away with her this time.

A knock at her bedroom door interrupted her thoughts and Elise entered with one of the maids, May.

“A few of the dresses have arrived. I thought you might you want to take a look.” Elise smiled as the boxes were brought into the room and Lily couldn’t help but share her enthusiasm. She did not normally spend a great deal of time picking out clothes but she couldn’t help herself today.

Forty-five minutes later the two women stood in front of the mirror, holding up dresses.

“I definitely think you should wear the burgundy gown. It is perfect for your complexion,” Lily told Elise as she debated between two dresses.

“I think you’re right. Besides I’ll have lots of opportunities to wear the other. This is so exciting. Having a full season again! Which gown are you going to wear?”

“The dark blue, I think.” Lily inspected her reflection one last time.

“Hmmm.” Elise stood behind her in the mirror. “Yes, dark blue is the way to go. It darkens your eyes and adds mystery. Men love mystery, especially when they are as handsome as Mr. Sampson.” Elise made the comment casually but Lily caught her sister-in-law looking at her from the corner of her eye and Lily blushed despite herself.

“I hadn’t noticed,” she managed to stutter out, avoiding any further contact with Elise’s gaze.

“Don’t be absurd. I saw the two of you ogling each other. Of course you noticed—and he noticed, too.” Elise began to remove the dresses from the bed but Lily stopped her.

“Oh, Elise, do you think?” Lily couldn’t contain her excitement.

“I knew it!” Elise said with a laugh. “This is wonderful. I know James said he could make it work if you didn’t get married, but if you have found someone then all of our worries would be over!”

Lily felt a great deal of the excitement drain from her body. She let go of Elise’s hands and sat down on the bed. She had forgotten for a moment that she wasn’t just looking to fall in love, she was looking to get married. And while many women her age were looking for the same, Lily’s circumstances were different. She had to find a husband this season to help save her family’s business.

Lily’s parents, not realizing they would pass away together, tied up a great deal of the family’s money by stipulating in their will that the three children would not receive their inheritances until after each was married. This included business assets. James had been attempting to run the company with only his share. Her brother Tom was marrying this season as well, but the situation had become dire and both remaining Carters now had to marry.

She was committed to doing this for her family but she still felt the sting. To marry without love was a difficult fate to accept.

“I’m sorry, Lily. I didn’t mean…I know you hardly…I…” Elise fumbled for what to say.

“It’s all right. I am sure I will meet the perfect man and all of this will work out just as you said. I am nineteen. It’s time I settled down with my own family. A few more years and I’ll be an old maid.” Lily took Elise’s hands again and smiled. She didn’t want Elise to feel badly. It was her problem to deal with.

The carriage pulled to a stop in front of the Sampson residence on Friday night. Lily stepped out and was immediately struck by the beauty of the building. It was a large brownstone that spoke of affluence and prestige. The street itself was lined with beautiful flowering trees, and wrought iron fences marked each yard between the sets of large stone steps. The butterflies that had been flying around her stomach all day began to beat faster.

As casually as she could manage, Lily turned to her brother. “What is it that Mr. Sampson does?”

“I know, it’s an impressive home. He owns and runs a very large shipping company. We have sold him a few ships in the past but I am hoping this new schooner would be of interest to him. If tonight goes well we will gain a crucial contract.”

Lily nodded her head. The boats built by her father were excellent ships but were about to be replaced by a newer, faster model. James had shut down part of the shipyard to build a new model, the three-masted schooner. While it would hopefully pay off in the future, it had almost put them out of business.

“Please come right this way.” A butler escorted them from the front door into the parlor. “Mr. Sampson will be with you momentarily. Please help yourselves to any refreshments you desire.”

As the butler turned to leave, a streak of movement came dashing into the room, stopping in front of Lily.

“I was looking where I was running this time,” Toby said. He gave Lily a big smile, his brown eyes sparkling just like his father’s. “Dad said I couldn’t be at dinner but I could come visit you before I went to bed. Are you feeling better?”

“Much better, thank you.” Lily patted Toby on the head and he bent it down sheepishly.

“That’s good. I was worried,” the little boy softly replied.

Lily bent down next to his ear and whispered, “That is awfully kind of you. What a nice boy you are.” She pulled herself back up and the two shared a smile. Unexpectedly, Toby leaned over and hugged her.

“Thank you,” he whispered back.

“Time for bed, Toby,” Eric’s voice came from the door.

Lily looked up to see Eric standing in the doorway, a pained expression on his face. She did not know how long he had been standing there but she felt a slow blush creeping up her cheeks. Why did he look so upset?

“Aw, Dad, do I have to?” Toby stood next to Lily, stubbornly crossing his arms. “I want to stay and talk to Miss Carter more.”

“You know our agreement. Up to bed.” Eric bent down and kissed his son goodnight and then watched as Toby made his way up the stairs.

Finally, he turned back to his guests. “Thank you so much for coming.” Eric shook hands with James and kissed Elise on the hand. He turned toward Lily.

“I hope that you are feeling recovered?” He bent down and kissed her hand as well, politely smiling as he let it go.

She smiled back but his eyes had left her face and his head turned toward the bar. Disappointment coursed through her. He had barely looked at her before he had turned away. Was he upset about the hug she had shared with Toby? She couldn’t understand it. “I am, thank you,” she answered his question in a quiet voice.

“Excellent. What can I get all of you to drink?” Eric moved away from her and began to pull out glasses. “

How about a brandy?” He turned to James.

James nodded his head as Eric poured out the drinks.

“You have a lovely home.” Lily attempted polite conversation but she sounded strange to her own ears. She wondered how she could have allowed herself to get so excited about seeing him again.

“Thank you.” Eric’s eyes barely touched her as he moved on to James. “Your company is run out of Maine, correct?”

 “Yes, Seacoast Shipping is based out of Kennebunk. It has perfect harbors for launching ships.”

Elise jumped in, “It is beautiful. Lily, tell Mr. Sampson about Kennebunk.” Elise was clearly trying to draw Lily into the conversation, but Lily clamped her mouth closed. She was stinging from Eric’s lackluster greeting and worried she had upset him.

Luckily, she was spared answering as the butler returned to announce dinner.

“James, tell me about this new ship you are building,” Eric said to his guest as they sat down to begin their meal.

“It is a newer model schooner that would be far better suited to transcontinental travel because of its speed. It has an added third mast.” James eyes began to dance as he talked about his boats.