Mistress on his Terms

“I’m not normally like this,” she said apologetically.

“Nor are we,” Cynthia replied. “But look, Hugo and I are both misty-eyed, too. Family reunions tend to have this effect on people.”

Unless your name happened to be Sebastian Caine! Lily felt his glare on the back of her neck as he tramped up the stairs with her suitcases, and wondered how he’d manage to sit through the meal and not let fly with one of his barbed remarks.

As it happened, she worried needlessly. He had someone else to occupy his attention. When Lily joined the rest of the family on the terrace after splashing cold water on her face and running a comb through her hair in the guest powder room, she found another woman had joined the party, and that she considered Sebastian her personal property became immediately apparent.

“Hello, I’m Penny Stanford,” she said, subjecting Lily to a somewhat clinical inspection. “I wanted to be on hand to meet the long-lost daughter who stole my man away last night.”

Oh, please, you’re welcome to every miserable inch of him! Lily wanted to say. Oh, and by the way, did you know he has another girlfriend stashed away in the city, and she looks ready to give birth any day now?

Instead she confined her reply to a noncommittal “How nice to meet you.”

“I think we could all use a little sherry before we sit down to eat,” Hugo decided. “You and Penny will join us, won’t you, Sebastian?”

“No, thanks,” he said. “I’ve got a load of paperwork to take care of at the office and Penny’s working the night shift tonight so she needs to get some sleep.”

“I’m head nurse on the surgical floor at our local hospital,” she informed Lily grandly.

“I sell flowers,” Lily said.

“How nice.” Nurse Penny swatted at the English setter. “Do stop sniffing at me like that, Katie! It’s so unhygienic. Well, Sebastian, since I left my car at the stables, I’ll hop a ride over there with you. Shall we go?”

“Sure.” His glance skimmed over Lily. “Enjoy lunch.”

Cynthia looked up from her chaise. “You’ll be here for dinner, won’t you, Sebastian?”

“I hadn’t planned on it.”

“But it’s Lily’s first evening here and I’d like the whole family on hand to make it special.” She paused and sent him a sly little smile. “I had fresh lobster brought in, and Clara’s making your favorite dessert.”

“That’s shameless bribery,” Hugo chuckled, pouring the sherry. “The man has his own life, Cynthia, and there’ll be other nights.”

“And he’s already done more than his share to make me feel welcome,” Lily put in blandly. “Please, Sebastian, don’t feel you have to show up on my account. I’ll be perfectly happy without you, so consider yourself excused.”