“Well, Fletcher is a lovely boy, and the two of you should make more of an effort to get along. He’s the only sibling you have. Sadly we are not a very large family, so you should make sure you take good care of the ones you have.”
“I know Jules, it’s just that a big brother can be terribly annoying at times,” Odelia excused with such a peeved expression on her face that Julianna could not resist the tinkle of laughter that escaped her lips.
“Alright, the lecture is over. Now tell me how you are going to have your hair styled for this evening.”
With that turn of conversation, the Montgomery ladies proceeded with their preparations for the evening. Before long they were ready to descend to the salon where the guests were to assemble before going into a light dinner that was to precede the dancing. The countess had arranged for two meals that evening – an early dinner and then a late supper before the guests who were not staying overnight departed. Odelia was very light on her feet, doing a little skip as they made their way to join the others.
Julianna’s heart began to race as she beheld Lucius as soon as she entered the room. Always a handsome man, this evening he was very nearly gorgeous. And the look on his face as he watched her enter caused her heart to miss a beat. For one unguarded moment, their feelings were nakedly displayed for all the world to see. But then they both blinked, and the moment was broken. The viscount turned to the lady beside him and made some jest that caused a ripple of laughter. Julianna had not heard the words and could barely hear the laughter over the buzzing in her ears.
To cover her confusion she turned to Odelia, making some innocuous comment. It must have made little sense because Odelia shot her a quizzical look without replying. They were quickly distracted by the introductions Lady Yorkleigh was making between the houseguests and the local visitors. For the first time in her life, Julianna worried that she would never be able to remember the names of the people she was meeting, so distracted was she. It was with relief that a few moments later they were ushered into dinner. Julianna pasted a smile onto her face and made every effort to make it through the evening.
After a few moments at the dinner table, Julianna managed to pull herself together. Turning to her dinner partner on her right, she offered a charming smile and engaged him in conversation.
“Do you live nearby?” she asked politely.
“Yes, my lady. I live about twenty minutes ride east of Yorkleigh. My father is a baron and a horse breeder so we have quite a large property,” he explained proudly.
“That must be lovely. Horses are wonderful animals. Are they race horses or work horses that you breed?” Julianna did not want to admit that she had no idea what his name was, so she was glad he had mentioned his father’s barony. She wouldn’t have to worry about what his title would be as a mere mister. Hopefully she could brazen it out for the length of dinner.
“Thank you for asking. We specialize in carriage horses. It’s a great life, raising horses. My sisters have trouble when it comes time to sell them, but that’s pretty much the only drawback.”
Julianna wrinkled her nose in thought at what he had said. “I never thought about that. I guess they grow attached to them, don’t they? Are your sisters here this evening?”
Her dinner companion shot her a surprised look before explaining that they had been introduced together. “You met my sister Agnes when we were introduced earlier.”
“I apologize, sir. There were so many new people it was difficult to keep them all straight,” Julianna blushed fiercely with embarrassment.
“I understand,” the young man answered soothingly, looking at her as though she were a bit of a simpleton.
Julianna bit her lip to control her amusement over the misunderstanding despite her previous distress. For a moment she allowed her eyes to wander around the table and was surprised to find Luc’s eyes upon her. Once again their eyes locked for an unending second, but this time Julianna was prepared for the spear of sensation that stabbed her to her core and sent a frisson of awareness up her spine. She managed to maintain her composure this time and, after blinking, was able to turn back to the man beside her.
“Now that you have reminded me, I believe your sister is sitting across from my niece up the table a ways. But I think you mentioned you have more than one?” she prompted him to continue the conversation.
“Yes, our youngest sister is still a bit young to go out in company. Agnes is pining for a Season in London such as your niece is enjoying. Our oldest brother is already married, and his wife offered to bring her around a little bit, but she has not yet made good on the offer. Our mother does not feel up to the task herself, so I’m glad that Agnes is having the opportunity to make some new friends this evening.”
Charmed by his kind concern for his siblings, Julianna continued the simple conversation throughout most of the meal unaware of the consternation she was causing Lucius.
Despite those two moments of shared connection, Luc still felt as though Julianna was giving him the cut direct and decided to ramp up his efforts. He had been angered by her actions the previous afternoon, but he still couldn’t quite give up on her. Despite the juvenile element attached to trying to make her jealous, he decided he had no other choice. He looked around the table for possible candidates. He wanted someone old enough to have flirting experience and not take things too seriously, but young enough to be believable. His eyes settled on the most likely partner for this little crime.
As soon as they stood up to signal the end of the dinner, Luc made a beeline for the lady in question. His conscience gave him a slight twinge, but he ignored it reasoning that it was for the greater good.
“Mrs. Conrad, it was a pleasure to meet you. Are you very good friends with Yorkleighs?” he asked by way of a conversational opening.
“Merely acquaintances to be perfectly honest. They are very kind, but we do not usually run in the same circles socially. Besides that, I was fairly new to the neighbourhood when my husband died, then I was in mourning for quite a while, so I was not attending any social events. This is the first time for me to attend one of their entertainments, actually. Lady Yorkleigh and I have made morning calls on each other, but that is about it.” Appearing slightly uncomfortable over the direction the conversation had taken, Mrs. Conrad turned it around with a question of her own.
“What about you, my lord? How long or how well do you know the Yorkleighs?”
“I have been friends with Lord Yorkleigh since we were on our Grand Tour as boys. He is a marvellous travel companion and a great friend.” He paused for a moment before continuing with a crooked grin. “Well, he was a fantastic friend before he settled down on his estate and doesn’t seem to ever want to leave now that he has his countess.”
“Be careful, my lord, you sound almost jealous,” she teased quizzically.
He grinned sheepishly at her. “Maybe just ever so slightly.”
“I would just bet that you have a perfectly lovely estate of your own somewhere, and there is no doubt a long line of debutantes queuing up for an opportunity to be your viscountess.”
Luc was embarrassed to realize that a blush was creeping up his cheeks at her words. Feeling bashful, he hesitated, wondering what to say. Mrs. Conrad burst into raucous laughter at his discomfort, causing all heads in the room to swivel in their direction. Luc’s discomfort grew until he noticed Julianna’s eyes intently upon them. His embarrassment quickly changed into determination to continue despite his instinctive reluctance.
Affixing a smile of charm to his face as the band struck up the first song, Lucius bent over her hand and invited, “Might I have this dance?”
Mrs. Conrad bobbed a slight curtsy as she accepted his invitation. Despite her appearance of being someone from the fringes of Society, she was a delightful dance partner – graceful and light on her feet. Her laughter had drawn the attention of the other guests and it remained on them as they energetically made their way through the figures and changes of the cotillion.
As the song drew to a close, Mrs. Conrad dropped another curtsy, thanking the viscount for the dance.
Turning away from her, Luc felt Julianna’s eyes on him once more. As the band struck up the next number, he bowed to her, inviting her to partner with him for this dance.
Feeling suddenly shy, Julianna hesitated but could not refuse. Despite all her resistance to his efforts to advance their relationship over the past several days, she felt herself melt inside as he drew her into his arms for the quadrille. Keeping the requisite, appropriate space between them, Julianna still felt as though the air around them suddenly was charged with an indescribable energy. As they moved through the steps of the dance, she could not feel her feet on the floor and merely hoped she was doing it correctly.
Luc led her with ease around the room. They barely spoke, but for those moments it felt as though words were unnecessary and all was finally right with his world. Logic told him that the feeling would end as soon as the song did, but he decided to ignore logic for the moment and enjoy the experience.
As the band brought the dance to an end, Julianna smiled warmly at the viscount. She could not deny how she had enjoyed the dance so she merely said a soft, “Thank you.”
Reluctant to allow her from his arms, Luc retained her hand for another moment. “Would you like something to drink? I could get you a glass of ratafia or some punch.”
Not quite meeting his eye, Julianna pulled her hand back from his grasp but bobbed her head in acceptance. “Thank you, my lord, I would like a glass of something. I could accompany you.”
Surprised that she was finally not running away, Luc grinned down at her then turned and walked toward the table that had been set up with refreshments. After he had procured drinks for them both, they stood in silence watching the dancers, sipping slowly.
“Your niece appears to be having a good time,” Luc commented with an air of understatement.
Julianna grinned in response. “My niece always has a good time. It is one of her best qualities.”
Luc returned her grin as he replied. “And her enthusiasm. That is also one of my favourite of her qualities.”
Julianna laughed quietly. “She is a delight. In weak moments I occasionally wish I could trade places with her even temporarily.” She said this last bit with a wistful note to her voice.
Turning to her, the viscount said earnestly, “Why would you ever wish to trade places with her? You are a delight yourself and cannot be traded in for anything.”
Julianna’s smile turned slightly wan at this, and Luc knew he had somehow made a tactical error. Cursing himself silently he watched the animation drain from her face, being replaced by her usual politeness toward him. He felt no surprise as she excused herself when the song came to an end.
“Thank you, my lord, for the lovely visit. I should go confer with Odelia during this brief pause in the music.”
Luc allowed her to hurry away feeling equal parts delight and dread. It was clear to him that she had unresolved feelings for him, both positive and negative. His determination to get to the bottom of it hardened. Realizing this was not the right place or time to force a confrontation with her, he allowed her to avoid him for the rest of the evening.
After tossing and turning for the night, Luc rose at first light and left Yorkleigh as unobtrusively as he had arrived, with only the earl and the butler being aware of his activity.
“Take care, my friend,” bade the earl as he saw Luc out.
“Thanks for letting me crash your party,” answered the viscount with a crooked grin.
“Not that it did you much good,” answered Philip with a crestfallen look.
“That is where you are wrong, my friend. It did a world of good. I shall keep you posted on my progress.”
“Really?” Philip questioned. “From where I was standing last night it did not look like you had advanced very far in your pursuit of the lady.”
“Perhaps not, but appearances can be very deceiving, you must remember.”
“All right, keep me posted,” was the sceptical reply from the earl as Luc swung up onto his skittish horse’s back. “Ride carefully.”
Philip stood and watched his friend ride away as Emily came up beside him. “I really like him, Philip. And Julianna seems like a delightful lady. But there is something dark between them, and I cannot say if they can bridge the gap, whatever it may be.”
The earl looked lovingly down, dropping a quick kiss onto his wife’s upturned face. “Well, thank you for including him in our party. Wherever it goes from here is Ackerley’s responsibility. Now let us see about getting our house back to ourselves.”
With a grin at each other, they returned to the house and helped the rest of their guests depart without incident.
Chapter Twenty Seven
Lord Ackerley made excellent time riding back to London. He felt badly about how hard he had pushed his mount, but he had needed the brisk ride to help clear his mind and focus his thoughts. He was no further ahead in deciding how he was going to force Julianna into telling him why she kept shutting him out, but he was hardened in his resolve to do so.
He was well caked with dust and dirt from his dash across the country when he was welcomed home by an uncomfortable looking footman.
“Welcome home, my lord,” greeted the footman politely, looking around frantically for the butler. “I trust you had a nice time while in the country.”
Luc eyed the young man curiously. “It was passable, John, thank you for asking. Might I ask why you look so skittish?”
Blushing hotly the young footman began a stuttering explanation. “That is to say, my lord, it should be the butler speaking to you on the matter, surely not me. I ain’t had no trainin’ sir.” In his distress, the lad’s background began to show in his accent.
He was saved from further explanation by the arrival on the scene of the viscount’s trusted butler. That usually unflappable gentleman was looking rather harried as well. This caught Luc’s attention firmly.
“What is going on around here Henry?” he demanded to know.
Relieved at his master’s arrival, the butler was only too happy to unburden himself. “It’s the young lordship you befriended, my lord. He arrived before the sun this morning demanding to see you. We tried to explain to him that you were out of town, but he decided to wait. He’s been pacin’ around the parlour for hours, my lord. I’m afraid he’s wearing himself to exhaustion and a hole in the carpet, which the housekeeper will never forgive me for.”
Trying to decipher what exactly his trusted butler was trying to tell him, Luc gazed at him with his brow knit in confusion. “Who did you say is pacing a hole in my parlour?”
“The young lord, my lord. You know, the Earl of Somerton’s son. Young Lord Fletcher.” Clearly the butler expected his master to have figured this out on his own from the explanation given.
“Do you know why Fletcher is so anxious to speak with me?” Luc was tired from his travels and a little frustrated with Montgomerys in general at the moment. He was hoping it was to be a simple matter.
Henry did not have a chance to answer the viscount. Obviously, Fletcher had heard the commotion of the viscount’s arrival, which caused him to dash from the parlour to present himself to Lucius immediately.
“My lord, you have finally returned!” he declared with all the dramatic flair a youth can muster.
“In the flesh, Fletcher. I understand you have been waiting to see me. I must apologize for keeping you for so long. I was unaware we had an appointment.”
Blushing at the reminder of how maladroit his behaviour was, Fletcher hastened to launch into an explanation. “I desperately needed to speak with you on a matter of the utmost importance. I believed you would be home soon, so I asked to wait. Please, my lord, you must help me.”
“Gently, Fletcher, gently. Come along to my library and you can tell me all about it. Have my people made you comfortable? Do you need anything to eat or drink? A little something to settle your
nerves that appear to be on the verge of being overwrought?”
The viscount was feeling amused at Fletcher’s dramatics and hoped that chiding him a little would cause him to realize that whatever his problem might be, it wasn’t nearly worth all the melodrama.
Distractedly Fletcher acknowledged the hospitality shown to him. “Yes, yes, your servants were more than kind to me. I had a sandwich a while ago. Thank you, yes, a whiskey would be just the thing right now.”
After pouring the young man a couple of fingers of the spirit and getting some for himself, Luc seated himself behind his large desk while Fletcher continued to pace.
“Please, Fletch, take a seat. Sip your drink. When you are ready, tell me what the problem is.”
Fletcher obeyed readily, gulping down his drink with an air of desperation but then taking a deep fortifying breath as his nerves appeared to steady a bit. After another deep breath, he launched into his explanation.
“I challenged a man to a duel and I am not too certain what I am supposed to do now.”
Shocked and dismayed over his young guest’s words, Luc nearly choked in the act of swallowing his own drink.
“You challenged a man to a duel?” he demanded with incredulity. “What caused this? How could you have done such a thing?”
Fletcher visibly paled at the viscount’s outburst, which caused Ackerley to apologize. “I’m sorry, Fletch, excuse my outburst. Please start at the beginning and tell me exactly what happened.”
Gulping down what was left in his glass, Fletcher stood and began to pace again.
“You see, everyone was out of town. Julianna and Odelia went off to some house party in the country. Kenneth Landon had to go see his father, who hasn’t been doing too well lately. You were not around. And my father is always so busy. Anyway, I went out on the town with some of my old friends. We obviously had way too much to drink. One thing led to another as it always does in such a situation. I overheard some other gentlemen talking about Abigail in some very unflattering terms. I jumped to the conclusion that they were speaking of Lady Abigail Fielding and I took exception to their words.”
Sweet Surrender (Ladies of Mayfair Book 3) Page 26
