As Hart and Fletch stepped into the room, Julianna admired the efforts they had gone to in their toilette. “My lords, you have outdone yourselves this evening. You look extraordinarily handsome tonight.”
Fletch coloured slightly at his aunt’s comments, while Hart offered her a wry bow. “You don’t look too shabby yourself, little sister,” the earl complimented. “I do believe we shall all shine brightly tonight.” Turning toward his daughter, Hart continued, “You, my darling, look ravishing. I shall have to remain near you tonight to fend off the suitors who will be vying for your attentions.”
“Really, Papa? Are you planning to remain in the ballroom for the entire ball?” Odelia could not prevent her incredulity from showing.
The earl blushed. “Well, er, perhaps not the entire ball, my dear. I may have spoken in haste, but I will definitely be about the entire night.”
Julianna stepped into the conversation with a laugh. “It is just as well, Hart, you probably would find it distressing to see the suitors clamouring for our darling Dee’s hand anyway. Now get ready everyone, I just heard the door, our night is about to begin.”
Thus began the whirl of people as the musicians struck up some background music, while the guests began to assemble. Everyone was milling about until finally the earl escorted his daughter to the dance floor for the opening number.
Julianna remained by the entrance to welcome any latecomers after Odelia left on her father’s arm in order to have their dance together. The proud aunt was mightily distracted as she strained to catch a glimpse of the dancing couple. She did not notice the viscount until he cleared his throat.
Nearly jumping out of her skin, Julianna managed to hold back the squeal that threatened to disrupt the assembled guests. “Oh, my lord, you startled me. I apologize profusely that I was not attending my duties.”
“Pay it no mind, my dear. I thought it was charming that you were so intent on watching your niece and brother in their dance.”
Julianna blushed to her roots. She found it baffling that he could have gotten so near to her and she had not noticed, since of late she could sense his presence even across a room. Of course, she was not about to tell him that and she was momentarily at a loss for words. She had not spoken to him in days and had been fervently hoping he would not show up this evening.
Lucius looked searchingly into Julianna’s face. “I have been hoping to have a few words with you, my lady. Do you think you will be able to spare me a few moments this evening? It is on a matter of some import.”
He was surprised to see her eyes dart around franticly as though she were looking for an escape. Luc could see that she made an effort to bring her gaze back to his face before giving him an evasive answer.
“I must apologize once more, my lord. I do not foresee having a single spare moment this evening with all the myriad little details that I must oversee to ensure this ball is a success for Odelia.”
“Could I at least partner you for one of the dances?” he asked in some desperation.
“Thank you, my lord, but I do not think that would be appropriate for me as the hostess. I must be diligent about seeing to the comfort of our guests, you see.”
Luc just about gave up in disgust, thinking to turn on his heel and exit the house without having even stepped into the ballroom. But just before he did, he caught the worried furrow on her brow and the anxious gaze she was trying to conceal from him.
He retained her cold little hand and brought it to his lips. “I understand, my dear, this is a special occasion for your household. Do not trouble yourself about me. I shall save your dance for next time.”
Luc was not sure what to make of the tears he saw shimmering in her eye, and her tremulous smile made his heart turn over although it was a relief that she was not frowning. Seeing her in obvious distress made him wish he could pull her from the room and make her confide all her worries to him. Restraining himself with a concerted effort, he smiled warmly at her and forced himself to relinquish her hand he was still holding.
“Take care, ma petite,” he admonished in a low tone as he finally turned away.
Julianna held onto her composure by a thread, desperately hoping no one could tell that all she wanted to do was run from the room in tears. Why does that man have to have this effect on me? Why can I not be immune to him? Why won’t my heart listen to my reason? she demanded of herself in desperation.
Plastering on a smile, she made it through the rest of the night through sheer force of will. Julianna mingled with the milling crowds, kept an eye on the supplies, oversaw the footmen and maids who were circulating to clean up wherever necessary, and checking on the preparations for the late supper. Throughout it all she was ever aware of the viscount’s presence. Blessedly he was not overt in his attentions, but she was aware of his eyes upon her throughout the night. He did not approach her again until he came to take his leave of her.
“You did a remarkable job of maintaining your sanity tonight, my dear. Until I watched you doing it, I had no idea so much work went into hosting a ball. I must say I should be much more grateful when I accept invitations in the future.”
Julianna blanched and then blushed hotly at his acknowledgement of having been watching her all evening, but she could not help smiling over his praise and his final statement. “It is kind of you to say so, my lord. Are you saying you had a nice time or just pleased that I did not end up in Bedlam?”
Lucius chuckled lightly over her choice of words. “Of course I am delighted that you are not a candidate for Bedlam, but I also had a lovely time. It would appear your niece is a success. You must be congratulating yourself.”
Julianna allowed her eyes to rove about the room and finally settle upon Odelia, who was at the centre of a small crowd animatedly holding court. Smiling gently she turned back to the viscount. “I do believe the dear girl would be a success with or without this evening’s ball, but thank you, my lord, for giving me a little credit for it.”
“No doubt you deserve a great deal of the credit, but I do not wish to put you to the blush,” he teased as he saw her color rising. Wishing she would not insist upon such formality with him he quietly asked, “Would it be possible for me to call upon you one day soon, my dear?”
He had to suppress his sigh as she once more paled before him and stammered out an answer. “Oh, my lord, I must apologize. I do believe we are going to be terribly busy over the next couple of days and then we are leaving town for a house party at Yorkleigh. Perhaps upon our return?”
Luc had to be satisfied with that. At least it was not a complete denial of any chance. But that was little consolation, he acknowledged as he took his leave and wondered absently if it would be possible to get his name on the guest list for the Earl of Yorkleigh’s house party.
Julianna was relieved that the wretched man had finally taken his leave. Her nerves were much steadier as she oversaw the winding down of the ball and getting Odelia settled after all her excitement of the day.
“Aunty Jewel, that was the best night ever,” Odelia declared dreamily as Julianna walked her to her room after the last of their guests had departed. “Thank you so much for doing all the planning. I probably owe you an apology for not being of more help this evening.”
“Not at all, darling Dee. You were the guest of honour. You had to be feted, so you could not be running around making sure the punchbowls were replenished. And I didn’t mind at all. It kept me busy, because I will admit to you I was actually rather nervous about the whole thing.”
“You were?” Odelia was shocked. “I would never have thought so.”
“Well, thank you, my dear. I am glad it was well hidden. While I have some experience being hostess for your father’s political dinners when he invited people to Somerton, that is a far cry from having a ball. I have wondered why we bother having a ballroom in this house since he never hosts any, but it certainly served its purpose this evening. And I must say I am happy with the results.”
; “Me, too,” Odelia grinned. “I wonder if I will be able to sleep tonight,” she mused as they reached her door.
“Maizy should be waiting for you with a cup of warm milk laced with a touch of your father’s brandy. That should do the trick to settling you down enough to fall asleep.”
“You always think of everything, don’t you?
Julianna grinned at her niece. “I do try. Now get yourself off to sleep. The sun will be up shortly.”
“Goodnight.”
Julianna made her way to her own bed, certain that she, too, would require assistance to settle down to sleep.
“Aunty Jules,” asked Odelia hesitantly as she sat with Lady Julianna in their morning room. She was supposed to be working at her needlework, but the hated job had been tossed aside with characteristic impatience.
“Yes, my dear,” replied Julianna distractedly, deep in thought over which invitations should be accepted.
“I was thinking about something you have often said over the years since you came to live with us.”
“What is it?” asked Julianna, still not fully paying attention.
“You have often said that you did not enjoy Town and that you did not miss it. How could you not miss being in London?” asked the young lady, enthusiastically warming to her subject.
This finally caught Julianna’s attention and she realized she would need to tread lightly over what could end up being a tricky subject. Julianna smiled gently at her dearly loved niece.
“I had you and Fletcher to keep me company, Dee. When my grandmother brought me to London for my first Season I was barely out of mourning for my parents. Hart, your father, was busy with his estates, and you two were quite young, so he couldn’t come to Town to keep me company since your mama was in a delicate condition. I was quite lonely for the country and for you all, I must admit, although I did make some very nice friends. Then, as you know, things did not end well for me, and I left Town in a cloud of disgrace, so I really never had any desire to return.”
After a momentary pause, Odelia asked in a small voice, “Do you wish you didn’t have to come to chaperone me?”
Julianna left completely what she was doing and crossed the room quickly to join the young woman on the settee. She gave her a warm hug as she settled next to her. “Don’t be a goose, Dee. I would not miss this for the world!” she declared with feeling.
“But why have you put a cap on your head? And sometimes you sit with all the old ladies and mamas. You aren’t that old. You could be sharing my Season instead of chaperoning it.”
“If I was sharing your Season we would both need a chaperone, silly,” laughed Julianna. “No, I am perfectly happy sitting with the older ladies. Don’t you know they are the ones with the best gossip?”
Again Julianna laughed before continuing more seriously. “Please do not concern yourself about me. I am having a fine time. I truly would never have considered not coming with you. This is an experience of a lifetime for you, and I am very happy to be able to share it with you as well as guide you through the various pitfalls that may arise. I have decided that the dreaded cap on my head puts me in a better position to do that.”
“But don’t you wish you had gotten married?” asked Odelia, still trying to understand her aunt’s feelings.
“At times, to be perfectly honest, I do wonder what it would have been like if I had wed and had a home of my own, besides babies to care for. But then I would not have had these seven years with you and Fletch, and really I wouldn’t want to trade those in for anything.”
“I love you, Aunty Jules!”
“I love you, too. Now tell me what you plan to wear this evening to the theatre.”
A few moments later, completely distracted, at least for the moment, Odelia tripped from the room happy that all was right in her world. She went off in search of her maid with the desire to begin her preparations for that evening’s outings. As she left the room, her father sauntered in.
“That was neatly sidestepped, dearest sister of mine,” he drawled, a knowing look lighting his eyes.
“Whatever do you mean, dear Hart?” laughed his sister in response.
“I may not be paying the kind of attention I should be to all this Season nonsense, but I cannot help but notice that wearing such an ugly cap on your head is a new development. You never did so until after that night that old busy body, Lady Hearst was giving you a hard time at the Westfields’ ball. I saw your face that night and noticed you started wearing a cap whenever you went about after that.”
“I have no idea what you are talking about,” she began airily. “As you were obviously eavesdropping you must have heard me explain to Odelia that wearing a cap puts me in a better position as her chaperone.”
“That is a bunch of poppycock, my dear. You are hiding out from something. I have yet to figure out what it is you are hiding from, but you could chaperone the girl perfectly well without that silly cap on your head. If you actually believe the tripe you just spouted to your niece then you are also lying to yourself. You owe it to yourself to figure out what you are hiding from and confront it.”
He paused briefly in his lecture while his face took on an altogether different look and he continued with a much-changed tone and a twinkle in his eye. “And you owe it to everyone that has to look at you to take off that hideous head covering! I really must say it looks like you took to wearing a doily on your head. Whatever were you thinking?”
Julianna gasped in mock outrage while she threw a spare pillow at his head. He dodged easily, and the two siblings ended up laughing themselves silly.
“It really is terribly ugly, isn’t it?” Julianna had to agree with Hart’s assessment. “I thought it lent me the degree of seriousness needed to properly supervise the young people. And you may be right that I was hiding a wee bit. I do not want to be made a laughingstock. At my age I don’t want anyone thinking I am hanging out for a husband.”
“Why ever not?” Hart demanded. “And stop saying ‘at my age.’ You are several years younger than me and I’ll have you know I don’t feel anywhere near the edge of the grave. If you felt that you wanted to marry, any man would be lucky to have you,” he declared loyally.
They sat together for a moment in companionable silence before Hart continued, again with a serious tone. “I really don’t know what I would have done without you those first few years after Lucretia died, but I really hope you have not let your life pass you by because of me and my children. You actually should give some serious thought to looking around for a husband. What if I decide one day that I need another countess? You would not enjoy having your authority usurped by some other woman.”
“Are you trying to tell me something in your oh-so-subtle-way, Hart?” Julianna asked with some surprise.
“Not exactly, but I have to tell you, being back in Town watching Odelia make her curtsy to society has given me some ideas. Let us just say I am far less opposed to the idea of remarrying than I once was. I still might stay a bachelor for years to come, but especially now that the children are grown, you really need to think about yourself for once, Jules. Dee is going to leave home one of these days, and I suspect you shall be bored to tears when that day comes.”
Julianna gazed at her brother while she mulled over what he had said. It was sufficiently out of character for him to speak like this that she recognized she ought to give it serious consideration. With a sigh, she got up from the settee. “I promise to think about it, Hart, and I appreciate your concern for me and my welfare. But now I must make haste to prepare for our evening at the theatre.”
Julianna fled to her room. It was true she did need to prepare for the evening’s entertainments, but her most pressing concern was to get her scattered wits back in order. Between Odelia’s comments, her brother’s words, and her constant efforts to avoid Viscount Beaufort, she was feeling decidedly muddled.
She was so glad they had accepted the invitation to the Earl and Countess of Yorkleigh’s house party
the following week. She could really use a break from the constant whirl of activity so she could have a few moments to think. Her only regret was that she had not managed to ascertain who else had been invited. But she comforted herself with the thought that the chances of Luc also being invited were very remote. She just had to get through the next couple of days and then she would be out of town for a week. It would be a welcome reprieve.
The one good thing that had come out of her discussions with Odelia and Hart was she could remove the hideous cap from her head. They were correct in their assessments. She was hiding out, which was disgustingly faint-hearted of her. And as it turned out it wasn’t really fooling anyone so there was no sense in continuing with the ruse. Putting a cap over her curls wasn’t going to keep anyone from speculating about her if they so wished. She might as well endeavour to enjoy what she could of the Season.
At least with Odelia’s determination to remain single in order to enjoy another Season, Julianna did not have to make up her mind about her own future plans. In light of Hart’s declaration that he may pursue matrimonial plans of his own, it would need to be considered soon though. He was correct in his assessment that she would not enjoy handing over the reins of household control to another woman. But running her brother’s home could really only be a temporary position, and she would have to think about where she would go when the time came.
But those were concerns for another day. In the meantime, she had a night at the theatre to prepare for.
As usual, Odelia was brimming with excitement about their evening’s activities. The Montgomery men were not joining them that evening, so the ladies had the evening coach to themselves. They were joining a small group of friends to enjoy Kean’s newest offering to the stage. There was a new actress reported to be joining the cast that night, and all of London was abuzz about the unknown’s reputed skills and beauty. Just that afternoon Julianna had been disgusted to hear that the betting books were already filling up with wagers as to which highly born gentleman would be the first to set her up as his mistress.
Sweet Surrender Page 19
