arm around his wife’s shoulders dragging her to his side. “I guess that’s all right then. I do think it’s noble to love your husband so much you can’t bear to be without him.”
“You would.”
Constance chuckled softly. “I sure can tell you two are siblings.” She patted her belly. “I hope this is only one, but I need to have at least two or three children. Not for the heir and a spare, thing. I couldn’t care less about that.”
“Not nice!” Charles told her, although he said it with a twinkle in his eye.
“I want more than one, so my child can have a sibling. Watching you two together, and James when he’s around? It makes me realize everything I missed out on by not having any siblings of my own.”
Lily looked at Charles with a baffled look. “Do you say nice things about me when I’m not around or something?”
“Never!”
Constance just laughed. The love between the siblings was almost as obvious as the love between her and Charles, and between Lily and Kit. She would spend the rest of her life having babies if that’s what it took for her children to have the kind of camaraderie. She couldn’t wait.
Curious about Lily and Kit's story? Read on for an excerpt from Loving Lily.
Prologue
May, 1799
Lily was six when she met the boy she knew she would love for the rest of her life. Not many six year olds would recognize something like that, but Lily was more aware than most.
She’d sneaked off to run through the woods barefoot, which was her favorite springtime fun. Of course, her father didn’t consider that a worthy pursuit for a young lady. He wanted her to spend her days in the nursery with her nanny, learning to embroider and act like a lady. He didn’t much like her climbing trees either, but that had never stopped her.
Through the trees, she saw him, high atop his horse. He was with an older gentleman who she later learned was his father. He followed along after his father, but when his father got off his horse to speak with hers, he dismounted, and followed the trail into the woods instead.
When she saw him coming her way, she scurried up the nearest tree as agilely as any monkey. She sat on one of the branches just over the path and watched as he walked below her. If he’d looked up, he’d have seen her bare foot dangling over his head, but he didn’t look up.
Lily had to cover her mouth to keep her giggles from being too loud, but still he heard her. He walked back to where she sat in the tree looking up at her. “Who’re you?”
She had never talked to a strange boy before. She talked to her older brothers, of course, but they were off at Eton now. She didn’t have much chance to leave their family’s estate, so she rarely had the opportunity to talk to anyone to whom she wasn’t related. Except the servants, of course. Not that she was complaining. She loved the area surrounding her home. It was a child’s fantasy land.
She stared down at him for a moment and decided answering wouldn’t hurt her. “I’m Lily. This is my family’s land.”
“Oh, my dad came here to see your dad then. He’s the earl?”
She nodded. “Yeah. And Mama was the countess. She died, though. I killed her.” She whispered the last words as if they were some sort of sinful secret.
“How’d you kill her?” he asked fascinated by this little girl. He was ten, and soon to be off to Eton, but he considered himself almost grown up compared to this little thing.
She shrugged. “I didn’t mean to. It happened when I was born.”
“Oh. That just happens sometimes. It’s not your fault she died.”
Lily’s eyes widened. “It’s not?”
He shook his head. “No. Did someone tell you it was your fault?”
“No, but they sometimes look at me like they blame me.”
“I’m sure no one blames you.” He looked up at her for a moment before asking,
“You would.”
Constance chuckled softly. “I sure can tell you two are siblings.” She patted her belly. “I hope this is only one, but I need to have at least two or three children. Not for the heir and a spare, thing. I couldn’t care less about that.”
“Not nice!” Charles told her, although he said it with a twinkle in his eye.
“I want more than one, so my child can have a sibling. Watching you two together, and James when he’s around? It makes me realize everything I missed out on by not having any siblings of my own.”
Lily looked at Charles with a baffled look. “Do you say nice things about me when I’m not around or something?”
“Never!”
Constance just laughed. The love between the siblings was almost as obvious as the love between her and Charles, and between Lily and Kit. She would spend the rest of her life having babies if that’s what it took for her children to have the kind of camaraderie. She couldn’t wait.
Curious about Lily and Kit's story? Read on for an excerpt from Loving Lily.
Prologue
May, 1799
Lily was six when she met the boy she knew she would love for the rest of her life. Not many six year olds would recognize something like that, but Lily was more aware than most.
She’d sneaked off to run through the woods barefoot, which was her favorite springtime fun. Of course, her father didn’t consider that a worthy pursuit for a young lady. He wanted her to spend her days in the nursery with her nanny, learning to embroider and act like a lady. He didn’t much like her climbing trees either, but that had never stopped her.
Through the trees, she saw him, high atop his horse. He was with an older gentleman who she later learned was his father. He followed along after his father, but when his father got off his horse to speak with hers, he dismounted, and followed the trail into the woods instead.
When she saw him coming her way, she scurried up the nearest tree as agilely as any monkey. She sat on one of the branches just over the path and watched as he walked below her. If he’d looked up, he’d have seen her bare foot dangling over his head, but he didn’t look up.
Lily had to cover her mouth to keep her giggles from being too loud, but still he heard her. He walked back to where she sat in the tree looking up at her. “Who’re you?”
She had never talked to a strange boy before. She talked to her older brothers, of course, but they were off at Eton now. She didn’t have much chance to leave their family’s estate, so she rarely had the opportunity to talk to anyone to whom she wasn’t related. Except the servants, of course. Not that she was complaining. She loved the area surrounding her home. It was a child’s fantasy land.
She stared down at him for a moment and decided answering wouldn’t hurt her. “I’m Lily. This is my family’s land.”
“Oh, my dad came here to see your dad then. He’s the earl?”
She nodded. “Yeah. And Mama was the countess. She died, though. I killed her.” She whispered the last words as if they were some sort of sinful secret.
“How’d you kill her?” he asked fascinated by this little girl. He was ten, and soon to be off to Eton, but he considered himself almost grown up compared to this little thing.
She shrugged. “I didn’t mean to. It happened when I was born.”
“Oh. That just happens sometimes. It’s not your fault she died.”
Lily’s eyes widened. “It’s not?”
He shook his head. “No. Did someone tell you it was your fault?”
“No, but they sometimes look at me like they blame me.”
“I’m sure no one blames you.” He looked up at her for a moment before asking,
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