Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
The following morning dawned bright and early, and Julia woke up strangely full of energy, despite the lateness of the hour at which she’d finally fallen asleep the night before.
She felt like a flame was lighting her up from within, coursing through her and fueling her determination to make this deal work.
When she and Poppy headed downstairs to meet their aunt for breakfast, they were greeted with a surprise. Lord Bendon had joined his wife and was sitting at their usual table, conversing with her. He noticed the girls coming over to join them.
“Good morning, Uncle.” Julia greeted him with a smile, hoping that he would be in a jovial mood.
“Good morning,” he replied, looking the pair of them up and down with an appraising stare.
“I have some time before I need to be at my first meeting, so I thought I would take the liberty to stop in briefly and see my wife. Your aunt here has been updating me on what’s been happening at this party.
It seems as though you’ve both been busy. ”
“Indeed,” trilled Lady Bendon, “it seems as though Poppy might already have a match. Isn’t that right, Julia?”
As desperate as she was to have Lord Bendon think that they had all the prospects in the world, Julia couldn’t bring herself to outright lie to her aunt.
She attempted to dodge the question instead.
“Well, let’s not count our chickens just yet.
But it does seem like Poppy and Lord Blackwell are quite taken with each other. ”
“Quite! You should have seen them, Michael.” Their aunt clasped her hands together. “Out there on the dance floor, lost in each other. It was just like when you and I started courting.”
“Well then, that sounds promising indeed. And you, Julia?” Lord Bendon’s questioning gaze raked over her. “Have you found anyone who’s displayed interest yet?”
Julia hesitated, then immediately wished she hadn’t.
“Don’t be modest, darling,” Lady Bendon jumped in with vigor.
“Yesterday, the Duke of Pridewell himself approached her at breakfast and asked her for a dance in front of everyone. They also spoke privately for a long time at the ball last night. Don’t look at me like that, dear.
I always have one eye on you. He definitely seems interested, doesn’t he? ”
“I don’t- well, I wouldn’t-” Julia stammered, her cheeks beet red.
“The Duke of Pridewell?” Lord Bendon scoffed.
“Chasing a penniless girl of four-and-twenty with a villainous father? Come on now, Violet, you expect me to believe he would honestly be interested in someone so far below his own station? Stop filling the girl’s head with fantasies.
She would be much better served spending her time with someone more realistic, like an older gentleman in search of a second wife.
I hear Lord Cauley was recently widowed. ”
“Lord Cauley is three times her age!” Lady Bendon scolded him.
“Julia is a well-educated and handsome girl, and she’ll have a dowry one day, even if her father refuses to sign it over right now.
The right man will wait for her. And…” she added conspiratorially, gesturing around them, “it’s not as though the Duke is wanting for wealth, is it?
If she’s caught his eye, I doubt the thought of a dowry would even cross his mind. ”
Lord Bendon shook his head. “It’s about one’s place in Society, Violet. I highly disapprove of you encouraging this nonsense with the Duke. You’ll only raise her hopes for nothing when his eye turns to someone younger, prettier, and richer.”
Julia listened to them talk in silence as she buttered her toast. She could feel Poppy’s eyes on her, but didn’t look up at her sister.
The fire she’d woken up with felt dampened now, like her uncle had come along and thrown a wet cloth over the top of it.
She knew, of course, that the Duke wasn’t interested in her for real, but her pride still stung, sitting and listening to her relatives speak about her in such a manner.
“Lord and Lady Bendon, good day to you,” came a deep male voice, startling her into looking up at last. The Duke of Pridewell’s hazel eyes bored into her, his signature wild hair sticking up at all angles under his hat.
Today he wore a white vest embroidered with pinstripes and a ruffled collar.
Despite herself, she found it extremely fetching and had to work hard not to blush.
“Miss Norish. And the younger Miss Penelope, of course.”
“Good day, Your Grace.” Lord Bendon stood immediately and bowed.
He hadn’t bothered to stand when his nieces had arrived at the table, Julia noted wryly.
“May I say, you’ve quite the spectacular event going on this week.
A shame I am unable to attend the majority of it due to some pressing business matters. ”
“A shame indeed.” The Duke nodded politely. “However, I am extremely grateful to have the splendid company of your lovely lady wife and nieces. In fact, I came over here in search of Miss Norish.”
“Oh? Might I be of service, Your Grace?” Julia asked, puzzled. He surely wouldn’t talk about their agreement in front of her family, would he?
“I simply wanted to thank you once again for the dance yesterday,” he said, reaching out and taking her hand in a very visible motion.
She was too shocked to respond, allowing him to hold it between both of his much larger and rougher palms. She forced herself to look up into his eyes and saw a twinkle of mischief in them.
“I hope you will pair up with me for the game today?”
She wouldn’t give in to him that easily.
If they were going to make this ‘courtship’ believable, and especially if she was to avoid the blame when it fell out, she needed the world to believe he was chasing her.
Besides, it couldn’t hurt to make the Duke sweat a little.
He didn’t yet know she’d already made up her mind to go along with it, after all.
He had come over here to trap her into spending a day with him, so she would have a little fun of her own.
The corner of her mouth twitched up. “I humbly apologize, Your Grace, but I’ve already got a partner. ”
He frowned. “Ladies and gentlemen need to be paired together. You can’t play with your sister.”
“I’m aware,” she lied smoothly. “Another gentleman already asked me to partner up with him last night.”
The Duke’s eyes narrowed, and the mischievous shine disappeared. “Well then, it seems that I’m too late. I hope this mystery gentleman is a dab hand at Pall Mall. You wouldn’t want to lose the game after turning me down, after all.”
“I don’t need him to be,” Julia countered. “I’m rather confident in my own skills, Your Grace.”
He laughed. “Then I shall see you on the field very soon, Miss Norish.” He turned to leave, nodding politely at the other occupants of the table, then called out over his shoulder as if it was an afterthought.
“I’m still waiting on your answer to my offer, by the way.
I hope you’re still considering accepting it.
Perhaps you could find me after the game, if your mystery gentleman partner hasn’t diverted your attention too much. ”
Julia blushed to the roots of her strawberry-blonde hair as both her uncle and aunt turned to look at her, agog.
The Duke suppressed a chuckle as he walked away.
Well, she supposed one good embarrassment deserved another.
The Duke definitely gave back as good as he got.
She cleared her throat. “I think I shall visit the powder room before we go outside.”
“Julia, wait-”
“But what-”
“Julia!”
She ignored them and rushed away as quickly as she could. The Duke had beaten her this round, that was for sure, but the game wasn’t over yet.
Later on in the day, the sun shone high over the beautiful gardens of the Pridewell estate as the players got ready for their game.
Leander stretched his arms idly as he watched his guests emerging from the house, commenting on the glorious weather and the beautiful work the groundskeepers had done on the rose beds.
Of course, his eyes were searching for one person only - Miss Julia Norish.
He thought he’d made quite the master stroke this morning, and he eagerly waited to see how she would respond to it.
“All right there?” came a voice out of nowhere, startling him. He turned to see the grinning face of Anthony. “You looked like you were a thousand miles away.”
“Just making sure I’m limber for the game,” Leander responded innocently, loosening his shoulders as he spoke. “I’m ready to win.”
His friend let out a bark of laughter. He seemed to be in a jovial mood today. “No other agenda then? Just the game? I saw what you did at breakfast, Leander. What’s between you and this Norish girl, really?”
Leander was quiet for a moment longer than he intended.
"Her uncle," he said finally. "I heard what he said to her before I approached.
The way he spoke to her — as though she were an inconvenience to be managed rather than a person.
" He shook his head once, a short, sharp movement.
"I couldn't explain it to you if I tried.
I only know that I wasn't going to stand there and say nothing while that man talked her down in his own dining room. "
Anthony raised an eyebrow. "So the breakfast gambit was chivalry."
"It was strategy," Leander said firmly. "It simply happened to serve two purposes."
"Of course it did." Anthony's expression was entirely unconvinced. "And the deal you've proposed to her?"