by Joan Wolf
“Yes. I borrowed some clothes from Sammy, and they fit perfectly. No one need ever know who I am.”
Evan felt an almost irresistible desire to laugh. But she was too serious, too determined, for him to do that to her. So he schooled his face to gravity and said, “I see.”
“I’ll stand right next to you the whole time,” she said. “It’s an auction and if I see a horse I want you to bid on, I’ll just touch your coat. No one will know that you’re taking instructions from me. I won’t talk at all.”
He regarded her skeptically. How could anyone look at that face and think she was a boy?
He said, “Your eyes are a very unusual color, Julia. Suppose someone who sees you with me at the auction meets you again in a ballroom? Won’t he suspect?”
“I have a hat with a peak and I can pull it down low over my forehead. And I won’t look at anyone, Evan! I promise. The costume is perfect. No one will know.”
He was silent.
She drew a deep, resolute breath and said bravely, “Please?”
Why shouldn’t she pick out her own horse? he thought. She knows a hell of a lot more about horses than I do. She hated coming to London. At least she should have a horse to ride.
“I’d like to see you in this outfit before I make up my mind,” he said.
Her face lit with joy and he blinked. Julia happy was a beautiful sight. He would like to see her look like that more frequently.
“I’ll try it on for you,” she said. “Where can we go?”
“My bedroom has a dressing room attached,” he said. “You can use that.”
“I’ll go upstairs and get the clothes,” she said. “Wait here.” She almost ran out the door.
He got up from the sofa and walked over to one of the windows, which looked out on a line of Greek-style columns. He scarcely saw the elegant columns, however. In his mind’s eye he was seeing Julia’s face.
He had never met a girl who was as unaware of her looks as Julia. She seemed to have no idea of how beautiful she was. Once she was cleaned up and dressed properly he had no doubt she would have plenty of men interested in marrying her – especially with the handsome dowry he planned to offer.
He frowned. He would have to make certain that the dowry was tied up in a way that couldn’t be abused by her husband. He made a mental note to consult with Mr. Rothschild about that.
The door opened and Julia was there, a bundle of clothes clutched to her chest. He got up and said, “Come along and we’ll see what you look like.”
They went down the hall to the earl’s apartment, which was enormous. Evan had been shocked to see that it had two bedrooms, each with an attached dressing room. At home married couples slept in the same room. In the same bed. Then he had thought, Of course, if you married for money or social status, and not for love, you might want to have your own space.
He thought a marriage like that would be nothing but a misery.
As they reached his door, it occurred to him that bringing Julia into his bedroom would be considered very improper, even in America. He said, “Perhaps we should go into the Countess’ bedroom instead. There is a dressing room there as well.”
“Don’t be silly,” she said impatiently. “No one is going to know.”
“All right.” He opened his bedroom door and stood aside to let her enter.
It was a more opulent room than his bedchamber at Stoverton had been, with tapestry bed hangings and silk-covered walls. At least there was a seascape he quite liked hanging over the mantelpiece.
Julia immediately headed for the dressing room. Evan sat in one of the chairs in front of the marble fireplace and waited. She didn’t take long.
“Well,” she said, standing before him and regarding him a little anxiously. “What do you think? Isn’t it a good disguise?”
He tried very hard to regard her as a boy. He tried not to look at her surprisingly long elegant legs, which didn’t look remotely masculine. He forced his eyes to move downward. “Your feet have grown, I see,” he managed to get out.
“I know. I had to stuff paper in the toes. But I can manage. Just watch.” She paraded back and forth in front of him, frowning a little in concentration. “See.”
She would never look like a boy to him. But she wanted this so much. If they got found out, well, they would deal with the consequences. He just didn’t have it in him to deny her.
“You look fine,” he said. “Just make sure that no one gets a look at your eyes.”
She nodded eagerly. “I will be very careful, Evan. Then you’ll do it?”
He sighed. “Yes.”
She actually jumped up and down in her excitement. It was a nice feeling, making Julia happy.
“Sale days at Tattersall’s are Monday and Thursday,” she said. “Today is Wednesday. Do you think we could go tomorrow?”
“No point in waiting,” he said resignedly.
“Do you know what, Evan?” she said with a burst of feeling. “I’m glad you’re an American! No Englishman would have the nerve to do this.”
“Well,” he said with a crooked smile, “I do think you should be allowed to pick out your own horse.”
Chapter Seventeen
Evan left it to Julia to get away from their aunt; he had no doubt that her fertile imagination would come up with something.
Sure enough, at breakfast, when Lady Barbara announced her intention of taking the girls shopping for gloves and hair ribbons, Julia announced that she was not feeling well and thought she should spend the day in bed.
Evan saw the look that passed between Lizzie and Maria. They know, he thought with amusement as the two girls turned solemn faces to Lady Barbara. Lizzie said, “Yes, you mentioned last night that you weren’t feeling well. The feeling hasn’t passed?”
“No,” Julia said regretfully.
Evan thought that for a sick person she had certainly eaten an inordinate amount of breakfast, but forbore to voice this observation to his aunt.
Lady Barbara frowned at Julia. “What is wrong?”
“My stomach is upset.”
Lady Barbara’s frown deepened. “Then you should not have eaten so much breakfast.”
“I know,” Julia said mournfully. She put her hand to her mouth, rolled her eyes, muttered, “Excuse me,” and ran from the table.
“I’ll go with her,” Lizzie said, jumping to her feet.
There was a tight line around Lady Barbara’s mouth. “The new clothes are to be delivered this afternoon and I have made an appointment to visit Lady Sefton tomorrow. It is imperative that Julia come with us. Lady Sefton is one of the patronesses of Almack’s and Julia must be presented to her.” She stared across the table at Evan, her blue eyes imperative. “You are to come as well, Evan. It is essential that you make your bow to one of society’s most important hostesses.”
Evan looked thoughtful. “Now, how did Mr. Martelli show me that bow?”
Maria giggled.
Lady Barbara was not amused. “If your new clothes are not ready, then you will have to come in your old ones. But I will be taking the girls to Almack’s next week and I require you to accompany us. You absolutely must have your evening dress by then.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Evan said. He glanced at Maria, who was drinking her tea. “Have you found someone to look after Maria, Aunt? I don’t want her left alone with the servants while the rest of us go out to parties.”
“I know. I know. I have not forgotten, I have just been very busy. I will have one of the agencies in town send over a few people for me to interview.”
He gave her a steady look. “I want Maria to meet this governess before you hire her. I don’t want her saddled with someone she doesn’t like.”
Lady Barbara bristled. “A young girl is hardly the best judge of a governess’s qualifications, Evan. I believe that you may safely leave that up to me.”
Evan said imperturbably, “You can judge the qualifications, but Maria must judge the personality. It has to be someone sh
e likes.”
Lady Barbara glared down at the piece of toast on her plate. How did such an ill-tempered woman produce a sweet-natured girl like Lizzie? Evan thought in wonder.
He glanced at Maria and she mouthed the words, Thank you to him.
You’re welcome, he mouthed back.
* * * *
After the shopping party had left, Julia made an appearance in the library, where Evan was frowning at the stack of bills that had come in from various clothing shops on Bond Street. He looked up as she came into the room.
“Have you decided how to get away from the house without the servants knowing?” he asked affably.
Of course she had a ready answer. “I have a long pelisse I can wear over Sammy’s clothes. I’ll carry his hat and boots and change in the carriage on the way to Tattersall’s. No one will ever know.”
No one will ever know. Julia seemed to be saying that quite frequently these days. He devoutly hoped she was right. If she ruined all her chances of having a season by this adventure, he didn’t know what he was going to do with her.
I suppose I could marry her myself.
Without warning the shocking words popped into his head. Good God, he thought in horror. What am I thinking? Julia and me? It’s impossible. We’re first cousins!
“Evan?” she was saying. “What do you think of my plan?”
He pulled his attention back to her inquiring face. “It’s as good as any, I suppose. Does this mean we have to take the carriage and not the curricle?”
“Yes. I don’t want to chance anyone seeing me changing my shoes and my hat.”
“Have you come up with an idea about how to square the coachman?”
“We have to take Papa’s carriage anyway, because Aunt Barbara took hers. Sammy will drive – he won’t give me away.”
He sighed. “All right. I’ll order the carriage for a half an hour from now. Can you be ready by then?”
She gave him a brilliant smile. “Of course. I’ll meet you in the front hall in half an hour’s time.”
He nodded and looked back at the bills on his desk.
After she had gone, he sat thinking for a moment of that treacherous notion that had flashed so unexpectedly into his mind. I feel sorry for her, he reasoned. She’s so gallant and she’s so alone. I hope we can find her a good husband.
He resolutely squashed the feeling of dismay that came over him at the thought of Julia’s marrying someone else.
A footman came in the door and announced that a representative from Barings Bank was there to see him.
“Show the gentleman in,” Evan said.
* * * *
Evan spent more time with the gentleman from Barings than he had anticipated and was late meeting Julia in the front hall. She scowled at him as he made his appearance.
“The carriage has been waiting for fifteen minutes!”
“I’m sorry. I was speaking to someone from the bank. They’re prepared to take back a mortgage on Stoverton.”
“Oh.”
“It has to be done, Julia.” He didn’t say anything to her about his meeting with Simon Rothschild. He wanted to make sure the entail could be broken before he broached that subject.
“Yes. I know.” Her voice was so low that he had to strain to hear it.
“You look perfectly normal,” he said approvingly, regarding her long coat and velvet bonnet. “You’re dressed a little warmly for such a day, perhaps, but, seeing you, no one would suspect a thing.”
The sadness left her face and she grinned at him. “Are you ready? I can hardly wait.”
“Let’s go, then,” he said.
The ubiquitous footman moved forward to open the door and they went out into the April sunshine.
Chapter Eighteen
Tattersall’s was another shock to Evan. He had expected a larger version of the horse fair in Boston, but this huge, elegant building, with its Greek-temple style colonnades, its accommodation for a hundred and twenty horses, not to mention the commodious kennel for hounds, looked more like a palace to him than a horse auction house.
A large gathering of men were present, most of them well dressed and prosperous looking. He didn’t see anyone else accompanied by a groom. Julia had assured him that everyone would have a groom. He set his teeth and prepared to get through what he suspected would be an excruciating afternoon.
Julia, with her hat pulled well down over her face, was looking around with eager interest. “Let’s go see the horses,” she whispered to him, tilting her head toward the stables that were placed along one side of the yard.
He nodded and moved in the direction she had indicated. She followed close behind.
For the next hour Evan watched Julia with warm amusement. She was in heaven. She insisted on looking at every horse, the racehorses and the carriage horses as well as the riding horses. The one she fell in love with was a polished chestnut gelding, a thoroughbred with an intelligent face and beautifully arched neck.
Even Evan, admittedly not a horse person, could see the animal’s quality. His legs looked straight and sound, his chest was square and his shoulders sloped at a perfect angle. He was smaller than the other horses that were being shown, but Evan thought a smaller horse would suit Julia.
“This one,” she murmured to him when they came back to look at the horse for the second time. The gelding was regarding them curiously and she reached out to pat his neck. He seemed calm and friendly and, as Evan watched, she dexterously opened his mouth to take a quick look at his teeth.
The man looking at the horse next to them gave her a curious glance as she stepped back from the chestnut gelding and Evan said quickly, “Thank you for checking his teeth, Sammy. I don’t wish to soil my gloves.”
Julia looked guilty and ducked her head respectfully at Evan. Then she slipped around to his other side, using his big body to shield her from the view of the too-curious fellow in front of the other stall.
The gelding was brought to the auction block about halfway through the program. He did move beautifully, Evan thought, as he was trotted around the yard. Julia evidently felt the same because she looked up at Evan, her heart in her eyes, and breathed softly, “He’s perfect.”
He didn’t reply, just kept looking attentively at the horse.
The bidding began and Evan was pleased it wasn’t as high as most of the other horses had fetched. He thought perhaps the size of the horse was a factor. He was too small for most men and too much horse for most women.
Evan upped the previous offer to ninety pounds and for a moment there was silence in the yard. The auctioneer said, “Come now, this is a beautiful horse with excellent breeding, warranted sound, without fault or blemish. Do I hear another bid?”
From the other side of the ring a new voice called out. “One hundred pounds.”
“One hundred and ten,” Evan said.
“One twenty,” came the other voice.
Evan felt Julia stiffen beside him. He glanced at her agonized face and determined he would buy this damn horse no matter how much he had to spend.
“One thirty,” said Evan.
“One thirty-five,” the other bidder called. His voice sounded determined.
The bidding continued to rise. The rest of the men at the auction were looking with open curiosity at the two men as the bidding went ever higher.
“It’s a nice little horse,” the man next to Evan growled to his companion. “But surely it’s not worth this kind of price?”
“One hundred and ninety pounds,” the opposing bidder said.
The auctioneer didn’t have time to ask for another offer before Evan said firmly, “Two hundred pounds.”
There was silence on the other side of the ring.
Next to him Julia gave a little jump of excitement.
“Do I hear another bid?” the auctioneer said.
“No,” the opposing bidder replied. “I’m done.”
“Then sold to the gentleman for two hundred pounds,” the auctioneer s
aid and banged his gavel.
Julia looked radiant. Evan bent and murmured, “Pull that hat further over your face and keep your eyes down!”
She obeyed hastily.
He made the arrangements for payment and delivery. They were walking toward their carriage when a slender, elegant looking gentleman in well-cut riding clothes stopped Evan. “You were determined to buy that horse,” the man said pleasantly. Evan recognized the voice of the man who had bid against him.
“Yes,” Evan replied with equal pleasantness. “I liked him.”
“I believe you are the new Earl of Althorpe,” the man said. “I have seen you before. I am Ormesby. No doubt we shall be meeting again at some affair or other.”
“How do you do,” Evan said, holding out his hand. “Sorry I took your horse, but I want him for my cousin. She needs a horse to ride while she’s in London.”
“Well, if he doesn’t suit and you want to resell him, let me know.”
“I will,” Evan responded.
Ormesby gave Julia a curious glance. “I see you brought your groom with you.”
“Yes,” Evan replied easily. “I thought that perhaps I would have to bring the horse home with me, but it seems they will deliver.”
The man nodded. “Well, good day. Good luck with the horse.”
“Thank you,” Evan replied.
The two men parted and Julia followed Evan back to the carriage. Neither of them spoke until the horses were in motion. Then Evan said grimly, “I hope no one was watching us depart. They will think it very odd that my groom rides inside the carriage with me.”
Julia turned to him. “Oh, Evan! Thank you! I can’t believe you paid all that money for him! But he’s worth it. He’s a beautiful, beautiful horse. I already love him.”
He looked down at her as she sat beside him and she gave him a brilliant smile. “I never thought you would go so high. You shouldn’t have gone so high. But I’m glad you did!”
He said gently, “I can’t give you back what your father took from you, but at least I can give you a horse.”
They looked at each other for a long moment and Evan felt something leap between them. Then Julia flushed and moved a little away from him. She said in a small, formal voice, “It is very kind of you and I deeply appreciate it.”