Free Once an Heiress by Elizabeth Boyce

him for kissing her. And then leaving her. She wasn’t sure which offense put her out more.
    Gah, she was a mess. She drummed her fingers on the table.
    “No, no, that is most inelegant,” Mrs. Bachman scolded. “Very mannish. And with your unfortunate height, you simply cannot utilize such gestures. The Duchess of Monthwaite could,” she said with a nod. “Such a petite, pretty thing. It would be quite modern of her, and soon become all the rage. But it just looks odd on you, Lily. I don’t suggest you continue.”
    Lily groaned and pushed back from the table. “I’m sure you’re right, Mama.” She dropped a daughterly kiss to Mrs. Bachman’s cheek. “I shall strive to curtail my hoydenish ways.”
    She went to the entrance hall to see who had called.
    The butler, Wallace, was arranging several bouquets on a platter. He glanced up at her approach. “I was just bringing these to your room, miss.”
    Lily looked over the assortment of colorful flowers. “Who sent these?”
    Wallace handed her a collection of calling cards. “Several gentlemen have stopped by this morning. I took the liberty of noting which gift is matched to each card.”
    “Thank you,” she murmured. With trembling fingers, Lily flipped through the cards. “Mr. Faircloth?” she muttered. “Still?” She tossed it onto the sideboard and looked at the next. No, no, and no. None of them were from Lord Thorburn.
    She scowled. “Box them up, Wallace,” she directed. “Send them to the Navy hospital.”
    With a heavy sigh, Lily took herself to the library, the one room in the house where she could be reasonably certain of privacy. Mrs. Bachman had not read anything more intellectually strenuous than the scandal sheets for as long as Lily could remember. The cozy room offered a sanctuary in which to work on her school.
    She unpacked her papers from a decorative box on a large mahogany table tucked into the corner of the book-lined walls. So far, she and Mr. Wickenworth had viewed five properties, including Lord Thorburn’s. None of them were quite what Lily envisioned for the school, but the time was coming to make a selection.
    She laid out her notes, and then withdrew a fresh sheet of paper. On it, she listed each property down the left side of the page, then proceeded to jot down a few words for each, describing the strong and weak points of the houses. Beside the address of Lord Thorburn’s Bird Street house, she wrote,
Advantages: Taller than I; Handsome; Kisses quite well. Disadvantages: Arrogant (insufferably so); High-handed; I ought not be in the position of knowing he kisses quite well.
    She scowled at the paper and drew heavy black marks through that line of text. “The house doesn’t suit,” she muttered. “Neither does the man. And that’s an end to it.”
    Forcing Lord Thorburn’s mocking smile from her mind, she set aside the property list, determined instead to review the letters they’d received in answer to the advertisement for a headmistress. There were several who seemed suitably qualified — on paper, at least. This was another decision that needed to be made soon, as she wanted to leave the hiring of tutors and staff to a competent headmistress.
    Several hours passed with Lily engrossed in her work, scarcely noticing the passing of time. The sound of her mother’s voice wafting down the hall alerted Lily to an impending interruption.
    “There you are!” Mrs. Bachman declared from the doorway. “I see you’ve not dressed for company, though it’s now gone noon. You know it’s our day to receive visitors, and only look who’s here!” She stepped inside the library and waved to an unseen guest in the hall, gesturing them forward.
    Lily’s heart skipped. Had Lord Thorburn finally come?
    Her disappointment at two female figures appearing lasted only an instant when she saw who it was.
    “Naomi!” Lily cried, springing to her feet.
    Lady Naomi Lockwood, the youngest sibling of the Duke of Monthwaite,