Chapter 2 #2
The stranger held her gaze evenly. “Alas, while that’s true, a father has plenty of control over his daughters; so I, and the ton, can only assume that yours has raised you to conduct yourselves in the same poor manner.
Mark my words, whatever your approach to the Season, London’s upper echelons will not be welcoming. ”
“This situation is hardly of our choosing,” Julia replied, meeting his gaze despite the heat rising in her chest. “One might expect a gentleman to show a degree of understanding, rather than impatience.”
“And what about the things that are in your control, hm?” The man looked almost amused now, his wild floppy hair falling to the side as he tilted his head. “For example, getting out of your carriage to stamp your foot and shout in the street after someone politely asks you to move aside.”
“You mistake the matter,” Julia replied coolly. “You have not shown me anything other than ill-will, and I only stepped from my carriage so that I might converse with you properly. I mean to be treated like a lady and…”
“Then act like one,” the man responded. There was a pause.
In the heavy silence, Julia snorted heatedly through her nose.
The man seemed to realize he had been unnecessarily brusque, and Poppy gasped.
It was this sound that drew the gentleman’s attention.
For the first time, he looked past Julia and acknowledged Poppy, who was still seated inside the carriage, looking absolutely mortified by the exchange.
“Pray do not feel obliged to involve your sister,” he said, his tone even.
“One spirited exchange is quite sufficient for the moment.”
Poppy shook her head and cleared her throat. “Please accept our apologies for the mishap with the carriage. Our driver is doing all he can to clear the blockage as soon as possible.”
“Very well. Your apology is accepted. Let me see if my driver is able to help repair this sorry excuse for a cab so we can both be on our way.” The man gestured to his cab driver, significantly better dressed than theirs, with neat leather driving gloves, who promptly disembarked and made his way over to the beleaguered man, who still knelt by the rear wheel, hammering the spoke back into place.
Then the gentleman addressed Julia again.
“Am I a true gentleman now, by your estimation, Miss Norish?”
Julia snorted in a most unladylike manner.
“Hardly. Although I will concede that we both very much appreciate the assistance,” she added as an afterthought, deciding that now the man wasn’t being quite so hostile, it might behoove her to try and undo a little of the damage she’d already done to Poppy’s prospects by making such a spectacle.
Now that the heat of the moment had died down, she suddenly felt very silly and regretful.
“I suggest you return to your vehicle and wait quietly, lest you draw any further attention.” The man’s eyes were dancing with something like amusement, which only made Julia feel further cowed.
She turned on her heel, refusing to meet his eyes, and stepped back up into the carriage, gathering her skirts around her.
She pulled the window shutter closed as soon as she got inside, hiding herself away from the watching eyes.
How she wished she could put this uppity person in his place.
How dare he look down on them because of the misfortune they’d fallen into.
She began to remember why she didn’t like coming to London very often.
It would almost be a relief to say goodbye to all of this, once Poppy was married, and go to become a governess somewhere in the countryside.
Life would be easier without enduring the pressure of high Society.
“What was that, Julia?” Poppy asked, her face pale. “Are you feeling quite well? I’ve never seen you lose control like that.”
“I’ve just had enough, Poppy,” Julia sighed. “I’m exhausted, and I can’t wait to see the end of this damnable carriage.”
“You shouldn’t have riled him up so much,” her sister admonished. “Did you even get his name? He seemed like a rather important person.”
Julia realized that she had not. “No, but he could be the King’s cousin, and I wouldn’t care a whit. Nobody has the right to treat us with such disdain. We’ve done no harm to him.”
“Well, purposefully or not, we have made him late,” Poppy reminded her sheepishly.
“For which we’ve apologized. Twice. There’s really not much more anyone could ask,” Julia argued.
“I may have overreacted, but I’m sure it will be fine.
We’ll just avoid that hateful man if we see him attending any dances.
With any luck, he thinks himself so far above the rest of us that he won’t even deign to show his face, and we’ll never have to talk about him again. ”
Poppy smiled ruefully. “Based on the way our lives have been going lately, do you think that’s likely?”
Julia sighed and flopped back against the seat. “Oh, Poppy, don’t be so pessimistic. Our bad luck has to end sometime, doesn’t it?”