Love According To Lily Read Online Free PDF Page B

not arrived, either, she noticed. Nor had Lord Richard. Sophia was standing by the piano, talking to a few of the ladies. She spotted Lily immediately and excused herself from the others, crossing the room with an eager look in her eye.
    “You look exquisite,” Sophia whispered, when she reached Lily. “He will most definitely notice you tonight—especially in that color.”
    “But what then?” Lily asked. “He’ll tell me I look nice and move on.”
    “No, you will surprise him and capture his interest, like we talked about.”
    Lily was doubtful. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to pull it off.”
    “Of course you will,” Sophia said. “Just remember, it’s all about pretending to be confident, even if you’re not.”
    Lily smoothed her hands over the front of her skirt. “No man has ever chased me before. Well, one did. In this very drawing room. And you know how that turned out.”
    Sophia led her fully into the room and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Yes, but you mustn’t think of that. All you have to think about is Whitby, and how you’re going to let him know you want to be caught.”
    Lily felt her cheeks flood with color. She didn’t think she had what it took to be coquettish, not with Whitby, for he had become like a character in a fairy story to her. She idolized him.
    It was ridiculous, she knew, because he was just a man—a man she’d known her entire life.
    At that moment, her eyes turned toward the door, and there he was, in all his handsome, heavenly splendor, walking into the drawing room and picking up a glass of champagne from the footman. Oh, he was spectacular. More than spectacular.
    Over the years, he’d matured and become even more manly, if that was possible. More confident in the way he carried himself. The bones of his face were strong and well defined, and tonight, his golden hair was unruly in the most deliriously rakish way.
    She glanced at his big hand holding the delicate, stemmed champagne glass. His emerald ring gleamed in the evening light. Lily nervously sucked in a breath and wet her lips.
    Dressed in black and white formal attire, he moved to the other side of the room and stopped beside the window. He struck up a conversation with a few of the other gentlemen.
    Sophia signaled to a footman who immediately came toward them with a tray of champagne. Sophia and Lily each took a glass, then Sophia touched Lily’s arm and redirected the way she stood. “Turn your back to Whitby.”
    Lily did as Sophia suggested, and slowly sipped her drink while they chatted.
    “He just looked at you,” Sophia said.
    “Who? Whitby?”
    “Yes. He looked you up and down from head to foot. My word, he has no shame.”
    “He looked
me
up and down?” Lily said, astonished. “Surely not. He must have been looking at you.”
    “No, he wasn’t. Well, that does it. I’m convinced. A red dress works every time.”
    They continued to chat and sip champagne, and Lily finally got up the courage to look over her shoulder at him the way Sophia had told her to do.
    He immediately met her gaze, and before she had a chance to look away, he raised his glass to her.
    Shocked, she faced Sophia again. “Did you see that?”
    “Yes,” Sophia replied, smiling. Not a minute later, the corner of her mouth turned up in a satisfied grin. “What a surprise. He’s coming over here.”
    “Are you sure?” Lily asked, still not quite ready to believe he wanted to talk to
her
. Surely, he was coming to talk to Sophia. “What about my flirting with him and making him think he’s chasing after me? I had expected that to take all night.”
    Sophia shrugged and chuckled. “I guess Whitby doesn’t need to be manipulated.”
    Lily felt her face flushing red.
    “Relax,” Sophia said, “and don’t turn around until he speaks first. Act unsurprised to see him, then after a few minutes of aloofness, say something witty and smile at him with your eyes. Men like that.”
    At that moment, Lily felt