It was a little daunting but Julie would do it.
She was entering the house in a slightly higher mood than she had left when the butler approached her, looking troubled. That had Julie pausing. Her father’s oldest servant was very unflappable. She had never seen him break out in a sweat.
“What is it, Alistair?”
“Miss Nye is here, Lady Julie. She’s been waiting in the parlor for some time for you.”
Julie’s good mood dissipated far quicker than she expected. This was not good. She sighed and divested herself of her cloak.
“I’ll go and see her.”
“Very good, my lady.”
“What is her current state?”
Edward Alistair shuddered.
“It’s not good.”
Julie was looking forward to this less and less. She squared her shoulders and approached the parlor. Beverley must have heard about her secret meetings with Reading. She was going to be in a fury right now. Julie could feel it emanating from the room.
Beverley was pacing around by the window, going around and around so much Julie was surprised there wasn’t a mark in the carpet. She swung towards the door as Julie entered. Her eyes were wild, her cheeks bright red.
“Oh, there you are,” she sneered. “Been with the earl again, have you?”
Julie slowed. How did she know about that? This wasn’t good.
She tried to brush it away.
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play innocent with me, Julie!” Beverley shouted. “I know you’ve been seeing the Earl of Reading in secret. Behind my back!”
So, she did know. And she made it sound like a betrayal as if Beverley actually had a claim on Reading. Julie bristled.
“It wasn’t anything but reacquainting myself with a family friend,” she said evenly. “And you don’t have a claim on him, Beverley.”
Beverley snorted. She tossed her hair wildly as she shook her head.
“You were stealing him away from me, Julie! You knew I loved him and you betrayed me! And you were supposed to be my friend!”
“I didn’t betray anyone.”
Beverley advanced across the room, jabbing her finger into Julie’s chest enough for Julie to back up.
“You said you would see him only to tell him that I was suitable to become his countess, that you were helping me out,” she hissed. “You weren’t supposed to make yourself look more suitable.”
Julie could feel her patience wearing thin. She could protest all she wanted but Beverley wouldn’t listen. She slapped Beverley’s hand away and stepped back, the open door still at her back.
“I had nothing to do with that. You can get a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.”
“What does that mean?”
“I gave the earl what you wanted, and that was to let him know that you were suitable. I did my best. But it’s up to him if he wants to pursue you and he doesn’t.”
Beverley bared her teeth. She was beginning to look less like a lady and more like a wild animal. Julie had never seen her look so mad before.
“You obviously haven’t been trying hard enough,” she accused.
Julie snorted.
“Oh, trust me, I have. And he said you were not suitable for being his countess. He doesn’t even care for you! You’re wasting your time with him, Beverley.”
Beverley reeled back like she had been slapped. But she recovered quickly and was once again shouting in Julie’s face, her ladylike behavior completely gone.
“He didn’t say that!” she screeched. “You’re lying!”
“I wish I was.” Julie was surprised she was staying relatively calm considering her best friend was inches away from her face. “But he does dislike you, Beverley.”
“You’re only saying that because you want him for yourself!”
“That’s not true!”
“I can tell. You do want him for yourself.” Beverley sneered. “You want to become his countess. You think because you’re better than me that you’ll become his wife. Well, that’s going to be my title. No one is taking that away from me.”
She was mad. Julie couldn’t believe she was seeing this. Beverley was single-minded, but never like this. Julie was beginning to see how much of a selfish, stupid person her friend was.
Why hadn’t she noticed this before?
Chapter 6
Friendship Shattered
“Hasn’t it occurred to you that maybe he won’t choose either of us?” she pointed out.
“Oh, he’s going to be choosing one of us,” Beverley promised with a smirk that made shivers go down Julie’s spine. “And that’s going to be me. I’ll make sure of it.”
“That behavior is not favorable in Society, Beverley, and the earl doesn’t like it.”
Beverley rolled her eyes.
“You’ve only been here two minutes. I’ve been in Society for two years!”
“And I know the rules of Society. I grew up with them.”
“And I have a better chance of winning the earl over.” Beverley took a deep breath and smoothed her hands down her skirts, locking her fiery eyes with Julie’s. The solid determination had Julie momentarily faltering. “You want to fight for Reading, I’ll give you a fight. And I will win. Trust me on that.”
Then she swept out of the room, knocking Julie’s shoulder hard and sending her stumbling sideways. Moments later, the door slammed behind her in the hall. Alistair appeared in the doorway.
“Are you all right, my lady?”
Julie wasn’t all right. She was shaking. Beverley had a temperament that wouldn’t keep her in good company, but it had never been directed at Julie, not like this. It was unnerving.
And it was only going to get worse.
***
“Julie.”
Julie started as someone touched her arm. She looked up and saw her father sitting across from her in the carriage, frowning at her. Then Julie remembered where she was. In their carriage going to a ball hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. She shifted in her seat.
“Father. Forgive me. I didn’t mean to be rude. I’m not myself right now.”
“I can tell.” Norwich was still peering at her. “Will you please tell me what’s wrong? You’ve been out of sorts for the last week.”
Julie knew that. Ever since Beverley had threatened to fight for Reading, she had spent most of the week looking over her shoulder. It wasn’t above Beverley to use physical intimidation. She had done that when they were younger and someone had insulted Beverley’s family. Julie hadn’t been the target before. She had no idea what Beverley was going to do.
And it hurt not to share it with anyone. Julie couldn’t tell her father about it because Norwich would get Beverley’s father involved. That Julie didn’t want. And she could hardly tell Reading because he would pass it off as ridiculous. This Julie had to deal with alone.
She managed a smile at her father.
“It’s nothing I can’t handle. I promise.”
Norwich didn’t look convinced.
“I’m worried about you, Julie. You’ve been very quiet lately.”
“I know. Things are a little…tense right now.” Julie chose her words carefully. “But I can handle it.”
Still frowning, Norwich sat back.
“I hope so,” he grunted.
They were silent as the carriage turned into the driveway where the ball was. It was going to be a very big affair. Several members of the nobility were going to be there, including Reading. Julie hadn’t seen him since before Beverley confronted her and was looking forward to seeing him even if it was at a distance and they weren’t allowed to be as relaxed as she was used to. Hopefully, that would be able to change. Julie was prepared to let the rest of Society know about them. Reading had been eager to do it a long time ago but now Julie was ready.
If Reading jumped onto the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral and shouted out their involvement, she wouldn’t stop him.
&nbs
p; They pulled to a stop, and a footman opened the door. Norwich climbed out first and helped his daughter onto solid ground. Then they went up the steps and into the lobby. As they walked, Julie was aware of whispers building around them, people openly staring at them, most of them in distaste, others in alarm.
Now she was uncomfortable. She had had a lot of people staring at her on her first night and whispering, mainly because she was new and they were curious. But this was different. This felt…surly. Disgust. Outrage.
And it was directed at her.
Julie had no idea what she had done to warrant this. She had barely been out in Society, choosing to keep herself to the house for most of the time. The only person she had frequently met was the earl, and even then, they were on their own only with Millie nearby. Surely, she couldn’t have done something wrong?
Norwich seemed to have noticed the looks as well, his hand going over Julie’s and squeezing her fingers.
“Stay close to me, child,” he murmured. “I have a feeling it’s going to be a chaotic night.”
Julie had a feeling it was going to be a very short night.
They reached the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, a handsome couple in their mid-thirties who looked the picture of elegance. The duchess certainly looked stunning in a pale green gown and her blonde hair piled up on her head. The way the duke looked at her was sweet. Even after all the years they had been married, he still looked at his wife with adoration and affection.
That gave Julie pause. It was pretty much the same way Reading looked at her. Could he…was he?
Julie couldn’t really believe it. The earl couldn’t be in love with her. Could he? That would be a dream that Julie didn’t want to wake up from. Not now.
The duchess was the first to look over as Norwich and Julie approached. She did a double-take and Julie saw her smile fading. That was bad. Julie had conversed with the duchess a few times and she thought the older woman liked her. Her reaction now was far from it. She nudged her husband and nodded in Julie’s direction. The duke turned, and his eyes widened. He looked shocked they were actually there.
Sussex whispered to his wife and then approached them, scowling at Norwich as Julie’s father bowed.
“Your Grace…” Norwich began but Sussex cut him short.
“What are you doing here, Norwich?”
Norwich straightened up, his smile fading.
“What do you mean? You invited us here tonight.”
“I rescinded the invitation yesterday.”
Julie was aware of the foyer quietening. Everyone was listening in on this. She could feel her cheeks going red. How embarrassing. Norwich looked confused.
“What? We weren’t aware of that. And why would you do that?”
“Because we received some…disturbing news.” Sussex turned towards Julie. “About your daughter.”
Julie started.
“Me? What have I done, Your Grace?”
The duke didn’t say anything. He just glowered at Julie as if he expected her to confess just by staring. Julie had no idea what was going on.
“Your Grace, don’t go silent on us now,” Norwich snapped. “What’s my daughter supposed to have done that’s caused you to uninvite us from your ball?”
Sussex’s lips thinned.
“There has been talk all over London that Lady Julie has…for want of a better word, destroyed a few marriages since she arrived.”
Julie’s mouth fell open. Had she heard that correctly? Behind her, she was aware of someone whispering loudly ‘disgusting’. Then someone else went ‘brazen brat’. She stared at Sussex.
“I beg your pardon? I haven’t even been here long enough to know anyone, let alone destroy any marriages.”
“There has been talk of at least three marriages being broken because of you,” Sussex said gravely. “And those women are here tonight. They want answers.”
“Who are these people you’re talking about?” Norwich demanded. “I want you to name them and give details of when, where, and why.”
Julie wasn’t sure she wanted to know the details. That was when Sussex faltered, looking a little uncertain.
“It’s just what I heard. I don’t want to have the ball interrupted because of a…disruption.”
Norwich’s face was going red.
“If you can’t name who these people are and you’re being vague on everything, that means it didn’t happen. It’s a malicious rumor. Unless you or anyone else can give definite names and dates, then I do not believe that my daughter did this.”
“And if I let Lady Julie into that room, she’ll be lynched. There are a lot of whispers going around.”
Julie could feel the walls closing in. She was struggling to breathe, her chest tightening. Marriage breakdowns? She had never committed such an act in her life. She clutched onto her father’s arm.
“Father…”
“Don’t worry, Julie. We’re going home.” Norwich glared at Sussex before looking around at everyone openly staring at them. He raised his voice. “If you think my daughter is capable of this, you can go to hell!” There were several gasps at that. “I’m not having my daughter accused of something she hasn’t done. Shame on the lot of you for spreading false rumors. And if I find out who started them, I’m going to make sure there is a very public confession.” He began to lead Julie towards the door. “Shame on all of you!”
Chapter 7
Malicious Lies
Julie didn’t fight her father as he practically hauled her outside and down to their carriage, which was still waiting for them. He bundled her in and jumped in after her, slamming the door hard enough for the carriage to rock. Then they were off, Julie falling off her seat and onto the floor.
“Julie!”
Norwich reached down and tried to help her up. But Julie didn’t care where she sat. She was still shaking. Then she collapsed into her father’s lap and burst into tears.
***
“My lady?”
Julie looked up. Millie, her maid, was standing beside her. Julie realized she had been sitting on the terrace with a book in her hand, but she had been staring at the page without really taking anything in. She hasn’t been able to focus for most of the day. Not after the shocking revelation at the ball the night before.
“Millie.” Julie squared her shoulders and tried to calm herself. “What is it?”
“The Earl of Reading is at the front door.” Millie looked troubled. “He is most insistent about seeing you.”
Julie’s heart sank. Reading. He was here. He had to have heard the rumors. It would explain why she hadn’t heard from him for a while. Reading was here to confront her, she was sure of it. Julie didn’t want to go through more heartbreak. She swallowed.
“I don’t know if I can see him, Millie.”
“Do you want me to send him away?”
Julie didn’t want to send Reading away. She wanted to see him. He would believe her, surely? But Julie didn’t want to go through the heartbreak if he did believe it. That was far too much for her to take. She bit her lip and nodded sadly.
“Please. I don’t want any more accusations about what I’ve supposedly done.”
“I’ve always been with you, my lady. I know you haven’t done anything.” Millie paused. “Maybe if I spoke to him…”
“No, don’t,” Julie stopped her maid abruptly. “Just send him away.”
Millie nodded glumly and went back inside. Julie knew she was going to lose her nerve and run after her maid to find Reading, so she closed her book and put it on the table. She wasn’t able to concentrate on the book at all. Perhaps a walk in the gardens would help.
But as she stepped off the terrace and walked through the various flowers and trees, Julie knew this wasn’t going to make her feel better. Not when she knew what was waiting for her on the other side of the front door. People would be staring at her, sneering and openly whispering. When a supposed scandal happened, everyone loved to grab hold and run with it. It was some
thing to gossip about.
That was part of what Julie hated about life in Society. You had to be absolutely perfect, the slightest slip, and you were made the social pariah. Julie hated it. There was no chance of being yourself; you had to be a false person in front of everyone.
Why couldn’t everyone be different? It wasn’t that difficult. And men could get away with it, somewhat. But women couldn’t. They were incredibly restricted. Julie understood the restrictions, but that didn’t mean she liked them.
Now she was stuck in a scandal that had never happened. If they had been going around for a week, there was a very good chance that it had changed and distorted beyond recognition. Julie was probably guiltier of everything now than when it first started.
What she couldn’t understand was why anyone would start a rumor about her. She knew people in Society—and from the names Millie had managed to get hold of, the people supposedly involved—but not well enough to even be in the same room, let alone be relatively intimate. From the description of the men in question, Julie wouldn’t touch them with barge poles. Their wives would wonder how they managed to have a younger woman interested in them in the first place, surely.
Julie knew there was no point in trying to defend herself. Now that the rumors had firmly lodged themselves everywhere, no one would believe her. She would be run out of London.
This was not how she expected her first season to happen.
Julie was heading through a throng of low-hanging trees near the back wall. It was shady from the weak sun and a lot colder. Julie shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. Now she wished she had brought her shawl with her. She leaned against the back wall, hiding from anyone watching from the house, and closed her eyes. The urge to cry was strong and Julie was sorely tempted to give into it again.
Her eyes shot open when someone closed in around her, pinning her against the wall and putting a hand over her mouth. She stiffened when she heard a familiar voice in her ear.
“Don’t scream. I’m not going to hurt you.”
The hand lowered and Julie looked up to see Reading standing before her. He had lost his hat somewhere and his coat was covered in stray twigs and dust. He looked like he had been crawling through the undergrowth.
Regency Romances for the Ages Page 70