AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her gaze remained trained on her sister and Withington. “Victoria is quite capable of inciting trouble without any help, and a hasty arrangement is probably just what she has in mind. I should like to keep my eye on her, if it is all the same to you.” She began to follow them.
“My lady, you mustn’t,” he said quickly, stopping her with a gentle hand. “You must distract Withington and allow me to deal with your sister, as planned.”
She halted and turned, her eyes hard as she shrugged off his hand. “I’m not so
certain your plan will be enough to stop her.”
He had to buy them some time. “Lady Amelia, we agreed this was the best course,” he insisted as the couple turned the corner and disappeared. Thank God. He hoped they had enough sense to make haste. “We cannot know whether it will work if you do not give it a fair chance.”
“You are right,” she admitted. “How do you propose we separate them?”
“Leave that to me,” he answered with a sly smile.
Julius left her and went to the prearranged meeting place, only to find that Withington and Victoria were not there. Where the hell were they? After a moment of casting about aimlessly and feeling a fool, he decided to go and find them.
While walking the halls of his best friend’s home, he thought back to the lengthy discussion they’d had regarding their wooing of the sisters Lennox. Withington certainly had his work cut out for him. It would be nearly impossible to convince Lady Amelia of his innocence. The woman would likely tear him limb from limb for his part in their deception.
He took out his watch and frowned. Withington must have explained the situation to her by now. But where were they?
Rounding the turn, he heard voices from down the hall. Withington’s father, the Earl of Pembroke, was in his office—with Lord Richmond. He moved closer and listened.
“I expect the wedding will need to be held at the end of the Season,” Richmond was saying in a slightly less than pleased tone. “I cannot imagine they’ll be willing to wait until next spring.”
“To hell with waiting any longer than absolutely necessary,” said Pembroke. “I’ve waited too long already to see my son settled. The sooner they tie the knot, the better, I say.” The clinking of glass told Julius drinks were being poured. “To our children’s happiness, and to their children—may they be healthy and numerous.”
“Well, I cannot disagree with that,” replied Richmond. “As to the matter of her dowry, there are several things to consider, one of them being the horses. I cannot imagine that she will be willing to part with some of them, and they are quite valuable.”
“Ah, yes. I understand she is quite the avid equestrienne,” Pembroke said, a smile in his voice. “No doubt we shall get on superbly. I’m quite happy to accept the value of horseflesh in lieu of a portion of her dowry. I do wish her to be happy here, you know. After all, a happy bride will give us an heir more quickly than one who is not.”
Julius backed away, not really wanting to hear any more of the conversation. The fact that they were discussing such things at this early juncture did not bode well. He’d known Pembroke was keen to make a match for Withy, but planning a wedding for the end of the Season before they’d even known each other a month was rushing things.
He truly hoped things went well between Withington and Amelia. If they did not, there would be hell to pay when the truth came out. Even though his own family was firmly established at court, Pembroke had a great deal of influence with the king and could find ways to make life quite difficult for a person, should he so desire. The scandal of it would likely necessitate a bit of quiet living away from London for a while, which suited him fine.
After a few more minutes of fruitless searching, he gave up. They must have been delayed. He went back to the appointed place and waited, trying to maintain his patience.
They arrived just as he was about to leave and look for Amelia to be sure she wasn’t the reason for the delay. “Where have you been?” he whispered. “I’ve spent the last half hour looking for you.”
“It couldn’t be helped,” said Withington, looking a bit worse for wear. “She insisted on—”
“I refused to cooperate until he explained what was going on,” interrupted Victoria, leveling a hard stare at him.
“I would have told you in advance, but—”
“I know,” she said, forestalling further explanation. She turned to Withington. “If you would excuse us, my lord. I wish to speak with Lord Cavendish privately.”
Giving him a worried look, Withy bowed. “Of course. I believe I shall go and find Lady Amelia. Being so rudely dismissed from this conversation has wounded my poor pride, and I fear I shall require consoling.”
Julius saw a shaky smile form on Victoria’s lips before she nodded consent. “I understand your concern,” he began as soon as Withington was out of earshot.
“How can you?” she hissed. “How can you possibly begin to understand? My way would have allowed Amelia a means of escape with her dignity intact, but you leave no such option. If you abandon her for me and she does not accept him in your place, she will be called a jilt and no amount of denial will stop people saying it.” Her hands balled into fists. “Amelia may be a fire-breathing tyrant, but she is still my sister!”
“It was the only way,” he told her. “As you explained it to me, I could see no other option. This is still your plan, Victoria—it’s just been modified a little.”
She snorted. “Your modifications are anything but minor.”
“Withington has a part in this as well. He chose to do this for his own reasons.”
“Yes, I am aware. Though I am still uncertain as to why he has decided to attempt the impossible.”
