Page 35 of Once Upon a Midnight Dream

The minx.

She enjoyed his discomfort.

Not out of maliciousness.

Lilly did not have a malevolent bone in her body, nor was she one to toss her authority about like rose petals at a wedding.

Zander suspected her satisfaction arose from having made a logical decision, not a choice resulting from feminine sentiment.

With unhurried movements, she stored her embroidery threads in her sturdy sewing box and tucked the needle into a small embossed red leather needle case. Once she had stashed her embroidery supplies to her satisfaction, she glanced toward Charles, still sound asleep.

“Let’s step outside, Zander, shall we?” she whispered as she swept across the room. “I do not wish to disturb Charles. The poor dear is in a constant state of exhaustion. What he needs is his own establishment in the village, but he will not consider leaving me to run the children’s home on my own. He vows a man’s presence keeps undesirables at bay.”

There was some truth to that.

Zander joined her at the terrace door.

“Except, he is rarely around to assist, is he?” he murmured, daring to point out the fact.

She gave him a sharp, slightly startled, sideways glance. “True, but it is not from deliberate neglect.”

Her soft tone held a thread of censure.

“I never meant to imply that it was.” Zander opened the door for Lilly, and she swept past him and onto the small back terrace. “I only meant, he is a dedicated physician, despite the toll it takes on him physically and mentally.”

“That he is.” She gave a nod. “Even as a child, he was serious and solemn. When he committed to something, he always saw it through to the end. That dedication has not waned in adulthood.”

An admirable trait.

Zander stared at the oak copse cast in twilight’s shadows across the meadow. An obscure memory swirled around in his brain.

He rubbed his nose with two fingers. “Some doctors cannot handle the death and anguish. It destroys their spirit because they blame themselves for not saving every patient.”

“You sound as if you know someone that happened to.” Lilly leaned her left hip against the balustrade, her face slightly turned upward as she gazed across the landscape. “Do you?”

As always, she was straightforward—no mincing words.

From the corner of her eye, she considered him.

“I honestly do not know.” He ran his palm along the smooth limestone balustrade.

At dusk, with the fading light of the day bathing her in gentle hues, she appeared lovely and feminine, despite the ugliness and severity of her gown. It did not escape Zander that the more time he spent with Lilly, the more attractive and desirable she became.

She glanced over at him.

“I have spoken with Charles, and he is in complete agreement.” A sincere smile warmed her features as she extended her hand. “We would like to offer you the teaching position at Kelston Hall Children’s Home, temporarily.”

Thirteen

Kelston Hall’s chilly, twilight terrace

Following a handful of stunned seconds

Zander nearly whooped in exhilaration, but dancing about the terrace might not be putting his best foot forward.

At once, he wrapped her hand in his palm, and his heart leaping for joy might not have been entirely due to excitement and relief.

Hoo’ooh. Hoo’ooh.