He gently hushed her and raised a hand to cup her cheek. “I know, Julia.” He bent and placed a kiss upon her forehead. She took in a deep, startled breath, inhaling his scent of pine and soap. He spoke with his mouth barely against her skin.
“We have come a long way. You are free to do as your heart wishes.” He lowered his lips to first one cheek and then the other, and Julia held perfectly still, in awe of his tenderness. “And I am able to take everything I am, everything I have, and lay it at your feet.”
It was as if the breath had been stolen from her lungs, but she did not care. Nathaniel loved her. Nathaniel was holding her in his arms and whispering his declarations to her. After years of dreaming and regrets, it couldn’t be real.
“Nathaniel,” she whispered, resting her forehead against his, her eyes closed. “I love you.” She tilted her head, finding his lips with hers, and kissed him.
Their lips parted, but came together again, Nathaniel pulling her closer in his embrace, his hands sliding from around her shoulders. One hand went to her waist, the other to the nape of her neck, supporting her as he deepened the kiss.
Nearly five years of longing could not be satisfied by kisses stolen in a conservatory, but Julia desired nothing more than to make up for lost time.
Both her arms looped around his neck, her fingers twining with his sandy-colored hair, relishing its softness. His lips against hers, ardently profession is love better than words could, left every inch of her body tingly. How had she lived without him for so long? Nathaniel’s warmth, his arms around her, were as necessary to her life as breathing. They parted at last, both drawing shallow breaths, and Julia gazing into his smoldering eyes, knowing she must appear completely wanton and not caring. Nothing would come between them again. She belonged to Nathaniel as he belonged to her.
“Will you marry me?” he asked, his eyes searching hers, his smile subdued, waiting for her answer.
“Yes.” How could he ever doubt it after those kisses? The question itself was a mere formality. “Yes, Nathaniel. As soon as possible.”
He chuckled and bent to press a brief kiss to her lips. “Three Sundays from now is the earliest I can manage. A doctor cannot procure a special license in Bath.”
Julia’s breath left her in a quiet laugh. She reached up to lay a hand against his cheek, studying him intently, knowing she must retain some sense of practicality.
“Nathaniel.” Saying his name made her heart sing. “I must help my cousin. As long as she has need of me, I feel I should be there for her. She has almost no one else.”
His countenance did not dim, though his expression became more serious. “I understand completely. And I will wait for you, a privilege I should’ve begged of you before. But I hope it is not too long of a wait.”
“As do I, darling.” She kissed him again, upon his cheek, and laid her head against his shoulder. She barely felt tired anymore, but a peace settled deeply into her heart, and she had never felt safer or more cared for in her life.
Chapter Twenty-One
In Julia’s letter to Christine, informing her of Virginia’s visit, she added her engagement as nothing more than a postscript. After all, she would soon see Christine for herself and could explain matters better in person.
The greater struggle would be keeping the smile from her face. Though joy welled up within her, bursting to be shared, she could not allow it. Virginia’s whole life had changed, she’d lost her beloved Charles, and rejoicing in Nathaniel’s love openly felt vastly inappropriate.
After the letter was sent, Julia busied herself by seeing to household matters. Virginia’s time was spent with her sons, and meeting with the undertaker hired to see to her late husband’s final preparations. Gerard Macon would arrive shortly to accompany the casket back to the family’s estate. Virginia’s plan was to be gone from Bath before he could return from that journey, but no preparations for the trip could be made until he was safely gone.
This meant running the house as normal, so not even the staff could give away what was a very tactical retreat. This left Julia more out of sorts than ever. She mourned for her cousin’s loss, her tiredness had returned. She must move about as normal, and secretly rejoice over her betrothal to Nathaniel. Not long after the noon hour, she sat down in Virginia’s parlor and closed her eyes.
She intended to rest for no more than a quarter hour.
“Julia?” Her cousin’s voice came to her as if from a great distance, calling her. “Julia? Perhaps you ought to go to bed, dear. The chair cannot be suitable for sleeping.”
Julia’s eyelids were nearly too heavy for her to lift, but she persisted in her attempt, and they came open slowly. The room had grown dark since she’d first sat down, and the fire in the hearth had nearly gone out. She blinked and looked to the side of her chair, where Virginia stood, one hand resting on Julia’s shoulder.
“Oh, no.” She felt heat rush into her cheeks and changed her posture, sitting up straight. “Ginny, what time is it?”
“Six o’clock. But don’t trouble yourself, Julia. I know you are tired, and you have done a great deal for me today. Please, rest. I only thought you ought to rest more comfortably in your room.” Virginia spoke gently, no sign of disapproval in her voice, but she sounded nearly as tired as Julia had felt before her impromptu nap.
Julia covered a yawn and shook her head. “There are enough hours left in the day to get things done. Has Mr. Macon come and gone?”
“Yes. That’s why I came to find you. He started at once, thinking to make it to an inn at nightfall. He was almost cordial when he spoke to me.”
It took all the tired dignity she had to avoid snorting at that. Julia settled for frowning. “Then we ought to leave in the morning, at first light.”
“I agree. And it will not be difficult, if we only bring the boys’ things and our clothes. The rest can be sent back to the country estate. We’ll only need Nurse Smyth and my maid to come with us.”
“Then I had better inform the staff of our needs.” Julia stood and a sudden pull in her back made her wince. “Bother.” She put her hand to the spot and twisted her waist, trying to stretch the pain away.
“Julia, are you quite all right?” Virginia took a step towards her, eyebrows raised. “Should I send for the doctor?”
Heat rushed up Julia’s neck and into her face, and she knew she must be glowing like a beacon. “Oh. Um. No, of course not. I am only a little tender from my poor choice of a sleeping couch.”
Virginia’s eyes narrowed and her lips curled upward. “What is your excuse for that lovely shade of red in your cheeks?”
Both of Julia’s hands flew upward to cover the tell-tale color. She sucked in her cheeks. She had no intention of informing her cousin about Nathaniel’s proposal. The timing could not be considered appropriate by any means.
“Perhaps I rose too quickly from the chair?” Julia could not think of anything to say but forced a smile. “I must go and tell Nurse Smyth—”
“Not at all. I already have. What you must do, cousin, is tell me exactly what it is that you and Doctor Hastings spoke of while I was with Mr. Olivier. I have it on good authority that the doctor did not leave this house right away, as I supposed he would, and I have been curious all day about what he could’ve gotten up to before he went.” Virginia’s smile, though slight, was still one of amusement. She made a show of sitting in her favorite chair, and straightening her black skirts, before she folded her hands in her lap and met Julia’s eyes with an exaggerated raise of her eyebrows.
Julia hesitated, then lowered herself back to her chair. She straightened the gray shawl around her shoulders, wondering how best to begin. “Doctor Hastings had a personal matter he wished to discuss with me.”
“And how did it end this time? I confess, the man is a mystery, telling you one moment he has quite left you behind, and the next asking for your friendship. Which was it today?” Virginia’s eyes danced and she leaned forward, saying in a conspiratorial manner,
“Or was it something entirely different?”
She felt her face growing red again. Julia could not tell a lie to her cousin, and Virginia seemed well enough at present. Perhaps the news would not upset her?
“Doctor Hastings—Nathaniel, he asked me to marry him.” She shrugged, helplessly. “He still loves me.”
Virginia’s mouth fell open and her eyes grew wide, then gestured impatiently with both hands. “And? What did you say? Did you accept him?”
Julia bit her lip to keep from smiling and she nodded. “Without hesitation.”
Her cousin shot to her feet, moving quickly enough that Julia barely had time to anticipate the embrace Virginia wrapped her within.
“This is wonderful news. I’m very happy for you.” She sat back on her heels, on the floor, her eyes glowing brightly. “Julia, I have wanted this for you for so long. There is nothing like it—being married, being loved by a good man. This is the most marvelous thing I’ve heard in ages.” Tears began to pool in her eyes.
“Please don’t cry. Then I’ll cry.” Julia’s eyes filled too and she reached into her pocket to withdraw a handkerchief, offering it first to Virginia.
“Oh, let’s have a good cry and be done with it. I think we both have reason.” Virginia sniffed and took the handkerchief, only to hand Julia the black-edged one she had kept about her person. They both started laughing through their tears, which only made Julia cry more.
“If anyone comes upon us, they will think us mad,” Virginia said at last, cleaning away the tears one last time. “Crying, laughing, mourning, and rejoicing. What a day this has been.”
“Don’t forget plotting,” Julia reminded her. “We must be gone by morning.”
“Yes. I suppose we must.” Virginia used the arm of Julia’s chair to bring herself to standing, then glanced around the room with a sad little shrug. “I have loved this room. I think I will make up one to be just like it when I finally return home.” She sighed.
“That would be lovely.”
“When will you marry?” Virginia asked suddenly, turning to look at Julia.
Julia shook her head. “I hardly know. I suppose when things have settled between you and Mr. Macon.”
At this declaration, her cousin threw her head back, her expression changing to one of shock. “You most certainly will not put off your happiness on my account, not even a day.” She reached out and took both of Julia’s shoulders. “You mustn’t squander the time you have with your doctor. If it were in my power to procure a special license for you, I would mount a horse myself and ride for one. Julia, no. No waiting. Do not hesitate to take your happiness.”
“But—” Julia stepped back. “You need help, Ginny. You’ve lost your husband, you are going to Christine, you face court to assure the guardianship of your children. I can’t leave you.”
“Stuff and nonsense. As dear as you are to me, Julia, you cannot do more than keep me company, and I shall soon have Christine and her family to help me with that.” Virginia spoke the words firmly, finishing with an emphatic nod. “You will marry Nathaniel as soon as possible. By all means, come back to Kettering with me if you must, but you will be back after the third time the banns are read and you will marry him. I insist upon it.”
“But—”
“I am a baroness, I outrank you, and I insist.” Virginia’s expression remained stern. “Please. I loved Charles, and I always will. I wouldn’t give up a single day of our happiness together, not for anyone or anything. Each one is a treasure. You have already lost years with Doctor Hastings. Do not lose another minute on my account. Please.”
At last, Julia understood. Her cousin saw happiness within Julia’s grasp and would not let her delay in taking it. Not when she had lost her husband forever.
“Three weeks, then.” She shivered at the pleasure the firm statement caused her. “I must make certain that is all right with Nathaniel.”
“Yes, of course. And we must look over your wardrobe, too. You will be a doctor’s wife. I confess, I’m not certain what that calls for.”
“You would think of clothes first,” Julia teased. “But I am well enough there. I have always dressed modestly and practically. I imagine that is the main requirement for one of my new station.”
Virginia laughed and hugged Julia again. “We can talk more of other things later. For now, we must pack and away to Kettering and Christine. I cannot wait to see her, it’s been years. Will I like her husband?”
“Immensely. He is the best of men.” Julia tucked a stray curl of hair behind her ear. “Nearly as wonderful as Nathaniel.”
“Then dash a note off to your doctor, tell him you will be wed in three weeks, and I think you ought to marry in Kettering where I can see it is all safely done.”
Julia started to agree but froze as a new worry entered her heart.
“What will my father say?” Kettering suddenly became the last place she wished to be.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Who cares what her father says?” Lady Huntington said from her side of the coach, rarely looking away from the window. “She is of age and can marry whomever she wants. He cannot even object in church unless there is some dark misdeed she’s committed none of us know about.”
Nathaniel knew she spoke the truth, but he worried over the matter, because Julia had. He’d received two letters from her since she went away with the baroness, and while both had been full of joy and professions of her love, Julia’s practical mind turned to possible problems as well. What would the people of Bath think about their hasty marriage? Had he room enough for her or would they need to find a new place to live? How would they return to Bath together? What would her cousin’s fate be? But what she wrote the least about, only scribbling one short sentence on the matter, was what her father’s reaction would be to the whole of it.
In her second letter, she had not even seen Mr. Devon. He was in London and would receive news of her engagement from there. So far, no word had come from him. That had been a week ago.
“It is lucky for you that I have a sister near Kettering. I can stay with her and send you both home in my carriage,” Lady Huntington reminded him, glancing across to him briefly. “Newly wedded couples ought not to share a coach with anyone, in my opinion.”
“You have been most gracious, my lady.” Indeed, he owed the woman more than he could ever repay. With her praise of him, her kindness and patronage, Nathaniel’s list of regular patients had grown to a point that he would be well able to take care of a wife and family.
He would never be rich, as he wanted to devote time and effort to those of society who could not afford the best of doctors, but they would have a satisfactory life. Julia would never have to worry about paying a grocer’s bill, and they could hire a maid and cook if she wished.
Their life together, he knew, would be perfect for them.
“There you are, smiling again. Whatever it is you are thinking, keep thinking that. Stop worrying.”
“Yes, Lady Huntington.” He had no objection to spending the rest of the ride in quiet, imagining his life as a married man, with Julia as his bride. Her ladyship allowed him to do just that. When they arrived at the Gilbert home, she would leave him there and go on to her sister’s, sending the coach back for him the next day. He’d invited her to the wedding, but she’d waved him off and asked only that the new “Mrs. Doctor” call on her in Bath at her earliest convenience.
When the carriage arrived at a tall, modest brick residence, Nathaniel’s heart picked up its speed. He did not wait for the coachman to open the door, but nearly sprung from the carriage in his haste to see his intended.
The door to the house flew open at nearly the same time, and Julia rushed to meet him.
The whole world around them faded to nothing, and he only saw Julia. When she was nearly to him, she slowed her steps, as though she would stop and make a proper greeting.
But he’d missed her too much, and they had time and enough apart, so Nathaniel closed
the distance between them in two long strides and swept her into his arms.
“Julia,” he said, his mind not on pretty speeches or who might be watching. He held her tightly against his body, then bent enough to kiss her.
She raised up on her toes and met him, kiss for kiss, her lips soft as roses and the scent of lilacs wrapping around him pleasantly.
He heard Lady Huntington laughing and he parted from Julia. As they turned towards her, she leaned forward in the coach to see them both.
“It is as I said,” she chortled. “No one should share a carriage with newlyweds. Not when that is all that you two will wish to do.” She shook her head. “I leave you my blessing. I hope your wedding is beautiful, but I am sure neither of you would notice if the church were to fall down around your ears.”
Her coachmen put down the small traveling trunk of Nathaniel’s things, then closed the door at her ladyship’s bidding. “Drive on,” she commanded, somehow still regal despite her continued flippancy.
“I really do like her,” Julia said sincerely, laying her head on Nathaniel’s shoulder.
“As do I.” Nathaniel kissed the top of her head. “But I like you a great deal more.”
“Thank goodness. I would not wish to battle her over anyone’s affections.” Julia smiled up at him, easing his worries for her. If she was of a mind to laugh and tease, perhaps her worries had passed.
“Are you going to stand there all day, or will you introduce us?” a saucy, feminine voice asked. “Really, Julia. You’re supposed to be the most proper sister, you know.”
Nathaniel grinned when he saw Julia’s blush and he brought them both around to face their accuser.
He had never met Julia’s family, aside from her father and aunt, but it was easy to see the women were related. They had the same dark hair, similar coloring, but Julia was certainly shorter than her sister.
The Gentleman Physician: A Regency Romance (Branches of Love Book 2) Page 20