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“Miss Thacker,” Derek exclaimed. “How lovely you look this evening. You rival every other woman here with your beauty.”
Julia turned her crystal blue eyes to Derek and smiled. “Mr. Dryden, I am pleased to see you as well, you shameless flatterer.”
Derek swept into a graceful bow, his lips quivering at the low sound of displeasure that emitted from Jonas. “I do not consider it flattery when it is true. Might I fetch you a glass of lemonade or champagne?”
“Champagne would be lovely,” Julia replied at the exact moment Jonas grumbled, “That will not be necessary.”
Julia swatted her brother with her fan. “Jonas,yoube a dear and fetch it. I would like champagne. What would you like, Mr. Dryden?”
Jonas’ nostrils flared with indignation, but he remained silent as Derek insisted he was not in need of refreshment. There were too many people nearby pretending not to hang onto their every word for Jonas to refuse, or he risked adding an additional element to the gossip. With a stiff nod, he retreated across the ballroom, leaving Derek alone with Julia.
“Shall we dance?” Derek offered once Jonas was out of sight. “You can have your champagne afterward.”
Julia accepted his arm with a giggle. “I would be delighted, sir.”
Derek led her into the throng of dancers performing a minuet, his gaze darting to catch sight of Jonas as he neared the refreshment table.
“Well,” he said between steps. “He seems dourer than usual.”
“He has been an absolute terror at home,” Julia replied. “Brooding and glaring at anyone who spares him a glance. It would seem our plan is working.”
“Do you think so?”
Julia smirked. “He is so jealous he can hardly contain himself. Stay the course, Derek. The end is in sight, I promise you.”
Her words offered Derek some modicum of relief. If Julia could see what he had sensed, then Derek was not deluding himself.
“I am grateful to you, Julia,” he replied. “Though I must reiterate my worry over the blow your reputation could suffer once it becomes clear we might not marry. You ought to spend your time considering your true prospects.”
Julia offered a sly smirk and inclined her head toward the edge of the dance floor. A slender but handsome gentleman stood on the fringes watching their every move. His golden hair glowed in the candlelight, and the grace of his form and cut of his clothes denoted wealth and status.
“Do you see that man, there?” she asked.
“Handsome young pup in the navy coat? Yes.”
“That would be Viscount Richard Gilbanks. Before you began publicly courting me, we shared a few … romantic moments. I had thought him a serious contender for my hand, though he soon disappointed me in his lack of urgency. Of all my prospects, he was my favorite, but he seems content to allow the entire season to go by without declaring intentions of any kind.”
Derek snorted a laugh as he took another look at the viscount. Gilbanks’ gaze softened when it landed on Julia and hardened when it fell on Derek, a clear display of longing and envy. “If eyes were swords, I would be dead on the spot. He realizes that he has missed his chance with you. Or … has he?”
Julia winked. “That remains to be seen. In the meantime, our plan does not serve only you, Derek, for I have come to understand that no man wants a prize that another does not covet.”
“Julia,” Derek murmured, suddenly serious. “You are, indeed, a prize. Any man who needs to be forced to see that does not deserve you.”
“Perhaps not, but he is the one I want. Besides, you have told me yourself on several occasions that those of your sex can be rather dense. By seeing that I am serious about making a match this season, perhaps Lord Gilbanks can be convinced to declare himself. If he feels anything for me at all, he will fight for me rather than allowing another man to abscond with me to the altar.”
“Darling, you are a genius.”
She heaved an exaggerated sigh. “As I am well aware. It is why this will work as long as we stay the course. I am committed fully to this scheme if you are.”
Catching another glimpse of Jonas—who stood not a stone’s throw from Lord Gilbanks, glowering and clutching Julia’s requested champagne—Derek nodded.
“Yes,” he replied. “I am committed. I love him, Julia.”
He was not ashamed to profess his love to Jonas’ sister, who was smarter than others gave her credit for. While she had never let Jonas know what she was privy to, she had confided her knowledge in Derek. Julia had wanted him to know that she loved them both and wished them to be happy. She did not judge or malign them for their desires, understanding that a person could hardly help who they fell in love with. Having her on his side breathed life into the hope Derek had thought long dead.
“I know,” Julia replied, giving his hand a squeeze as he guided her through a graceful turn. “And he loves you. We will make him realize it before the end.”
ChapterFour
