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She stopped dead in her tracks the moment she laid eyes upon the Tatford brothers. Offering the butler a disgruntled expression, she gasped, "I was not aware that we had guests."
"You did not offer anybody the chance to alert you to the fact, Mama," Chelsea pointed out, giving her mother a respectful bow of her blonde head.
"And the fault is ours, Mrs Walker," Jonathan said in his most charming tone, stepping up to bow before the woman as if she were royalty. "I am afraid our carriages had a bit of a mishap on the road and it was the least my brother and I could do to bring your Miss Walker and Miss Pritchard home."
Julia bit her tongue in order to point out that this was not in fact her home, but that she resided next door. But it truly didn't matter because at Jonathan's words, Mrs Walker appeared to notice the dried blood upon her daughter's head and she hurried forward to assess the damage with a squeal. "Whatever has happened?"
"Mama, it is little more than a scratch," Chelsea insisted, urging her mother away, and Julia stifled a smile. Normally her friend might have been squeaking and squawking about her pain, no matter how insignificant the damage. It was clear that she was putting on a brave face in front of the brothers.
"Mr Tatford assured that I was well cared for," Chelsea continued. "We have invited them both in for refreshments to thank them for returning us home while our parcels are unpacked from their trunk."
“Oh, yes, indeed.” Mrs Walker nodded and turned a smile upon the two brothers. "Though I do believe we can do a little better than that."
Chapter 5
Julia tried her hardest not to think too much of the night ahead. She finally returned home and retired to her bedroom in the hopes of resting before the musicale that would be held at the Walker household that evening. Though it had been planned for weeks, Julia had not really been all that excited for the event. It wasn’t until Mrs Walker had insisted that the Tatford brothers join them as an extra thank-you for bringing them back safely.
As she sat in her bedroom, Julia couldn't help but think of the reluctance that had flashed through both of the young mens' gazes or the relief she had felt when they eventually agreed to attend. Nor did she linger on the thought that maybe they might change their mind and not turn up after all.
She wasn't sure she would be able to hide the disappointment if that were to occur. She could only imagine how Chelsea would react to learn that she actually felt something toward the eldest brother. Luckily for her, Chelsea appeared to have been too busy batting her eyelashes at the younger brother all afternoon.
Though their time together in the Walker’s parlour had been fairly short, thoughts of it still lingered in Julia's mind as she collected her book parcel from where she had left it on top of the vanity table and took it to her bed to unwrap it. As she did, the fluttering of a piece of paper that escaped the pages where it must have been ever so neatly tucked in startled her.
It couldn't possibly be!She thought, trying not to get her hopes up. Though she was certain that she definitely hadn't seen the bookstore assistant put any kind of note into her parcel when he had wrapped it. The only other person to have touched these parcels, save for her and Chelsea's father's coachman, had been the Tatford brothers.
Excited beyond measure, she grabbed the paper from where it had fluttered onto the bed and read the words aloud, "I was pleased to meet you, miss, and I do so hope we shall meet again."
Heart fluttering at the words, she clutched the note to her chest, trying not to think too hard on the fact that the note was unsigned. It had to be from the elder Mr Tatford, it just had to be. Her heart was certain of it. And she could not stop the excitement from threatening to bubble over when she realised that she would indeed be seeing him again because both the brothers had agreed to attend the musicale that evening.
Almost as though somebody had sensed her excitement through the bedroom door, there was a sudden knock that caused her to jump. She barely had time to hide the note in the pages of her book before Chelsea skipped into the room, looking happier than Julia had ever seen her.
"Chelsea! I wasn't expecting you for another hour or so!" Julia exclaimed. She glanced at the clock on the mantle to be sure she wasn't wrong and found that she was right. There was at least another hour until they had agreed for Chelsea to come over and prepare for the musicale out of the way of her overbearing mother.
"Oh, I know, and I am sorry for disturbing your rest, but I must speak with you!" Chelsea announced. She kicked off her shoes at the door and practically flung herself onto the bed beside Julia. Taken by surprise, Julia was thrown back against the mountain of pillows behind her as her friend wrapped her arms around her and tackled her down in a squeezing bear hug. "Oh, Julia, I do believe that I am in love!"
Julia's mouth dropped open at that, and she untangled herself from her friend's arms to sit bolt upright and look down at her. "Who are you and what have you done with my friend?"
The dreamy look in Chelsea's gaze was enough to make Julia realise her friend was not merely playing some trick upon her. Even more worrying than that was the way she stared at the ceiling as if in a daze, twirling a strand of blonde hair around her finger and biting her lip.
A lump formed inside Julia's throat because Chelsea looked just as she was feeling. Her insides were all aflutter, and all she could think about was Mr Tatford. That was, until Chelsea had come to her talking like a fool.
"Don't talk nonsense, Chelsea! You do not believe in such things!" she exclaimed, feeling a little angry that her friend would use such a word so frivolously when she had never put any weight behind it previously.
Chelsea pushed herself up onto her elbows and looked Julia dead in the eye as she sighed. "Oh, Julia, I know I have never believed in it. That’s what makes this so remarkable!"
Remarkable indeed!Julia thought, though she could not bring herself to dampen her friend's glow. It was certainly true that she had never seen her friend like this, but she had seen that look in her own eyes last Season when she had truly believed that she might well have a marriage born of love herself.
Bile rose in the back of her throat because she couldn't bear to think of anything worse than watching her friend go through the same turmoil and pain she had felt last year.
"Oh, Julia, he is so handsome, and I cannot think of anyone but him!" Chelsea insisted, clearly not having seen the concern on her friend's face. "How am I ever to go on living if he does not feel the same way?"
That was exactly the question that made Julia's heart stop. That was exactly what she herself had been fearing ever since she had met the elder Mr Tatford in the bookstore several days earlier.And I have met him twice now and I am still none the wiser as to how he feels,she thought, feeling a little ridiculous at herself that she would even wish for him to love her after only a single meeting.
It was a feeling and a hope that the younger, more naïve Julia would have felt the year before, back before the man she believed herself to be in love with had betrayed her.
Viscount Bickerfield had been charming and funny and handsome. For all intents and purposes, he had been her perfect match. At least, that was what he had allowed her and her family to believe, until it had been revealed that he and the rest of his family were broke and so indebted that they were close to being dragged off to debtor's prison. Though she had not heard of him in such a long time, the mere thought of him still made her stomach ache. She did not wish that pain for her best friend.
"I am sure you feel so now, Chellie," Julia whispered gently, reaching out to stroke a strand of blonde hair back from her best friend's face. "But do try to take a step back. We know so little about either of the Tatford brothers."
