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Nick groaned, and to his surprise, Robert laughed. “I know you aren’t too fond of him, but if anyone has information, Jolly will.”
“I know, I know.”
“Well,” Robert clapped his hands down on his knees in preparation to stand, “Just keeping you updated, my boy.”
“Robert?”
The earl halted halfway up and raised one gray bushy eyebrow at Nick.
“Have you considered just giving your niece the benefit of the doubt?”
Robert continued to rise, his face contorting into a scowl.
Nick hurried to continue, “From what I can tell, she knows nothing about whatever rift there was between you and your brother. She thinks he left of his own accord.”
Robert’s face grew dark and Nick threw caution to the wind. It couldn’t make things any worse, that was apparent. “Robert, she did not even know your mother was alive all these years. Her father told her she was dead.”
The earl stilled. When he turned, his face was red with rage and Nick swallowed. He’d been mistaken. Apparently he could make it worse.
The earl spoke, his words slow and ominous. “Why don’t you stay out of my affairs, Nick?”
“I think you’re throwing away a chance here.”
“A chance at what?” Robert yelled, his round cheeks glowing red; they looked all the brighter against the white of his hair. “You expect me to give Patrick’s brat a home here?”
“No, Robert,” Nick said calmly. “I expect you to recognize it as a chance to have a family yourself. To have a relationship with the one person on this earth you can claim as a close blood relation—not a third cousin, but a niece. The one person who will pass down your Pepper genes. Maybe not in the earldom, but you can still give her a life here. You can still give yourself something, Robert. No one else is here to claim her; do you see that? She has no one else. Don’t pass this chance up.”
There was a deadly silence and Nick held his breath. Robert growled, shooting Nick one final look before stomping from the room. But he did not yell again. He did not counter Nick or argue with him. That had to be a good sign, right?
This was how Robert worked. The man needed time for Nick’s words to settle and then he would come to his own conclusion regarding his niece. Nick could only hope he had planted the right seed.
* * *
The next few days passed slowly for Giulia. She spent her mealtimes with the silent earl, and the in-betweens with Nick. They had yet to discuss the rooster-sealed letters in much more detail, and she was grateful for that. She had also yet to tell Nick about Ames, which was a problem of its own.
But the opportunity had not presented itself for such a conversation. She felt so conceited coming right out with it. She knew better than to believe that Nick’s flirtation meant he had designs on her. And while she certainly found him attractive, she had no designs on him. In fact, he only caused her to miss Ames all the more. She longed to fall into Ames’s strong embrace and have his large and capable arms come around her, giving her the protection and love she desired. Of course, a simple letter would probably accomplish the same thing, but that was asking too much. Naturally. Who had the time to sit and write a letter to the love of their life? Certainly not Ames. No, he was far too busy.
Giulia put down the quill she was sharpening before she accidentally slipped and cut herself and let out a breath. Easy there, Giulia, he really is busy. Busy setting up a life for you, you ungrateful girl.
Returning her attention to the letters on her desk, Giulia completed three responses to her father’s admirers before she put away the ink and readied herself for the day. The periodical which published Father’s stories had printed a short letter to readers, informing them of Patrick Pepper’s untimely demise, and doubling the letters sent her way. Notes condoling his loss and begging to know what happened to Jules poured into Halstead.
Giulia was of half a mind to pen a note to her father’s publisher, begging them to cease forwarding the letters. But she could not find it in her heart to ignore those people who fell so deeply in love with the stories which had shaped her life.
For now, at least, she would reply to as many as she could. Especially while Lord Hart was around to frank them for her.
The one note she had not replied to was the missive from Mrs. Fawn, reiterating her invitation to tea that very day. Giulia still found it odd that the woman was hosting a tea while in mourning, but who was she to judge? Perhaps Mrs. Fawn did not miss her husband. Maybe it had been a marriage of convenience.
Giulia shook her head. It was not her business to judge Mrs. Fawn’s social practices. Drawing herself up, she studied herself in the mirror. Her coronet braid was about as tamed as she could manage, her dove gray dress clean, but plain. She pulled the elephant pendant out from the high neckline to kiss and replaced it with a finesse gained through habit.
Nerves prickled her stomach and caused butterflies to flutter throughout her body. Mrs. Fawn was intimidating enough, but to have tea with her friends? What had Giulia been thinking, agreeing to such a scheme? She stared at her own plain appearance and straightened her shoulders, garnering confidence from her elephant kiss and the knowledge that she had plenty to contribute to any conversation.
She was the granddaughter of an earl. She had every reason to hold her head high.
And she did so as she traveled the length of the castle toward the invalid’s room.
Nick was wide awake when she entered his chamber and approached the bed, the remnants of his breakfast sitting on the tray and pushed out of the way. “May I check your bandage?” she asked.
He smiled at her and began unfastening his shirt. She glanced away to give him some semblance of privacy and then spoke to alleviate some of the tension she felt. “I will be seeing Dr. Mason today. I thought I should bring him an updated account of your injury.”
