Love at First Glance Read online

“Do you think that Mother and Father don’t love each other?”

  “No, Kate. I think they love each other in some sort of way. But I don’t think there is any passion. I couldn’t live my life knowing that I could have a passionate relationship with someone and not have it.”

  “Oh, my dear Lily. Ever the dreamer,” Olivia commented as she rose from her seat.

  “It’s almost time for tea. We need to be on time. I have a few things that I’d like to do in town today.”

  Kate followed behind Olivia, both of them giving Lillian a glance full of pity.

  Lillian sighed. She knew that it wasn’t too much to ask for a relationship full of passion and love. She wouldn’t give up looking for it.

  ~

  Willington Manor was abuzz with talk of the society ball that Lady Charlotte was hostessing. The anticipation was on high. The kitchen staff was busy readying for the extravagant dinner they would serve and all of the house staff was making sure that the silver was polished and that everything was just so.

  The sisters enjoyed tea when their mother entered the room. “I hope you all are ready for the event of the season. I’ve heard that everyone has responded to the invitations and will be here. I hope you girls will be on your best behavior.”

  Although Charlotte made the comment general, her gaze fell on Lillian.

  “Yes, Mother,” Olivia and Kate responded as they sipped their tea.

  Lillian stayed quiet. She wasn’t into giving any more thought to the ball that she already had.

  “Now, I have invited potential suitors for each of you. Kate, the handsome Richard Smythe is coming to meet you. He’s an intelligent young man who is well travelled. His mother is American, but we won’t hold that against him. Olivia, you will meet Daniel Botsworth. His parents are high society and have homes all over Europe. His father and your father have many of the same interests and we thought that the two of you would be a great match.”

  Olivia nodded. “I’m looking forward to meeting him, Mother.”

  “As he is you,” Lady Charlotte replied. She smiled, feeling like her matchmaking was all coming together.

  Charlotte clasped her hands together and her jaw clenched as if she was about to reveal something painful.

  “My darling, Lily. Mr. Cyril Aimsley will call on you. He’s a wonderful young man. He has studied in France and is a burgeoning businessman. His parents own several businesses and wonderful people.”

  Lillian knew that what her mother spoke of was the financial connection that her parents always wanted to keep in their back pocket. Old manor houses were expensive to keep up, especially with the fact that her parents did not work. They had grounds to keep and staff wages to pay. The goal was that Olivia, Kate, and Lillian would marry money and that would help keep Willington Manor afloat.

  “Thank you, Mother.” Lillian didn’t want to really comment any more than that. It would be pointless to do so. Charlotte’s mind was set and things were already in motion.

  “I hope you all have been fitted for your dresses and that you love them. Ladies, this ball will be the talk of the town. Guests are coming from London and are ready for a great time. I hope you all are ready to play gracious hostess.”

  All three girls nodded. They knew what to expect from their mother. It was best to just nod and agree. Lillian continued to sip her tea and sit quietly. She hoped that her suitor at least made for comfortable conversation so that she could make it through the evening. As her sisters giggled and chatted about what their potential suitors would be like, Lillian panicked a bit inside. She would have to find a way to let Mr. Cyril Aimsley down nicely. She wasn’t interested in any man that her mother set her up with. She was intent on finding love on her own.

  Chapter 3

  Lady Charlotte had done it yet again. Her society ball was one that would be talked about for the next few years. The food service was elegant, the music was appropriate, and the company was exquisite. Everyone who said they would be there was there and things were perfect.

  Olivia and Kate were enjoying the company of their male suitors. Kate much more than Olivia, and Lillian had to admit to herself that Mr. Cyril Aimsley was a true gentleman. He was not her type; brown curly hair, brown eyes, thin lips, and very lean. But the two of them had stimulating conversation. It was enjoyable enough that Lillian considered allowing Cyril to call on her once more.

  The music played continuously, violins and cellos serenading the guests. Cyril asked Lillian to dance and she accepted. They joined the rest of the guests who were waltzing. Cyril held Lillian’s hand tightly as he twirled her around the dance floor.

  “I’m so happy that we’ve met, Lady Lily. I would love to have you over to dinner sometime soon.”

  Lily suddenly felt like she was suffocating. She’d just met Cyril and she didn’t want to feel any pressure to court him exclusively because her mother set them up. She was willing to see if they could become friends or even tolerate each other for more than one evening.

  Still she replied, “I’d love to, Cyril.”

  He smiled and nodded. When he swirled Lillian around, she caught sight of a stranger standing there in the background.

  The stranger stood there silently and when his eye caught Lillian’s he nodded politely. Lillian could not catch her breath. He stood there, holding her gaze as she tried to turn her attention back to Cyril. There was something about the stranger that was drawing her to him.

  She curtseyed and twirled again, this time, ending the dance. The music stopped and everyone clapped.

  Music started again as Lillian turned to find her dance partner. “Thank you, Cyril for such a lovely dance.”

  “It has been a lovely evening so far, Lily. Would you like to take a walk with me?”

  Lillian knew that she must make her way across the dance floor to figure out who this stranger was.

  “I see my sister, Kate. I think I will go and chat with her for a moment. Won’t you excuse me, Cyril?”

  Cyril slightly bowed and kissed Lillian’s hand. “I will make sure to find you again shortly.”

  Lillian smiled and turned quickly, clutching her chest. Her heart was pounding. She had to know who this strange man was. She made her way through the sea of people standing around chatting and sipping wine.

  She had the stranger in view, and as she made her way over to him, she felt someone grab her arm.

  “Oh my, Lily. Mr. Aimsley seems to be quite a catch.”

  Lillian turned around to see her sister, Kate standing behind her, smiling from ear to ear. Lillian gently touched Kate’s arm as she tried to turn and look and see if her handsome stranger was still in sight. There were several people leaving the dance floor and suddenly, he was no longer in view.

  Lillian sighed, frustrated, but tried not to let it show.

  “He is very much so. And how has your evening been with Mr. Smythe, darling?”

  “It has been quite wonderful,” Kate said with a dreamy look on her face.

  “Wonderful. I’m glad to know that. I would love to stand around and chat some more, my darling Kate, but I see someone over there that I must greet.”

  Lillian gently touched her sister on the arm.

  “Oh, it’s okay. I must get back to Mr. Smythe. He’s quite charming and I’d hate for another woman to be charmed by him as I am,” Kate replied, still starry-eyed and breathless.

  Lillian made her way through the sea of people who were standing around talking. She politely excused herself to make it through the crowd. She was almost out of breath when she got to the spot where she thought she saw the handsome stranger standing.

  He was not there. She looked around and felt a sinking feeling in her heart to know that he was no longer where she’d seen him last.

  “Get yourself together, Lily,” she whispered to herself. She threw a mini tantrum thinking that she would not get a chance to meet this mysterious man.

  She composed herself and decided that she should tell her mother how much
she was enjoying the party. Normally, she couldn’t wait until one of her mother’s parties were over, but this time, she was actually having a good time.

  Lillian politely nodded a greeting to a few of the women in attendance. She was on a mission, but still understood the value in being a polite hostess.

  At that current moment, Lillian wanted nothing more than a breath of fresh air. She was feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of the festivities.

  She loved the feeling of the wind dancing against her skin. The sun was just setting and it sprayed magnificent red and orange across the horizon. The view from Willington Manor was always spectacular. Lillian spent many evenings on the veranda watching the sun set. It was quite possibly her favorite time of the day.

  She leaned against the railing and inhaled the scent of the roses coming from her garden. Hopefully all of the fanfare surrounding her mother’s party would be over soon.

  “You seem to be enjoying the sunset.” A hand gently touched Lillian in the small of her back.

  Lillian didn’t even turn around. She knew exactly who it was. His hands fit her waist perfectly. His scent was masculine and woodsy.

  “I’m not the type of girl who let’s men I don’t know get this close to me.”

  “Interesting. You seem completely comfortable with me standing right here so close.”

  His accent was clearly American. Lillian had always been intrigued with American men, but to court one was out of the question in her household. Her parents expected her to meet and marry a proper English gentleman.

  Her cheeks felt flush. Even with the cool breeze, she felt her temperature rising. Her bosom heaved as she tried to catch her breath.

  She turned around to look into the face of her suitor. His fingertips slid down her arm until his hand was holding hers. He squeezed her hand in his and then bringing it to his lips, he gently kissed her fingertips and then her palm. The feel of his lips on her hands sent a tingle up her spine.

  His other hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her in close to him. Fingertips danced along her spine, expertly feeling her skin through the silk material of her dress.

  “We don’t even know each other’s names,” Lillian said as she tried to gain her composure.

  “Well, let’s see,” the mysterious stranger said as he looked her directly in the eye.

  Lillian thought that she was going to melt. His eyes were warm, dark pools of brown. She was at a loss for words.

  “My name is Johnathan Bailey. And you, my dear are one Lady Lillian Willington. Beautiful hostess of this wonderful soiree that we are enjoying so much this evening.”

  He paused for a moment and bowed before Lillian.

  She was immediately taken by him. He was captivating.

  Standing on the balcony, they could hear the music playing inside of the party.

  Johnathan swirled her around, first away from him, then pulling her in to his chest. He began to lead them in a dance, close to his body. Lillian had never danced that closely to any man before. She could not remember ever being that close to a man, only in her dreams. She was quite sure that he could feel her heart beating out of her chest.

  For that moment, she didn’t care about anything else but getting to know Mr. Johnathan Bailey.

  “Why yes, you’re right. And it’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bailey. May I ask where you hail from? You’re accent is intriguing.”

  Their bodies swirled together.

  “Right now, my dear. Just enjoy the moment. You and I here, enjoying each other’s company. Does anything else really matter?”

  His eyes were intense. The passion between them apparent.

  Lillian shook her head. “No,” she whispered.

  He was right. Nothing else mattered in that moment. All she wanted to do was absorb each and every fiber of his being and energy. She didn’t want to ruin it with questions or conversation.

  All she wanted was to feel whatever was going on right there in that second on the balcony between herself and Mr. Johnathan Bailey.

  And whatever it was, was good enough for her.

  Chapter 4

  They danced for what seemed like an eternity. Lillian didn’t want to be anywhere else but with Johnathan. The way his hand fit just so in the small of her back and the way that his touch felt electrified her.

  Was this the beginning to the love she searched so hard for?

  The song ended and it was as if the magical fairy dust that had been sprinkled over them suddenly wore off.

  “I-I must get back to the party. Thank you for such a lovely dance, Mr. Bailey.”

  Lillian could barely look at him in the eye.

  “As you will, Lady Lillian.” His hands gently smoothed a stray piece of her hair back into place on top of her head. Lillian shuddered at his touch.

  “Can you get away tomorrow to meet me?” he asked.

  Lillian thought quickly. “I think so. Maybe meet me in town at the Ranger’s Inn? Around noon?”

  “Until then, Lady Lillian,” he said and with a kiss on the hand, he disappeared just as quickly as he appeared.

  Lillian clutched the pearls on her neck and held on to the railing of the balcony to try and steady herself.

  What had just happened?

  Johnathan Bailey. Who was he and where did he come from?

  Lillian couldn’t figure out how she’d let herself become so smitten so quickly. A smile spread across her face. Then she remembered that she was there that night as Cyril Aimsley’s escort.

  Her mother would simply be distraught if she found out that Lillian had kept the company of another man. She was bursting at the seams with excitement, but there was no way that she could tell anyone about her encounter with Johnathan.

  She took a deep breath and went back into the party. There were so many smiling faces. People were enjoying the food, the wine, and the company. Her sister, Kate was having a great time and even Olivia seemed to be enjoying herself as well. Their mother, Charlotte was standing back admiring her work. She’d had yet another successful event that would be the talk of London and the town of Lanchester.

  The footman came by with a silver platter of punch champagne flutes. Lillian took a flute of champagne and sipped on it as she surveyed her surroundings.

  She saw Cyril making his way over to her. The first thought on her mind was if he would be able to tell that she’d just been kissed by another man. It was a foolish thought. She would just have to stay calm.

  “Fresh air seems to have done you well. You look refreshed, Lily.”

  “I am,” she said taking the last sip of the champagne. “I have so enjoyed your company this evening, Cyril. I hope I wasn’t too much of a bore.”

  “Not at all, Lily. You were great company. I love your vibrancy and your ability to see the world through so many different angles. It’s always a treat to chat with you.”

  For the first time that evening, Lily really looked at Cyril. He was a classically handsome man; tall, dirty blonde, hazel brown eyes, skin the complexion of porcelain. He was a nice young man, but not for her. He was too polite. Too much of a gentleman. He was not the type to challenge things, he just accepted things for what they were. That was not the type of man that Lillian wanted to marry. She wanted a man that would challenge her to see things differently and lead an intriguing and intellectual conversation with her. She didn’t want to be the type of woman who sat around listening to men talk about politics while she giggled with the woman in the parlor.

  Cyril Aimsley was a wonderful man, but perfect for some other woman.

  “I was wondering if we could have lunch together soon, Lily.”

  Lillian’s first inclination was to turn him down, but she didn’t want to reject such a nice young man. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings and she didn’t want to make her mother feel like she’d failed with her matchmaking prospects.

  Lillian also didn’t want to put all of her eggs in one basket. She had a date with Johnathan Bailey tomorrow and who kno
ws how that could turn out?

  “That would certainly be a wonderful idea, Cyril. We will talk soon about setting a date and time to meet.”

  “I look forward to it, Lady Lily.”

  The evening was winding down and the guests were starting to leave. After Cyril bid Lillian goodbye, he was no longer a thought in her mind. The only person on her mind was Johnathan Bailey. And when she ended the evening, Lillian knew that it was going to be that way for a long time.

  Chapter 5

  Lillian practically floated down the winding staircase to breakfast the next morning. Her mother had breakfast in bed and her father sat it the table sipping tea as he and her brother, Victor discussed the latest news.

  World War I had just been declared and it was on the lips of everyone. There was an air of patriotism that had an undertone of fear. People didn’t know what to expect with the war starting but change was sure to occur.

  Olivia and Kate sat demurely as Victor and their father chatted. Lillian was not interested in the conversation as she usually would be. Normally politics and current events weren’t the type of conversation that a woman would interfere in, but Lillian’s family was used to her discussing her feelings on topics.

  Instead, that morning, she sat quietly with a slight smirk on her face. All she could think about was her rendezvous later with Johnathan.

  “Well, Lily, you must have really enjoyed your evening,” Olivia remarked.

  Everyone turned their attention to Lillian, who snapped out of her daze.

  She sipped her tea as she got her thoughts together to respond to her sister’s snide attempt at calling her out.

  “I did have a lovely evening, my darling Liv. As I’m sure you did.”

  Lillian gave her a look out of the corner of her eye that told her sister that she knew what she was trying to do.

  “Well, you are a bit quiet this morning, sister. You usually have quite a bit to say about what’s in the society pages,” Victor remarked.

  Lillian fanned herself and then tried her best to divert the attention away from her. “I have quite a bit on my plate today. If you all will excuse me.”