Page 9 of A Prior Engagement


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Already, Lord Belper had engaged her in conversation, practically trapping her against the wall.

He started in her direction, but Julia’s mother stopped him. “Oh, Mr. Northcott, you must be in a great deal of pain.” Mrs. Reeves, to her credit, seemed genuinely kind and concerned, not disgusted by his injuries.

“The pain is manageable, I assure you. Thank you for your invitation. It has been too long since I’ve been in this house.” He gave a polite smile before making his way farther into the room. Matthew and his mother had already found a gentleman and lady to converse with. The group was small, consisting only of Oliver’s family, Julia’s family, the couple that Matthew was speaking with, and of course, Lord Belper.

Oliver had never met the man before. He was not as bad looking as Oliver had hoped, though he did seem to be a great deal older than Julia. His rapt attention was fixed on her, even though Julia’s eyes were darting at anything but him. Her gaze landed on Oliver, with a look that said,rescue me.

He immediately crossed the room, coming to a stop beside them. He bowed to Julia before turning toward Lord Belper. Julia gave their introductions, clasping her hands together nervously behind her back.

Though Oliver was already not fond of the man, it was his duty to befriend him this evening. That was the essential first step of the plan. He put on his most charming, cheerful smile. “You must tell me where you purchased that waistcoat,” he said to Lord Belper. “I’ve never seen such a fine cut of fabric.”

The man looked down at his waistcoat, his billowy cravat partially blocking his view of his own chest. He flattened his cravat with the palm of his hand to get a better glimpse. Then he smiled, shrugging one shoulder. “I am not excessively fond of it myself. I do not particularly like the color blue. It is just a little too close to green for my liking.” He gave a quick, high-pitched chuckle. “I despise green.”

Oliver met Julia’s eyes in a fleeting glance. “I never cared for it either,” Oliver said. “It truly is a hideous color.”

Lord Belper gave an emphatic nod. “I am glad to finally have found someone who shares my opinion on the subject! Green never improves the appearance of anything. I much prefer red or pink.” His eyes slid to Julia, who happened to be wearing a pink gown. She shifted uncomfortably under his watchful gaze. He licked his lips before turning back toward Oliver.

Julia absolutely could not marry this man. How could she have even been considering it? Her family’s influence did hold a great weight, but she needed to trust her own heart. It was clear that her heart did not, and never would, belong to Lord Belper. Oliver did all he could to keep the man’s attention off of her as they waited in the drawing room before dinner. Julia seemed relieved to have Oliver nearby. He spoke with Lord Belper about every subject the man seemed most interested in speaking of, agreeing with nearly every word he said, encouraging his ideas in his attempt to win his favor.

When they walked to the dining room, Oliver wasn’t surprised that Mrs. Reeves had seated Julia directly beside Lord Belper. Oliver sat beside Matthew, eating each course of the meal while answering the questions directed at him about his time at sea. He met Julia’s gaze across the table several times throughout the meal, and each time, he was reminded of how lovely she looked in pink.

Lord Belper was right about one thing.

When the ladies left the dining room, Oliver stayed behind with the men for port. They poured their glasses, and Oliver practiced his questions in his mind. In his earlier conversation, he had discovered many things about what Lord Belper liked. But most importantly now, it was time for him to learn more about what Lord Belperdidn’tlike.

* * *

Julia sat on one of the settees in the drawing room, tapping her gloved fingers on the book on her lap. She had successfully left the space beside her open in the hopes that Oliver would claim it when he came back to the drawing room. She needed to hear what he had discovered about Lord Belper. Despite the fact that her mother was watching all of their interactions, she would have to implement what Oliver learned as soon as possible. At any moment, it could be too late and Lord Belper would be requesting a private audience with her to offer his proposal.

The drawing room door opened, and Matthew entered first. Then came the other gentleman in attendance, Mr. Golding. Behind him, conversing as if they were the dearest of friends, was Oliver and Lord Belper. Matthew sat down by his mother, Mr. Golding by his wife, and Oliver and Lord Belper both started toward that one empty space beside Julia on the settee.

She swallowed, staring at Oliver with wide eyes as he allowed Lord Belper to take the seat. She sighed under her breath, picking up the book on her lap as quickly as she could. Was this part of Oliver’s plan? Was he giving her an opportunity to begin deterring him? She had tried before without any success. She needed a new tactic, and only Oliver could help her with that.

But he was now sitting on a chair near the bookshelf—too far away to help her.

She threw him a questioning look. Why hadn’t he raced Lord Belper to the seat beside her? Oliver met her gaze before turning toward the books on the shelf beside him. “Julia, would you care to help me choose one? I haven’t done enough reading of late.”

Julia held his gaze for several seconds. What was he doing? She kept her expression smooth as she tried to read his. “Of course.”She stood, starting in his direction.

The other guests were engaged in their own conversations, leaving Julia and Oliver’s interaction less noticeable. As she walked toward Oliver, she prayed Lord Belper wouldn’t follow her. Thankfully, he remained seated, though she could feel his gaze on her back.

Oliver turned to face the shelf, and Julia did the same. He picked up a book, holding it out in front of them. He then lowered his voice to a whisper, one almost undetectable among the other voices in the room. “He despises Mozart’s sonata eleven, particularly the third movement. I recall that you once knew it.” He flipped the pages of the book, meeting Julia’s eyes briefly before looking away again casually.

Julia nodded, fighting a smile. “I do know it. I shall play it tonight.”

“That is a start, but not enough. Do not only play it.” Oliver looked up. “Explain to him how it is the only piece of music you ever play. Tell him you play it at least ten times a day, and that you plan to do so for the rest of your life.” The mischievous gleam in Oliver’s eyes combined with his smile made Julia’s heart soar. Oh, how she had missed this side of him.

She held back her laughter. “Ten? I play it twenty times at least. Day and night when I cannot sleep.”

“Even better.” Oliver lifted the book closer to his face, pretending to read from the page. The curve at one corner of his mouth was impossible to miss.

Julia walked back to Lord Belper’s side, avoiding his searching gaze. When it came time for musical performances, she turned toward Lord Belper. “I am going to play my very favorite piece. I have practiced it twenty times a day for the last several years, and I will continue to do so for the rest of my life.” She repeated the words she had practiced with Oliver. “One can never truly master anything.”

“That is true dedication, Miss Reeves.” Lord Belper grinned. “I find that quite admirable. What is the piece?”

“Mozart’s eleventh sonata.”

His face fell.

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