After the final round was played they tallied the points. Miss North said, “Five points for us, which means we win.” And she set down the slate and chalk in front of her with a look of satisfaction on her face.
Henry couldn’t help but compliment her. “Miss North, it seems you are quite skilled at whist. Even with that terrible hand you still managed to win a point.”
The grin that she had been holding back was bright now as she replied, “You’re thinking of when I trumped your ace, aren’t you Mr. Chamberlain?”
He couldn’t help but smile back. “That’s precisely what I’m referring to. I thought I would have a point that round for sure, but I can see now that when I play against you, I can never be sure of anything, even an ace.”
“We were lucky, weren’t we Miss North?” asked Miss Clifton, sounding annoyed at their good luck. “Mr. Chamberlain is the best card player; I don’t think I’ve ever won a round against him.”
Henry glanced at Miss Clifton as she spoke, then over at Miss North, wondering what her reaction would be. He was quite familiar with Miss Clifton deferring to him constantly. She was certainly not the only young lady to do so. He was resigned, when in the company of young ladies, to playing games of cards stacked in his favor. It seemed a trick that young ladies learned before they left the schoolroom to help them secure a husband. Henry was certain that all young ladies behaved that way with gentlemen. But Miss North had beaten him soundly and practically single-handedly. She even looked quite smug about it. The game was getting interesting.
Miss North finally responded to Miss Clifton, saying, “Perhaps his luck changed when I arrived.” Henry wasn’t sure if it was his luck that had changed with Miss North’s arrival, but something was certainly different.
“Then it’s a good thing you’re just visiting, Miss North,” Miss Clifton responded acerbically.
Henry saw Mrs. Clifton give a gentle shake of her head in reprimand to her daughter then jerk her head toward Henry while giving her daughter a meaningful glare. Did they honestly think he didn’t see or notice all the silly posturing? He decided perhaps an end to card games was in order.
“I’ll hope for better luck the next time I challenge Miss North to cards. Or rather, perhaps I’ll study up on strategy, as I think luck had very little to do with it. Miss North and Miss Clifton, it was a well-deserved win. You are quite skilled.” Henry said, including both young ladies in the compliment, although it was Miss North’s skill alone that had impressed him. “Speaking of skill, I would love to hear some music this evening. Would you ladies be willing to entertain us?” Henry asked, again, including Miss Clifton when he would rather not.
A
When Henry asked if she would be willing to entertain their party by playing music, Julia very much wanted to answer “No.” She loved playing cards; she was usually quite good at cards, but on the pianoforte, she was only just average. An answer from her was unnecessary, as Miss Clifton—her good nature instantly returning—readily agreed to Mr. Chamberlain’s suggestion for both of them.
Despite Miss Clifton’s presence, Julia had been having a wonderful evening up to this point. This was exactly what she had been hoping for when she first thought about leaving London. She didn’t have to throw a card game to impress a suitor here.
Julia had reminded herself before she entered Barrington Court that Henry Chamberlain was not her suitor, and never would be. In London, with her mother looking on, she would play poorly when up against a gentleman that needed to be impressed. She didn’t have to throw every hand, but just enough that she didn’t quite win. For the most part, she enjoyed the strategy of it as well, to get as close as she could to victory without succeeding. Miss Clifton could take lessons from her on how to throw a game. It had been too obvious that she played her cards to help Mr. Chamberlain. But Julia had played to win, and it was the first time she had ever won a game against a single gentleman. The thought of playing the pianoforte for their small crowd tonight was quickly diminishing the thrill of her victory.
Miss Clifton sat at the instrument to play first. After selecting a piece that even from a distance Julia could tell was a difficult one, she began to play with admirable skill. Mr. Chamberlain approached Julia as she looked through a stack of Lady Chamberlain’s music. “What are you going to favor us with, Miss North?”
“I haven’t decided yet,” she said as she flipped through the stack. Several were beyond her capabilities, and a few that she could play included lyrics, and she didn’t want to sing. “It will be difficult to follow Miss Clifton’s performance.” She glanced over to the instrument where Miss Clifton’s fingers flew up and down as she sang. Her voice wasn’t exceptional, but her talented fingers made up for it.
She looked intentionally away from the superior performer and into Mr. Chamberlain’s eyes instead to find he was giving her a knowing look. “Every young lady demures just as you are doing now, then sits down to play and astonishes the room with her talent.”
“What if I’m the exception?” she couldn’t help but ask.
There was a small V where his eyebrows met as he drew them together skeptically. Why did she find him even more handsome with such an expression? “Let me ask you a question,” he said. “For how many years have you played the pianoforte?”
“I began lessons when I was ten, and learned until I was fourteen,” she told him matter-of-factly. “Since then, I’ve practiced on my own. So I suppose that is eleven years that I have played.”
“Do you not think that eleven years of experience will serve you well?”
“But only four years of lessons,” she protested.
“Why did you stop taking lessons if you wanted to learn more?” he asked, and because his curiosity seemed genuine, she told him.
“It was my mother’s decision to make, not mine. After four years, my governess had taught me all she knew. I wanted to take lessons from a London master, but my mother thought my skill was sufficient.” Julia still regretted that she hadn’t been able to learn more. Her mother’s sentiment had been, “You have learned enough to impress any gentleman. All of them will want to have a talented wife, but none are too particular. They won’t know the difference between something composed by Mozart or his worst student, so you don’t need to either.” Julia had wanted to be the very best, but all the practice in the world couldn’t make up for deficiencies in knowledge. Just as with all else in her life, everything she said or did had to further her mother’s purpose for her: securing a good match.
“Should we judge your performance this evening to see if she was right?” Mr. Chamberlain asked. Julia could see he was teasing by his raised brow and his mouth curving up on one side. He continued, “After you play, we can have each person rate how well you played. If you play very well, you will get a rating of ‘exceptional,’ if we can’t even discern the tune, the rating will be ‘poor,’ and somewhere in the middle could be ‘sufficient.’”
Julia rolled her eyes good-naturedly at his absurd suggestion. She understood that he thought she was far too concerned about public opinion. But men weren’t subjected to the same standard of performance. “It won’t be necessary; I can already predict what my rating would be. You, Lady Chamberlain, and my cousin would say I was ‘exceptional’ regardless of my performance. And the others, who would feel no obligation to be polite, would decline rating my performance at all.” She paused a moment as she could picture the scene so easily. Her eyes darted toward Miss Clifton as she played, and she added without trying to disguise her sarcasm, “Perhaps Miss Clifton would even be so kind as to suggest I practice more.”
Mr. Chamberlain was looking at her with a thoughtful expression. Julia worried that her response had revealed more of her insecurity than she had wanted to; he confirmed she had when he said, “It’s a shame that you can’t display some of your other talents in a drawing room.”
Her “other talents,” according to him would likely include hunting for flies and falling off horses. Th
e real shame was that she had ever displayed them at all. Julia looked at the teasing glint in his emerald eyes and forgot what she had been about to say. She wanted to gather her wits to respond, but he shifted closer to her and held her gaze, and she couldn’t bring herself to care that he would tease her. She felt on the verge of being mesmerized by his beautiful eyes.
Julia finally broke their gaze, swallowed once, and tried to resume breathing without him noticing that she had stopped. She knew this was his way and yet she almost fell for it.
In or out of a drawing room, this was his talent. Mesmerizing young ladies. She could tell that it wasn’t even intentional. Henry Chamberlain didn’t mean to make young ladies fall in love with him, it just happened. He probably didn’t even know that his eyes were sending false messages that he would cherish her forever. Julia knew her response was too long in coming for him not to notice the pause, but still she forced herself to lean away. She crossed her arms as she did so and said with a challenge in her voice, “I was able to ‘display’ my talent for whist to my satisfaction.”
An admirable recovery for her.
“True. I shouldn’t have neglected mentioning your talent there.” Julia had leaned away, but now, Mr. Chamberlain leaned closer than before to say, “In fact, your talent for strategy could be used outside of a drawing room as well. Wellington could surely use your skill to help plan his battles.”
Julia moved her gaze to his left ear so she wouldn’t get caught in his gaze once more. “If I was so good at strategizing, I would find a way out of displaying my poor skills at the pianoforte in front of everyone.”
“Ah, too easy for a skilled strategist such as yourself.” His response surprised her a little and she made the mistake of looking into his eyes again. “You could easily claim some headache and no one would press you to perform. But, if you could come up with a strategy that didn’t include any little falsehood, I’d be truly in awe of your talent.”
Julia shook her head at the impossibility of the challenge, but her eyes were still on his. Suddenly she had an idea and narrowed her eyes in thought. “Do you play, Mr. Chamberlain?”
He shook his head. “Thankfully I do not.” He was smiling, probably thinking his lack of ability had foiled her plan.
“Perfect,” she responded. “I think it would be quite gallant of you to play next, a very poor performance so that mine will sound better in comparison.” Julia raised her eyebrows at Mr. Chamberlain, pushing her challenge.
His smile turned to a look of surprise, and perhaps even a hint of awe at her strategy. He looked like he was about to admit just as much, but then something over her shoulder caught his attention and he just said, “A commendable strategy indeed, Miss North.” With a nod of his head he moved away and Julia wondered for a moment about his abrupt departure. Turning to look over her shoulder, she saw Lady Chamberlain and realized why he had left. Just when she was on the verge of forgetting herself, she realized his attention was carefully rationed and she had had her share.
She watched Mr. Chamberlain move across the room and begin speaking with her cousin and Mrs. Thurston instead. Resigned, Julia turned her attention back to the pages of music in front of her and tried to concentrate, finally finding one with a pretty tune but no words. It was a piece she had played in public before, and she knew it would please her audience. Miss Clifton was playing her third piece and before she finished, Mr. Chamberlain had left Martha and Mrs. Thurston and was standing by the instrument, giving her his attention. Julia felt a bit deflated. She knew already that Mr. Chamberlain had no intentions toward Miss Clifton, but watching him treat Miss Clifton with the same careful attention he treated her reminded her that he had no intentions toward her either. Julia shouldn’t have been, but she was a tiny bit pleased when Mr. Chamberlain’s full attention caused Miss Clifton to make a mistake as she played.
After escorting Miss Clifton to the sofa, Mr. Chamberlain returned directly to the instrument and sat down. Julia just stared in surprise. Was he really going to do it? He looked her direction and smiled, probably at the look of astonishment that must be evident on her face, and announced, “I have decided to favor you all with a short performance of my own this evening.”
Julia heard Lady Chamberlain ask, “Henry, what are you about?” but he didn’t pause to answer. With dramatic flair he played “The Grand Old Duke of York” for his mother’s surprised guests, one finger at a time. Julia tried her best not to laugh out loud, but when he sped up then slowed down dramatically for a grand finish, a small “pbfft” escaped her lips.
After Mr. Chamberlain finished, he stood up and made a deep bow as everyone applauded but shook their heads in confusion. He looked up and met her eye and Julia felt as though they were coconspirators. He might not want to court her, but he was quickly becoming a good friend. She had never had anyone embarrass himself for her before.
Mr. Chamberlain came toward her and offered his arm. Julia took it and let him lead her to the pianoforte. Before she sat down he quietly asked, “Was that what you had in mind, Miss North?”
She looked at him to share a private smile and said, “Just so, Mr. Chamberlain.”
His performance served its purpose. Julia played her piece perfectly and the break between Miss Clifton’s performance and her own prevented the comparisons she had dreaded.
A
Chapter 13
Riding lessons had become the highlight of Henry’s week. Really they had become the highlight of his life, but they had only been at it a few weeks. Three lessons so far, and today would be the fourth.
Henry couldn’t believe how thoroughly thoughts of Julia North had taken over his mind. He had called on Miss Abbot this week too. His given reason was to return a book, but really he was there to spend a few more minutes with Miss North.
When Miss Corey had died, so had his heart. She was his only love, and he knew—he just knew—he would never love again. His heart had died the day he lost her; he hadn’t ever dreamed it could be resurrected. Every family member and every friend who had expressed the sentiment that time would heal his wounds hadn’t known what they were talking about. But as much as he hated to admit it, all those well-wishers might have been right. He was beginning to think Julia North was a miracle worker. His feelings for her had been almost unrecognizable at first, but he could see now that he was infatuated. All the signs and symptoms were there and he couldn’t deny it any longer. In fact, it wouldn’t take much for him to admit his feelings and commit to a real and earnest courtship.
Henry didn’t think he was arrogant, merely aware of the way he was viewed by young ladies. They were all quite taken with him. Julia seemed to be as well, but she was the only young lady (Miss Corey included) who had ever resisted a connection with him. Henry had found pursuing her to be a welcome change to being pursued. She hadn’t fallen at his feet or used artifice to get his attention. In fact, he’d wager that she would have wished his attention anywhere but on her several times. That was one of those things that made her so irresistible. All he had to do was remember that moment of surprise when she caught a fly and he found himself smiling.
Henry waited in the pasture with the two saddled horses, thinking of all of the other ways he found her so charming. When he saw her enter the pasture, she smiled as her eyes met his and he mentally added her beautiful smile to his list.
When she came a little closer and said “good morning,” he thought that her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes today.
He helped her on her horse and, just like each time he came near her, he felt his heart pound nearly out of his chest. He savored the feeling as he reached for her and lifted her up on Pegasus. She adjusted in her seat and waited silently as he mounted Felix and they began their usual circuit of the field.
After a few minutes of silence, Henry decided to ask, “Miss North, you seem out of sorts today; is there something the matter?”
Julia looked a little surprised, but after only a slight hesitation, she didn’t de
ny it. “Yes, I’m sorry, I am a little out of sorts today,” she admitted. “I’d better put everything else from my mind and concentrate on riding. I’d hate for Pegasus to toss me off again,” she said with a smile.
Henry loved that she was able to tease herself. It was amusing for him to tease her over her embarrassing moments, but that she could laugh at herself impressed him immensely. Despite her words, they rode in silence for almost a quarter of an hour. Felix and Pegasus walked side by side now, rather than Julia lagging behind, so Henry could look over and see her expression. She was looking at Pegasus’s ears and it seemed her thoughts were far away.
He didn’t want to be rude by prying, but he was curious to know why she was so distracted today. He began, “Miss North, I feel quite proud of my skills as a riding instructor; your progress has been exceptional.”
She looked up and sat a little straighter in the saddle. “Do you really think I’m doing well?”
“Most definitely; so well in fact, that you don’t have to think about it. Why, just a fortnight ago you would hardly touch Pegasus and now you ride with such ease that you can be miles away in thought as you do so.” It wasn’t a subtle hint, and Henry hoped that he could get her to reveal what was distressing her without asking directly.
She seemed to be searching for the answer she wanted to give him. “I’m just thinking today how sad I’ll be to leave Barrington. I feel so at home here.”
Henry again thought how different Julia was from the scheming young ladies he knew. It wasn’t uncommon for those other girls to befriend his mother and obtain extended invitations at Barrington Court just to be near him. Julia, however, was already thinking about leaving. At least she wasn’t cheerful about it. “You don’t need to think about that for some time. Miss Abbot said you would be here for two months.”
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