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She turned away, eagerly awaiting her mother’s call to the pianoforte. She rose when she was invited to the seat, playing the piece from memory. It was rather convenient that Lord Belper hated a song she had practiced so much. It was one of her favorites. When she finished the piece, she returned to her seat.
Lord Belper stared at the floor, mouth a firm line, eyes wide. He wiped a bead of perspiration from his forehead.“You are very talented, Miss Reeves. Is there…any other song you enjoy just as much?”
“No. I am committed only to that particular piece. I refuse to learn any others.” She gave him a warm smile. “I hope to soon increase my repetition of it to thirty times daily. I never grow tired of it.”
“Thirty?”
“Yes, thirty, my lord.”
Julia exchanged a glance with Oliver but looked away quickly enough to stop herself from laughing.
Lord Belper hardly spoke a word to her for the rest of the evening, which was a welcome change of events. He still complimented her upon taking his leave, but his voice was not convincing.His eyes didn’t linger on her quite as long as they usually did, and his smile only stretched half as wide.
Oliver passed Julia on his way out, bidding his farewell to her mother, and then turning back to her again. He looked to both sides as if to ensure he wouldn’t be overheard. “Well done,” he whispered.
“Thank you.” She smiled, brushing her curls away from her forehead.“I don’t think Lord Belper was pleased with my performance.”
“Did I mention that Mozart’s eleventh is my favorite?” Oliver kept his voice low.
“Is it?”
He nodded, a hint of a smile on his lips. “The piece has always reminded me of you.” His eyes connected with hers.
Julia’s stomach fluttered, jerking one way, then the other. How could one simple look cause such a disruption? Only Oliver had ever been able to have that effect on her. “I did practice it often. That much was not a lie.” She paused, composing herself again. Being so close to him was doing strange things to her heart. He might have looked a little older and a little different with the cut running down the side of his face, but his eyes were still the same. Her very heart was reflected in them, just as it always had been.
“What else shall I do to repel him?” she asked in a whisper. “What other things did you learn about him?”
He glanced at her mother, who had begun observing their conversation. “Pay a visit to Rupert and me tomorrow.” His voice was quick.
“I will.”
Oliver nodded and offered a bow in departure, keeping his expression even. Julia watched his back as he took his leave of the room. She wiped the smile off her face the instant Mama returned to her side. All the guests were gone. Julia’s sisters still sat in the drawing room, giggling over how handsome Matthew Northcott was, and how handsome Oliver was, despite that he would always have a scar over his face. Julia didn’t even see the scar. All she saw was his heart, the same heart she had always loved.
“That Oliver Northcott is a good man,” Mama muttered. She met Julia’s gaze with a weak smile. “It is unfortunate that he doesn’t have more to offer.”
She walked away without another word, leading her other daughters out of the room to prepare for bed. Julia stood in the empty space, listening to the ticking clock.
Mama would never understand.
Oliver could offer Julia far more than any man could. He would offer her happiness, joy, and love. None of that could be compared to the wealth and status that Lord Belper could offer her. She would trade everything she possessed to know that she had Oliver’s heart and that he could be hers forever. If only he would make such an offer.
Heart aching, she turned and made the walk to her bedchamber.
CHAPTER6
Oliver could have made the entire situation much easier if he proposed to Julia himself. He sighed as he set Rupert on his lap, scratching the dog behind the ears with his unbandaged hand. He had been sitting around like a fool all day, waiting for Julia’s arrival. He should have called upon her instead. What had he been thinking? She would likely walk to Larkhall in the snow as she had the first time. He had only waited because he didn’t know if they would have the opportunity to speak privately at Reeves Manor, especially with her mother watching her every move.
He debated for a few more minutes before securing a leash around Rupert’s neck and leading him outside toward the path that led to Reeves Manor. The snow had begun melting in some places, but was hardened on the surface in others. Oliver’s boots crunched through the icy snow, but Rupert’s paws kept him lightly atop the surface.
Surprisingly, just as he reached a patch of trees, Julia walked through, arms crossed, watching her feet as she had been the day before.She must have been on her way to visit him as they had planned.
“A green cloak?” Oliver said, making her jump. “Lord Belper would disapprove.”
Her eyes flew to his, wide with surprise. She laughed. “I am simply practicing for the Christmas Eve ball tomorrow.”
Oliver smiled at the redness of her cheeks and the wry smile on her lips.
“So it seems you take Rupert on many walks.” Julia nodded toward the dog in question.
