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For a moment, the handsome Gabriel was silent, almost brooding, and then finally he nodded and said, "We could not call ourselves gentlemen if we allowed you to walk home. Please, share our carriage."
"Chelsea?" Julia said inquiringly. Her friend barely glanced in her direction before beginning to nod her head. Her gaze was entirely back on Jonathan, as though she could not take her eyes off him. Julia knew how she felt. She was having a hard time of stopping himself from staring at his brother.
"Do not worry about your things, miss," Chelsea's father's coachman assured her with a glance between them both. "I shall have the carriage fixed and get them right to you."
"Oh, but I was rather hoping to use them this evening!" Chelsea protested. "And it looks as though it may rain. I would hate for Julia's books to get damaged in that wicker basket of a trunk."
At that, Gabriel stiffened beside Julia and shook his head. "We cannot have that. Jonathan, help me move the ladies luggage into our trunk."
"Oh, no, that will not be necessary!" Julia protested, but the two brothers were already swooping to the rescue and there was nothing she could do to stop them. The coachman looked dumbfounded. Julia felt an odd sensation crawling in her gut.
It was not unpleasant, and she bit her lip as she watched Gabriel and his brother going above and beyond what any other nobleman or gentleman had ever done for her or her friend. Chelsea looked just as astounded as Julia was feeling.
The men made quick work of moving everything from one carriage to another, and then Gabriel stepped up beside Julia and offered her his hand. "Shall we?"
"Yes. Thank you," she responded, placing her hand in his and allowing him to guide her around to the open door of their carriage, where Jonathan was already helping Chelsea inside.
As soon as Julia was helped up into the carriage, she realised one thing. Jonathan had taken the seat beside Chelsea, leaving only the opposite bench for herself and his brother to sit on. Trying not to think of just how close the gentleman was when he sat down beside her, she turned to Chelsea and asked, "Are you alright?"
For a moment, her friend seemed not to hear her. Then, at an inclination of Jonathan's head, Chelsea finally turned her gaze on Julia and said, "Yes, much better now. I just hit my head on the window frame and jarred my shoulder."
Julia could see now that her friend had moved the handkerchief from her head that there was a small smear of blood just above her temple, though it was already turning brown and drying.
"Perhaps we should have sent for a doctor?" Julia suggested, trying to concentrate on anything other than the man who had gracefully dropped down onto the bench beside her, carefully avoiding the skirts of her silken brown floral day dress.
"Is it so bad that you need a doctor?" he asked even as the brothers' coachman closed the door firmly behind them. "We can stop by the practice on the way if you believe it urgent?"
Julia felt her heart swelling at the genuine concern in his voice and she quickly had to remind herself not to get taken in by such things. She had met her fair share of men who were able to make her feel that they were more concerned than they truly were, playing a part just because she had something that they wanted.
But this man has no idea who I am,she reminded herself, and immediately she became determined to keep it that way. She could only hope that her best friend would have the good sense not to give her away entirely as they rode.
"I think it is nothing more than a cut," Chelsea insisted, shaking her head for a moment before growing still with a pained expression. She placed her palm over the cut as though it were stinging. "Hopefully it just needs a good clean and some powder to hide it, though I do hope it will not permanently scar."
Julia cringed at her friend's words, knowing all too well how painful it was to cover cuts and grazes with the powder her mother always insisted she dab onto her face before ever leaving her bedroom.
"You're certain?" Gabriel pressed, still not looking entirely convinced, and Julia had to admit she felt much the same way. After having felt the jarring of the carriage herself, she was amazed that she had been left unharmed herself.
"I will be fine, thanks to Jonathan," Chelsea insisted, and she offered the brother sitting next to her a smile, laying her gloved hand upon his forearm to give him a grateful squeeze.
"It was the least I could do after our coachman got us into this mess," Jonathan responded and Julia watched a little jealously as he picked up Chelsea's hand and kissed her knuckles, all the while gazing into her eyes with a look that caused her to shiver.
All was silent for several minutes until Julia felt as though she could barely take it for any longer. Then she realised something and blurted in alarm, "Does the coachman even know where we are headed?"
Had she been right all along not to trust the brothers? Were they taking her and her friend in entirely the wrong direction? She leaned over and pulled back the lace curtain that covered the window. Looking out, she breathed a sigh of relief to see the familiar streets of London that did indeed lead back to Chelsea's home and her own next door. They weren't far from Grosvenor Square and the knowledge gave her a rumble of disappointment in her stomach.
"Don't worry. Your friend and I spoke with the coachman while you were mooning over my brother here," Jonathan chuckled, offering her a devilish wink, and her only relief at the embarrassing comment was that Gabriel himself kicked his brother hard in the shin.
"Do not make her uncomfortable, little brother," he scolded with a shake of his head. "Miss Julia and her friend have had quite the shock. I am sure she was not mooning at me, but merely attempting to recover her senses after the incident."
Julia smiled gratefully at Gabriel, though she couldn’t help but wonder whether what Jonathan had said was true. She had spent the last few days thinking of nothing but him, so it made sense that she might lose herself in thought and stare at his presence. The more she thought about it, the more she thought that Jonathan probably was right.
To her relief, Chelsea spoke up, leaving her to hide her embarrassment in conversation. "May I ask, what brings you to London?”
"Do you not recognise us?" Jonathan stated, looking almost insulted, his mouth gaping though his gaze was playful.
Again, Gabriel kicked his brother, though it was much more discreet this time and Julia might have missed it if she had not been looking down to avoid the striking gazes of both brothers.
Both men were so handsome and their space so confining. She was more than a little uncomfortable, especially as she was still unsure who they were. Though she recognised the elder of the two from the bookstore and now Jonathan had spoken, she was suspicious of whether she might have seen them both around previously. She could not quite place them.
