Chapter 26
The grand ballroom at Redding Hall began to fill with guests in their finest clothes. Julian’s mother had done an amazing job organizing a ball on such short notice. He had not thought it possible, but things looked even better than he had ever imagined them.
White roses hung from the gallery above as the marble floors gleamed, reflecting the light from the candles in the chandelier overhead.
He would not have said that it would be possible for Redding Hall to look so good, but the repairs had restored the old bones and brought the building back to life.
He craned his neck to look around the hall as guests chattered away with glasses of champagne. He had not caught a glimpse of Lily yet, and he was beginning to worry.
“Are you looking for someone, my lord?” Eleanor suddenly appeared at his side with a glass of champagne in hand.
Stiffening at once, Julian clenched his jaw, recalling the lies she had told Lily about their supposed engagement and love affair. He took a moment to clear his throat before responding coolly. “I am. Have you seen, Lady Barnard?”
She seemed slightly taken aback by his gruff reply but quickly composed herself again.
“I have, my lord. I saw Lady Barnard heading toward the gardens a little while ago. I suspect that she may have wanted a moment to herself before the festivities began. This has all been quite overwhelming for her. You know she is not used to our proper English ways.” She sipped her champagne and smiled at him.
“Yes, you have mentioned several times on separate occasions. Yet Lady Barnard has managed to impress one of the highest-ranking ladies of the ton,” he said bluntly.
Her face fell instantly as she stared at him.
“Did you not know, Miss Everet? Lady Archibald came to congratulate Lady Barnard on how well she handled the little mix-up at her dinner. She showed her so much grace and understanding that I hope it will serve as a lesson on treating others to all the ladies of the ton.” He turned from her, leaving her in the middle of the floor with her mouth slightly agape.
I must find Lily.
He pressed through the throng of guests, not caring if anyone had heard him speaking so coldly to Eleanor. It was about time that she learned her place in his life.
The guests parted for him as they bowed or curtsied in passing.
He continued out to the patio and looked around, frowning when he saw no one at all.
Eleanor had said that Lily had gone to the gardens, but she had not been a beacon of truth in the past. He was about to give up and go back inside when low voice drifted to his ears.
It sounded almost as if two people were having a private discussion.
Not wanting to intrude, but still needing to know where his wife was, Julian crept closer, hoping to catch a glimpse of the speakers before leaving.
Rounding a bunch of neatly trimmed bushes, Julian felt his heart freeze in his chest as he caught sight of the couple.
Lily stood rigid next to a fountain, staring at a man whom Julian had never seen before.
The man was just as tall as Lily with light brown hair and tanned skin. His features were sharp and almost hawk-like as he moved forward and folded his arms around Julian’s wife.
Is that Oliver?
Julian suddenly thought back to the letters that Lily had hidden. She had never given him any reason to doubt her loyalty. He had assumed that Oliver had been a distant relative or even a friend. She did not look comfortable as she placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed the man away.
Sneering, the stranger said something to her, making her cheeks flush with heat.
Something deep within his chest began to ache, creating an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was about to step forward and confront them when Lily suddenly stepped back and shook her head, muttering something under her breath before leaving.
She did not want to be with him.
Julian reassured himself as he unclenched his fists at his sides and took a step back. If Lily had not wanted to speak to the man, then he would give her the benefit of the doubt and ask her about the encounter later, before he told her that he loved her.
Stepping back, he waited for Lily to disappear before heading back into the ballroom. He still felt a little uneasy by what he had seen, yet his better sense told him to wait and hear what she had to say.
The string quartet was just beginning to lift their instruments and position their bows over their violin strings as he entered the room.
He looked around frantically for Lily, but she was nowhere to be seen. “Where are you?” he whispered just loud enough for himself to hear.
As if he had summoned her, Eleanor suddenly appeared at his side and looped her arm through his, tugging him in the direction of the dance floor. All traces of their previous conversation seemed to have left her.
Julian was about to protest when she looked back and hissed under her breath.
“I am trying to help you, my lord. Lady Barnard is still nowhere to be seen, and you must open the floor!”
A pang of concern clutched at his chest as Julian allowed himself to be led into the middle of the floor, where he joined the line of men opposite their partners.
Eleanor took her place opposite him and smiled, holding out her hand just as the music began to play.
This is not right.
Every fiber of Julian’s being wanted to leave as he stepped forward and accepted her hand, pulling Eleanor closer as they began to sway. There was nothing he could do about the situation without making a scene. He craned his neck around the room at every turn, yet Lily had not yet appeared.
He was beginning to grow more anxious when Eleanor suddenly struck up a conversation.
“Have you any more ideas as to what still needs to be done to the home?” she asked sweetly, as if he had not told her off at all.
“I… I am not certain.” Julian spun her under his arm and pulled her back in just as Lily appeared at the other end of the hall.
Her face was flushed and filled with color as she appeared to be looking around.
Is she looking for me?
His heart almost leaped into his chest as he felt like leaving the dance right then and there.
If she needed him, then he did not care what kind of scene was made or who gossiped about his actions.
He was just about to let go of Eleanor’s hand when Lily suddenly hurried toward Arabella.
The two hurried off to one side and began to whisper.
Julian’s heart fell again, filling with disappointment as he watched the two speak. She had been looking for her best friend and not him.
Eleanor’s voice suddenly drew his attention back to their dance as it sliced through his thoughts.
“It is admirable how devoted you are to your wife, my lord,” she said smoothly.
“You can hardly keep your eyes from her. It is a wonder that you did not care about her past. You are an admirable man. Any other man would have refused to marry her or, at least, been threatened.”
Snapping his head back in her direction, Julian furrowed his brow. “And what past are you speaking of, Miss Everet?”
Her lips curved into an uncertain smile. “Do you truly not know, my lord?”
He spun her under his arm again and pulled her back in along with the rest of the couples. “No, I do not know what you are referring to, Miss Everet. Perhaps you would care to enlighten me?” His voice was stiff and set along with his jaw.
“Oh dear, I can see that I have troubled you, but since I am your friend, I shall tell you the truth. Lady Barnard was engaged to be married before she left America. She quarreled with the man and left to find another husband, but he still has her heart. One can hardly blame her; true love only happens once in a lifetime. It is hard to forget a match that was forged in love…”
Her words trailed off as she gazed longingly into his eyes.
Love?
The room around Julian began to fade as the music suddenly disappeared into the background of his thoughts. He had told Lily that he had been in love once before, yet she had said nothing in response. “And how do you know this gossip to be true?” he snapped.
Eleanor seemed hurt at first but quickly recovered.
“It is not gossip, my lord. Lady Barnard herself confided in me at the cottage. I am sorry if I am betraying her confidence, but I thought you ought to know. She will never be able to love another man, not truly, and not how she loved her former betrothed.”
Betrothed?
The word hit his chest like a ton of bricks as Julian looked back to where Lily had been standing. She was nowhere to be seen, nor was Arabella or the man who had been with her in the garden. It did not seem possible that she had been promised to another before she had agreed to the marriage.
A sudden wave of clarity washed over him as he recalled her words on the day he had proposed. Had she not said to him that their marriage would be one of convenience alone without any love? His blood began to run cold just as the song came to an end.
The couples stepped apart, bowing and curtsying to one another in parting. When Julian looked up again, what he saw in Eleanor’s eyes made him stiffen.
Is she telling the truth?
His heart stilled along with his thoughts as she held her gaze, unblinking and sure. Eleanor had not been truthful in the past, but that did not mean that she was incapable of telling the truth.
The letters from Oliver, her lies upon receiving them, and the sighting in the garden all fueled the anger swelling in his chest. He was not sure whom he could trust, or even who he could ask.
The guests erupted in applause just as the couples began to make their way from the floor.
Julian headed directly toward the staircase and stopped only when his mother crossed his path.
“Julian, dearest,” she whispered under her breath. “Why on earth did you open the dancefloor with Miss Everet and not your wife?” She laughed nervously and looked around, making certain that nobody was listening to them.
Shaking his head, Julian clenched his jaw, feeling his anger begin to rise. “If you have not noticed, Mother, your daughter-in-law is nowhere to be seen. Miss Everet did me a favor by taking her place.” His voice was stiff as she pushed past his mother, who seemed flustered and shocked.
“But Julian, where are you going?” she called to him, low enough that only he could hear.
“To my study, and I do not wish to be disturbed, not for the rest of the evening!” he muttered back, taking the steps two at a time as soon as he reached them.
Reaching the top of the stairs, he paused for a moment, looking back down at the throng of guests. He had half been expecting to see Lily again, yet she was still out of sight.
Perhaps she has gone back to him.
An aching feeling of numbness suddenly set in as he turned away from the guests and headed in the direction of his study. Once inside, he shut the door behind him and latched the lock.
“I cannot believe this is happening,” he whispered to the empty room. He did not feel as if it were possible that he had gotten himself into the same situation again.
Lily is in love with another.
He shook his head angrily, allowing the disbelief to cloud his thoughts.