Julia looked to the head of the stairs and saw Thurston at the top, his customary stern expression in place.
She gathered her skirts in one hand and held the rail with the other as she ascended the steps. Passing Thurston, she nodded her thanks to him, and went to find Virginia.
Chapter Twenty
“Are you going to resume glaring at Miss Devon when she returns?”
Nathaniel found Timothy smirking at him. His friend had returned to his chair, elbows on the armrests, and one fist tucked under his chin. He looked less the part of a barrister and more that of a mischief maker, given the glint in his eye.
“I beg your pardon?”
“You heard what I said. The woman you love stood not four feet from you, and all you did was stare at her. And not in a very pleasant manner.”
“What should I do? Take her up in my arms and declare my affection? At a time like this?” Though Nathaniel wished he had the right to enfold her in her arms, offering comfort and respite from the world around her, he could hardly act on such feelings.
He wished someone was taking care of her. Julia appeared ready to drop from exhaustion at any moment, given the dark circles beneath her beautiful eyes. Yet she behaved with as much refinement as ever.
“If you continually wait for the correct time, I must warn you, it may never come.”
Timothy had a point, Nathaniel knew, but he sincerely doubted he should make any declarations of his feelings at a time of mourning, or on a business call with a barrister. Why was he even here?
He pressed his index fingers to his temples and closed his eyes, trying to push back the headache that had been threatening to burst all morning. He’d not slept the night before, his mind too full of Julia and his concern for her and the burdens she’d taken up.
“Nate?” Timothy’s earnest tone brought Nathaniel’s gaze back to his. “I don’t want to see your heart broken again. If I seem too meddlesome, know that it is only because you are my friend, and I care about your well-being.” Delivering each word with deliberate inflection, Timothy had never sounded so sincere outside of a courtroom.
Nathaniel relaxed enough to offer his oldest friend a spare smile. “Thank you. I will keep that in mind when next I’m tempted to throttle you.”
A grin cracked his friend’s serious expression. “I appreciate that.”
Nathaniel chuckled, but grew somber once more when they heard voices beyond the door. Female voices.
The door opened, Julia entering first, followed closely by her cousin.
While Julia looked as though she needed a great deal of rest, the baroness appeared calm. The only indication of her true feelings could be found in the red rims of her eyes and the pallor of her face.
Bows were made, curtsies returned, and Lady Heatherton stood with her hands clasped before her, blonde eyebrows raised, every inch the noblewoman. She wore a black dress with few frills and long sleeves, a white fichu stretching from the neckline to almost below her jaw. Her mourning struck him as both appropriate and elegant. Indeed, she could be the very personification of dignified grief.
“Gentlemen, thank you for calling upon me this morning. I have learned that Mr. Macon has come and gone, after informing my cousin he intends to press his suit to become guardian to my sons.” She swallowed and looked to Julia, who gave her an encouraging nod.
“I had rather not worry about Mr. Macon. Mourning my husband has stolen a great deal of my energy and my concentration. But I feel it is best we decide on what is to be done to allow me to devote my time and energies to my sons and our estate.”
“I agree, my lady,” Timothy said, his tone as somber as his expression. “Please, sit, there are things we should discuss.”
“Of course. My cousin will stay to attend to me. Doctor Hastings, I trust your honesty and judgment. I hope you have come today to lend those traits to us?”
“I have, my lady.”
There were two armchairs near the fireplace, a bench beneath a window, and the chair behind the desk. The ladies took up the chairs while the men brought the other furniture closer, creating a semi-circle around the hearth. Nathaniel tried not to look at Julia too often, but he did put the small bench nearer her chair before sitting upon it.
She glanced at him and smiled before Timothy cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention to himself. Nathaniel placed a great deal of hope in that smile. As brief as it was, it lifted his heart.
“The fact that you are in mourning can be used to our advantage, if we act immediately. The opposition will no doubt try to paint you as a woman absorbed in grief and unable to function in the role of guardian, as well as your ability to appear before a magistrate or judge to make your case. But if we act first, we can instead demand that your mourning is treated with deference and respect. I would ask you to compose a letter, giving a definitive date as to when you will be able to address the concerns of the court, and hinting heavily that you have friends in high places who are willing to vouch to your character.”
Nathaniel glanced from the baroness to Julia, wondering what they would make of this idea.
“It’s a delaying tactic,” Lady Heatherton said. “To buy us time.”
“Exactly, my lady. It will give me time to contact your solicitor, run him down if I must, and build a case. It will also give the court something to think about, when they realize you have your own connections.”
“I cannot think whose names I might flaunt, besides my brother the earl. He is hardly a useful sort of person.” She pursed her lips but her eyes had taken on some life. Nathaniel relaxed and looked to Julia again.
“What sort of a case do you think you might build in your purchased time?” Julia asked and Nathaniel nearly nodded in approval. That would be his next question.
“First, we will be able to show that your ladyship is quite capable of running her own affairs. Second, no one will be able to use an argument of your being over-emotional after some time has passed. Third, it will allow me to build sympathy for your position with the powers that be. And fourth, we will be able to compile the testimony of the staff and Doctor Hastings into a clear narrative. I have great confidence we will succeed.”
Lady Heatherton nodded, her eyebrows drawn down. “That makes sense to me. And you will keep me apprised of the situation while I am away?”
“Away?” Timothy’s eyebrows shot up. “You don’t mean to stay in Bath?”
“I wish to leave this house as soon as possible,” the baroness said purposefully, but Nathaniel saw her hands curl into fists where they rested in her lap. “My sons need fresh air and room to come to terms with the loss of their father. This house, lovely as it is, holds the memories of my husband’s last painful weeks. I would rather be anywhere else.”
Timothy appeared to consider that idea.
Nathaniel ventured his own thoughts, keeping his tone professional, while his heart beat erratically in his chest. The baroness leaving would mean Julia’s departure as well.
“I must agree that country air would be better for her ladyship and her children, though I hate the thought of them being lost to Bath.” He dared a glance at Julia only to see her staring down at her lap. Did she want to leave? Would she stay, if he asked her to?
“I could return to our estate,” Lady Heatherton said, her voice losing some of its strength.
Julia looked up at that, her half-lidded eyes widening. “Oh, Ginny, I’m not sure that’s wise. You would be all alone out there, unprotected.”
While that argument perplexed Nathaniel, he saw Timothy nodding in agreement.
“It wouldn’t be wise, my lady. It is most important that you keep your sons under your watchful eye.” He leaned forward, wearing one of the most earnest expressions Nathaniel had ever seen on his face.
“I believe a large part of this case will depend upon you having the boys. Their uncle must have no access to them, in case he decides to spirit them away. If the children were with him, he could argue your negligence
in providing safety, show that he is a far superior guardian due to nothing more than brute strength. Such things have happened before. It would be better if you went somewhere that he is not familiar with or does not know of at all.”
“I cannot think where.” Lady Heatherton closed her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. “My mother is in London, my brother at his estate in Suffolk. I confess, going to either of them in my present state would hardly help the case of proving that I am not a hysterical female, given the way they both influence my mood.” She grimaced and lowered her hand, glancing from Timothy to Nathaniel.
“Go to Christine.” All eyes turned to Julia, whose expression had brightened. “Ginny, you must. Her husband and father-in-law will be there, and Kettering is beautiful in the spring. The boys will have all the fresh exercise and air they will need, and you will be well cared for.”
“I couldn’t possibly impose on them,” Lady Heatherton answered delicately, raising a hand to her heart. “They are newlyweds.”
“They haven’t the faintest idea how newlyweds ought to behave,” Julia said, half-smiling. “They live at the family estate, they are attempting to start a horse farm, and they are so delighted in their work and with each other that they will not mind you or the boys at all. In fact, I had a letter from Christine two days ago, and she specifically asked if I thought you would accept an invitation to visit.”
Nathaniel watched Julia’s animated and impassioned speech, both hopeful that her solution would serve Lady Heatherton and agonizing over what it meant for his desire to court and wed her.
Julia would, of course, go with Virginia. Why wouldn’t she? She could be with her beloved sister and cousin. She would be closer to her own home.
“It might work. Especially if you remain at a distance, as your brother-in-law has begun proceedings here in Bath. The locals might see it as overstepping themselves to continue the case while you are completely out of the county.” Timothy started nodding. “This would be an excellent idea.”
Lady Heatherton sighed and nodded. “Very well. I will remove my family to Kettering. My brother-in-law will be overseeing my late husband’s remains on their journey back to the family estate. While he attends to that duty, I will take the children to my cousin.”
It often struck Julia as unfair that women were not expected to accompany a funeral procession, it was considered too much for their delicate constitutions. But now that lack of expectation would serve a purpose for her cousin.
“I will send a letter to Christine immediately,” Julia said, rising to her feet.
“Thank you, Julia.”
Nathaniel and Timothy rose as well, but before Julia could leave the room, Timothy spoke hastily.
“And there are a few other things I should like to discuss with you in private, my lady. If you will allow it?”
“Of course, Mr. Olivier.” She nodded to Nathaniel. “Thank you for your time, Doctor.”
“I am at your service, my lady.” He bowed and turned to see Julia had stopped halfway to the door. In a few quick strides, he passed her to lead her out of the room, and then closed the door behind them.
Julia remained standing in the hall, by the door, staring up at him. “Thank you, Doctor Hastings. Virginia has a very high opinion of you. I know she appreciated your coming.”
Nathaniel stared down into her beautiful brown eyes, watching as the light turned them nearly amber. Julia was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on. Under his assessing stare, her face regained some color. Julia’s blush made her lovelier still.
“Did you appreciate it?” He’d asked the question before evaluating whether it was sensible to voice it. He cleared his throat and looked down, feeling more like a schoolboy than a physician. “I am sorry. That was—”
“I did, very much,” she said hastily, before he could apologize.
Nathaniel brought his eyes up to hers once more, drawing in a deep breath. She smelled of lilacs and springtime.
An idea struck him, and Nathaniel acted on it without thinking. Timothy would likely be proud of him later.
“Would you come with me? There is something I would like to say to you, in private.” He held his hand out to her. Not his arm, as a proper escort would do, but his hand, without a glove to provide a barrier between them.
Julia looked from his hand to his face, and he hoped she saw his earnestness. Then she reached out, her fingers as uncovered as his, touching lightly against his. Nathaniel parted his fingers and entwined them with hers, his palm meeting Julia’s in a grasp that sent his heart racing and his hopes soaring.
“This way.” He did not have to pull or tug—she matched her steps to his, following him to the conservatory. Nathaniel’s blood sang through his veins, and his courage mounted.
He had seized the moment, and he would lay his heart at her feet.
∞ ∞ ∞
The world around Julia and Nathaniel remained still and silent, as befitting a house in mourning, but Julia’s heart beat a staccato rhythm most appropriate to the whirl of thoughts in her head. Taking Nathaniel’s hand, trusting to follow where he led, meant putting her more practical thoughts and responsibilities aside, even if only for a short time. They moved quietly through the halls to the conservatory.
The last time they’d stood in that room, she’d watched him leave with her heart in her throat. For an instant, she’d felt certain he wanted to take her in his arms, but told herself after he would never feel more tenderness towards her than was appropriate in a friendship.
Perhaps she was wrong.
When they reached the same corner where she’d sat, waiting to return his medical bag after Mr. Macon’s underhanded bribe attempt, Nathaniel gave the hand he held a gentle squeeze. Rather than release her from his grasp, he held his other hand out. Julia took that one, too.
“Miss Devon,” he said. “Julia.” His blue eyes took her in, searching her face for some sign, appearing anxious.
“Nathaniel.” She spoke his name with tenderness, trying to ignore the loud drumming of her heart. He had looked at her like this only once before, she knew, the day before he’d gone to speak to her father about courting her. They had been walking through Hyde Park, her maid at an appropriate distance, and he’d stopped in the middle of the path to gaze at her. All those years ago, she had marked that moment as the best in her life but had since tried to bury it with its resulting pain. Now that look was a balm to her weary heart.
He lowered his gaze to their joined hands, then slowly lifted one to place a kiss across it, his lips firm and warm against her skin. Julia felt sparks ignite and race from her fingers to her toes, her every nerve tingling in pleasant surprise.
Nathaniel’s eyes raised to hers as he lavished the same gentle press of lips to her other hand, watching her carefully for her reaction.
Julia could not help the shiver that overtook her, or the way her mouth parted as the pleasant sensation overtook her. In all their time together before, he’d never touched her in such a way. He’d always kept a proper, and cautious, distance between them, as a gentleman should.
“Dear Julia, how are you?” he asked, his words concerned and gentle.
Her heart would’ve fallen if not for the endearment preceding her name. She’d almost expected a declaration after his gentle ministrations.
He’s a doctor, she remembered and tried to fight her amusement. Of course he will want to assess your well-being. If anything, that realization made her love him more. Nathaniel Hastings would always put the care of others first, before his own concerns and wants, because that was the kind of man he had always been.
“I am a little tired, but otherwise quite well. Thank you.” She carefully removed one hand from his to gesture to the bench behind them. “May we sit?” Perhaps if he did not worry after her, he would say what was really on his mind. If not, she would say exactly what was on hers.
He followed her and sank down next to her, keeping her other hand in his, and then drawing
it closer to him.
“Julia, I must speak to you. I know it might not be the most appropriate time—”
She shook her head vehemently. “Nathaniel, there is never a perfect time to say anything, but there are plenty of missed opportunities. Please, tell me. What are you thinking?” She hoped her encouragement was gentle enough, but considering the leap of her heart, it very well may be too exuberant.
Nathaniel’s eyes lit up and the corners wrinkled in amusement. She had not seen him smile like that since London, and he looked happier than she’d seen him since meeting him again in Bath.
“What am I thinking? I’m thinking that this is the perfect time after all. Julia, after we parted in London, my heart ached and my soul remained lonely. I spent years trying to forget you, telling myself we were not meant to be, and trying to rejoice in avoiding a connection to the cold person I convinced myself you were.”
A prick of pain in her heart reminded her that she had been doing the same ever since her disastrous first and only London season. She’d hoped he would return, would not give up on her, but she’d known that her indifferent response to his feelings had crushed him. Those years of derision from her father, loneliness as she tried to raise her sisters, had built a wall around her heart.
She was more than ready for Nathaniel to dismantle them.
“But seeing you again, speaking with you, being near you, has made me realize that, despite my best efforts, I never stopped loving you.”
Julia raised her free hand to her mouth to cover her gasp. “Nathaniel.” She laughed through the tears that began falling and shook her head. “Oh, my darling.”
A laugh escaped him and he gathered her up in his arms, settling her against his chest where she buried her face. Her arms wrapped around his waist, and the walls around her heart came tumbling down.
“Oh, Julia. Don’t cry.”
She shook her head against his chest. “I can’t help it. I’ve been alone, and everything has been terrible of late, and now—now, you love me. I’m happy.” She moved away enough to regard him carefully, and when their eyes met she saw his bright with joy. “I love you, Nathaniel. I have since London. But I was young, and I didn’t know how we could ever possibly marry. My father—”
The Gentleman Physician: A Regency Romance (Branches of Love Book 2) Page 19
