Annabelle just laughed. "If Royal is embarrassed to be marrying the lady, he should marry someone else."

Lily made no reply, but she thought she liked Lord March's sister.

Walking next to her hostess, Lily began making her way round the ballroom, hearing her name spoken in nearly every circle. Royal's friends had been doing their jobs. People were discussing Savage's horse race win, March's card win at White's and the bet Lord Wellesley had wagered and won.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Preston Loomis in conversation with Lord Nightingale and realized the earl was telling him that he had indeed purchased the stock Tsaya had suggested and that, indeed, the investment had paid off quite handsomely.

"How does she claim to do it?" Loomis asked, standing close enough that she could hear.

"I am not quite certain." Nightingale turned, indicating Tsaya should join the conversation. "Why don't you ask her?"

Loomis arched a silver eyebrow. "And so I shall," he agreed congenially, reaching up to smooth his mustache. "Will you tell us, my dear, how you are able to know these things?"

Lily flashed her mysterious smile. "I learned much from my grandmother's sister, a Gypsy named Madam Medela. She also had the sight. I am sad to say she died a few years back. But unlike my great-aunt, Medi-that is what I called her-I see things in the stars."

Loomis stared. "You are related to Madam Medela?"

"As I said, she was my grandmother's sister. You have heard of her?"

"She was a friend of my mother's."

Lily nodded as if she wasn't surprised. "My aunt helped many people." She stared at him, studied his face. "If you play cards with Lord Nightingale tonight, you will win."

It had all been planned ahead of time, of course. Even now Royal's friends were getting ready to play in a private salon-assuming Nightingale could convince Loomis to join him.

One of the earl's nearly black eyebrows went up in challenge. "Would you care to test the lady? I was just getting ready to join a private game."

Loomis glanced in her direction, but Lily was already slipping away. She had played her part. Now it was up to the men to play theirs.

She had just started down the hall when a man stepped into her way. She had noticed him when he came into the ballroom a few minutes earlier, young, no more than three-and-twenty, and dashing, with wavy dark hair and brilliant blue eyes. She was sure the ladies must all go atwitter when this one walked into a room.

His smile was as devastating as his eyes. "Well, look at this-it seems I am having my own good fortune, running into such a beautiful woman." He made her an extravagant bow. "Rule Dewar, at your service, madam."

Rule Dewar. She knew Royal had two brothers, but she had never met them. This one was probably the youngest. And in a different way, he was as handsome as his older brother.

"I am Madam Tsaya," she said, wondering if Royal knew his brother was there and if he had been told about their charade. The way those blue eyes seemed to be eating her up, she didn't think so. The younger Dewar was obviously enamored of the exotic Madam Tsaya.

"I know who you are," he said. "Though you are far too young to be addressed in such a manner. I should think you would prefer to simply be Tsaya. It is such a lovely name."

"You are very bold, my lord." She gave him what she hoped was a discouraging glance. "If you are looking for good fortune, tonight you vill have to look elsewhere."

She started past him, but Rule caught her arm. "Surely you aren't leaving. The night has only begun."

"Please, there are things I must do. I have to go."

His hand remained familiarly on her arm. "If you want to leave, I will be more than happy to take you wherever you wish to go. My carriage is just out front. Perhaps you would care to join me for-"

"Let go of the lady's arm." This from Royal, who had magically appeared in the hallway. Lily wasn't sure if she was happy he was there or if she was better off with the brother.

Rule released Lily's arm. "Well, if it isn't my big brother, interfering as usual."

"I didn't know you were in town."

"I had a couple of days off from school. I came with friends."

Royal glanced down at Lily and she felt the familiar curl of heat in the pit of her stomach.

"The lady has to leave," he said. "There is more going on here than you know. I'll explain everything later."

Rule's dark eyebrows drew together. There were questions in those fierce blue eyes, but also respect for his brother. His gaze swung from Royal to Lily and he flashed a mischievous grin. "Another time, sweet Tsaya."

Lily cast Royal a last fleeting glance, felt the heat in those tawny eyes and jerked her gaze away. Hurriedly, she slipped off down the hall and headed up the backstairs. Checking to be sure she wasn't seen, she ducked into the bedroom to change. The pale green ball gown waited in the empty armoire and Lily hurried over to retrieve it. She slipped out of her Gypsy costume and stepped into the taffeta gown, discovering it was more difficult to refasten the buttons than it had been to loosen them. Lily cursed softly as she struggled, then jumped at the sound of the door swinging open behind her.

Relief filtered through her at the appearance of Annabelle Townsend walking into the bedroom.

"Here, let me help you."

"Thank you." As the lady worked on the buttons, Lily tugged off her wig and stuffed it into a small cloth bag. As soon as the gown was fastened, she raced over to the dresser and began to pin up her hair. She had worn it in a simple knot at the nape of her neck and she managed quite easily to return it to the straightforward but elegant style.

Pouring water into the basin, she washed the kohl from around her eyes, the soot from her lashes, and wiped away the last traces of lip rouge.

"My, that's quite a change," Annabelle said. "Still, you are lovely."

Lily flushed, unused to such praise. "Thank you."

"I suppose we had better get you back downstairs before you are missed."

Lily nodded. She started for the door, but Annabelle's voice stopped her. "Why are you doing this, Lily? My brother told me most of it-about Loomis and the swindle. I know how Quent and the others feel about Royal, but what about you? Why are you involved in this?"

Lily swallowed. How could she possibly explain? "The duke saved my life once. I owe him."

Annabelle eyed her shrewdly. "I see."

Lily wondered how much the young woman did see, and prayed she hadn't guessed that Lily would do just about anything for the duke.

"You'd better go," Annabelle said.

Lily nodded. "May you be blessed with good fortune, my lady," she said with a smile and hurried out the door.

She had almost reached the main staircase when Royal appeared in the hallway beside her.

"I need a word with you, Tsaya," he said with only a trace of sarcasm in his voice.

"If you are angry because I mentioned your impending engagement-"

"This isn't about my engagement."

"I didn't encourage your brother. I wouldn't do a thing like that."

"It isn't about Rule, either. This is personal. I need to talk to you, Lily."

"Not tonight. There isn't time."

"It's important. When can we meet?"

She didn't want to talk to him at all, but she could tell by the set of his jaw, he wouldn't leave off until she agreed to hear what he had to say.

"Tomorrow. I'll be working in my shop all afternoon."

"All right. I'll stop by at the end of the day. There are things we need to discuss."

"I have nothing to say to you, Royal."

"Perhaps not, but I have things to say to you. I'll see you tomorrow."

Lily ignored the quiet thudding of her heart as he walked away. Smoothing her elegant taffeta skirts, she headed down the sweeping staircase. She was Lily once more. She wondered if Rule Dewar would have paid her the least attention if he had seen her as she really was.

At least her absence would go unremarked. Only Royal seemed to notice her.

And knowing he did only made matters worse.

Eighteen.

The day seemed to go on forever. Lily had opened the shop for business that morning, though the official opening wasn't until next week. Every hat was perfectly in place, all the trim set out so the ladies could make their own personal choice of hats they might wish to design.

The shop was ready for business. Lily had even added a few homey touches to the tiny apartment upstairs: lace doilies on the arms of the settee, an embroidered linen tablecloth on the tiny oak table, several petit-point samplers hanging on the walls. The shop was ready. The apartment was prepared, though she wouldn't actually be moving in for some months yet, not until Jocelyn was married.

The thought sent a chill down her spine. Jo would marry the duke, though she didn't love him. The duke would marry Jo to gain her fortune. Sometimes the world was an ugly place, Lily thought.

She shook off the thought, determined to return to her usual optimistic nature. Buoyed by the sale of a pretty silk bonnet during the first hour she was open, she didn't take much notice of the time until late in the afternoon. Worried that Royal would appear at any moment, growing more and more restless, Lily set aside the bonnet she was sewing and tried to read, one of her favorite pastimes, but it was impossible to concentrate.

By four o'clock she was pacing the floor, wishing she had never told Royal she would talk to him. Just when the tension seemed to stretch to unbearable limits, she spotted his tall figure through the mullioned panes on the top half of the door.

Lily took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and started walking in his direction. She paused as Royal walked in, ringing the bell above the door. He strode toward her, stopped directly in front of her, and suddenly the air in the room seemed to vanish. Her chest squeezed and it was difficult to breathe.

She forced herself to inhale a deep breath. "You came."

"I was afraid you wouldn't still be here."

"I told you I would be."

"Yes, you did, but I was afraid you might-"

"What is it you want...Your Grace?"

His tawny gaze darkened at the use of his title instead of his name. "I think we are far beyond that, sweetheart, don't you?"

Lily's cheeks flushed. About as far as a man and woman could get. "I thought that...that putting some distance between us might...might be wise."

His eyes bored into her. "If I had my way, there wouldn't be the slightest distance between us, Lily. I would bury myself so far inside you we wouldn't be able to tell where one of us stopped and the other began."

Her eyes widened and her cheeks burned. The words stirred an image so erotic dampness slid into her core. "Royal, please, you...you mustn't talk that way."

He sighed into the quiet inside the shop. "I know. It's just that when I see you, I seem to forget everything but having you again."

Her heart stuttered. He wanted her. But then, there had never been any question of that. She wondered what else he might feel for her, knew that whatever it was, it wasn't enough.

Lily bit the inside of her cheek to hold back tears. "Why are you here, Royal? What do you want?"

He reached out and caught her hand, brought it to his lips. She wore no gloves and the warmth of his mouth sent a curl of heat into the pit of her stomach.

"You know what I want-I want you, Lily. But that is not the reason I am here."

She couldn't look away from his handsome face, from the straight nose and sensuous lips, the solid jaw and the tiny indentation in his chin. "Why, then?"

Reaching into the inside pocket of his brown, velvet-collared tailcoat, he withdrew a sheet of paper and handed it to Lily. She frowned as she unfolded it and saw a list of five men's names. "What is this?"

"Those are the names of men who would make satisfactory husbands."

"Husbands? What are you talking about?"

"After what happened between us, Lily, you have no choice but to marry. Since I cannot be the man to see it done, I have come up with the names of eligible men who would be willing to wed you."

Lily just stared, unable to believe her ears. "I cannot credit you are saying this."

Royal caught her shoulders, his expression grim. "Listen to me, Lily. I've already spoken to each of these men. I didn't tell them your name, only that you were a lovely young woman who meant a great deal to me and would come to them with a sizable dowry. I told them the money would have to be postponed until after I am married, but as they are all in need of finances, it wasn't an issue for any of them. All of them agreed to the terms of the marriage."

Her teeth clamped together so hard her jaw hurt. She thrust the paper back into his hands. "You have gone too far, Royal Dewar. You are mad if you think I would even consider such a thing."

Royal straightened, making him seem even taller. "I am hardly mad. This is the only thing that makes any sense."

Lily clamped her hands on her hips, her temper barely in check. "It makes not the least amount of sense. I have a life, Your Grace, in case it hasn't occurred to you. I have opened my own shop. I have my own place to live. I don't need you or any other man."

He held the sheet of paper out to her. "Just take a look. That is all I am asking."

She stared at the paper in his hand, her temper nearly out of control. She snatched the list from his fingers and looked at the names, a couple of whom she recognized.

"I thought you said Emmet Burrows was a pip-squeak."

He cleared his throat. "I may have spoken too harshly. Besides, I thought you liked him."