Julie smiled. She sometimes wished she was like Beverley. Her parents were wealthy landowners and had come into their wealth through hard work. Beverley was accepted into the Ton because her father had made many influential friends. They had been neighbors as children and Julie couldn’t think of a more down-to-earth, sensible friend than Beverley Nye.
“Thank you for staying with me.”
“Well, we’re friends, aren’t we?” Beverley’s eyes glinted. “Also, I do need a favor off you.”
“A favor?”
“Yes.” Beverley linked arms with Julie and sighed. “I plan on getting married this season.”
Julie pulled up. This was the first she had heard of it.
“Really? Congratulations.”
“Don’t congratulate me yet. I need to get the man’s attention first.”
That had Julie staring. What had she just said?
“Wait a minute—you’re planning on getting married this season and yet the man you want to marry doesn’t know about you?”
Beverley waved her hands carelessly.
“Oh, he knows about me, but he doesn’t do anything about us. I’ve turned other men away just so I can be free for him.” She sighed wistfully. “But he won’t approach me and I see him watching me. I think he’s just shy about approaching me. So, I just need to give him a little nudge.”
“Why can’t you do it yourself?”
“I have but I don’t seem to have the perfect persuasion.” Beverley laid a hand on Julie’s arm. “You, on the other hand, are really good at persuasion when you want to be.”
Julie wished that wasn’t the case. And she wasn’t sure she liked what Beverley wanted. She didn’t like conversing with people at the best of times, but once she relaxed, Julie found she could keep several people captive. It was a strange combination and Julie wasn’t sure she liked it. It did make for some awkward conversations.
And she had a feeling this was going to be one of them.
“So, you want me to nudge this man in your direction so you can become his wife?”
“Yes,” Beverley declared. “I’m destined to become the Countess of Reading. But the earl seems to withdraw from people.”
The Earl of Reading? Julie stared at her friend.
“Why would you want to marry someone who’s shy? You’d be incredibly bored.”
“Because he’s wealthy, he’s young, and he’s very handsome,” Beverley smirked. “I can stop him from being shy, I know it.”
“I believe you,” Julie murmured.
Now she was beginning to worry. The Beverley she had known hadn’t cared much about men before. Being in Society had turned her head and now she was completely different. Julie wasn’t sure she liked the new Beverley Nye.
She wasn’t going to get away from this. Beverley would strong-arm her into it. Julie sighed.
“All right, then. Where is he? I’ll see what I can do. But I can’t promise anything.”
Beverley looked triumphant. She looked around the room and then pointed.
“That’s him over there. By the orchestra with the two blonde-haired women. The one wearing the blue coat.”
Julie looked. And her eyes landed on the Earl of Reading, who was talking to the young women with a smile that seemed to light up his whole face. Her heart stopped and Julie forgot how to breathe. Handsome didn’t begin to describe him. Tall, lean, with curly black hair and a strong-looking jaw, his sapphire-blue eyes twinkled and his teeth seemed to glow in the light.
No wonder Beverley wanted him as her husband. Julie certainly wouldn’t complain. He didn’t look shy from the way he was talking to the two girls, who were giggling and simpering over him. If anything, he looked like he was the most comfortable person in the room.
“Julie?”
Julie jumped. Beverley was looking at her expectantly. Julie swallowed and took out her fan, snapping it open and hoping Beverley hadn’t noticed her flushed cheeks.
“I’ll do what I can,” she muttered.
This wasn’t going to be easy.
***
“Who’s that?”
David Livesay, Earl of Reading, looked up from staring into his empty glass. He was bored. Balls were not on his list of priorities as far as he was concerned. But it was common Society etiquette that he attend, mostly so he could be subtly paraded in front of all the eligible women who were looking for a husband.
Reading wasn’t interested. He had been the earl for three years and had only come out of mourning the year before. The last thing he wanted to do was find a wife for himself. He wanted to get out and enjoy himself, see his friends, and make the most of his title.
This was a small price to pay. Even if Reading wished he could simply stay at home. That would be a much better evening for him than standing in a room where the noise was making his ears hurt, and he was getting tapped with fans. Whoever made those fans ought to be arrested because they were heavier than they looked.
“Who?” Reading blinked at his friend. “Who are you talking about?”
Thomas Cooper, Earl of Barking, pointed unashamedly across the room.
“The red-headed girl with Miss Nye in the corner. By the potted plant. I’ve not seen her before.”
That was typical of Barking. He refused to have anything to do with women beyond a simple conversation and some vaguely intelligent company, but he could appreciate a woman’s physical attributes. The man was often pointing them out.
Sighing, Reading turned. And his heart almost stopped. He had seen many lovely looking women in his time, but none could compare to the girl with red hair standing with the petite, buxom-looking brunette who was fussing over her. She looked like she didn’t want to be there. Reading knew the feeling.
He couldn’t take his eyes off her. There was something familiar about her. Reading was sure he had seen her before. But that couldn’t be possible. He would certainly remember a beautiful young woman like her.
Chapter 2
Reacquaintance
Barking laughed and nudged him.
“Careful, Reading. Your tongue’s hanging out.”
“Oh.” Reading cleared his throat and managed to turn away, feeling his face getting warm. “I haven’t seen her before, either. She must be new to Society.”
“New?” Barking snorted.
“She looks a little old for her first season, doesn't she?”
Reading gave his friend a sharp kick on the shin.
“Hey!”
“Don’t be cruel, Barking. The poor thing’s going to be nervous. She doesn’t want to be scrutinized like that.”
Barking snorted.
“Well, she’s going to have to get used to it. Everyone’s going to be watching her now, waiting to see who’s going to become her husband or when she’s going to make a faux pas.”
Reading rolled his eyes. He and Barking had been born days apart, their parents very close friends. They had grown up together. While he was used to the earl’s attitude, Reading still couldn’t understand it.
“You need to work on your manners, Barking,” he warned. “It’s no wonder you haven’t got a wife yet.”
“That’s because I don’t want a wife.” Barking puffed out and patted his chest proudly. “I want to make sure I stay a bachelor.”
“Who said romance is dead?”
“Must’ve been me.” Barking chuckled and finished his glass. “I’m going to get another drink. Do you want one?”
“No, thank you.”
Reading had more important things to do. Things like approaching the new girl and seeing what her story was. If it had been anyone else, Reading would have turned away and walked off, like he had done so many times before. But there was something about this girl that captured his attention. Reading knew his curiosity wouldn’t be satisfied until he found out what it was that intrigued him.
But that would have to wait until she was away from Beverley Nye. Beverley was one of those women that Reading tended to avoid like the pl
ague. She was vivacious and a little too loud for his liking. Her laugh was too loud and she would openly stare at him, making him uncomfortable. Beverley would probably be a good match for Barking, if he ever decided to find a wife. But, for Reading, she was someone he would keep at arm’s length.
How did this girl know Beverley Nye? Was she the same? Reading hoped not, or he was going to have a very disappointing evening.
Then he saw the girl leaving Beverley’s side, making her way around the edge of the room. If she was any closer to the wall, she would have become part of the furniture. Leaving his glass on a tray that a passing waiter was carrying, Reading made his way towards the terrace. He could cut her off there. And Beverley wasn’t following her.
That was better already.
Reading leant against a pillar and waited for the girl to reach him. She was looking nervously around the room, her eyes darting about everywhere. It was like she was looking for someone. Reading began to wonder who. Was she meeting someone?
Reading spoke as she walked past him.
“Good evening.”
She jumped and spun around with a gasp. Her large brown eyes locked with his and Reading couldn’t bring himself to look away. Her eyes widened, and her cheeks reddened, the flush spreading down her neck. She looked even lovelier when she blushed.
It was a moment before she regained her composure. Dropping her eyes, she curtsied.
“Good evening, my lord.”
Did she know who he was? From the way she had reacted, Reading guessed she did. Most of Society would know who he was if they knew their families and the nobility. He pushed off the pillar and stood before her. Even out of her curtsy, the girl kept her eyes down, staring at his feet.
“I’ve not seen you around here before.” That was a terrible starting line but Reading rushed on. “Your first ball?”
“Yes. I…” She gnawed at her lower lip, her hands fiddling with the handkerchief she had been clutching. “I’ve only just come out of mourning. My mother died just after I turned eighteen.”
Now Reading felt like an awful person. She had suffered a loss. And so young. Reading could understand how she felt. He wanted to touch her arm, give her some comfort, but that wasn’t appropriate. Not when he didn’t even know her name.
“Forgive me,” he murmured. “I didn’t know.”
“No reason why you should.” She swallowed. “I didn’t want to be disrespectful to my mother’s memory.”
Reading could empathize with that. When his father had died, he had withdrawn from everyone. His stepmother, on the other hand, had wanted to go out and act like everything was fine. She was the dowager countess now, but she acted as if she was still the Countess of Reading. Reading had put a stop to it, shipping her off to their holiday home in Cumbria. His stepmother hadn’t liked that, but Reading wasn’t about to put up with the vile woman. That had been his father’s job.
“Well, you’re here now,” he said brightly. “Do you want someone to show you around and introduce you?”
“I…” The girl gulped. “I don’t want to impose on anyone.”
“Nonsense. I’d be more than happy to help you.” He bowed. “I’m David Livesay, Earl of Reading.”
She nodded, bobbing a curtsy again.
“Julie Watts, daughter to the Earl of Norwich.”
Watts. That sparked a memory. Reading stared at the woman before him. Now he remembered. It felt like a lifetime ago since he had last seen her.
How could he have forgotten her?
“You’re little Julie?”
“Little?”
“Forgive me, I just remembered. We have met before.”
Julie’s eyebrows rose.
“Really?”
“Ten years ago. Your father and my father were friends.” Reading grinned. “You were ten years old with pigtails and freckles across your nose. You were a rough-and-tumble type of girl and you drove your father to distraction.”
He could see the memory dawning for Julie as well. She was beginning to remember him. As he looked closely, he could see the freckles still there, but they had faded. Her hair was less strawberry-blonde now and more auburn and very sleek.
She had grown into a beautiful woman.
“And you were a tall and gangling boy of fourteen.” A slight smile twitched at her mouth. “Your hair looked like the curls had been brushed by a wild animal.”
Reading laughed and rubbed at his hair. He kept it short now for that exact reason.
“It still is, if I don’t keep on top of it.”
“It’s better behaved, certainly.”
Now Julie was smiling. And it was a lovely smile. Reading felt his chest tightening. That had never happened with any woman before and it had him stunned. What was it about Julie Watts that was so different?
There was no chance of walking away now. Reading wanted to know more. He crooked his arm at her.
“Come. I’ll introduce you to some people.”
Julie looked at his arm, biting her lip and glanced behind her. Reading wondered who she was looking for. But then she nodded and slipped her small hand into the crook of his arm. Reading could feel the heat of her hand through his coat and it was all he could do not to trip over his own feet.
He led her around the edge of the ballroom, feeling like the luckiest man in the room. Then Reading saw Beverley Nye hovering near the orchestra watching them, her eyes gleaming. What was she up to?
“What were you doing conversing with Miss Nye?”
“She’s my friend. We’ve known each other for years.” Julie blinked up at him. “Do you know her?”
“A bit,” Reading grunted. “She’s an acquaintance of a friend of mine.”
“And what do you think of her?”
Why were they talking about a woman Reading couldn’t stand? But he wasn’t going to be rude to Julie; she was nervous, and he needed to be gentle.
“This is being a little unkind, if I’m honest, but I find her a little too loud for my liking.”
Julie winced.
“She can be loud. But she does have a heart of gold. You couldn’t find anyone more loyal than her.”
“You are her friend, Lady Julie. Of course you would defend her.”
Julie frowned.
“My lord, she has a lot of good qualities.”
“I’m sure she has,” Reading murmured.
“You don’t believe me, do you?”
Reading shrugged.
“I’m one of those people who tends to believe what I see, not what I’m told.” He swiftly changed the subject; Reading had a feeling Julie would storm off if he carried on like this and having her walk away was the last thing he wanted. “I don’t want to talk about Miss Nye anymore, Lady Julie. I want to know more about you. I want to know about how little Julie Watts has got on since we last saw each other.”
Julie bit her lip. She had a very nice mouth. Then she bowed her head, her cheeks flushing again.
“Very well, my lord.”
Chapter 3
Favors Gone Awry
“What happened last night?”
Julie stared at Beverley as she paced across the carpet.
“I beg your pardon?”
“What were you doing? You were supposed to get the earl directed towards me, not accept another day and time to meet him again!”
Julie had to take a moment to catch up. Her friend had come storming in without notice and was in a foul mood. She had been ranting about how the night before had gone abysmally and she was blaming Julie for it. Julie couldn’t see why; she had done her best to get Reading to talk about Beverley, and she dropped her friend’s name whenever she could without being too obvious, but every time Reading had diverted the conversation or simply said he didn’t want to talk about her. It was clear he didn’t care much for Beverley.
But Julie couldn’t tell that to her friend. It would be awful for her. And Beverley would get into a rage that Julie didn’t want to face. When Beverley got angr
y, she was really angry.
And there wasn’t much she could do about it. Reading had walked her to her carriage and asked to see her again. Julie knew she couldn’t turn him down and had quickly agreed. Hopefully, this would work in her favor.
Plus, she got to see Reading again. He had really grown up. Her heart wouldn’t stop fluttering whenever she looked at him. And from the way he stared at her, he seemed to be equally intrigued with her.
That wasn’t good for Julie. Or for Beverley. He was supposed to fall in love with her friend, not Julie. She had to fix this soon or her friendship with Beverley was going to be broken.
“I couldn’t exactly turn him down like that, Beverley,” Julie pointed out. “That’s very rude.”
Beverley snorted.
“Sounds like he’s more interested in you.”
Julie sighed and turned away. She hoped Beverley didn’t see her face flushing at the thought.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Beverley. Anyway, if I see him again, it will give me more time to get him to realize that you’re the woman for him.”
That sounded like a lie, so much so that Julie winced. After an evening reacquainting herself with Reading, she had come to the knowledge that Beverley would be very ill-suited to him. Aesthetically, they may have looked pleasing, but that wouldn’t matter once Beverley opened her mouth. She may have gotten into Society due to her family’s sudden and vast wealth in recent years but she was a commoner at heart. That hadn’t gone down well from what Julie had found out.
It was embarrassing to realize that her best friend from childhood wasn’t as popular as she thought she was.
Beverley was looking a little more pacified. She pursed her lips and wrinkled her nose.
“I hope you can, Julie.” She sniffed. “Because it’s what I want. The Earl of Reading is mine and I will make sure he knows it.”
That was how she had been as a child. Whenever she wanted it, Beverley went out and got it. Looking at her now, Julie couldn’t understand how they had been friends. Beverley Nye was beginning to show herself as a spoiled little rich girl. She didn’t seem to grasp the fact that she was lucky to come into the wealth her family had acquired, and it could be easily taken away from her again.
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