“Perhaps it would be better, Harry, if we did let Jack talk about horses or the farm, for those are the things that he likes best?”
Jack looked relieved, and for a few minutes he gave a creditable account of his activities riding on the estate and supervising the farm workers. It was the first time since they had met that Julia felt it possible to have anything in common with Jack Douglas. But it was hardly a sound foundation for a relationship to be able only to converse on subjects of minor interest to her.
She had been hoping that Kit Douglas would appear, but there was no sign of him. Julia had agreed with her father before they arrived that neither of them would mention the gift of the new red shoes. Before Julia could put the question herself, her father enquired about the whereabouts of Kit.
“He has been called away at short notice to his godmother’s bedside. The message came three days ago that she is very seriously ill. She is a distant relative of my late wife. We have not yet had any further news from Kit of how she is.”
Jack did not seem to be very interested in this situation, and he began to fidget as he sat beside his father. Julia was beginning to think that they had stayed long enough, despite the obvious anxiety of their host that his son should show himself in a better light.
Perhaps fortunately, Reuben entered the room at that point to ask that Jack should return to the farmyard where an emergency had arisen.
“Of course you must go,” said Julia’s father immediately. “Thank you for sparing the time to see us, Jack.”
Jack nodded and made his escape so rapidly that Julia wondered whether he had made a prior arrangement to be called away.
“Well, Miss Maitland,” said their host, “how did you find your visit to the castle? We are not such grand folks here as they are.”
Julia caught his joking mood, and smiled in reply. She had thought of the possibility that Mr. Douglas knew that a competing suitor was being proposed for her hand, and she did not want him to feel at a disadvantage in that situation.
“For grand folks,” she said, “they are not at all puffed up or unpleasant. But that formal kind of life doesn’t suit everyone. And unfortunately Emily and her younger cousin Freddie were away, so we couldn’t see them.”
“Well,” said her father, “perhaps we should be on our way now, Harry, or my wife will begin to wonder what has become of us. Please give our regards to your younger son when he returns home. I hope that there is better news of his godmother.”
And with that they rose and were about to say good-bye to their host when the butler entered the room and spoke in an under tone to Mr. Douglas. He turned to Julia and said in a friendly tone, “I am reminded that we must return the red shoes that were left here during your last visit, Miss Maitland.”
She said simply, “Thank you, sir.”
Then her father said farewell to his friend and, collecting the shoes from the butler in the hall, they both went down the steps to their carriage.
On the way home, Julia acknowledged to herself that the main reason that she had agreed to the visit was in the hope of seeing Kit Douglas again. She had an odd, empty feeling in her stomach that would not go away, and even a happy greeting from her sisters on their return home did not help much.
Over the next few days, Julia was well aware that her parents were having various conversations about the visits to Norton Place and to the Brandons at the castle, but they said nothing to her. She tried to keep busy, entertaining Sophie and Harriet and hoping that either Emily or Freddie would come to call soon.
At last, the urgent knock on the door came, announcing the arrival of Emily, full of news of her stay with friends near Leeds, and of Freddie’s progress in the regiment. Her golden curls were tumbling in an unruly fashion beneath a most becoming new bonnet trimmed with pink ribbon to match her dress, and she carried a pink reticule to match.
“Oh, Julia,” she said “it was such a pity that you were not able to travel with me, for we would have had such a good time together. When I go there next, you must come with me, for there are so many handsome young men in that part of Yorkshire, and the balls and musical evenings are held every week in Leeds!”
Julia felt like saying that she was rather tired of being part of the marriage market, even in a small way in Derbyshire, but her friend was so encouraging that perhaps she was being too cynical. Sophie and Harriet made it very clear that, if Julia didn’t want to go, they would be delighted to accompany Emily on her next visit. However their enthusiasm was dampened by Mama pointing out that they were too young to go without her. Eventually, Julia had the chance to talk to Emily in private about her discussion with Dominic Brandon.
“Emily, what I cannot understand is why your cousin should want to offer for me just because he made a promise to my brother before he died. I am sure that there is something else that I don’t know or that someone is not telling me. Can you help?”
“Well, after Dominic bought himself out of the regiment, he went back to live in our town house in London and resumed his normal life—I have told you about that before—enjoying the company of ‘bits of muslin,’ as he would call it, and gaming in the clubs such as Whites or Brooks’s with his friends.”
Julia nodded—none of that came as any surprise to her.
“Perhaps I shouldn’t really tell you, but as your good friend I ought to. A few weeks ago, Freddie found out that Dominic had fallen in love with a very beautiful girl—the sister of one of his gaming friends in town. But she has already had a child with someone else, and my parents will not hear of his marrying her. Dominic has told Freddie that he has nothing to lose by a marriage with you, provided that you would not object in his continuing to see her in private when he is in London.”
“Oh! So that is why he wanted me to know that your aunt and uncle had led partly separate lives. And the Countess hinted to me that Dominic was likely to want to live in the same way the as his father has done.”
“You wouldn’t agree to that, would you, Julia?”
“Not if I had any choice in the matter!”
“Nor would I. Who would want to be treated as second best!”
“Mama would say that we are being unrealistic. After all, many people that we know live like that. Not everyone has a choice, Emily. You may have a handsome dowry but, the way things are now with Papa’s estate, Mama says that I can’t be so choosy.”
Emily was about to say something soothing, but remembered that Julia might be right and kept quiet.
“I can see now why your aunt and uncle are very anxious for Dominic to marry, and that they prefer someone they already know. After all, they are rich enough not to worry about a large dowry.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“And they are hoping that his liaison in town with that girl will wither away?”
“It is very much more likely that, if it did wither away, he would start another relationship with someone else who was equally unsuitable!” said Emily. “Harriet is quite right. You should do as you like, Julia, and not allow your parents, or anyone else, to tell you who you should marry.”
Four
Since this information had been given to her in confidence, Julia did not pass it on to her father. Papa seemed very anxious at present to distract her from any thoughts connected with engagement or marriage. She knew that he was worrying about her and that couldn’t be good for his health. Mama was still insisting that Julia couldn’t possibly refuse the opportunity to become the next Countess of Cressborough, and clearly she thought that a marriage with a son of the Douglas family was quite beneath Julia’s consideration by comparison, although she was not saying that in front of Papa.
Julia had tried to find out from her father whether there had been any news of Kit Douglas’s returning to Norton Place, but it seemed that he was still away.
She had not said much to Emily about her visit there, or about Kit. She was not sure enough of her own feelings to do so, and in any case she knew that Mama would strongly oppose her taking any interest in someone who had such limited prospects. The days seemed to drag by. Fortunately, her mother was kept busy with
