Chapter Four
By the time Julian arrived at his family’s London home, he’d managed to smooth out the dent in his ego.
Well, almost. He cringed as he replayed Miss Fairfax’s gentle rejection for the umpteenth time.
Not that she was to blame. He’d been guilty of assumption and acted impulsively, which was not usually his way. But no harm done. Nothing lost.
Still, he paused before the columned portico of the elegant townhouse and took a moment to shrug off a lingering remnant of despondency. Then he entered the house, only to be greeted by a crescendo of chatter and laughter coming from the front parlor, the door to which stood wide open.
“What have I missed, Hewitt?” he asked, handing his hat to the butler who had hurried across the foyer to greet him.
“Mr. and Mrs. Harlow have recently returned from the continent, sir,” the man replied, gesturing to the parlor. “They arrived not a half-hour since.”
“Max and Louisa are here?” Julian’s subdued spirit lifted instantly. “Oh, now, that is welcome news!”
A smile appeared. “Indeed, sir.”
Julian tugged down on his vest and approached the open door, where he paused for a moment on the threshold to absorb the scene before him.
With the exception of Josiah, his entire family was present.
Aldous and Grace, his parents, were seated on one of the settees.
His twin sisters, Evie and Clara, were perched on the edge of another.
Arthur, his youngest sibling, was seated in an armchair, his face bright with a smile as he regarded Louisa and Maxwell, who were standing by the hearth.
Julian’s gaze came to rest on them as well, and his subsequent smile surely matched Arthur’s.
“My favorite was definitely Florence,” Louisa was saying, her voice ringing with enthusiasm.
“There is something about it that touches my soul. But the entire journey was wonderful, truly wonderful. We’re glad to be home, though.
” She then cast a glance at Maxwell, her rapt expression one Julian recognized, for didn’t his mother often wear the same expression when she looked at his father?
It spoke plainly of a deep and profound love.
And, judging by the reciprocal look Maxwell had given Louisa, it was totally mutual.
Julian was happy to have been proved wrong about his sister’s somewhat scandalous marriage to her Anglo-Scottish industrialist the previous year.
In the beginning, he’d harbored reservations about the union, serious reservations.
But no longer. Louisa was obviously content, and Maxwell didn’t look too miserable either.
It gladdened Julian’s heart to see it. He could only hope to be similarly blessed in marriage someday.
So far, though, his bachelorhood was not at any risk of ending.
This past London season had been enjoyable enough, but he’d yet to meet a woman who intrigued and captivated him to the point of proposal.
Well, until today, of course, if his heart had not misled him.
No, he was certain it hadn’t. His attraction to Miss Fairfax had been genuine enough, but sadly misplaced.
“Julian, there you are.” Louisa’s cry pulled him from his musing. “We’re back!”
“So I see.” Smiling, he went to her and dropped a kiss on her cheek before shaking Maxwell’s hand. “Welcome home, both. Have I missed some good stories?”
“One or two,” Louisa replied, “but I have plenty more to tell.”
Maxwell chuckled and gave her another fond glance. “We’ve barely scratched the surface, Julian,” he said. “In fact, by day’s end, you might all wish we’d bypassed London and continued straight on to Yorkshire.”
“Not I,” Evie retorted. “I love hearing about foreign lands. I hope I have the good fortune to see some of the places you describe, Lou.”
“Same,” Clara piped up.
“I hope you do too, both of you,” Louisa replied and wrinkled her nose at Maxwell.
“Did you manage to find Josiah?” Grace asked.
“I did, Mama,” Julian replied, “and he promised he’ll be here for dinner.”
Grace placed a hand on her chest and heaved a sigh. “Oh, that pleases me very much, and it’ll be all the more special now Max and Louisa are here. Truly a nice surprise for him.”
Louisa’s face lit up with another smile. “Our timing couldn’t be more perfect, arriving here the day before you all leave for Highfield! I feared we might have missed you, but now we can all travel back together. We’ve had a wonderful trip, but I am so looking forward to going home.”
Julian glanced at the window and the city beyond. “So am I,” he said, all at once eager for time and distance to erase a persistent sense of disappointment.
So am I.
“And, um, well, I suppose we should really wait till tonight, when everyone will be present, but I fear I simply cannot,” Louisa continued.
“Wait for what?” her father asked.
Louisa cast another loving glance at her husband, who chuckled softly and appeared to give her a nod of approval. She slid her hand into his and regarded everyone once more. “Maxwell and I have an announcement to make.”
*
“Uncle Josiah.”
Julian, who had been deep in thought, lifted his head and regarded his brother. “Do you like the sound of it?”
“Yes, I believe I do.” Josiah frowned into his glass of cognac. “I’ve never been an uncle before. Maybe ‘Uncle Joe’ would be more appropriate. Easier, at least.”
Julian smiled. “I’m very happy for them. I confess I had some doubts about Harlow at first, but no longer.”
“I liked him immediately.” Josiah took a sip and licked his lips. “He’s not a man to be messed with, but he’s a decent fellow at heart and obviously besotted with Louisa.”
“Louisa was besotted from the start,” Julian replied, his gaze drawn to the mantel clock as it struck the midnight hour.
With the long journey to Highfield looming a few hours hence, everyone else had retired for the night.
Julian, however, wasn’t quite ready to surrender his busy mind to the stillness of the bedchamber, where sleep would undoubtedly be elusive.
Nursing a near-empty glass of fine French cognac, he presently sat beside Josiah in the lantern-lit billiard room.
Well-sated, perhaps not quite sober, he returned to his ruminations.
He’d already revisited his afternoon interlude with Miss Fairfax umpteen times.
Of course, nothing about it ever changed.
Nothing ever could. Now, in an effort to ease a persistent sense of despondency, his focus shifted to the north, specifically to Highfield Hall and his on-going responsibilities as heir apparent.
He sank deep into his thoughts again and drifted amongst them for a while, until Josiah’s voice intruded once more. “Does she have a name?”
Julian blinked. “Who?”
“Whoever is responsible for the witless expression on your face.” Josiah cradled his glass and swirled the contents as he spoke. “You’ve been staring at the hearthrug for the last five minutes.”
“Have I?” Julian gave his head a slight shake. “No, she doesn’t have a name. As a matter of fact, it’s not a woman, but something far less baffling. Try barley, malt, and livestock yields, not to mention tenants and rents. In other words, the various complexities of estate management.”
“Then may the Lord have mercy.” Josiah crossed himself and took a generous swig of cognac before continuing.
“At times like this, I’m reminded how blessed I am to be a lowly Northcott spare.
Please take good care of yourself, Jules, because there’s no way in hell I could ever step into your shoes and assume responsibility for Highfield. I’d sooner hang myself.”
“We do have a very competent steward, Joe, so it’s actually quite—wait.” Julian frowned. “Did you just call me witless?”
Josiah tutted. “Not precisely. I said you had a witless expression, which you did. Totally gormless, in fact.”
Julian failed to suppress a chuckle. “Bugger off. But if I had been thinking about a woman just now, her name would be Annabelle.” A sigh escaped. “Annabelle Fairfax.”
Josiah had just taken another sip of his drink and all but choked on it. “Bloody hell, you’ve kept that quiet.” He frowned. “Fairfax, you say? Not a name I immediately recognize. Whose offspring is she?”
“No one we know. She is a physician’s daughter, and I only met her this afternoon.” A slight, bitter-sweet ache tightened his gut. “After I left you.”
“Met her where? I thought you were going straight home.”
“I was.” Julian downed the remainder of his drink and stared at the hearthrug again.
“But since I knocked the dear lady on her derriere, I felt obliged to see her safely to her front door, and on foot besides, because she refused the offer of a cab. We ended up spending a half-hour or so together. Not alone, I might add. The young lady was chaperoned by a disobliging dragon named…um,” he frowned and searched his mind, “Hattie, I believe.”
“After you knocked the dear lady on her derriere?” Josiah scratched his chin. “Er, a bit bloody drastic, don’t you think? Couldn’t you have just tipped your hat and introduced yourself?”
“I did, once I’d set her back on her feet. It was an accident, Joe. And, actually, she bumped into me.”
“Did she indeed. Tell me more. What is she like?”
“She’s rather lovely.”
“Detail, Julian, I’d like detail. Paint me a picture.”
Julian snorted. “That’s your forte, not mine.”
“Just try. It’s really not too difficult.” Josiah got to his feet and waved his glass as he headed toward the sideboard. “Want another?”
“Thank you, no,” Julian replied. “And not too difficult for the artists among us, perhaps, but all right, I’ll try.
First, she had the most beautiful grayish-blue eyes, edged in black.
Truly remarkable. Oh, and a sweet little freckle.
” He prodded a spot above his brow. “Right here. Her hair… her hair is the color of… oh, I don’t know.
It’s darker than mine and has little hints of copper in it. ”
“Mahogany?” Josiah offered.