Chapter 1

CHAPTER1

“My Lord, I am so honored by your presence in our humble abode…”

Julia fought the urge to roll her eyes at her mother’s saccharine tone. From underneath the table, she felt a slight nudge on her shin, and she looked up to find her sister, Mary, giving her a warning look.

It would not be wise to antagonize Mama tonight, that look said.

Tamping down her frustration, Julia instead focused on pushing her peas around her plate with her fork before methodically spearing them one by one. She had almost gotten to her sixth pea when she distinctly heard her mother clear her throat. She looked up to find Lady Powell glaring at her most menacingly—something that Julia had already become accustomed to in her two decades and three years of existence.

It was a formidable thing, that glare, but she was nigh on impervious to it at this point.

“Julia.” There was already a frosty bite to her mama’s tone despite her gracious smile. “What do you think of Lord Cosby’s plan?”

A pointed remark, that one. Fortunately, Julia was still very much in control of herself.

I do not know what Lord Cosby’s plan is, but the man is quite creative in thinking up ways to define boredom.

Everybody at the dinner table looked at her expectantly.

And now, they seem to be intent on putting me on the spot…

“I… shall have to check my schedule regarding that one,” she muttered evasively.

“We have already promised the Duchess of Barrington that we will go to the opera together,” Mary reminded their mother in her soft, gentle voice, even as she begged her sister with her eyes to pay more attention to what was being discussed at the dinner table.

Julia could only bite her lower lip and shoot her younger sister a glance that was both apologetic and grateful. Mary just smiled and ducked her head as she continued to eat her roast beef.

“Oh.” The disappointment was quite palpable in Lord Cosby’s tone and demeanor. “In that case, I shall see you at Lady Pembroke’s ball, then?”

Julia hated the hopefulness in his voice. If Lord Cosby had long accepted the fact that they were ill-suited for each other and ceased his ill-fated pursuit of her hand, they would not have to go through these charades that her parents regularly put her through. Alas, he was a rather steadfast fellow if not a very interesting one.

“Yes,” she replied with a distracted smile. “I believe we shall, My Lord.”

“Fantastic!” He beamed at her. “Then I shall take this opportunity to seek a gavotte from you.”

“Ah… lovely. Yes, I shall make a note of it.”

“You know, my sister, Theodosia, admires the way you dance,” Lord Cosby admitted. “That is why I hired only the finest dance tutors for her. Money,” he added, “is not a concern.”

Any Society mama would have swooned at those words. After all, in their grand opinion, there was nothing better than a man who was willing to splurge money on his women.

Julia, however, felt that it was terribly gauche to talk about it.

“Diamonds should be seen and not heard,” she muttered as a pea rolled away from her fork.

Lord Cosby, bless his heart, misunderstood her rather underhanded remark.

“I shall relay your advice to Theodosia.” He grinned at her. “Diamonds should be seen and not heard—that is a fantastic way of putting things!”

Lady Powell, ever the gracious hostess she was known to be, finally took pity on both of them and steered the conversation away to more diverting topics—for Lord Cosby, at least. Julia did not find it very much diverting to indulge in talk of things that only interested and revolved around him, but allowances must be made for their guests, she supposed.

Her father, too, seemed to have joined in on boosting the man’s ego.

Do my own parents truly think that this man will be a good match for me?It is clear that we will drive each other mad within a fortnight—and that is if we do make it past the altar!

Dinner with him was already a wretched affair as it was—she could not imagine having to live the rest of her life with him.

In spite of all this, Lord Cosby kept casting her lovelorn looks well past the main course and into dessert.

If he keeps doing this, I might never be able to enjoy my pudding as much as I intend to.

She spooned the smooth dessert into her mouth, hoping that the blend of sweet and tart would sustain her until the end of dinner. She glanced up at her sister and found her quietly and thoughtfully eating her dessert.

Mary, of all people, was only too aware of how much Julia despised Lord Cosby—not as much for his affections for her as for his relentless pursuit even when she had discouraged him countless times.

But for their parents to personally invite Lord Cosby into their home for dinner—Julia knew with a sinking heart that her mama and papa were seriously considering the man as a prospective husband for her.

In truth, Lord Cosby would probably make any of Society’s matrons happy as a son-in-law. He was handsome enough and held the title of Viscount of Cosby. His wealth was more than sufficient, by Society’s standards, and there were no scandals attached to his name. He was, in all aspects, a perfect gentleman.

I have met worse. And perhaps that is why Mama and Papa are set on him. Perhaps they truly think that he is the best I can aspire to… even if I have been exceptionally open in my dislike for the man.

Or perhaps they thought that she would learn to like him just as her close friend, Selina, eventually fell in love with the cold, aloof Duke of Barrington.

However, Julia knew more than anyone that theirs was an entirely different story, having seen most of it evolve before her very eyes.

She just… did not see the same things with Lord Cosby that her friend saw with her interactions with the Duke.

She sighed and set her spoon down next to the pudding she had barely touched. “Please excuse me,” she said, abruptly standing up. “I must take my leave.”

Her parents both looked at her in shock. Lord Cosby looked visibly crestfallen. Only Mary continued to eat her dessert as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, and her sister had not just been absolutely rude to their guest.

“Lord Cosby, I am honored that you have chosen to bestow your misplaced affections upon me, but I must have you know in no uncertain terms that we are ill-suited for each other.”

“Julia Lewis!” Lady Powell’s horrified gasp cracked through the room as she glared at her daughter. “Apologize to Lord Cosby at once!”

Julia only raised her chin in defiance as she looked the Viscount in the eye. “You do not seem to know how to hold a conversation, My Lord, and the topics you are interested in discussing are limited to your own accomplishments.”

Lord Powell looked as if he might flog her where she stood.

“I cannot live the rest of my life only talking about you, My Lord,” Julia finished scathingly. “But I still hope that we can remain friends. I just cannot marry you. I hope you will excuse me. Good night.”

She turned on her heel and left before any of them could stop her. She might have had a reputation for being bold and audacious, but she had just done the unthinkable and insulted a gentleman who was a guest in her own home.

Theton will hear about this. But I cannot just sit there and listen to them deciding what is best for me.

She would much rather become a social pariah than subject herself to the misery of life as the Viscountess of Cosby.

* * *

“Julia! Julia, what have you done!?”

Lady Powell burst into her daughter’s rooms with Mary at her heels, fruitlessly trying to placate her.

Julia turned around slowly to face her. “I hope I have made it clear enough, Mama. Lord Cosby and I are ill-suited for each other. Marrying him would only make the both of us miserable.”

“Foolish girl!” Lady Powell hissed. “You foolish, willful girl! I have let you have your way long enough, and you have turned out like this—”

“Mama, please, calm down,” Mary pleaded as she led their mother to sit on an upholstered chair. “You know how Julia is, and you already know that she and Lord Cosby were never suited for each other…”

Lady Powell sat down, clutching her embroidered handkerchief as she continued to glare at her eldest daughter while her youngest placated her by rubbing her shoulders soothingly. “I shall not allow you—either of you,” she added, looking at both of her daughters, “to become a spinster.”

She choked on the word as if it was a curse—and for most of the ladies of the ton, it was.

“Mama, you know how that is so unlikely with Julia having so many admirers,” Mary muttered with a wry smile. “So, we need not dwell overmuch on Lord Cosby. Perhaps if we give Julia a bit more time, she will find someone more suited to her…”

“And where shall we find such a paragon of patience?” Lady Powell snapped. “Lord Cosby was kind enough to accept her insults in our own dining hall without saying anything. No gentleman would take as much from anyone, and if word gets out of this, no one will ever want to be with such an ill-tempered virago, no matter how astronomical her dowry is.”

That much was true. If word indeed got out of the way Julia disparaged Lord Cosby tonight, even her most hopeful admirers might be forced to reconsider.

But that was just the problem—Julia was not interested in marrying anyone in the ton. At least none of the gentlemen she had already met.

They were all good at dancing and having nice, short conversations. A sort of diversion if she was to be blunt about it. But none of them had ever piqued her interest enough for her to want to marry.

“Lord Cosby is our best hope,” her mother told her with a tremor in her voice.

Julia narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean he is our best hope, Mama?”

“Your father’s business… it has not been doing so well these days,” Lady Powell admitted fretfully.

Mary’s eyes widened. “What?”

“Oh… we have money enough for the Season and all that.” Lady Powell waved her hand dismissively. “After this Season, though, we might have to reconsider our options if nothing improves.”

Julia sat down slowly as her mother’s words sank in. She knew only too well how the ton could turn on their own the moment someone lost their fortune. It happened with Lord Aisling and his daughters—they had gone from being the darlings of the Season to social outcasts in a handful of days.

If only I were a man, I might have been able to help more than by just marrying a wealthy and titled gentleman.

Unfortunately, it would seem, she was a woman, and this was her lot in life.

“You shall marry Lord Cosby,” Lady Powell insisted. “Or find another suitable gentleman if you are of the inclination to do so. If not…”

Julia felt her heart sink at her mother’s words.

“If you do not find a suitable gentleman by the end of the Season, I myself shall have the banns for your marriage to Lord Cosby read. I will not consign you to the life of a spinster!”