Chapter 20

CHAPTER20

God, grant me fortitude…

Julia drew the curtain to peer out the carriage window. Colman Park was indeed one of the finest estates in England, and Lady Colman never failed to rub it in the faces of the ton when she held her annual house party towards the end of the Season when Parliament was in recess, and everyone had little to no excuse to miss the party without offending the hosts.

Except Papa, she thought with a small smile, thinking of her own father who had managed to cry off from the whole affair by sending in his wife and daughters in his stead. The Earl of Powell never liked to attend such engagements, preferring to hole up in his study instead, surrounded by piles of documents and whatnot.

For Julia, however, house parties used to be such exciting events, and the possibilities for escapades were endless when the rules were less stringent than they were in London.

Of course, that did not mean that everyone ran over roughshod. There was still etiquette to be observed if one did not want to risk scandal and ruination.

And speaking of ruination…

She felt a slight warmth climb up her cheeks when she recalled the last time she had seen the Marquess of Trowbridge. It been a week since then, and the mere recollection of his intimate touch still caused her breath to quicken and her heart to start pounding a little more erratically than it usually did.

Mary and Selina had told her that she might gain clarity regarding her feelings for him at this house party, but they never told her how she was going to have to face him when the time came.

For once in her life, Julia felt at a complete loss.

“Julia, my dear, are you feeling all right?”

She nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of her mother’s concerned voice. She dropped the curtain hastily and plastered a smile on her face. “Of course, I am, Mama. Why should I not be?” she replied in what she hoped was a casual enough tone.

A quick glance at Mary, and she knew that it was not as casual as she had hoped.

Lady Powell looked at her suspiciously. “You are rarely this quiet when faced with the prospect of mischief.”

Her mother, it would seem, knew her all too well—but not well enough to surmise what was now bothering her.

“Perhaps I just do not look forward to the thought of having to spend an entire weekend being thrown at Lord Cosby.” Julia shrugged flippantly.

“Julia Lewis!” Lady Powell seethed. “We might not be in London anymore, but that does not mean you may leave your manners in the city, young lady!”

Inwardly, Julia breathed a sigh of relief as her mother proceeded to go on a sharp lecture, warning her to watch her behavior. It was only when the carriage slowed to a stop that Lady Powell finally stopped and glared warningly at Julia.

“You shall behave yourself for the weekend, or I shall have you sent back to London posthaste!”

“Yes, Mama,” Julia murmured. She just hoped that Lord Cosby would not hound her for the rest of the weekend, but she knew that was highly unlikely.

Their hosts greeted them graciously at the front door, and after an effusive exchange of compliments, she and Mary followed one of the footmen to where the other young ladies had convened in the parlor.

The sound of feminine chatter echoed down the hall. She saw Mary shoot her an anxious glance, and she reached out to clasp her hand in hers.

“You know, I am no longer a child,” Mary reminded her with a weak smile.

“If you think that I am holding you because you need my support, then you are mistaken,” Julia replied. “I am holding your hand in mine so that you can keep me from trouble.”

Mary laughed, and that was how they walked into the parlor—the very picture of two sisters enjoying themselves.

“Lady Julia! Lady Mary!” a pretty blonde called out to them. “Do join us.”

“Thank you so much for having us here, Miss Delaney,” Mary murmured politely.

The only daughter of Lord and Lady Colman, Miss Veronica Delaney let out a light trill of laughter, one that had been rigorously practiced since childhood. “Come now, there is no need to be overly polite. We are no longer in London!” she told Mary.

“And a blessed relief, it is.” Julia smiled as she sat down on one of the vacant sofas. Mary naturally sat beside her.

“We were just talking about the guest list.” Miss Corinne Wentworth giggled. “Lord Montgomery has already arrived.”

“So has Lord Pennington and Sir Manning.”

“How exciting.” Julia smiled as she helped herself to a scone.

“Come now, ladies.” Miss Delaney laughed. “Lady Julia already has a suitor. She has no need for recommendations.”

At that, Lady Amanda Thornton leaned in with bright eyes. “Lord Cosby is one of the most eligible bachelors this Season—”

“Lord Cosby is a respectable gentleman,” Julia cut in with a sharp smile. “And as things are hardly settled, I would not want to presume too much.”

From the corner of her eye, she saw Mary choke slightly on her tea. However, she was also quick to note the small smile her sister hid while wiping her lips delicately with a napkin.

“Oh.” Lady Amanda looked properly chagrined, choosing to hide her grimace behind the teacup she held to her lips.

A tense silence fell over the group for a moment before their hostess adeptly steered the conversation in a different direction.

“Well, Lord Trowbridge has also just arrived,” Miss Delaney said with a smile that seemed overly bright to Julia. “He is currently with Papa and the others, hunting.”

This time, it was Julia who almost spat her tea back into her cup.

“Lord Trowbridge is divine.” Miss Wentworth sighed. “And he is from one of the oldest and finest families in England, too.”

Oh, he is divine all right…

Nobody in that parlor knew just how truly charming Andrew could be. Or how skilled his hands and lips were.

Nobody, except Julia, who was now fighting to keep her composure as the ladies in attendance began to drone on and on about his finest qualities.

As if I need any more reminding.

It seemed an interminably long time before the ladies finally dispersed to retire in their respective rooms. Mary and Julia had been assigned rooms close to each other, so they walked back together.

“So, he has already arrived,” Mary remarked softly.

“So it would seem.”

“I did not say whether I was referring to Lord Trowbridge or Lord Cosby.”

Julia stiffened and glanced at her younger sister, who was smiling gently at her.

“I think you already have your answer,” Mary told her. “Whether your heart chooses to accept it is another matter entirely.” She left Julia standing there in the hallway, gaping at her, wondering how her younger sister could be so knowledgeable about such things as to untangle the knotted mess in her heart with a few simple words.

Julia shook her head as she pushed the door to her own rooms open and closed her eyes as she let out a sigh of extreme frustration. Whether her heart chose to accept her feelings was one thing. Whether those feelings should even be acknowledged was an entirely different matter.

* * *

A gunshot rang out in the woods, sending a flock of pheasants scattering, followed by a string of curses from a hapless gentleman who had yet again missed his shot.

“That is the third time today!” Lord Montgomery grimaced as he slung his rifle over his shoulder. He turned towards the other gentlemen with a rueful smile. “I suppose that means I should just sit this one out for the rest of the day, huh?”

Andrew merely smiled. “Do not be so glum, Montgomery. There are days when everything just does not go your way.”

Lord Montgomery let out a bark of laughter. “Hard to believe, coming from you, Lord Trowbridge. You seem to be blessed with good fortune wherever you go.”

“Even all the young ladies flock to him the moment he enters any room,” Sir Manning teased. “Tell us, Trowbridge. What is your secret?”

“I do not know what you are talking about, gentlemen!” Andrew laughed, shaking his head.

The younger gentlemen engaged in a round of good-natured ribbing before Lord Colman laughingly announced that they should be heading back to the house.

“It is almost time for afternoon tea.” He grinned. “And heaven help me if I delay our return by so much as a minute!”

Most of the married gentlemen liked to joke about how their wives kept them on their toes, all the while wielding their power over them. It was no wonder that women often turned to rather expensive diversions if only to numb themselves from the company of their supposedly better halves.

As they trudged back down the beaten path, Andrew saw Lord Cosby lagging behind them. The Viscount was uncharacteristically silent. On normal occasions, he would be “trumpeting his accolades,” as Julia liked to say, but he was being exceptionally reticent.

Perhaps the man just is not a good shot. In that case, it would be better for him to keep his mouth shut than to draw attention to that unfortunate fact.

They were nearing the edge of the clearing, with most of the other gentlemen ahead of them, when he heard the Viscount call out to him.

Andrew turned around a little stiffly. In all honesty, he had no desire to engage in any conversation with the man, knowing that he was still intrepidly chasing after Julia, despite her protests.

Cosby really should learn to take “no” for an answer.

“Is there something amiss, Lord Cosby?” Andrew asked, raising an eyebrow at the Viscount.

Lord Cosby just smiled a little. “You seem to be exceptionally close to Lady Julia, My Lord.”

Andrew did not miss the way the Viscount pulled himself up a little taller. Compared to most other gentlemen in the ton, he could be considered tall, with a leaner, narrower build compared to Andrew. Still, Andrew was taller than him by a couple more inches, and when he looked down at him, he could sense the frustration emanating from him in waves.

The Viscount, it would seem, did not like coming second place in anything. Even in something as uncontrollable as their height.

“Lady Julia is a close friend of my sister,” Andrew reminded him with a stiff smile. “Naturally, there are times when our paths must cross.”

“Naturally.” Lord Cosby’s smile appeared forced.

In fact, everything about him appeared forced. From his perfectly coiffed hair to his impeccably tailored clothes—it was almost as if he had curated different aspects of himself to present a perfect image to the rest of the ton.

But he was not the only one, and Andrew had dealt with enough men like him all his life to know that Julia did not deserve such a man as her husband.

“And what kind of man does she deserve?”a small voice in his mind taunted. “You?”

Yes!Andrew wanted to scream.

Instead, he turned away from Lord Cosby. “Lord Colman insists that we head back for afternoon tea with the ladies.”

The Viscount, however, was not yet done.

“I would be careful if I were you, Trowbridge,” he warned with a silky smile. “You might think you know a person, only to find out you have been thoroughly misled.”

Andrew stiffened. “Thank you for the advice,” he replied. “You may also want to heed this one—learn to take no for an answer.”

He watched with satisfaction as Lord Cosby bristled in response to his words before angrily stomping on ahead of him.

It seems that my words finally got under his skin.

Andrew could see now why Julia was so determined to avoid marriage to the Viscount—he was an odious snake underneath that veneer of gentlemanly civility.

As for Julia herself…

He looked at the gardens from where he could hear the distinct sound of feminine chatter and found himself listening for that one particularly mischievous voice…

He shook his head and frowned to himself. He was going to have to talk to her soon, and as much as the thought of her leaving him still grated on his nerves, he found himself looking forward to seeing her again.

To talk, of course. Nothing more,he told himself with a small smile as he headed back to join the rest of the party.