Free Lilly by Angela Conrad Page A

power Reece had to inflict pain.  A terrifying thought passed her mind, God no, she loved him already.  Her face went white and her hands trembled.  Lilly slowly removed her arm from around his waist and stepped back, as if he’d just struck her.
    “For God’s sake, could you be any crueler?” Robert yelled.
    Reece hadn’t thought of how those words would injure, if Lilly didn’t understand the reason behind them.  He didn’t want her to know, but he hated the look on her face.  He hated himself.
    “I promise,” Lilly whispered.  “I understand, I’ll stay out of society and you can live as you’ve always done.”
    Lilly went back to her horse and mounted so fast, neither of the brothers could believe she was capable of so silently disappearing.  Her hapless groom followed at a distance.
    “I’ll see you tomorrow Lilly,” Reece called, his chest hurt seeing her go, her head down, and her hand over her eyes.
    “You are the meanest son of a bitch.  I won’t be around you either.  I hope your whores give you diseases and brandy rots your gut.  You bastard.  I’m moving my thing s to the village inn, I won’t stay in your house,” Robert hissed, never before being so ashamed of his brother.
    Robert mounted and rode away.  Reece didn’t watch his brother, he turned and watched Lilly grow smaller and smaller until she disappeared on the other side of a hill.
    Reece closed his eyes and wondered why he’d just hurt the only two people on this earth that he loved.
     
    ……….
     
    Cold stone walls, candles sputtering, warm from the press of bodies inside, the vicar’s high voice reading pledges and promises , the solemnness of their replies; the ceremony was short and uneventful.
    Lilly looked lovely in a beautiful satin cream dress, low cut at the neckline, small straps decorated with pearls, her brown hair styled by Ginger to best advantage with curls escaping over her shoulder and around her face.  She wore her mother’s pearl neckless and earrings.  She carried white roses from their garden, mixed with a few spring lilies.
    Reece Randall wore a fine linen cutaway jacket of midnight blue, cream breeches buttoned into his polished Hessian boots, a snow white cravat tied in a waterfall knot.  His long black hair was tied back on his neck.  His waistcoat was blue striped and embroidered with silk golden threads. He looked tall, handsome, wealthy, and surprisingly happy.
    Lilly heard nothing but the ringing in her ears.  She stood beside her handsome gentleman, rich, titled, a man that could make her miserable and hurt her every day of her life if she let him.  The only way she could go on with this farce was to build a wall around herself and never let him inside.  He’d stated plainly how he intended to treat her from the very beginning and she’d still agreed to marry him.  Now she must add bricks to this wall by being ridiculous, she would test him by talking sarcastically, Lilly would see how far Reece would go. 
    After the cerem ony the guests dispersed to the food tables leaving Lilly free to turn to her husband.
    “I was thinking Reece, I can ride to London in a separate carriage or even the stage.  And I think I should not use my real name, I don’t want to embarrass you o r get in your way.  A countess living on the other side of town might be silly.  I shall call myself something else.  Ann Brown.  That’s who I’ll be.  I’ll never be invited to parties and no one will know me but my aunts.  I shall stay well away from you.  It will be as if Lilly Castleford died.”
    Reece flinched.  Was she serious?  God, he thought she was. 
    “ Lilly,” Reece tried to speak, but his throat closed up and he felt like an ass.
    “You don’t even have to force yourself to spend a wedding night with me.  There’s no rush for an heir, I’m only twenty,” Lilly stated, trying to sound sincere.
    O h no, she was not escaping that.
    “ Lilly, I want a wedding night,”