Clearly, God had abandoned Helena in that moment, for she found herself agreeing to Julia.
“Very well.” Her words made Julia hop at her side. “Yet if I am to assist you in this, then I will be your chaperone. I may be happy to see you meet your love, but I will not permit it to happen alone.”
“Oh, thank you, thank you so much.” Julia nudged her with her shoulder, giggling with delight. “Tomorrow, our mother knows I intend to come to town to buy my wedding gloves. You could escort me then we couldaccidentallybump into Robert.”
“This will go wrong, I fear it,” Helena muttered repeatedly. They walked down the road, coming closer to where Kitty and Anna stood by the carriage.
“Well? Will you come with me?” Julia asked.
Yet there was not time to answer. They reached the carriage, and Anna and Kitty turned to face them.
“You two took your time,” Anna said, a little sharply. “There is still much to be done ahead of this wedding. Come, let us go home, and I will take another look at the arrangements that are left to be made.”
“As you wish, Mother,” Julia said, stepping up into the carriage. Kitty followed, and Helena stepped up last, sitting beside her sister. “Mother, remember I am to purchase my wedding gloves tomorrow.”
“Yes, dear,” Anna said, taking the pad of paper from Kitty and looking down at the notes they’d made regarding the flowers. “I will come too.”
“I was thinking that Helena and I could go alone.” Julia’s words startled Anna enough to jerk her head up.
Well, this plan could fail already if Anna refuses!
Helena shifted in the seat as the carriage left, jolting across the cobble-stoned road.
“But I need to approve the gloves, Julia,” Anna reminded her. “They must go with your gown, and they must be fashionable too.”
“Julia has eyes as do I,” Helena said with a smirk.
“Don’t be cheeky, dear.” Anna waved the pad of paper at Helena in reprimand.
“I just wished to spend some time with my sister alone, ahead of the marriage,” Julia said softly.
Anna shifted in her seat then nodded.
“Well, I could hardly refuse a request like that, could I?” she asked with a smile. “Just be sure, Helena, to make sure she picks the right gloves. I don’t want anything that isn’t quite right.” She wrinkled her nose.
Helena bit her tongue, trying not to speak her mind. Anna cared so much about what thetonthought; she must have hated the idea of a rushed marriage with a special license as it was.
“She will keep a close eye on me, I know it,” Julia said and turned to face Helena on the coach bench. “So, you will come with me tomorrow, Helena? Yes?”
Helena narrowed her eyes, feeling rather cornered into agreeing to this plan. If she did not stay chaperoning them constantly, then Julia and Lord Robert could find themselves in more scandal.
What choice do I have? I have to watch out for my sister!
“I’ll be there,” she whispered.
God, I hope no further scandal will befall.
CHAPTERTWELVE
“Can’t you have found anything else to do today? You could check on the tenants, find some more business to do, anything!” Robert pleaded as he stepped down from the carriage.
“How much of a fool do you think I am, brother?” Christopher leapt down from the carriage hurriedly. He could tell his brother had done everything possible that morning to flee from him.
Little wonder why.
Christopher gave quick instructions to the driver of the carriage to wait for them then hurried down the road, catching up with his brother. He had to hold onto his top hat, in danger of losing it in the wind thanks to his fast pace.
“So, you spring out of bed this morning and flee the house so fast, you think it has not roused suspicion? Even our aunt knew something was up,” Christopher muttered as he reached Robert’s side and walked alongside him. “She thinks your betrothal is so romantic though that she believes everything you do concerns your wife to be. As it is, I think your strange behavior today has everything to do with Lady Julia too.” He caught Robert’s arm and pulled him to a stop in the middle of Covent Garden. “You are trying to see her, brother, aren’t you?”
