The Regency Season Collection: Part One. Кэрол Мортимер

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СКАЧАТЬ her wretched imagination playing tricks on her, Julia decided, and managed to stab herself in the thumb with her needle. He shook out the pages of The Times and began to read, creating an effective barrier between them. And that is just your foolish fancy, she told herself, sucking at the tiny wound. Just as you are imagining that things are different in the bedroom.

      Ever since that afternoon when they had tumbled laughing on to her bed and made frantic, urgent love, it had seemed to her that Will had changed. His lovemaking was polite, restrained, considerate. He always left her satisfied...and yet it was as though he was holding something back from her. Had she revealed too much that afternoon? Was he shocked, on reflection, by her abandoned behaviour? Was he retreating back to a safe emotional distance? Or did he still harbour suspicions about Henry?

      The French knot she was working had become tangled. Julia tried to unpick it, but the light was bad, or perhaps her vision was blurred. Or perhaps I am just weepy because of the time of the month, she told herself.

      ‘I hear carriages.’ Will folded the paper and got to his feet to stand by the hearth, facing the door. Julia rose, too, and went to his side. How very handsome he looked in the severe evening clothes. Her sea-green skirts brushed against his legs as she turned to take up her position and she saw him close his eyes for a moment.

      ‘I feel as though a portrait painter will come through the door at any moment and set up his easel. Baron Dereham and His Lady about to be immortalised in oils,’ she said.

      That provoked a snort of laughter from Will and they were both smiling and relaxed as Gatcombe announced, ‘The Earl of Dunstable, Viscount and Lady Adamson, Miss Fletcher.’

      Julia fought to keep every iota of that smile on her face as she realised that four pairs of eyes were trained, not on them as a couple, but on Will. The earl, Lord Fallon, had that focused look she had learned to recognise in men who were on their mettle, even spoiling for a fight. The earl was on tenterhooks to see how Will reacted to Miss Fletcher, and how she behaved in her turn. Lord and Lady Adamson, she saw in an instant, were on edge, no doubt catching the tension emanating from Lord Fallon in the presence of the man who should have been their son-in-law by now.

      And Miss Fletcher? Julia had met her several times before Will’s return and knew her a little, but not well enough to sense whether her instinctive dislike was simple prejudice because Caroline had not fought to stay with Will when he had thought himself to be dying, or whether she would have found her uncongenial under any circumstances.

      There was an infinitesimal pause, then Will stepped forwards to greet their guests and Julia lost the ability to detect anything but conventional social greetings and the exclamations of pleasure at Will’s safe return.

      Will was not looking at Caroline. Caroline was carefully not looking at Will and Lord Fallon was watching both of them like a hawk. Julia stepped between the two men. ‘I am so pleased you could come, Lord Fallon. Will you be staying long at Heathfield Hall?’ She turned a little as she spoke and he had, out of simple politeness, to follow her.

      ‘For several weeks, Lady Dereham. We are making wedding preparations, as you know, and that takes a great deal of planning.’

      He began to prose on about the guest list. Julia fixed a smile on her lips. At least she had succeeded in creating space for Caroline’s parents to talk to Will and, as she suspected, there was long acquaintance and considerable liking between them.

      ‘Mr and Mrs Pendleton. Mrs Hadfield, Mr Hadfield.’

      Delia, unconsciously doing the tactful thing, swooped on Miss Fletcher and began to interrogate her about her trousseau. Henry, who had met Lord Fallon on the hunting field, came up with a question about a horse and, with a sigh of relief at the thought of another awkward confrontation averted, Julia was able to slip away and greet the vicar and his wife.

      The big salon filled up quickly and Julia relaxed. Will had hardly so much as glanced in Caroline’s direction and both he and Lord Fallon appeared to have decided there was no need to bristle at each other. Will had even spoken civilly to Henry and the younger man had relaxed from an all-too-obvious tension into his usual cheerful self.

      * * *

      By the time she walked through to the dining room with the Marquess of Tranton, Julia realised that she was actually enjoying herself.

      ‘I hear that you are expecting a positive herd of horses shortly,’ the marquess remarked as the soup was served.

      ‘Indeed, yes. Lord Dereham purchased some very fine animals while he was in Spain and North Africa. We have had to extend the stables to accommodate them all. I will let you know when they arrive, if you are interested, my lord.’

      ‘That would be a pleasure, thank you.’ He passed her the pepper, then remarked, ‘My steward tells me that you have been managing the estate here in Dereham’s absence with remarkable success.’

      ‘It is kind of him to say so.’ The Tranton farms were famous—praise from that quarter was praise indeed.

      Julia had been having qualms about entertaining a marquess and what topics of conversation might interest him. She had not been expecting him to show so much approving interest in her agricultural endeavours and the meal seemed to fly past in a highly satisfactory sequence of courses and a lively buzz of conversation.

      * * *

      Julia’s other big fear had been that she would forget to rise and take the ladies out at the appropriate moment, but even that went smoothly without Delia having to shoot dagger-glances down the table to remind her. Will caught her eye and nodded and she felt the warmth of his approval.

      The ladies settled in the salon to gossip and await the tea tray. Julia relaxed, then tensed in surprise as Caroline Fletcher settled beside her.

      ‘I was amazed that Lord Tranton should have chosen to talk so much about farming.’ She gave an artistic shudder. ‘Why, he hardly spoke of anything else and I am sure he has all the Court gossip at his fingertips. You must have hoped to forget such tiresome things as cows and corn at dinner, Lady Dereham.’

      ‘Not at all, Miss Fletcher. I was flattered by his interest. He is very knowledgeable.’

      ‘I have never understood why you had to be involved with it at all. Could you not have hired a man instead of labouring over something so...unfeminine?’

      ‘If I was both ignorant, and idle,’ Julia riposted with a smile, ‘I would have done. As it happened I knew what I was doing and I find it of great interest. Beside which, I considered it my duty to look after King’s Acre until Lord Dereham returned.’

      ‘You expected this miracle cure, then?’ Caroline enquired, making no effort to hide her scepticism.

      ‘I never gave up hope.’

      To anyone knowing the history it would seem an implied criticism and Caroline certainly took it as one. Her eyes widened and her lips tightened as the colour slashed across her cheekbones. ‘You must be congratulated upon having no imagination, Lady Dereham,’ she riposted. ‘To marry under the circumstances must have required the most ruthless control of whatever sensibility you possess.’ Her smile indicated that she thought Julia had none.

      ‘My sensibility goes with refined taste in all matters, I believe,’ Caroline continued with staggering complacency. ‘I cannot tell you what a pleasure it was to be in London the past few weeks. One may find the very best shops there.’ Her gaze СКАЧАТЬ