Romancing a Wallflower

loose ends. I will have Dean discreetly look into Lady Poinz’s investments. As my man of business, he should know who to ask,” Harlow stressed.
“We need to discover her recent dealings and try to determine her motive. I teased you earlier, but this could be serious. Let me see what I may learn at Headquarters before we leave tomorrow,” Max proposed. “If she has her claws into you for some reason, then you may need to be careful with whom you associate.”
Lady Lilian. Harlow’s breath caught in his throat.

Chapter 9
The next morning, the house buzzed with activity.
“Pardon me, m’lady. I have your chocolate and biscuits here. Would you like me to pack the books ye have laid out on your table?” The maid moved into the room with a tray and tipped her head towards the books.
“Thank you, Mary. Yes, put them in the bottom of my valise, please.” Lilian glanced out of the window at the street, feeling discouraged. It was a beautiful, late summer day without clouds in the sky, something that London rarely experienced. She would normally feel blissful at the sight. It seemed as if the last several years had been cloudier and chillier, so a cloudless sky should feel inspiring. Instead, she felt bereft. There had been no word from Lord Harlow—John—in three days and she chided herself for allowing herself to think there had been some affinity between them. Yet something tugged at her heart…hope, maybe?
A small bark from the doorway grabbed her attention. “Cooper! There you are, my little one. I have something for you.” Lilian lifted up her pillow and pulled out the fabric ball she had made for her puppy. She had carefully taken old sheeting and wrapped it over discarded paper stuffing that she had already secured in some of Father’s discarded news sheets, sewing the fabric down until she formed a perfect ball shape. She had noticed Cooper’s affection for playing ball and had decided he needed a larger one that he could chase, thinking it would be easier to see and retrieve for him. He would get it dirty, but she would worry about that later.
At the sight of the ball, the little puppy stood up on his hind-legs and balancing, yapped in hopeful delight. Surely, he has never had one of these toys, but he knows it is for him.
“You are such a keen puppy, Cooper.” Lilian tossed the ball out of the door of her room, towards the wall opposite, and he ran after it. A minute later, he returned, holding it in his teeth and spinning his tail around. His tail wagged in a circular motion. “Oh, good gracious, your tail twirls around when you are as happy as this!” Pleased with his reaction, she laughed and clapped as Cooper’s tail continued to whirl.
“M’lady, I don’t think as I have ever seen a dog wag ’is tail like that,” Mary remarked, pausing while packing books. “A true treasure ye have there, m’lady.”
“He brings a smile to my lips.” This little dog lifted her heart. “I dare not consider what he has been through.” She called Cooper to her side and lifted him to her lap, ball and all. They had already this morning bathed his neck with vinegar and applied the tincture to it. She lifted the thin band of sheeting which loosely covered his injuries. “They look much better today, Cooper. You will be as good as new in another day or so. Mr. Whitten did a good job.” She fleetingly wondered if he enjoyed working with animals. He must do, she decided, as it could be both a cheering and disheartening task. She tugged on the blue velvet bell-pull near the settee to summon help and Winston arrived with Clara bustling behind.
The tall, broad-shouldered footman waited while Clara scurried about, grabbing Cooper’s basket, pillow and his little blue ball.
“I declare, the young master is already leaving his things about,” she chuckled. “I was on my way ’ere to tell you, m’lady. Ye ’ave company in the parlour,” Clara whispered, winking in a familiar fashion which Lilian ignored.
“A visitor? I did not see anyone arrive. How unusual.” Casting off her earlier low spirits, she picked up the book she was reading and nodded her head, signalling to Winston she was ready. He carried her downstairs, with Cooper running ahead, hugging the wall and holding his new ball between his teeth—tail spinning in circles behind him. Clara followed everyone. She usually did so in case Lilian dropped something.
“Yer dog has a fancy tail, m’lady,” Winston remarked lightly as they made their way down the second flight of stairs. “I am sure as I have never seen a tail spin around on a dog before.”
“He is entertaining, Winston, and a hearty encouragement in my life. He makes me smile.” Winston rarely spoke, except brief words. Cooper was affecting everyone’s mood.
Winston placed her in the chair and released the brake. Clara walked up from behind and pushed the chair in the parlour's direction. The yellow floral paper on the hall walls cast the area in a happy light, elevating her mood further as they passed into the parlour. At her entrance a tall, brown-haired man handed his coat to Chambers and turned around, smiling. He was holding a posy of forget-me-knots.
“These are for you, my lady.” Harlow offered the flowers to Lilian, his eyes glittering with some kind of emotion she could not decipher. “I would have come yesterday, but business kept me away. It is my fondest hope that you will forgive me that oversight.”
Lilian was not sure what to say. She had missed him. Briefly, she considered telling him so, but pride kept her from revealing her feelings.
“These are lovely, my lord…”
“John,” he murmured for her ears alone. Clara had taken her needlework and was sitting behind him in the striped chair.
“Ooh!” she exclaimed, sucking her finger. “Do, please excuse me, m’lord, m’lady. I must attend to this before the blood ruins my piece.”