Chapter 23
Julian awoke the next morning to a house full of guests.
He was not even certain where they had come from, or how they had even gotten there, but they had somehow gone from a party of four to nine.
His mother had said that she had invited them after Eleanor had arrived, but that still did not explain why Eleanor had been there in the first place.
It was not the people that bothered him as much as it was the shift in atmosphere. Lily was quieter, far more distant and aloof. He had attempted to make conversation with her after he had been to the mill, yet something inside of her seemed to have shifted.
He hoped that it had not been Eleanor who had upset her, and he made a mental note as he dressed to ask her at a later date.
Making his way downstairs to breakfast, he was once again greeted by a quiet and withdrawn wife who seemed to want to hide in the shadows. Everyone around her was chatting away, yet she was picking at the kipper on her plate.
Julian chose a seat beside her and smiled, yet she returned the gesture with little to no enthusiasm at all. It was Eleanor who turned her gaze in his direction and spoke up first.
“My lord, it is wonderful of you to join us. We were beginning to wonder if we would be seeing you at all this morning.” She laughed almost flirtatiously, setting his teeth on edge.
“Good morning, Miss Everet. I see that you are still with us,” he bit back so sharply that the chatter around the table suddenly died down.
Juliette exchanged a concerned look with their mother while Benedict cleared his throat.
The other two women who had joined the party were not familiar to Julian, yet they seemed just as uncomfortable as Arabella and everyone else. One with light blonde hair and sharp features looked down at her plate while her friend with auburn hair and brown eyes sipped her tea.
It was Eleanor who eventually broke the silence between them and gave a nervous laugh. “My lord, you are quite grumpy this morning. Did you perhaps get out of bed on the wrong side?” She fidgeted with her napkin before forcing a smile.
The tension around the table seemed to ease a little as she spoke.
“I am sure it will please you to hear that Mr. Southampton has come up with the most marvelous idea. What say you to a game of cricket? We are nine people, but I am certain that Lady Barnard would not mind sitting out at all. Would you, Lily? I have never heard of an American playing cricket before. Do you remember all the times we used to play cricket together as children?” She gave another nervous giggle.
Opening her mouth, Lily was about to say something, but Julian spoke up first.
“We shall not play cricket unless everyone joins in. If Lady Barnard does not know how to play, then I shall teach her,” he said in a firm voice and held her gaze determinedly.
Eleanor seemed taken aback at first but quickly regained her composure. “But, my lord, if Lady Barnard joins us, we shall be an uneven number.” She tilted her chin up triumphantly as if she had won.
“Then we shall not play. I am certain that we are more than capable of finding an activity that we may all enjoy…” His patience began to wear thin as he strummed the tips of his fingers on the table beside his plate.
“But my lord…” Eleanor began again, forcing his mother to sigh.
“I shall not play. I have never enjoyed the game to begin with. You may all play as two teams of four.” Her voice was filled with annoyance as she sipped her tea.
The table grew quiet as everyone focused on the kippers on their plates.
Why must she make matters so difficult?
Julian clenched his jaw again as he finally returned to his own plate of food.
The rest of the breakfast passed in relative silence, with little being said other than remarks on the weather.
***
The group of eight made their way down to the open patch of field beside the house.
The teams had been decided, to Eleanor’s great disappointment, that Julian, Lily, the girl with the auburn hair, and her friend would be on their team.
Which left Benedict, Arabella, Juliette, and Eleanor on the other side.
“Shall we get started then?” Eleanor asked, tossing the ball up with one hand. “I think that I should pitch first, and Lady Barnard can be the batter. What do you say?” She smirked at Lily, grating on Julian’s nerves once again.
“I think I should rather wait until I have seen how everyone else has played. Do you not agree?” Lily turned to him with an uncertain look.
Realizing that Eleanor was testing her, he quickly rose to her defense. “I think it is a marvelous idea that Lady Barnard bats first, but I shall coach her along the way.” He smiled at Eleanor before taking Lily by the hand and guiding her over to the posts that Benedict and Arabella had set up.
“Are you certain this is a good idea? Miss Everet was right, I have never played a game of cricket in my life. It would be better for someone else to bat first,” Lily protested once they were out of earshot.
Julian turned to her with a reassuring smile and reached up, taking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.
“Do not worry, I will teach you all that you need to know. It is very simple. Miss Everet will try to knock out the posts behind you, and you must defend them with your bat.” He reached down and picked up the bat that had been placed beside the wickets.
“If you are sure…” Lily took a deep breath, seeming anything but certain as she chewed the inside of her cheek.
“Here, allow me to show you just how easy it is.” He handed her the bat before stepping behind her and positioning her in front of the wickets.
He carefully placed his arms around her and pulled her closer to his chest. “Now, remember that your bat is your main line of defense, not only for your wickets, but for yourself.”
Lily nodded, causing her hair to brush against his cheek.
The soft scent of lavender made him pause for a moment as he inhaled quietly and shut his eyes. She smelled like a garden in spring after the rain had come to wash away the old and usher in the new. It felt so right to have her in his arms, almost as if he never wanted to let her go ever again.
“Like this?” she asked, forcing his eyes open.
Clearing his throat, Julian came back to his senses and focused on the task at hand. “Yes, exactly like that. You want to angle your body away from the wickets like this.” He placed his hands on her hips, recalling the day he had helped her from her horse. She had distracted him then as well.
Lily did as she was told and held the bat at an angle, arching her back slightly as she pressed into his chest.
“Perfect…” He almost stuttered, loving the feel of her in his arms. Her skin was as soft as silk and almost as pale as the petals of a peach rose.
“What you want to do is keep your eyes on the ball. Never mind what anyone else is saying or doing. Just watch the ball coming toward you and swing when the moment is right.”
He flexed his arms, guiding her swing toward Eleanor at the other end of the field.
“May we start now?” Eleanor called impatiently, still tossing the ball in the air.
“Just a moment!” Julian yelled back before letting go of Lily and turning to face her.
“In the event of hitting the ball, you must run as quickly as you can to your opponent's wickets and tap the tip of your bat at the base. Doing this multiple times will give us more points, but you must be certain that your opponent is not able to bowl you out.”
Lily’s face suddenly fell again. “This sounds like a lot. Julian, I am sure that someone else can…”
He shook his head and touched her cheek with the tips of his fingers. “You will do just fine. The most important part is to have fun. None of the rest really matters at the end of the day. I do not care if we win or lose. I simply want you to be yourself.”
Her lips curved into a sweet smile as she pushed her cheek into his palm. An almost familiar gesture that made his heart race.
“Best of luck.” He removed his hand and walked off to the side, where Arabella and the rest of the party stood waiting. “We shall have a few practice runs at first while the rest of us stand back!” he yelled to Eleanor and Lily.
“Are you certain that Eleanor should be bowling against Lily?” Benedict asked as he leaned in closer.
Julian nodded. “She will hold her own.” Doubt began to set in when Eleanor smirked and narrowed her eyes from across the field.
The first pitch was made, and Lily missed it by a mile.
“A swing and a miss!” Eleanor shouted triumphantly, eliciting a chuckle from Benedict, who shouted back.
“As noble as your efforts are, Miss Everet, I hesitate to remind you that you did not manage to hit the wickets!”
Eleanor’s face fell as she glared at Benedict.
Juliette began to clap as she steered the game back in the right direction. “It was a good start, ladies. Let us try again!” She nodded to Lily, who picked up the ball and threw it back.
It took Eleanor a moment to retrieve the ball, but when she did, Julian could see the determined look in her eyes as she shot Lily a cold look.
Perhaps I am imagining things.
He chewed the inside of his cheek thoughtfully as he paid close attention to every move that Miss Everet made.
Her stance was hostile and determined as she aimed low and bowled.
Julian’s heart began to pound as he suddenly realized that she was aiming for Lily’s legs. He wanted to shout, but to everyone’s great surprise, Lily swung her bat, hitting the ball with a loud crack as it went sailing through the air. Eleanor ducked just in time before turning and glaring at Lily.
A stunned silence filled the air until Juliette suddenly found her voice. “Run, Lily! Run!” She cupped her hands over her mouth and yelled.
Suddenly recalling what Julian had said, Lily and Eleanor both set off at the same time amidst the cheering. Lily in the direction of the opposite wickets, and Eleanor toward the ball.
“Run, Lily! I knew you could do it!” Julian laughed as he watched her go.
The hem of her skirts dragged behind her as her cheeks flushed with color. She reached the other end of the field and touched her bat to the base of the wickets.
“Go back!” Everyone began to yell in unison as both teams cheered her on.
She was almost out of breath by the time she reached her own wickets, and Eleanor let loose with her ball.
A loud crack sounded as the ball hit the wood, knocking the posts over.
“I did it!” Lily screamed, ignoring the fact that Eleanor had bowled her out.
Running toward her, Julian lifted her in the air, swinging her around before placing her back down and kissing the top of her head. The gesture had come so easily to him that he had not even thought about it.
Lily laughed in his arms, pulling back as she looked up at him. “Did you see me? I did it.” She beamed from ear to ear.
“You most certainly did. I could not have been prouder of you.’ He smiled down at her, feeling the urge to press his lips against hers once again. And this time, he did.
The gesture was soft and tender, like the flapping of a butterfly's wings as he pressed his lips against hers and drew back.
The look of astonishment in her eyes made his heart beat faster.
Eleanor cleared her throat from across the field, drawing their attention away from the tender moment. “I might remind you all, but that was just a practice run. If we could all return to our proper positions this time?” She raised an eyebrow, tapping her foot in annoyance.
Lily averted her gaze, yet the tender look remained in her eyes as she stepped away from him.
Julian suddenly felt a cold rush where she had been standing, and he hoped that it would not be the last time that he got to hold her in his arms.
The rest of the game continued with laughter and bright smiles as Eleanor’s team ended up winning. The loss did little to lessen Lily’s joy, and Julian found himself watching her leave as the ladies headed back toward the house.
“The two of you seem to be getting on quite well,” Benedict remarked when they were finally alone.
“We are,” Julian sighed happily as he recalled the brief kiss that had suddenly turned his world upside down.
Pausing with the bats and wickets in his arms, Benedict shot him a strange look. “Are you falling in love with your wife? I mean, I know you are, but have you realized that you are falling in love with her?”
Julian smiled. “You know. I think I am. I never thought that I would allow myself to love again after Anne, but Lily has opened a new world for me. She is like the first breath of spring air after a long and arduous winter.”
Benedict let out a long whistle as he watched his friend. “I never thought that I would see the day when Julian Sinclair fell in love again. Yet I can honestly say that I am glad you have. Lady Barnard is a special woman. I think you should tell her how you feel.”
His nerves suddenly began to fray as Julian thought of the prospect of confessing his feelings. “What if she does not wish to hear that I am falling in love with her? Our marriage is one of convenience after all.”
“Then you make her fall in love with you, just as I have made Miss Arabella Tremaine fall in love with me.” He beamed brightly as he puffed out his chest. “I will be asking her to marry me soon enough, and I just know that she will say yes.”
“That is wonderful news,” Julian clapped him on the back. “Perhaps I shall take a leaf from your book and tell my wife that I am falling in love with her. What could possibly go wrong if I do?”