To Suit a Suitor

by Paula Kremser

  Julia’s eyes widened and her expression became one of alarm. Seeing her reaction, he recalled himself and quickly stepped back, releasing her arms. There were other matters to attend to.

  “Where’s that miscreant? Where’s Jonathan?” Henry demanded. He stepped around Julia to look in the carriage. It was empty, though. He turned back to Julia and demanded, “Where is he? Are you meeting him somewhere?” He wanted nothing more than to find the man just so he could run him out of town.

  “Mr. Corey? No. Isn’t he at Barrington Court?” Julia didn’t look as though her plot to elope had just been discovered. In fact, she just looked confused as she added, “He didn’t come on our excursion today.”

  Miss Abbot drew his attention again, saying, “Henry, you seem upset. What’s happened?”

  Henry shook his head, now feeling quite confused himself. “I’m not sure exactly. I received a note …” He patted at his pockets and then remembered he had dropped it in the library. “I don’t have it with me, but Jonathan left a note saying he had eloped. I assumed it was with Julia. In fact, I think he mentioned her in his letter.” Henry shook his head in confusion still, wondering what piece of the puzzle he was missing. “And he is certainly gone. He left this morning.” Henry turned to stare again at Julia, so relieved that it wasn’t true. At the same time he noticed that she looked upset and maybe even a little guilty. Still not understanding, he said with a question in his voice, “But you are here.”

  Miss Abbot, looking as though she had been betrayed, turned to Julia and asked, “Were you going to elope with Mr. Corey? Without even telling me?”

  Julia shook her head no. Looking worriedly at Martha, she said, “It’s Harriet.” Henry watched her eyes leave Miss Abbot’s to briefly glance at him, but his expression must have looked just as confused as Miss Abbot’s because she finally clarified, “Mr. Corey is in love with Harriet, not me.” Henry’s lungs drew in a deep breath. In the last half hour he had felt as though he could hardly breathe, but finding out that Julia was in no danger of running off with his friend left him finally able to draw a real breath again.

  “But Harriet was with us at Blackdown Hills and Mr. Corey was not. Surely they could not have eloped,” said Miss Abbot.

  “But she didn’t return home with you?” Henry asked, beginning to realize what the two had planned. It was quite clever, really; by the time anyone noticed they were missing, they would already have a fifteen-mile head start. It was interesting to discover how logically he could think now that he was no longer devastated and panicked.

  “No, she wanted to stay longer and asked to ride home in the Clifton’s carriage,” said Miss Abbot. “I heard her mother agree to it.”

  There were several seconds of silence as the three of them thought how the scheme had been done. Finally Henry turned to Julia and asked, “Should we try to track them down, do you think? Did your sister leave a note, perhaps with a clue as to where they were going?” He was so much less concerned now that he knew Julia was in no danger. But he felt a heavy responsibility for the behavior of his guest.

  “I’ll go check,” Julia said quietly, the mood having changed from alarmed to somber.

  Henry followed Miss Abbot into the house, but his thoughts followed Julia. She seemed to have known something about her sister and Jonathan. Which meant, when she had asked questions about Jonathan’s character, she had been asking on her sister’s behalf. The relief he felt was again almost overwhelming, as he cast aside the worry that had plagued him for days.

  Henry sat down in the drawing room while Miss Abbot went to find Mrs. North to tell her what was happening. Henry watched her leave with a look of worry on her face and realized that despite his relief, there were still worrisome repercussions to consider. But the most important repercussion in Henry’s mind was that Julia didn’t love Jonathan and she never had.

  But if Julia had never been interested in Jonathan, then why had she not given him another chance? Henry was beginning to think that everything he had assumed about Julia since the day he kissed her had been wrong. He had convinced himself that it was just a matter of time before he talked her into giving him another chance, but that wasn’t the case at all. Even though she hadn’t left with Jonathan, he still had no idea how to convince her to trust him again. Henry knew there was nothing he wanted more than Julia, but he had explained everything to her and she had still refused to give him another chance.

  Henry pulled himself out of his musings at a slight noise, and saw Julia herself standing uncertainly in the doorway.

  “Oh, um. Where are the others?” she asked uncertainly.

  He had no idea how to make her his. He knew he had to do something different than what he had tried already, but he didn’t know what. His uncertainty made his mind freeze and he felt almost afraid to say anything, lest it make his situation worse. But a reply was necessary.

  “Coming, I think,” he finally replied. “You found something?”

  “Ah, yes. Not a note from Harriet, but a letter from Lord Blakely, which I think must have arrived yesterday.”

  Henry had heard Mrs. North mention Lord Blakely, but just to clarify he asked, “Your sister’s fiancé in London?”

  “Yes. You see, my sister had sent him a letter asking to end the engagement. His reply came yesterday and it isn’t favorable,” said Julia.

  “Wait a moment. For how long have your sister and Jonathan been planning this?” Henry thought that Jonathan had met the Norths when they arrived here in Barrington. Even then, Jonathan’s preference for Julia had been obvious. Had he already known Harriet?

  “They met and quite liked each other the night her engagement was announced. He left London when she and my mother did. He basically followed Harriet here. I caught them together once out walking, but I had no idea they were contemplating an elopement.” Julia actually looked worried about admitting as much, as though it were her fault.

  “So that was Jonathan’s real reason for coming to Barrington,” Henry thought out loud. It had had nothing to do with him at all. “And Lord Blakely?” he asked, gesturing to the letter still in her hand. “He said ‘no’ then to ending the engagement?”

  Lifting the paper she held in her hands, she searched it and said, “Well, more precisely he said he ‘couldn’t deal with the nuisance of a cancelled engagement’ and then he said, ‘Your affections, which have so easily turned to another, will surely change just as easily back to me when we next are together at our wedding.’”

  “I’m less surprised your sister eloped.”

  Julia let out a startled chuckle, and then nodded in agreement.

  Henry tried to think of something else he could say. Something that would end the silence, but he couldn’t help but think of what he wanted to say to her, what he had already said to her, and the rejection that would come if he tried to say it again. He didn’t know how to proceed with Julia anymore. Nothing like this had ever happened to him. She felt as unattainable as if she really were halfway to Scotland with another man.

  The long silence ended when Miss Abbot and Miss North entered the drawing room mid-conversation. “I can’t believe Harriet would do this to me. She’s so headstrong, always acting without thinking first.” Mrs. North gestured angrily with her hands as she spoke. Once in the room, Mrs. North looked directly at Henry and asked, “Is this true? Has Harriet eloped with Mr. Corey?”

  “It appears to be quite true, ma’am,” he replied.

  “Well, she’s made her choice; I suppose there is nothing we can do about it now,” said Mrs. North.

  Henry watched Julia give her mother a disbelieving look. “Don’t you think we should have someone go after them?” she asked. “They can’t have set off more than two or three hours ago; they could still be stopped.”

  “There would be no point in that, Julia. Harriet has made her choice, and while I think it’s quite the stupidest choice she ever made, it’s her problem now. Or rather, she is Mr. Corey’s problem now.”

>   Henry could sense that Julia was angry with the turn her mother’s thoughts had taken, and he spoke up, saying, “I feel partly responsible, as Mr. Corey was my guest when this happened. Let me at least see if I can track them down.”

  “It’s not necessary,” retorted Mrs. North. “By the time you find a trace of them, it will be too late. Besides, Julia and I need to return to London right away.”

  Julia looked up at her mother with surprise. “But, Mother, I’m supposed to stay here with Martha until the twenty-fifth. It’s what we agreed on.”

  “I think we agreed you would stay until Harriet’s wedding. Since your sister has gone off to be married, it’s time for us to return to London.”

  Julia had that look of her mind racing to think of a strategy. Despite the new panic he was feeling that she might be leaving so soon, Henry was proud of her. After only a few seconds’ pause, she said, “I agree with Mr. Chamberlain that we should try to find them. Let’s be as certain as we can that they are actually to be married.”

  Henry heard the emphasis in Julia’s voice and turned to Mrs. North to see if the strategy worked. For the first time Mrs. North looked worried. “Didn’t the letter say they were to be married? Let me see it.”

  “I’m sorry,” said Henry. “But in the confusion and hurry, I left the note from Jonathan behind. He implied they were to be married. But …” Henry trailed off and shrugged his shoulders.

  Mrs. North looked frustrated. “Well, yes then. I suppose you’d better track them down. Be sure they are at least en route to Scotland. I suppose it’s too late for us to leave for London today anyway.”

  Henry had already thought about the best possibility of tracking them down and said, “Their most likely path would be through Taunton. Would you agree, Miss Abbot?”

  “Whether they go by boat or carriage, they would almost certainly pass through Taunton,” she replied. “Why don’t you take Julia and her maid with you in the carriage to search for them.”

  Mrs. North objected, saying, “Julia and her maid need to stay here to pack their things for our journey back to London.”

  Miss Abbot quickly replied, “If they find the pair in Taunton it won’t take long. Besides, Julia and Harriet look alike, so someone might remember seeing Harriet if Julia goes along too. You wouldn’t want to return to London without knowing that Harriet at least intends to marry Mr. Corey, would you?”

  Mrs. North looked like she wanted to do just that, but with a long-suffering sigh, she turned to her daughter and said, “Julia, you go with Mr. Chamberlain and make sure you find evidence that they are heading to Scotland and then we’ll know Harriet means to marry Mr. Corey. We’ll leave for London first thing in the morning.”

  Miss Abbot spoke up then, “If you really are leaving in the morning, perhaps you could squeeze in a farewell visit to Lady Chamberlain before you go. I’m sure she would be so sad to have you leave the neighborhood without a word of goodbye.” Henry appreciated the thoughtful gesture even amidst the returning feeling of panic he was feeling that Julia was leaving tomorrow.

  Mrs. North just gave a frustrated grunt and left the room. Hopefully that was her agreement.

  A

  Chapter 22

  After Henry held her hand to help her into the carriage, Julia gazed out the window in an effort not to make eye contact with him as he climbed in after her. The touch through both their gloved hands affected her while she wished it had not. She should be getting stronger at resisting the pull of attraction she felt by now, but a little touch seemed to weaken her instead.

  They made their way toward Taunton, as they would begin their search there and see if anyone locally had noticed Mr. Corey’s carriage pass by. Julia should have realized what Harriet’s plans were. If she hadn’t been so wrapped up in her own thoughts, she would have asked Harriet about her strange behavior today.

  Just before she had climbed back in the carriage, her mother had pulled her aside and said, “Make certain Harriet is married or on her way to Scotland and then come straight back. We need to get back to London before word of this does.”

  “What? Why should that even matter?” Julia had asked.

  “Mr. Jenks wants to marry you because he wants his name associated with ours. If word of this scandal reaches him before he has committed himself, he’ll back out,” her mother explained.

  “Mother, I agreed to stay here with Martha until the end of June. Surely you won’t have me go back on my word? I must stay until her new companion arrives.” She had used the same persuasive tone with her mother many times and Julia dreamt of the time when she wouldn’t need her mother’s permission for every decision she made.

  Her mother said, “When Lord Blakely hears about the elopement, he certainly won’t take the blame. The disgrace from this will be insurmountable. We are returning to London in the morning, and I’ll expect you to agree to everything I arrange, just like you promised.”

  With these thoughts heavy on her mind, Julia knew she would have to ask Martha tonight if she could stay in Barrington with her forever. But all those thoughts couldn’t quite distract her from sitting across the carriage from Henry. Her maid, who had had much more to do since her mother had arrived in Barrington, had scooted across the carriage and rested her head against the soft, satin wall. Her eyes closed with a contented look on her face at the unexpected opportunity of an afternoon nap in the Chamberlains’ luxurious carriage.

  Julia had thought that her last private conversation with Henry at the Trevons’ would have been their last one ever, but now she found herself enclosed in a carriage with him for the next three hours at least.

  “Are you comfortable, Miss North?” Henry asked.

  Julia looked at him then, only to find that his gaze was as studiously focused at the passing scenery as hers had been. “Yes, thank you,” she replied.

  Still looking out the carriage window, he said, “You must be tired of being in a carriage all day.”

  Without thinking about whether or not she was, she politely answered, “No, I’m fine. Thank you.”

  Their conversation continued in short, hesitant bursts with long, silent stretches interspersed. Julia wished that Henry would put them back on even footing, but he still seemed angry with her. For a few moments when she had first seen him this afternoon, he had looked like he was concerned for her and even relieved to see her, but it hadn’t lasted. He had quickly become silent and sullen. She felt incapable of removing the tension between them. Even if he had completely given up on her because of her stubborn lack of trust, at least he could use his practiced charm to put her at ease. She’d gladly take his careful allotment of attention over this grudging conversation.

  When they arrived in Taunton, Henry directed the driver toward an inn and they were soon exiting the carriage and making their way inside. Henry asked the first person he saw for the proprietor and they sat at a table while they waited for him.

  Again an uncomfortable silence settled between them and Julia wished she had not joined him on this errand. Especially as she looked around and noticed that the other patrons of the place were eyeing her and Henry speculatively. “Well,” she observed quietly to Henry. “If Mr. Corey and Harriet came here, I’m sure they would have been noticed as everyone seems to be noticing us right now.”

  Henry glanced around and nodded his head in agreement. He looked like he was about to comment, but the door to the back room opened and a man dressed a little finer than most of his clientele emerged. He strode over to their table and at Henry’s invitation joined them.

  Julia had already decided not to leave all the difficult questioning to Henry and was about to ask Mr. Cummings—as he had introduced himself—if he had seen her sister, when he asked, “Are you come to get married today too? If you can believe it, you’d be the second couple to ask for directions to the parsonage today.”

  Henry looked at Julia with an expression of startled surprise. Neither of them responded for a few moments as they took in Mr
. Cummings’s meaning. “No, we don’t want to be married,” Henry asserted. “But we are looking for our friends who might be the couple you mentioned.” Julia let herself lose track of the conversation for a few moments as Henry’s words settled distastefully. ‘We don’t want to be married.’ It confirmed what she had suspected; he would not ask to court her again. Well, what did she expect? She had already told him no three times. And besides, she didn’t even want him to ask her again. Despite what she’d learned about herself, Henry was still the same. He would never recover from his broken heart. He just wanted attention because he was so used to it and thought that it belonged to him. Somehow that same excuse she had clung to through the weeks since he had ended their brief courtship fell flat.

  Julia gave her own attention back to the conversation as Mr. Cummings finished describing a couple that was almost certainly her sister and Mr. Corey. “Could you tell us where the parsonage is?” Henry asked. “We would like to know for sure whether our friends were married today.” Mr. Cummings gave the easy directions and they stood to go. Henry handed the man some money with a word of thanks and they departed.

  As they climbed in the carriage for the short drive, Henry remarked, “The couple he described can only be Jonathan and your sister. I can’t believe they got married.”

  Julia was less certain and asked, “How would that even be possible? The banns have to be read for three weeks before the ceremony.”

  “Not if Jonathan had a special license.”

  Julia suddenly realized that perhaps this whole elopement had been far better planned than she had ever given Mr. Corey credit for. “If he did have a special license, they could have been already married before we even realized they were missing.”

  Henry had the driver take them to the parsonage. In a short conversation with the vicar, he was able to verify that the man had married Jonathan Corey and Harriet North earlier that day by special license.