The Barrister's Choice

by Kelly Anne Bruce

  “Really?”

  “Yes, he has been studying with the Inns of Court. He has recently been chosen to be a barrister.”

  “That is wonderful,” Lady Amelia said.

  Julianna nodded, suddenly distracted as she saw Mr Repington moving through the people gathered around the ballroom. While she had thought of him often since leaving Eastbridge Julianna had not thought that she would see him in London. She turned back to the others not wanting to get caught staring but found herself checking his progress as he walked through the ballroom.

  She was quite surprised when he stopped at their small group and even more so when Lady Henrietta threw her arms around his neck.

  “Hugh! I did not know that you would be here. I simply cannot believe you are here!”

  Mr Repington grinned down at her and Julianna ignored the emotions that suddenly welled within her.

  “It was a last-minute decision. Father told me you would be here.”

  “Father?” Lady Henrietta asked clearly confused.

  He shifted on his feet slightly. “Yes, he stopped by my residence late this afternoon.”

  “Oh, I am sorry, dear brother.” She patted his arm sympathetically.

  Julianna feeling suddenly silly that she had not known that Mr Repington and Lady Henrietta were siblings.

  Mr Repington laughed. “It was not all bad. I am seeing you, now that I am here.”

  “Yes, you are,” Lady Henrietta said with a laugh of her own. He glanced over at Lady Amelia and Lady Julianna. “Good evening ladies,” Mr Repington said.

  “Good evening,” Lady Amelia replied first.

  “Good evening, are you enjoying being back in London?”

  “Yes,” he said and then paused as if he had spoken too soon. “Although I do miss the morning rides at Eastbridge.”

  “As do I,” Lady Julianna agreed happily.

  Lady Henrietta looked from one to another confused again. “You know each other? How? When did you meet?”

  Mr Repington patted his sister’s hand. "Lady Julianna and I were introduced by Lady Amelia at the Eastbridge House party. We saw each other in passing most mornings at the stables."

  Lady Henrietta nodded looking at her brother oddly. "I heard James saying that you had gone to a house party but thought he was being humorous. I am glad that you are enjoying yourself."

  "Repington! I wondered if you would be here this evening." Mr Sedgwick appeared from the crowd. "It seems you have found everyone as well."

  "Timothy, how do you always end up getting here so much later when our carriages left the house at the same time?" Lady Amelia asked shaking her head sadly.

  "Dear sister, it is not that I got here later," Mr Sedgwick said with a mischievous grin. "I simply had more people to say hello to as I moved through the room."

  Lady Amelia rolled her eyes at her brother. “Yes, I am quite sure that the dowagers were more than happy to see you.”

  Lady Julianna laughed as Mr Sedgwick gasped in mock surprise, then nearly jumped as someone spoke beside her.

  "Good evening."

  It was Jonathan Webb, he had been so quiet that Julianna had not even known that he had walked up. "Good evening, Mr Webb."

  He nodded but he was looking beyond her. "Good evening, Lady Amelia."

  "Good evening," she replied her face flushing slightly.

  The music began to play once more. "Would you like to dance?"

  "Yes, thank you.” She took his arm and they moved to the center of the room.

  Then Lady Henrietta looked surprised as Mr Sedgwick stopped in front of her and gave her a little bow and said, "Lady Henrietta, may I have this dance?"

  Julianna stifled a laugh as Lady Henrietta looked very caught off guard by Mr Sedgwick but she recovered quickly saying, "Thank you, Mr Sedgwick. That sounds lovely."

  Julianna found yourself standing alone with Mr Repington and did not know quite what to do with herself.

  He stood still there in silence for a moment and then Julianna heard a sharp cracking sound. Mr Repington turned away quickly and Julianna suddenly remembered that she had seen Lady Ramsbury sitting close by.

  Lady Ramsbury was pointing her fan at Mr Repington. "I thought you were raised to be a gentleman."

  Mr Repington rubbed his arm but seemed at ease with talking to the older woman. "I certainly was raised to be a gentleman."

  Lady Ramsbury pointed her fan at Julianna. "Then why have you not asked the young lady to dance?"

  Julianna panic. "Oh, no, I am fine. I... will just go over there and…" Julianna pointed off behind Lady Ramsbury vaguely and took a step away.

  He grabbed her gloved hand gently as she turned to leave. “Lady Julianna, please wait.”

  "Pardon me, Lady Ramsbury, but I was about to do just that when you interrupted.”

  Lady Ramsbury huffed at him but said no more.

  Mr Repington turned back to Julianna. “Would you please honour me with this dance?”

  Julianna shook her head. “You do not need to do that.” She stepped away clasping her hands in front of her trying to make the tingling where he had touched her hand lessen.

  “You are quite right. I do not have to ask you to dance. I want to.” Mr Repington took a step forward. “Lady Ramsbury may have spoken first but I truly was going to ask you to dance.”

  Julianna hesitated, she wanted to walk away fearing that he was being forced into dancing with her. The thought of dancing with him thrilled her but the thought that he was only doing so because of Lady Ramsbury’s interference was most distressful. She looked up to tell him no and he looked so earnest that she found herself nodding.

  He offered her his arm and she took it without saying a word. Julianna tried to focus on dancing and not on how she was feeling. The hand he had held so gently before still tingled beneath her glove, her stomach fluttered and her heart was beating faster.

  Before she knew it, the dance was over and they were leaving the center of the ballroom. Julianna hoped that her feelings had not been evident during the dance. Once they had stopped on the edge of the ballroom she turned to Mr Repington.

  “Thank you, I—” She broke off when she saw his face. He seemed as affected as she was and as shocked by it as well.

  He bowed. “Thank you. Good evening,” he said and swiftly walked away.

  Julianna stood there for a moment and watched him disappear into the crowd. She finally shifted glancing around in hopes of seeing Lady Amelia or Lady Henrietta. Her eyes landed on Lady Ramsbury who sat smiling at her as though she had known what would happen all the time.

  Thoroughly shocked she spun on her heel wanting nothing than to be out of the crowded ballroom. She had barely taken two steps when she ran headlong into someone that had stepped into her path.

  “Lady Julianna, good evening.”

  Lady Julianna looked up to see Lord Norsely standing before her.

  “Good evening,” she said hoping her smile appeared bright and not panicked as she well and truly felt. “I was not aware you were here, Lord Norsely.”

  “I was hoping to see you here tonight,” he told her. “Would honour me with the next dance.”

  “Oh, I…” Julianna began to decline but saw her mother standing not far away with an excited smile on her face. Julianna sighed inwardly. “Yes, thank you.”

  He led her to join the other couples. Lord Norsely was a fine dancer and she followed him through the dance easily. She should have been happy but all she could think of was that she felt nothing like what she felt dancing with Hugh Repington.

  “Are you all right, Lady Julianna?” Lord Norsely asked her, his face concerned.

  “I think I would like to sit down for a few moments,” she told him already turning toward one of the doors out of the ballroom.

  “Certainly,” Lord Norsely took her arm and guided her through the great number of people that had come to Almack’s.

  Across the room, she watched as Mr Repington led Lady Priscilla out for the
next dance. She felt a sadness she did not expect. Not wanting to dwell on her sadness, Julianna she looked to Lord Norsely.

  “Thank you. I think some fresh air would help me immensely.”

  Chapter Eleven

  "Good morning," Julianna's mother fairly sang as she breezed into the drawing room.

  "Good morning, Mother."

  Julianna knew her mother was about to cut up her peace when sat down on the settee instead of taking her usual chair. Julianna kept her eyes on her needlework hoping that her mother would leave her in silence. From the look on her mother's face when she first came into the room, Julianna suspected that it was not to be.

  Her mother had done nothing but talk about Julianna's night at Almack's and how happy she was that the night had gone so well. Julianna, on the other hand, had done everything she could to keep busy and not think about her night at Almack's. In the few days since, she had read two books and spent many hours working on her embroidery.

  While her mother was overjoyed that Lord Norsely had paid Julianna so much attention she could not stop thinking about Hugh Repington. Her reaction to him during their dance was so unexpected and foreign that she had no idea what to do with herself.

  In her two Seasons, she had been to a multitude of parties and balls. She had danced with many different gentlemen and had never felt anything other than the exhilaration of dancing around the ballroom. Dancing with Mr Repington had been so different, every time she thought about their dance she felt the same flutter in her stomach.

  Her mother sat quietly for a few minutes and when Julianna did not say anything she sighed and said, “You must be so looking forward to going to Almack's again.”

  Julianna leaned forward as if she were intent on her needlework, slowly guiding the needle through and pulling the thread taut until it laid straight. She could feel her mother looking at her, clearly waiting for her response.

  “Yes, it is always good to be at Almack's,” she said still not looking from her embroidery.

  “I am sure you will have another wonderful night.”

  Julianna was saved from having to respond when the door to the drawing room opened.

  “Excuse me, Lady Alverston, Lady Julianna, this letter was just delivered." Bernard came into the room holding an envelope.

  “Thank you, Bernard,” her mother said taking the envelope. “Oh, it is for you, Julianna.”

  Bernard nodded at them and left the drawing room.

  Instead of handing the envelope to Julianna her mother turned it over. “I wonder who it is from.”

  “Perhaps if I could read it we would find out,” Julianna suggested.

  To her utter surprise, her mother opened the envelope and took out a folded sheet of paper.

  “It is from Lord Norsely. He has invited you to attend the opera with him and both his parents this evening. How wonderful!” Her mother stood up from the settee, in excitement.

  “This evening?" Julianna turned back to her needlework. "That is certainly short notice. I am sure they will understand that I must decline the invitation.”

  “Decline?” Her mother asked, her face a mask of confusion in horror. “You cannot decline such a generous invitation. What in the world would Lady Marsfeld think?”

  “Is it possible that she would think that I had a prior engagement,” Julianna posed. She should not have been surprised that her mother was being unreasonable.

  “That may well be but you will be accepting the invitation. Your father has made it very clear that a match with Lord Norsely would be quite favourable for both families.” Her mother took the envelope and opened the door to the drawing room calling out, “Bernard, I need to send a letter.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Many hours and many conversations with her mother later, Julianna looked out the window of the carriage as it pulled up in front of the London opera house. After waiting in a long carriage line filled with London's social elite, the carriage door opened and the footman helped her down from the carriage.

  “Thank you,” Julianna said to him. The man smiled briefly and then looked away before moving on to help the others step out.

  Lord Norsely moved up beside her and took her arm. “You do not need to thank him. He is only a servant.”

  Julianna looked up at Lord Norsely surprised and ready to comment but he failed to notice as he was already looking at the other people waiting to get into the opera house.

  As she and Lord Norsely entered the opera house, Julianna looked around, not only at the many people there but at the lobby of the opera house itself. It was beautifully decorated with ornate carvings and lush fabrics. She had been to many performances at the opera house and always admired the opulence of the lobby and gallery.

  “The opera house is rather beautiful. I am so glad that you accepted my invitation so you could see it.”

  As politely as possible Julianna said, “I am very appreciative that you invited me tonight, but I have been to several operas here.”

  “Then why are you looking around as though you are a simpleton?” His voice was sharp as he smiled at another couple in the lobby.

  Julianna sucked in a breath, shocked at his bold, rude rebuke. She longed to comment on his behaviour, but she attempted to be gracious as she reminded herself that Lord Norsely’s family had just rid themselves of a family scandal. Lord Norsely knew that the gossips were watching, ready to jump on any misstep, it was understandable that he would be somewhat anxious for everything to go well.

  Playing her part, she smiled and greeted people graciously as she and Lord Norsely followed Lord and Lady Marsfeld to their seats. She attempted to hide her surprise when they stopped at one of the private boxes.

  Lord Norsely smiled. “This is our box. My father rented it for the entirety of the Season.”

  It had not been unknown to Julianna as she had seen Lord and Lady Marsfeld in attendance on the nights she had attended previously. She simply had not realized that she and Lord Norsely would be sitting with them. Her only reply was to simply nod as all previous attempts at conversation had been met with what seemed like disdain.

  If she were entirely honest she was not pleased that he was bragging to her about having a private box. Her father was the Marquis of Alverson. Her parents had a private box for the theater and had done so for several seasons. If her father had liked opera she was more than sure that they would have had a private box for the opera as well. There was certainly enough money in the coffers to cover both.

  Julianna and her father had discussed the merits of opera several times. While her father enjoyed the music and songs of the performance he did not appreciate the exaggerated expressions and movements of the actors. He felt it too comical and took much away from the story.

  If Lord Norsely noticed Julianna’s silence he did not let on and seemed content to converse with Lord and Lady Marsfeld while she sat quietly next to him. She began counting the candles in the elaborate chandeliers that hung over the many seats below to pass the time. Julianna was much relieved when the music began to play signaling the beginning of the performance.

  She was happy to ignore Lord Norsely and watch the actors on stage.

  “Are you enjoying yourself?” Lord Norsely had deemed to talk to her between the first and second acts.

  “Yes. It is quite magnificent.”

  “And you are able to follow what the actors are saying and doing?”

  Julianna hoped he was attempting to be humorous but from the look on his face, he was rather serious. “Yes, thank you.” The opera was being performed in English and while her father would complain about the actors, following the songs or the story had not been difficult.

  “Ah, good. I was worried that you had gotten lost a bit in the middle there.”

  Julianna stifled a groan, smiled sweetly and went back to counting candles until the next act began.

  When the fifth and final act began Julianna sighed in relief. Sitting quietly in the private box was starting to make
her feel annoyed and skittish. She sought to keep herself busy by paying specific attention to the actors on the stage. Making a game of it, she began to watch only a single actor as he moved about the stage. The act was nearly over and as the actor sang, a second actor walked slowly and hunched over behind him to slay him with a sword.

  The stabbed actor continued to sing as he made the most awful faces and as the music raised to its crescendo the actor fell to the ground rolling and writhing in the most ridiculously exaggerated death portrayal imaginable. Before she could stop herself, a laugh escaped her mouth just as the music came to a sudden stop. Her laughter rang through the opera house and every head turned to look to see who had made the disturbance.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Your father spoke to Fairburn?” Sedgwick asked leaning back in his chair.

  “Yes, he had his conversations while I was gone to my house party as though I had gone to the house party on a lark.”

  He shook his head and took a sip of his port. They were at a dinner party hosted by Lord and Lady Alderside for Lady Sarah. The dining completed, he and Sedgwick were enjoying a glass of port in the dining room with the other gentlemen.

  It had ended up being a larger crowd than the usual numbers for a dinner party but it had gone well. Lady Priscilla was also in attendance but had been seated with Lady Sarah and another friend, Miss Danielle Something-or-other at the other end of the table. Several times Lady Priscilla had smiled at him shyly and then turned to her friends with giddy laughter. Hugh was flattered by the attention but still somewhat grateful that she was sitting at the other end of the table.

  “Did you still pay a visit to Fairburn?” Sedgwick put his empty glass onto the table.

  “Yes, it was not as though I had another option. I cannot afford to offend Fairburn.”

  “I am in complete agreement. It does you no good to spite yourself because of the actions of your father.” Sedgwick then asked, “What did Fairburn have to say?

  Hugh sighed and glanced behind him to make sure that the other gentlemen in the room were paying no attention to them or their conversation. “There is a position for which Fairburn will appoint. The barrister chosen would be working with a certain member of Parliament that has little understanding of law and procedure. The chosen barrister would provide assistance to the Peer in subject matters that will be discussed in Parliament.”