A Secret Ambition

XX

"How is it possible that our parents lied to us?"

"Lets see: Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter bunny, um, God. You're the prettiest kid in school. This wont hurt a bit. Your face will freeze like that..."

"Everything's going to be alright." Brian K. Vaughan, Runaways

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XX.

Lily's heart had leapt outside of her body upon hearing their servant proclaim that a 'Mr McCarthy' had arrived to speak to her father.

How Adam had not noticed Lily's immediate shock, she would never know. Perhaps it was his own merriment that had distracted him as he had left Lily in order to meet with his guest.

"We will continue this conversation later, I promise," Adam had told her.

Lily had not been able to find her tongue in order to respond. After standing, dumbfounded, for at least ten minutes in the hallway alone, Lily had formed the logical conclusion that there was no way that her Mr McCarthy had come to call at Ashwood Place.

There simply had to be another gentleman acquaintance of her father's that bore the same name. That was the only explanation.

Instead of re-joining her family celebration, Lily found herself edging towards the drawing room. The door was closed. Lily could see that from where she was standing at the edge of the hallway. Her heart was absolutely thundering in her chest. It was a miracle that the two occupants inside of the drawing room were not aware of her presence.

As she stared at the door, which was some five and twenty feet from where she was standing, Lily could vividly hear everything that Callan had said about the 'eejit' he had met with inside of her head. Lily had never put a face to the man that Callan had so briefly, and colourfully, described, but she simply could not imagine him to be her father.

But she had to be certain. Lily would go to the door and listen, and she would hear a very English sounding gentleman speaking with her father, and then she would not need to worry.

Worry about what? Being discovered as a lying wretch by everyone she held dear. Lily actually slapped her hand to her forehead as she very rapidly felt this ruse going beyond her control.

Just as she was about to sneak over to the door, she was stopped by the sound of the servants' internal door opening. Lily silently yelped as she dashed behind one of the drapes in the hallway. As she hid, she truly felt her shame. She heard the servants pass, the rattle of the tea trays in their hands, as they quietly discussed a card game that would be taking place after dinner.

She remained hidden until the servants had gone, and then Lily pulled back the drapes. No matter what, Lily knew that she was in the wrong. She knew that she would have much to atone for. But she didn't know what she would do if she approached that door and discovered Callan in there.

Lily had asked him to reapproach Prince Whatshisname. Lily had even offered to burn his house to the ground should the man be dishonest. Lily knew that her father was the furthest thing from dishonest, and the more that she thought about it, approaching someone like Callan was exactly the type of thing that he would do.

But still, Lily remained hopeful, for her own selfish sake, that the Mr McCarthy her father was currently meeting with was an old school friend, and one who bore the thickest of English accents.

Lily braved one step into the foyer, and then another, and without taking a breath, she had scurried towards the door of the drawing room. She lowered her ear to the keyhole and said a silent prayer as she listened, all the while still holding her grandmother's tiara in her hand.