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Both Amelia and Hattie turned to face Mabel. “He did kiss me,” she said, letting out a long sigh. “Though he only made it to my cheek. It only took two months for the man to work his way through all three of us. Before he ceased his attentions.”
“To say nothing for the women he likely left behind,” Hattie added.
“And the others here.”
Giulia swallowed. “There were others?”
Amelia lifted one shoulder in a dainty shrug. “I cannot be certain. But the man has a slippery tongue. I believe him to be harmless—the old earl saw to that, I have heard—but I cannot think Mr. Pepper knows how to converse with a woman without some degree of flirtation.”
Giulia certainly knew that to be the case for her. The man was likely bored from the confinement to his chamber. And Giulia was naught but a source to break the tedium.
“Have you found any luck in searching for a position?” Amelia asked, her head tilting to the side.
“Not yet. For now, I am at the disposal of the earl.”
“Ah yes,” Hattie said ominously, “the irritable earl.”
Giulia chuckled. Hattie was not wrong. But Mabel shot her friend a warning look.
“What?” Hattie asked innocently. “I only speak the truth.”
Amelia shook her head. “That, no one would deny.”
“Now, you must tell us,” Hattie continued, heedless of Mabel’s raised eyebrows. “Is Lord Hart so very crotchety behind closed doors? Or is it for the benefit of the public?”
“Honestly, I would not be the right person to ask.” Giulia’s gaze flicked between three sets of expectant eyes while she considered how much she should divulge. She felt she could trust them, though. Something about their easy manners and kind eyes inspired confidence in Giulia. “My uncle and I have not exactly forged a relationship yet. I spend most of my time tending to the heir.”
Mabel spoke softly. “Amelia did tell us you were nursing Mr. Pepper after his injury. You are the one who found him, were you not? Was that very traumatic?”
“It was a bit of a nuisance. But no, I would not say traumatic. It is not so very new to me, you see. I have done my share of nursing.”
“But you cannot be more than eighteen!” Hattie exclaimed.
Giulia pretended to bristle. “I am twenty, thank you kindly.”
Mabel nodded sagely. “Oh yes, such advanced years to be sure.”
Giulia smiled, fingering the rim of her tea cup as she responded. “I prefer to think I have experience beyond my years. I have spent more than half my life traveling abroad; tending gunshot wounds is only the beginning of my experience.” Silence filled the room and she hazarded a look to find, once again, three sets of eyes fixed on her. They were not, however, looks full of sympathy or disgust as she was used to receiving, but merely interest. It buoyed her.
She cleared her throat and continued. “My father believed that adventure was the flavor of life. We had a home in London, but Father would contrive the desire to visit a new place and would not stop until he had traveled there and fully experienced the culture. And he did not like to pick the more civilized locales, so I spent most of my childhood on a boat, or in another country tending to my father.”
She smiled, hoping she wasn’t boring the women with her story. But they each watched her, engaged. “There were occasions when the natives would not be too thrilled to have such curious interlopers. Or one of our party would catch an ailment specific to the locale. I became very good at figuring out who to see in a village or what to do to fix whatever the ailment was. And then when my father died, Ames found us passage home under the chaperonage of a seasoned doctor and his wife, so I assisted Dr. Hendricks on the journey and learned a lot.”
“Your upbringing sounds so romantic,” Hattie said with a dreamy quality to her gaze.
“It sounds romantic, maybe. In reality, it was not.” Giulia’s shoulders were heavy from the sullen mood she’d brought to the room. She delivered a bright smile. “Needless to say, I am happy to remain in England for the rest of my days.”
“Who is Ames?” Amelia questioned.
“Oh, did I mention him?” Giulia hesitated. “He worked for my father. He has been sort of our man-of-all-work. He began as a footman in our home and worked his way up. But really, my father always considered him family.”
Amelia moved to the seat beside Giulia and took her hand. “I am so sorry for your grief. Losing a parent is a very difficult trial.”
Giulia smiled. “Yes but losing a parent and a spouse would be unbearable. I cannot imagine what you are going through.”
Surprise flickered in Amelia’s eyes and behind her, Hattie snorted. “You think losing one is a trial? Imagine losing three.”
“Three parents?”
