Chapter Nine
How much effort would it take to pitch his mother into the Serpentine? Julian wasn’t sure, but walking beside her as she rattled off a long list of his supposed failures in life, he was becoming more willing by the minute to take a chance.
It had not been an easy decision to accept her offer to spend the morning with her before she sailed back to Europe. He had been regretting it with every passing moment since their arrival. It would be the first and last time he played the role of dutiful son in public.
She was toying with him. The final guest list for the house party, along with the Crusader Ruby, was still in the countess’s hands. The public outing was purely for the keeping up of appearances. The grown man made to be at his mother’s beck and call.
“You could have taken up an ambassadorship. I hear the Americans are keen to repair some relations with England now that beastly Napoleon is gone. Washington would be a good start for you to rise up in the political ranks. Anywhere would be better than that drab castle in Derbyshire,” she said.
“I have an estate to run in England, and besides that, Washington is supposed to be bitterly cold in winter,” replied Julian.
They were walking alongside the shore of the elegant lake in Hyde Park, heading toward the popular cake house for some cheese cake and coffee. The countess was in fine form, much to his disappointment.
“Look at that! Some people just don’t know how to behave in public,” she said.
Julian roused from his musings and looked to where his mother pointed. Across from them, in the middle of the lake, were a pair of boats side by side. Standing in the middle of each boat was a young man wielding an oar, making every effort to splash the inhabitants of the other vessel.
The male in the nearest boat to them stumbled and nearly tipped it over. The woman, who was seated in the middle of the boat, screamed.
“James, for heaven’s sake, you will put us all at the bottom of the lake. Take me back to shore!”
Julian stopped at the sound of the familiar voice of reproach. As the boat slowly turned and began to make its way back to the shore, he caught sight of the offended young woman. It was Caroline Saunders. He would know that angry, disapproving face anywhere.
The countess harrumphed. “I told you the Saunders girl was common. No respectable young miss would go out on the Serpentine and make such a spectacle of herself. Pity the boat didn’t turn over. I would have enjoyed seeing her fall into the water.”
As the boat neared the shore, Caroline looked up, and she and Julian locked gazes. She glared at Julian. Her lips moved, and he quickly registered the wordfooldirected at him.
The second boat came racing into the shore. It hit the bank with some force and the occupants fell out of their seats. Francis Saunders struggled to get to his feet at the end of the boat. The young lady with him managed to get a foot over the side and was making a valiant attempt to find dry land. Ignoring his mother’s protests, Julian hurried to the water’s edge and assisted the young lady safely to shore.
“Thank you,” she said.
The boat containing Caroline pulled up alongside him. The young man in charge of it leaped out and tried to grab the end. He missed, and the boat began to drift away from the shore.
“Sorry!” he yelled. He was laughing, but the look on Caroline’s face was one of anything but amusement.
“James!” she cried.
As the dry land slipped away, she made an ill-timed leap from the boat.
Julian could have caught her if he had wanted. Instead, he took a step back and watched as she fell to her hands and knees in the wet mud at the edge of the lake.
“Ooof!” she cried.
The others raced down to the water’s edge and helped her to her feet. Her skirts were covered in thick black mud. It caked her hands and her arms all the way to her elbow. She looked a terrible sight.
“James, please go and find our driver and carriage. We had better get Caroline home and changed into dry clothes before she catches her death,” said Francis.
The woman Julian had helped out of the other boat a moment before, took off her coat and lay it over Caroline’s shoulders all the while offering words of comfort. Caroline closed her eyes and began to sob.
Julian, ashamed at having let Caroline fall into the mud, quickly averted his gaze. He backed away from the side of the lake and rejoined his mother.
“Well done, Newhall. You gave that little bitch exactly what she deserved. I didn’t think you had it in you, but you did,” she said.
Julian followed the countess around to the old brick cake house situated by the lake side. The whole time, he silently cursed himself for his disgraceful act. The one and only time his mother had approved of something he had done, and instead of feeling good about it, he felt nothing but utter shame.
