Lily in Bloom (4 page)

Suddenly, the horses veered from the path and the wagon gave a sick lurch and came up on two wheels. The two of them, locked together, went sliding from one side of the wagon to the other and, for a dizzying second, Lily thought they were going to fall out. The wagon righted itself and slammed them back into the center of the floor. Lily began to wonder how this ride would end. She could feel herself weakening from the exertion but kept her muscles taut so as to protect Toby. She became aware that she had been muttering words of comfort into his ear as they bounced along. She felt her neck giving and wasn’t sure if she could hold it up any longer.

Just as Lily was feeling she couldn’t last another second, she saw a rider pull up to the side of the carriage and then another came up the other side. Relief rushed through her body and she suddenly found the strength to keep holding Toby and keep them both from being thrown against the bottom.

“Hang in there,” a voice called and she recognized Eric riding next to the carriage. She looked over but the other rider was gone. Where was he, she wondered desperately, but even at this thought, the carriage began to slow down.

As the wagon came to a halt Lily laid her head down for the first time in what felt like hours, and took a deep breath. She thought she should let go of Toby but could not make her arms work. He did not try to move, and Lily had a sudden rush of fear. Was he all right?

“Toby, are you okay? Are you all right? Toby, can you hear me?” Lily voice was growing hysterical but she didn’t notice.

Toby picked up his head and looked at her with big eyes. “Boy, am I glad that’s over!” He gave her a small grin.

She returned the smile and suddenly broke into tears.

“What’d I say?” Toby looked at his father who had climbed into the wagon.

“Nothing, son, Lily was just scared for you, that’s all.” With those words, Eric picked up Lily, who was still holding Toby, and held her as she cried.

“Are you hurt?” he asked her softly.

“I don’t think so.” Lily sniffled into his shirt. She became aware that she must look positively frightening. Her hair had come undone and was now hanging down her back. Her clothing had ripped in several places and her skirt was twisted around her and Toby. James climbed into the carriage and began to pry Lily’s arms apart to free Toby and then help his sister to stand. As he pulled, Eric pushed and together they got her into a standing position. Her legs felt wobbly but she was able to support her weight. She turned to Eric.

“What you must think of me, Mr. Sampson, first fainting and now crying.”

“I think you are very brave and that Toby and I may be a plague on you,” he said as he picked Toby up and held him in his arms. “I don't know what would have happened to my son if it had not been you in the carriage with him. Toby seems completely unharmed.” He lightly touched her arm and she felt her pulse race.

“Anyone would have done the same.” She could feel herself blushing again.

“I'm not sure that is true. Thank you.” He looked in her eyes and an understanding passed between them. She knew how grateful he was and he knew that she had done it without a thought to herself.

A third rider pulled up to the scene. “Sorry I am late. Apparently, I wasn’t your rescuer this time.” Mark flashed her a devilish smile.

Lily turned to him and he swooped off his horse to take her hand.

Lily smiled weakly at him but she had the vague sensation that it was Eric who should be holding her hand.

Lily walked gingerly to James’s horse. She felt sure she never wanted to look at a wagon again. Mark tied his mount to the back of the wagon and climbed into the driver’s seat while Eric and Toby mounted together.

As Lily looked at the horse she was about to mount, it occurred to her that they hadn’t arrived to the picnic on horseback.

“Where did you get the horses? I don’t remember seeing a stable,” Lily asked the group at large.

James looked slightly sheepish, but answered, “We, uh, borrowed them from a few passersby.”

“More like commandeered,” Mark added with a grin.

Lily smiled at him. “Well, I appreciate you acquiring these fine animals when you did. A few more minutes and I would have turned to jelly.”

“Thank goodness you didn’t.” James squeezed her shoulder with a smile. “The good doctor will still be making a return trip to the house tonight. We may as well have him move in!”

Lily laughed and then felt a sharp pain in her side. She gritted her teeth but her sudden silence caught the attention of all three men.

“Is everything all right?” Mark asked, his voice full of concern as he jumped into the seat of the wagon.

“Fine. Just a little pain in my side.” Lily waved them off but the group did not resume.

“Perhaps you should ride in the back of the wagon, rather than sitting up on the horse,” James said, looking concerned.

“I would rather die than step back into that wagon.” Lily sat more erectly on the horse to show them she was fine.

Eric chuckled. “I admire your strength, but your brother is right. I am sure you will be fine in the wagon, perhaps you should…”

“I am not arriving at the picnic in the back of that wagon. It will make the situation look much worse than it is and I am already going to be on the tongue of every gossip in town. Laid out in a wagon, they will be singing my death march.”

“Lily don’t be stubborn, it would be best…” James did not get a chance to finish.

“I am either riding on this horse or walking. I will not step into that wagon.”

“You are as stubborn as I am, you know that?” James smiled at his sister.

Mark again started the team of horses moving and Eric and James followed suit.

Mark leaned over to Lily and smiled. “I don't know when I have ever seen a woman look more beautiful than you do right now.”

“Oh, Mark, you must be teasing. I am a mess.” Lily laughed a little nervously.

“I have to agree with you on this one, Mr. Summers,” Eric called from the back of the group and Lily blushed again.

As they pulled up to the picnickers a crowd of people rushed around them all firing questions.

“What happened?”

“Were you hurt?”

“Where did you go?”

Lily felt her head begin to pound. James dismounted to disassemble the crowd as Mark returned the wagon to its driver. Elise came running over, Isabelle hot on her heels.

“I can’t believe you are all right! You are all right, aren’t you?” Elise began touching her legs to feel for breaks as Lily still sat on the horse.

“Can’t you see she is fine?” Isabelle added in a huff. “Why is everyone so concerned about her?” Isabelle took a breath and looked ready to continue when Eric broke in.

“I have your sister-in-law to once again thank for Toby’s safety. If you need anything at all, please contact me. I wish I could stay and help you more but I must return home and have Toby examined.”

“Of course.” Elise nodded, her expression filled with understanding.

“Ah, Dad, I'm fine. I told you Miss Carter kept me safe. I want to go with them and make sure she’s okay.” Toby stared up to his dad with a determined look.

“Toby, Miss Carter needs to rest and so do you.” Eric took the boy’s hand.

“Can we go visit her soon?” Toby pleaded with his dad.

Eric stopped and turned to his son. “If Miss Carter is amenable to it…”

“I would be delighted.” Lily gave Toby a gentle pat on the head and Eric kissed her hand in farewell and then father and son departed.

The Carter family followed suit.

THE DOCTOR HAD TOLD LILY
she had bruised some ribs and was going to be very sore the next day, but when she woke up she felt like she would never move again. Elise came in, followed by May.

“Should we bring breakfast up for you?” Elise asked, sympathy filling her voice.

“That would be lovely,” Lily nodded in relief. She hadn’t felt like eating the night before and was absolutely famished. She was not quite sure how she was going to get the spoon to her mouth but at this point she did not care.

“Wonderful. After breakfast, we are going to get you up and dressed for a short visit with Isabelle.” Elise plumped the pillows on a chair while she talked.

“Elise, you can’t be serious. I cannot move from this bed. I can barely lift a finger.”

“It is important not to allow yourself to stiffen up any further, and, besides, it will help you receive more invitations if you socialize with the ladies first.” Elise did not look at Lily as she spoke. The older woman knew what a chore socializing with Isabelle was.

Within the hour May had her out of bed and ready to go and, Elise had been right, she felt better as she slowly moved. Her ribs were still extremely sore but they would heal.

 “I thought I would help you downstairs,” Elise said. Lily accepted Elise’s arm gratefully and the two made their way down the steps.

“I wanted to tell you that your cousin Amelia and Aunt Clarissa are arriving in a few days with Tom. We are going to have a full house before you know it.”

“How wonderful!” Lily could not wait for her cousin to arrive. Her Aunt Clarissa and her mother had been sisters and looked very much alike. As a result, she and Amelia shared an amazing number of features, most notably their eyes. While their coloring was completely different, Amelia had her father’s dark hair with a golden complexion. Both women had an exotic quality to the shape of their vibrant blue eyes. The difference was, Amelia was far more adept at flirting with men. It had been something Lily had never been particularly interested in but now she wondered if her cousin couldn’t give her some pointers.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Mark came out of the sitting room and took Lily’s arm from Elise.

“You look lovely today,” Mark softly remarked as his eyes travelled up and down her body.

“Thank you.” Lily curtseyed as she reached the bottom of the stair. “What brings you here today?”

 “Well, I am pitching your brother on my many good qualities as a potential employee.” A small frown creased his brow.

Lily gave his hand a small squeeze. “I am sure you will do wonderfully.”

Mark gave a short nod. “As always, Lily, it is a pleasure to speak with you.”

Lily glanced over to see Elise with one eyebrow raised. “Lily, your carriage is ready.”

With a sigh, Lily headed out the door.

Isabelle’s afternoon tea was more awful than Lily even imagined. Isabelle’s friends were as insufferable as the hostess herself. They gossiped tirelessly, picked at everyone, and prattled endlessly about their own good looks and wonderful qualities.

Lily’s ribs were beginning to pain her and she was about to make her excuses when the conversation unexpectedly took a turn.

“How was picnic with the dashing Mr. Sampson, Isabelle?” A plump girl named Christina asked with a smirk on her face. She glanced ever so briefly at Lily.

Isabelle’s face momentarily pinkened but then she recovered. “Well, it went as well as could be expected. But truthfully, I don’t really see him as a viable suitor.”

“You can’t be serious?” another girl asked. “He is so handsome and, not to be too indelicate, but he would provide any woman with a wonderful life.”

Isabelle straightened. “Yes, but I know for a fact that he is still hopelessly in love with his first wife, the mother of his child. He hinted at it and I had heard the same from my cousin who knew them before. They were desperately in love and he hasn’t gotten over her.” Isabelle gave a self-satisfied smile.

Normally, Lily would dismiss this as idle gossip but Isabelle’s words crashed down on her ears. This would explain why Eric seemed to first want to kiss her and then completely ignore her. He still cared deeply for Caitlin, his first wife. Even if he was attracted to Lily, he felt guilty about it because of his feelings for his first wife.

Christina nodded her head as if to confirm Lily’s thoughts. “I pity the woman who tries to replace her. She was so beautiful.”

A third girl chimed in. She leaned in close and whispered as if she were afraid of being overheard, although Lily could not think of who might hear. “That is not what I heard. I heard that he was responsible for his first wife’s death. They were estranged, you know, when she had the accident.” The girl looked immensely satisfied with her bit of gossip and the other girls gasped. Lily felt her insides turn sickeningly.

Isabelle looked terribly satisfied. “Even more reason to turn elsewhere in the pursuit of marriage. Besides, there is another gentleman who has recently arrived, that I am eager to meet.”

“Oh, you always know the best eligible men. You’ll be engaged by the end of this season for sure!” one girl squealed.

Isabelle nodded in agreement and Lily’s lips pursed.

“Who is it?” Christina was now on the edge of her chair.

 “Lieutenant Colonel Andrews. I hear he is very handsome and doing quite well. I am certain he will be in attendance at the Winchester Ball and I am sure I will be dancing with him.” The other girls nodded as Isabelle preened.

Lily quickly made her excuses. She had all the gossip she could handle for one day.

The next morning, Lily woke and stretched. Once again, she felt as though her body was lying on a bed of needles. On top of this she had a knot in her stomach that something was wrong. She remembered her conversation with Isabelle. Was the other woman right? Was Eric still in love with his first wife? Was he responsible for Caitlin’s death? She just couldn’t believe that the man who showed such tenderness toward his son could be a murderer.

Reluctantly, she pulled herself out of bed and began the agonizing process of dressing. As she moved, her body felt more limber and her mind clear as she headed downstairs for breakfast. Her brother Tom was due into town in two days and the social events surrounding the wedding would begin. Lily felt the tension in her body ease as she enjoyed the meal with her family. As she began to think about what she would do with her day, her brother looked up at her.

“How are you feeling this morning?” He smiled over his coffee.