“If there was to be a match between us, how much of a dowry has my brother promised?”
Lord Bullfield looked away, and his chin lifted although his color remained high.
“He did not offer me any such thing.”
Julia rolled her eyes.
“Perhaps I might suppose, then, that he will relieve you of a great debt should you take my hand in marriage. Alas, I must disabuse you of the idea that I am more than content to be used as a bargaining chip. Good evening, Lord Bullfield.” Without so much as a backward glance, and refusing to stay anywhere near her brother, Julia strode away, throwing aside the requirement for a chaperone. “Lord Bullfield, indeed!”
Exclaiming quietly under her breath, she made her way into the shadows at the side of the room and chose to remain there, leaning her back against the wall so that she would not be easily seen. Lord Bullfield was her brother’s acquaintance and unfortunately was well known to thetonto be something of a flirt. He was not inclined to court and had never expressed any desire to marry, so why her brother thought that she should be interested in him, Julia could not imagine. Mayhap it was that her brother was becoming rather desperate, knowing that if she were wed, then there would be no long-term financial requirement from him any longer, whereas if she became a spinster or companion, then he would have to dosomethingto ensure her meager comfort. For her brother, the former would be far more appealing than the latter.
Her chest rose and fell as she watched the growing crowd. There was only one gentleman she was interested in seeing, and he was not yet present. Perhaps he would not appear this evening, but even if he did not, Julia had every intention of speaking with Miss Lawrence about him, planning to ask her as much as she could about Lord Wiltsham. If she was truly to think of him as a potential husband, albeit against her own desire, and her own will, then she would have to know as much about his character as possible.
Her face flushed as she recalled the astonishment on his face when he had caught her in his guest bedchamber. He had thrown her from the house thereafter and she had been forced to return to her brother’s house without so much as a smile from him. There had not been even a modicum of understanding in his manner, and certainly no eagerness to know of what she spoke - and yet she was not inclined to think poorly of him for that. Had she been in his shoes, then she might very well have done the same.”
“Are you standing in the shadows for some reason, Miss Carshaw?”
A quick gasp stole her breath as she turned sharply, staggering forward a little only for strong arms to catch hers, setting her back in place. Fearful that it was Lord Bullfield come to force his attentions on her, she let out a small exclamation of relief upon seeing Lord Wiltsham.
“You appear a little surprised to see me. Perhaps you can now understand my own astonishment when I saw you sleeping in my own house.”
For some moments, Julia did not know what to say. She stared at the gentleman, wondering how she was to explain herself. He had not cared before, she considered, so why should he care about her situation now?
“Miss Carshaw?”
“Forgive me, I thought you were…” Closing her eyes, she gave her head a slight shake. “I apologize for the surprise. As I said then, I did not mean for you to see me, or even to become aware of my presence. I thought that you were having improvements made in the house. That was my only thought.”
“Then you were genuine in your eagerness to escape from whatever it is your brother intends for you.”
Believing that his tone was a little condescending. Julia drew herself up. Did he not recall what she had said?
“Yes, my Lord. It is still something which causes me great distress.”
“I am sorry for that.” To her mind, he did sound rather genuine, and she looked up at him with faint surprise, her shoulders dropping back. “My friend considers that I spoke a little harshly. My shock overcame me, as you can well understand, I am sure. If you are in grave trouble with your brother, then I must pray you are soon able to find a way out of your difficulties.”
Julia tried to smile.
“How very considerate of you, Lord Wiltsham. I am certain that I shall be free from my brother soon enough.”
This was spoke with more confidence than she actually felt, but it was the only thing she could say under the circumstances. After all, she was not at all convinced that Lord Wiltsham was in any way concerned with the troubles she was facing at present. He was expressing his concern for her, and whilst she appreciated that, it would do nothing to aid her in her present state. All the same, she considered quietly, this did show that he was a gentleman who, upon reflection, was able to recognize his own mistakes. That had to be a pleasing quality, certainly.
“I should bid you good evening, Miss Carshaw.” As abruptly as he had arrived, Lord Wiltsham took his leave. “Might I wish you a pleasant evening.”
Julia tried to smile, but found that no words came to her lips in response. She could not have a pleasant evening, not when her brother was doing such things as push Lord Bullfield in her direction. Lord Wiltsham threw her another glance over his shoulder and, for a moment, Julia found herself considering whether or not she found him a handsome gentleman. Such things were not of any particular interest to her, of course, but in this regard, if she was genuinely considering him to be a potential candidate for a husband, and thus a key part of her future happiness, then she would prefer to find the gentleman pleasing to look at. With a crop of rather thick dark hair and eyes which could never decide whether they were brown or green, he certainly could catch her interest, should she permit him to do so. She had not yet seen him smile, she decided, and when he did so, that would inform her as to whether or not he was a particularly handsome gentleman.
“I see that you have been talking to Lord Wiltsham. He is a most interesting gentleman, is he not? Always a pleasure to talk to.”
“Good evening, Miss Lawrence.” Genuinely happy to see a previous acquaintance, Julia smiled. “You must have been searching the hallway, and then the ballroom itself, to have found me in such a secret place!”
“Oh no, I did no such thing, I confess. It is only that Lord Wiltsham came to speak with Lord Foster and, given that I was present, informed me that he had only just finished conversing with you.”
“I see.” This was her opportunity, she realized, to speak of Lord Wiltsham so that she might find out more about him. “That was very good of him.”
“I think that he knew that I would be glad to speak with you again. Tell me, have you been in London for long? Is this your first Season?”
“This is my second Season,” Julia replied, trying her best to keep to the subject of Lord Wiltsham. “Although I have not met very many gentlemen, nor ladies for that matter. Last year, my brother did very little to aid me, whereas this Season he is doing all he can to remove me from his house. He wishes me to marry as soon as possible.”
“Oh.” Miss Lawrence’s eyes widened. “That must be distressing for you. I can imagine that there must be a great deal of strain.”
