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“Please do,” Jonathan insisted, and both the brothers bowed a welcoming. Curtseying, the two women moved closer, both of them playing coyly with the pastel-coloured fans that matched their gowns, Chelsea’s in peach and Julia’s in a pale sky blue that almost perfectly mirrored her eyes.
“The two of you are looking quite spectacular this evening, if I do say so myself,” Jonathan commented, bowing his head once more. “Are they not, Gabriel?”
Though he entirely agreed with his brother, he was not so much a one for being overly complimenting, especially toward the young women of theton. He had long since learned not to be too polite or risk drawing the wrong kind of attention. And so he merely gave a brief nod and responded, “Indeed.”
Jonathan offered him a warning glance out of the corner of his eye. He did not like his brother's off-hand nature, but Gabriel knew all too well that if he were the eldest son with the responsibilities of an Earl, he would likely be the same. With an inward sigh, he thought,if only I were able to be as carefree as he.
“We were just admiring this beautiful painting,” Jonathan told the women, gesturing them to join them beneath the painting that was hung slightly high on the wall, having them crane their necks to gaze up at it.
“Oh, yes, I have always loved this one!” Miss Chelsea complimented and Gabriel had to bite back a smile at the look on his brother’s face.
“I can see why,” Jonathan responded, standing between Gabriel and Miss Chelsea while Miss Julia wandered up rather silently to stand on Gabriel’s other side. All four of them stood gazing up at the painting for a few moments before Miss Julia finally broke her silence.
“What was it your father used to say about the artist, Chelsea?”
The two friends glanced at each other past the chests of the two taller men and smiled at each other as though they were greatly impressed with their own knowledge on the matter.
“There was little to be said other than that they were a reclusive and anonymous artist,” Miss Chelsea responded with a smile. “Ordinarily, my father would not have brought such a painting, but my mother fell in love with it the moment she saw it hanging in a distant friend’s gallery and the gentleman gifted it to my parents one Christmas.”
There was affection in the woman’s tone as she explained, and Gabriel did not miss the look on his brother’s face that said he was enjoying it a little too much.
“There is no signature save for this little squiggle, and it can barely be made out,” Miss Chelsea continued, and while the two young women attempted to get a better look, Gabriel and Jonathan looked at each other.Will you tell them?
Watching his brother closely, he could see the answer written plainly on his face. He preferred to revel in their admiration in silence rather than boast about his own talents and so Gabriel quietly left his brother to discuss the painting with Miss Chelsea when the two women stepped back.
He turned instead to address Miss Julia and asked, “Are you well this evening, Miss Julia? I do hope that the accident this morning did not cause you too much unpleasantness.”
He was careful not to look at her too directly, hoping she would not see his great admiration for her beauty reflected in his eyes.
“I am well, thank you, sir,” Miss Julia responded. “And you?”
As she spoke, with a lack of proper title toward him, Gabriel wondered whether the rumours that had been flitting about all evening had failed to reach her ears or whether she had chosen to ignore them until he was ready to give himself up to her and reveal his true identity.I am not hiding it;he told himself firmly.I just do not wish to speak of it.
“I am glad to hear it and I am well, also,” he said, clasping his hands behind his back and pretending to look once more at the painting before them because, in all honesty, he felt his fingertips tingling to touch her.
“Sir, I wanted to ask you…” Miss Julia said, stumbling to a halt as though she could not bring herself to say whatever she had been thinking. Unable to stop himself, he looked at her out of the corner of his eye and saw that her cheeks had turned slightly red, as if she were embarrassed about something.
“Please, do go on,” Gabriel said softly. “You may ask me anything.”
“The book I procured from the bookstore…” the beautiful woman said just as softly, glancing past him as though she hoped that their companions were failing to eavesdrop upon their conversation. One glance of his own told Gabriel that his brother and her friend were much too involved in their own conversing to care about what was being said elsewhere.
“Yes, miss? What about it?” Gabriel asked, his insides beginning to feel as though they were fluttering all over the place.Will she be so direct as to mention my note?He wondered, and a part of him was suddenly fearful that she might be about to cut off any attempt he might have to take their communications further.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a look of contemplation cross her face, and then she seemed to think better of whatever she had been about to say. Shaking her head, she cleared her throat and said, “Oh, it doesn’t matter. It was a silly question to begin with.”
Gabriel was just about to protest that he should very much like to hear her question when there was a call from the ballroom beyond, suggesting that the musicale would be continuing in just a few moments’ time. With gritted teeth, Gabriel reluctantly suggested, “Might I escort you back, Miss Julia?”
She looked a little reluctant, but when she saw her friend had already given her hand to Jonathan’s arm, she smiled at him and nodded, “I would like that, sir.”
Struggling to stop himself from smiling too brightly at her in return, he offered her the crook of his arm. Suddenly. he wished he were wearing far fewer layers, and that she had not been wearing the lady’s usual lace gloves. Maybe then he would have been able to feel the warm softness of her touch without too much effort.
Feeling oddly insecure, Gabriel laid a gentle hand upon hers where it rested upon his forearm, and he was pleased when she smiled at him in a friendly and yet unsuspecting manner.
All too soon they were parted, forced to separate at the carpeted aisle that had been set up between two lots of chairs. "I do hope that you enjoy the rest of the show, Miss Julia," Gabriel said as he returned her to her seat at the front of the crowd.
"Thank you, and you, sir."
It was far more painful than Gabriel would have expected for him to leave her there with her friend and return to his earlier seat with his brother. He found himself glancing in her direction during the rest of the performance. Still, she remained the only thing enticing him to stay.
