Chapter 15
Leaving White’s, Julian stepped onto the busy London street with a spring in his step. He had hated leaving his wife so early on the first day of their marriage, but the meeting with his solicitor had gone well, and their future looked bright.
Lily’s dowry was more than sufficient for the estate debts to be settled, along with having the house and grounds restored to their former glory.
In addition to all of that, Mr. Baker had let him know that there was more than enough money to provide Juliette with a dowry and give Lily an allowance every month.
Things seemed to be looking up for them all as he strolled down the street with renewed hope in his chest.
“My lord!” A voice called to him from across the street.
Stopping in his tracks, Julian turned to see Eleanor crossing the street after a horse-drawn carriage had passed.
“It’s good to see you so soon again, my lord. I thought for certain that our new viscountess would have you locked up for good,” she remarked chirpily before reaching his side.
Something in the way she made the remark made Julian bristle slightly as he stiffened.
“I can assure you that Lady Barnard has no such plans, Miss Everet. Now, if you would excuse me, I was just on my way back home. My wife will be waiting for me.” He turned to leave but found himself being stopped once again.
“Oh, do let me come along. I know the two of you will be needing your privacy, but it cannot hurt for me to check in on her, can it? She is such a sweet woman after all. We had such lovely conversations on the day of your wedding regarding her dress.” She fell into step beside him.
Not wanting to appear rude, Julian nodded. “Very well then, I am sure one cup of tea will not hurt.”
As long as it is a quick one.
He regretted his compliance almost instantly as Eleanor chatted all the way to his carriage and even more so once they were alone.
“Has Juliette found a good husband yet? I am sure you must be fighting off the suitors in droves.” Her giggle grated on his nerves as a headache began to form behind his eyes.
“I cannot say, Miss Everet. I would have thought that you knew more about my sister’s suitors than I do, given the fact that you are her friend.” He shut his eyes as he rubbed the nape of his neck in an attempt to ease the tension.
“My lord, you are such a tease!” She continued to laugh, oblivious to the fact that Julian was not interested in her conversation at all.
Had things always been this way between them? Or had it worsened after his marriage? He reasoned with himself that he had grown used to Lily and her quiet, unassuming ways, but Eleanor seemed utterly oblivious to his lack of participation as she prattled on.
The ride dragged on for Julian before the horses and carriage finally came to a stop in front of his home.
“Are we here already? Did it not seem as if the journey passed in the blink of an eye?” She remarked as he helped her alight from the carriage.
“No, it did not,” Julian grumbled under his breath as she led the way to his front door.
The butler opened the door to greet them and announced that Lily was alone in the parlor, as his mother and aunt had gone to run an errand.
Relief flooded his body when Julian finally set eyes on his wife.
The lime green fabric of her simple dress made the color in her eyes seem greener rather than blue, yet he still thought of her as the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life.
Lily seemed surprised to see their guest, but took the matter in her stride. “Miss Everet, what a lovely surprise. I did not know that you would be calling on us this afternoon.”
Eleanor sauntered toward her and gave her an unexpected hug. “I hope you do not mind. I bumped into Lord Barnard on the street, and he simply insisted that I come along and pay you a visit. He must think that you need the company.” She turned around and gave Julian a conspiratorial wink.
The gesture made him stiffen again, but he decided to let the matter slide when Lily invited her to take a seat.
“I was just about to ring for some tea, but I will ask them to bring along an extra cup and saucer,” Lily explained before ringing a tiny golden bell.
The housekeeper appeared in the doorway and listened to Lily’s request before swiftly disappearing again.
Julian’s chest swelled with pride when he saw how well his wife handled the situation. They all took a seat with Lily sitting beside Eleanor on what seemed to be her favorite settee. A warm feeling spread across his chest when he realized just how natural and comfortable she looked in his home.
She is a natural.
His former doubts about her abilities all faded away as soon as the tea arrived and Lily stood to pour.
“Would you like me to pour, my lady? I know this must all be so new to you.” Eleanor offered sweetly.
There it was again, that subtle hint of something in her voice that made Julian clench his jaw. He was not certain what it was, but her remarks felt like attacks that grated on his nerves.
Lily seemed blissfully unaware of any of it as she smiled.
“Thank you, Miss Everet, but my aunt taught me how to pour tea. It was one of her many lessons on how to become a viscountess.” Gripping the handle of the floral porcelain pot, Lily began to pour the tea with expert precision, and not so much as a drop had been spilled.
“My, you are quite good at that, I must say,” Eleanor remarked with a slight sharpness in her tone.
“Thank you, I am glad to hear that my hours of practice finally paid off.” Lily handed the first cup to Julian and proceeded to pour the next.
Their fingers brushed for the briefest of seconds, and Julian could have sworn that he saw her lips part in a gentle gasp. The thought made his heart slam against his ribs, but he focused on his cup of tea instead and sipped the tea before looking up.
“As a matter of fact, Lady Barnard is shaping up to be one of the finest viscountesses the ton has ever seen. My mother and Juliette are filled with nothing but praise for her.”
Lily’s cheeks filled with color as she lifted the second cup from the tray, and just like that, her hands began to shake. Large droplets of tea sloshed over the edges before the cup in its entirety toppled over onto the tray.
“Oh, my goodness!” Eleanor remarked before jumping to her feet and quickly ringing the small golden bell.
The housekeeper came rushing in at once and gasped in turn when she saw the mess on the tray.
Lily’s eyes filled with tears as she took a step back, but Julian quickly came to his feet and closed the distance between them.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, puzzled as to what had gone wrong. She had been doing so well until… He quickly shook the thought from his mind. He had thought he saw Eleanor shifting her leg under the table, but she would not have done something so silly and devious as to try and trip his wife.
Her voice trembled slightly, but she quickly blinked back her tears and steadied herself. “I am not certain what happened. It felt like my dress was hooked on something under the table.” She shook her head in disbelief.
The pit of Julian’s stomach clenched as he thought of the slight movement that he had seen out of the corner of his eyes. Yet there was nothing he could do regarding the matter unless he was willing to accuse her, which he was not.
Coming forward, Eleanor lowered her voice so that the housekeeper could not hear.
“Do not let this affect you, my lady. It takes time to learn all of these things. Some of us were born into it; I would not have done half as well as you have when I first started my lessons. You will be part of the aristocracy in no time at all.” She lifted a hand and gently rubbed Lily’s back as if she were consoling a child.
Looking defeated, Lily simply nodded, which made Julian even angrier as he felt the need to correct Eleanor. He was about to open his mouth and say something to that effect when Eleanor suddenly spoke up again.
“It was lovely seeing you again, Lady Barnard, but I am afraid that I must take my leave. I was hoping to have some tea, but I have pressing matters to attend to. Perhaps another time.” She curtsied politely to them both before rushing from the room behind the housekeeper, who had removed the tray.
“My lord, I…” she began to apologize, but Julian raised a hand and stopped her.
“There is no need to apologize; accidents happen all the time. You were doing splendidly, and I am certain that everything will be better next time.”
I will make sure of it.
He made a mental note to keep a closer eye on Eleanor the next time she invited herself over.
Something in the things she was saying and the way she had been behaving made Julian think back to Benedict’s warnings.
Perhaps he had been right, and Miss Everet had orchestrated the lie about their union to begin with.
“I will go and fetch more tea myself.” Lily began to leave, but Julian stopped her.
“Let us leave the tea for when we return from our walk.” He smiled easily at her.
“Our walk?” Lily asked with an uncertain expression.
Julian nodded. “It is such a lovely day outside, I thought a walk around the gardens would be lovely. Would you not agree? We can have our tea when your nerves have had a chance to repair themselves.”
The smile that touched her lips warmed his heart once again as he offered her his arm and ushered her from the house.
The weather outside was just as lovely as it had been earlier in the day, and Julian found himself enjoying the sun on his face. They strolled along the winding paths and chatted away over flowers and plants until Lily stopped at a small white flower.
“This is such a lovely one.” She knelt beside the neat bed of bell-shaped flowers.
“That is a snowdrop,” Julian informed her.
“A snowdrop?” She came back up and gave him a puzzled look. “What a curious name for a flower that blooms in spring.”
Leaning down, Julian plucked one from the batch and handed it to her.
“They are so named for the simple fact that they bloom at the end of winter when the frost still graces the grounds. They last well into spring, making them a delightful addition to any garden. We can plant them at Redding Hall once we procure a good gardener.”
Shutting her eyes, she leaned forward and sniffed the tiny bud. “It smells heavenly. I suppose they are also called snowdrops because of their color. They are like tiny bell-shaped drops of snow.” She opened her eyes and shot him a teasing look.
“Of course, you know how fond I am of a bell-shaped flower.” He smiled at her, watching the color fill her cheeks as he laughed.
“Well then, it is settled, we shall have many bell-shaped flowers at Redding Hall. Do you suppose we can grow cardinals, or would they not thrive here in England?” She seemed utterly at ease as they continued to stroll along.
“That is why it would be best to find a highly skilled gardener. Many species of flowers, including your beloved cardinals, can grow in England, given the right circumstances. Do you suppose you will miss living in America?” He slipped in a question to get to know her better.
Smiling at the ground as they walked, she played with the single snowdrop between her fingers. “In a way, I think I will always long for my childhood more than the country itself.”
Julian grew increasingly more curious. “How so?”
“I grew up on a farm in Ohio. Life was much simpler back then, and although my mama always taught me to act like a lady, I was allowed to run wild and free on the farm. Papa only came into his fortune much later in life, but I am grateful that I got to experience the simpler things in life before we moved to New York.”
She plucked thoughtfully at the flower between her fingers. “And you, do you not miss your former life as a soldier?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. As you stated, my life was far simpler than it is now. I am grateful for the opportunity to be the viscount, as well as all of the benefits that it will bring my mother and sister, but I miss my freedom.
As strange as it sounds, I enjoyed the rigorous training and physical strength that the army required. Now, I am lucky if I can shoot arrows in my garden. All of these meetings and sitting in Parliament were never things that I ever dreamed of for myself.”
She turned to glance at him with a smile. “I know what you mean. I love the life I have been blessed with, but I also miss that part of the farm. Perhaps we can make a deal with each other that once a year, we shall take leave of our lives and disappear to another country.”
He smiled at the idea as he continued to listen.
“We could go to Ohio, and you can be a simple soldier while I tell everyone I am nothing more than a farmgirl.” She laughed at her own suggestion.
“You know, that sounds like a marvelous idea to me, and perhaps, if we travel the world, we can come up with new identities wherever we go. I have always wanted to know what it was like to be a fisherman.”
“That would be lovely. I can be an opera singer in Greece, and you can be a simple fisherman who stole my heart!”
“Can you sing?” He shot her a curious glance, wondering if she meant the part about stealing her heart.
She seemed thoughtful for a moment but then began to laugh. “Not even a little.”