To Suit a Suitor Read online

  Julia didn’t want to disappoint her mother, but she honestly didn’t know how to solve her dilemma. She agreed with her mother that there was something wrong with her, she just didn’t know what, and Mr. Bedford hadn’t even provided a clue. Julia waited quietly through the oft-repeated scolding. She could tell her mother was winding down when she said, “I know of at least three balls in the next two weeks; I’ll make sure we have invitations to all of them. No breaks now, Julia. We have to try harder than ever.”

  Julia was feeling more desperate than ever. How could she convince her mother to let her leave London and all its potential husbands behind? She thought of one argument that had occurred to her before and decided it was worth a try. “Mother, perhaps we’re trying too hard.” She was already shaking her head in disagreement, but Julia lifted her hands in supplication. “Just hear me out. Maybe that is the thing that is wrong with me. We can’t be sure, but perhaps there are gentlemen who have noticed me, but I’m too obtainable. If I leave London for a time … when I return they will be more pleased to see me.” Mother looked as though she was seriously contemplating her words. Julia didn’t really believe it herself, but if she could only convince one of them, she hoped it was her mother. “There might even be a gentleman or two interested in me now, but they aren’t courting me because they know they can find me everywhere they go. But if I was absent for a time, perhaps even until Harriet’s wedding, then they might be more compelled to seriously court me.”

  Julia could tell that Mother was willing to consider this new idea, but she was skeptical enough to ask, “But what if that doesn’t happen? What if while you aren’t here you are completely forgotten instead?”

  “Perhaps that would be for the best as well. It’s likely that I’m beginning to get a reputation.”

  Her mother’s look made Julia wonder if she already knew of gossip circulating about her. It hurt her pride a bit, but her mother looked convinced. “You may have a point there. And I won’t be able to focus on helping you find new suitors with Harriet’s wedding to plan.”

  Julia didn’t actually want the help that her mother always insisted on giving, but she was ready to agree with anything if it meant she could leave London. “Of course, Mother. You’ll be so busy, I’m sure it will be a relief not to have to worry about me for the next few months. Besides that, I’ll be able to repay Martha’s kindness for coming to us when Father died.”

  Playing on her guilt seemed to, almost, finally convince her, but she still made a last feeble resistance by saying, “Julia, it won’t be an easy task. Martha lives in a tiny village that is near nothing in Somerset. I can’t ask you to do it.” She seemed to be changing her mind back as she spoke. “In fact, I’m sure it is too small to have any eligible gentlemen. I don’t want you to waste two months when I’ve already been waiting almost a year for you to find a husband. Harriet’s wedding is a good excuse and Martha will understand, I’m sure, that none of us can be spared just now.”

  The more her mother tried to talk her out of it, the more she wanted to go. Julia sounded a bit desperate as she said, “But, Mother, we’re indebted to her! I remember her kindness and I feel I owe her for coming to our aid.” Mother wasn’t going to let her go. Julia could see that she had convinced herself with the thought of no eligible gentlemen in Somerset. But even though the idea had just been introduced to her a quarter of an hour before, she knew she would be severely disappointed if she couldn’t go.

  In her desperation she said, “If you let me go, I promise that when I return, I’ll let you choose whose attentions I allow, and I’ll accept the first proposal I receive.”

  There was a gleam in Mother’s eyes now. That was too good a deal to pass up. Julia had never received a proposal, but it was because she was selective of the gentlemen who courted her. Mother had tried to convince her to permit attentions from older widowers, gentlemen with a bit of a reputation, and even some wealthy merchants with rather crude manners, but Julia wouldn’t consider them. Julia already regretted making such a promise until her mother said, “Very well then, you may go.”

  Julia felt a rush of excitement and pushed the rash promise out of her mind. A two-month break from husband hunting, which for her was often a humiliating experience, sounded like heaven.

  Her mother immediately began a new letter to Martha telling her that Julia would be coming in her place. Julia read over the letter when it was finished, and when she watched the footman carry the letter away to be posted, her heart raced with anticipation. She knew she had only gotten her way because of her hasty promise, but she was too excited to care.

  When Harriet returned from her outing, Julia gave her the happy news that she was leaving London for two months. Harriet looked offended at this news, however. “You can’t go, I need you.” It was with infinite patience that Julia used most of the same arguments with her sister that she had used to finally convince their mother. The extra room in the carriage for shopping was an argument that carried weight; Lord Blakely would be paying for Harriet’s new wardrobe for the wedding. With Harriet appeased, Julia only had to wait a week to be on her way.

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  Chapter 4

  The journey began as others before it. Julia helped her maid pack a trunk, and rose early on the morning of their departure.

  Julia’s mother had rarely taken them outside of London. So many families left town when the season ended, but the three North ladies stayed. Their father’s family had invited them to their estates in the country, but Mrs. North had not stayed close to her husband’s family after his death. Julia used to wonder why her mother had allowed an estrangement there. The Norths were an old and well-connected family. But Julia had come to realize that her mother only gave something up when she hoped to get more in return. Her mother must have chosen to ignore the Norths in favor of courting again soon after her husband died.

  Several times she, her sister, and her mother had been invited to house parties in the country, and once in a while, when London was particularly slow, her mother would accept. Julia’s favorite had been a trip to Hertfordshire for a whole month when she was twelve. Her mother had turned her and Harriet over to the children of the house and their governess, who allowed them to run free.

  This journey into Somerset would take quite a bit longer than their long-ago visit to Hertfordshire. One night would have to be spent at an inn. Julia enjoyed the quiet in the carriage at first, but before long, the novelty of traveling on her own wore off and she found it difficult to sit in the confined carriage hour after hour. She tried several times to start up conversations with her maid. The girl had come to their family only a three or four months before and Julia had never gotten more than a few words from her. Unfortunately, the long journey together didn’t change that. Perhaps their age difference was too great, or she had been trained too well not to talk, or she really was just incredibly shy; whatever the reason, Julia eventually gave up trying to overcome it.

  At the end of the first day of travelling, the carriage stopped for the night and the coachman informed Julia that they had passed the halfway point of their journey.

  The next day was quite a bit like the first—a long day inside the carriage. Julia was able to drift to sleep for a bit of the journey. Stretching herself awake again and wondering when they would stop to eat, she pulled off her gloves and pushed back her bonnet. Across from her, her maid slept and Julia was left with nothing to do but think. Despite her happiness at leaving London, her mind still went back to her conversation with Mr. Bedford. Really, her situation seemed almost hopeless. After three London seasons, there still wasn’t a single gentleman who wanted to marry her.

  Julia worried a bit about the promise she had made to her mother that had finally convinced her to let her go. Her mother had often suggested she flirt with gentlemen that Julia had been repulsed by. She would probably have to think of a plan before she returned to London to delay her mother’s matchmaking efforts at least a little. If she just knew why her
suitors had lost interest, then she could correct the problem and make a match of her own choosing. It was more imperative than ever to do just that or her mother would have her married off to a man she couldn’t stand as soon as she returned.

  It was such a shame Mr. Bedford hadn’t been more helpful. Recalling his ridiculous reason for ending their courtship was amusing in a way, but it just left Julia all the more curious as to what truly drove her suitors away. She realized she was biting her nails as her thoughts turned it over and she quickly pulled her fingers away from her mouth. Could that be it? Not likely, she didn’t do it that often, and she almost always wore gloves when she was out, but better to stop completely. She shook her head in amusement at herself now; surely such a simple habit couldn’t be what was keeping her from catching a husband.

  Julia felt a little guilty at the thought of “catching” a husband. She didn’t want to think of it that way, but it was so often spoken of in such terms. Young ladies and their mothers were always discussing who would catch whom by the end of the season. Julia tried to avoid that sort of gossip, but among the London socialites, little else was spoken of.

  Julia had never wanted to catch a husband; she wanted to fall in love. But perhaps that luxury was beyond her now. If she couldn’t even catch Mr. Bedford, she certainly wouldn’t be able to catch someone better, whom she actually loved.

  The coachman stopped in a village called Wincanton in the late afternoon, and Julia asked him how much farther. It had to be the tenth time at least that she had asked and she could see he was weary of the journey and the question, but he answered politely, “Another two hours, miss, and we should arrive in Barrington.” That was encouraging. At least this would be their last stop.

  Julia’s maid and coachman went inside the inn to arrange a meal, but she didn’t follow them in right away. The inn had a small garden to the side and Julia decided to wait there for their meal rather than going straight from the confines of the carriage to the musty inn.

  She realized she’d left her bonnet and gloves in the carriage, but decided to fetch them later; standing in the afternoon sun felt wonderful. Without the rumbling of the carriage, her thoughts seemed louder now. When it came to marriage, Julia didn’t have a choice in the matter; she had to marry. Because she knew this was her fate, she had tried to pick suitors that she thought wouldn’t be difficult husbands, men that were definitely gentlemen, but who wouldn’t need much of her attention. At her mother’s urging, she tried harder than most young ladies to be noticed, but she was never too demanding of her suitors. How was it then that she had such a horrible lack of success at catching a husband? Not a single gentleman had ever fallen in love with her. Not once had she been able to capture a heart. What a failure she was.

  That summer she had spent in Hertfordshire when she was twelve, she and Harriet had loved to catch frogs. Her mother would never have allowed it, but the governess hardly paid them any mind and they caught ever so many. Harriet had been better at it than Julia, which had been frustrating. She hated having her younger sister pass her up at anything. Julia had applied herself to the task and had improved greatly before they had had to return to London. The thought occurred to her that she had probably lost her ability to catch a frog, much less a handsome gentleman.

  Julia was leaning against the fence, out of sight of the front entrance of the inn and because her mind had suggested it, she looked around the garden near her feet for any sign of a frog. There wasn’t one, of course, just grass growing too tall right through the wooden slats. But her eyes followed a fly as it landed on the fence nearby. Well, perhaps I could catch that, she thought. She concentrated on it as she moved slowly forward. The fly was large and its shiny green back looked like a dark sparkling emerald in the sunlight. She moved closer, holding her breath. She could see the small creature rubbing its front legs together, oblivious to her approach. She desperately wanted to prove to herself that she could catch something. A slight noise behind her didn’t deter her, any sudden movement now and it would be lost. She was so close, her open hand moving so slowly through the air, and then when she was sure she had it, she brought her hand down fast and scooped it up.

  Julia was so surprised by her success that she joyfully exclaimed out loud, “I caught it!”

  An equally surprised voice behind her echoed incredulously, “You caught it?”

  She turned quickly around in triumphant surprise to show her audience her victory. “I finally caught something!” She was quite pleased with herself, but looking at the man standing in the garden with her, Julia quickly realized his expression was not admiration, but rather disbelief. In fact he looked as if he thought she was insane. That quick glance was enough to discern that the man was tall and well-dressed; he held himself like a gentleman. But the feeling of a fly flapping inside her hand distracted her from everything else and just as she opened her hand to release it, she felt a sharp pain on her palm. With a very startled movement, she jumped back and exclaimed, “Ahhh, ouch!” She jumped in place as she shook her hand, trying to rid herself of the sensation, and then wiped it on her dress several times in the same attempt. “It bit me!” she said in disbelief.

  She was only speaking to herself again, but the man watching still seemed surprised but also immensely amused as he answered, “What did you expect would happen when you caught a horsefly?”

  Julia turned away from him as she lifted her hand to examine the wound. “I didn’t expect to catch it,” she replied with some asperity. She heard him laugh from behind her and her annoyance grew. “A gentleman would offer assistance rather than laugh at me,” she reproved him. Her palm was red now with a small, swollen bite at the center, which was quickly swelling more. It hurt terribly, and she was in no mood to have a stranger laugh at her.

  He came up behind her and looked over her shoulder as she held her injured right hand in her left one. “Let me see,” he commanded as he reached a hand over her shoulder and opened her hand wider to look at the wound. Julia’s breath left her in a surprised exhale. She was not used to having a stranger so close to her. She was so shocked that she just stood there, frozen to the spot. She was frightened for just a moment and then she felt his breath on her neck as his thumb gently rubbed her palm. She began to feel light-headed before she finally remembered to breathe in again. His voice was too close when he spoke again. “You know, if you cut open an onion and rub it on the bite, it helps.”

  Julia hadn’t quite recovered the ability to move her limbs and pull away from him, but her mind wasn’t similarly affected. “Helps me smell like an onion,” she muttered under her breath.

  He was standing so close that he heard her, though, and he chuckled a little before saying, “Yes, you won’t be able to catch anything for a while; the flies will smell you coming.”

  Julia turned to look at him then, so he would see her glare; after all, it was meant for him. It was unlikely he had a chance to register her glare though, because her response to really looking at this man for the first time was amazed surprise.

  She had never seen a more handsome man in her life.

  He still stood quite close to Julia, making every perfect feature seem magnified. He had thick, dark blond hair, so thick that it would break a comb that wasn’t sturdy enough. He had a perfectly formed masculine face. His jawline was strong and square, but the angles weren’t sharp. His eyes were a brilliant green that was far more mesmerizing than the emerald fly had been. Julia felt herself lean slightly toward him as she stared. His eyes were made more outstanding by beautiful, dark eyelashes and eyebrows that almost verged on too thick, but managed instead to fit his face perfectly. He was tall; she had to look up to see him and his wide shoulders cast a shadow over her. She felt like her eyes were darting from one feature to another in near astonishment at so many perfect features united in one person.

  Julia returned her gaze to his mesmerizing green eyes and that was when she noticed that her obvious admiration didn’t seem to surprise him one bit
. His expression was a supremely confident one. Julia regained her senses enough to take a step back. The gentleman gave her a half-mocking smile that seemed to indicate he knew just what she was thinking. “I was just leaving, but I would be happy to offer you my ‘gentlemanly assistance’ in procuring an onion for you,” he offered.

  He waited for a moment, probably waiting for her to make some polite reply, but she wasn’t about to. No matter how good-looking he was, he had still witnessed her humiliate herself, and her throbbing hand was making her mood steadily worse. Instead, hoping to undo the impression of her admiring gaze from before, she narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, giving her best stern look. Contrarily, his smile grew and he said, “But I’m sure you don’t need my help anyway. If you can catch a fly, I’m sure you could convince the cook to part with an onion.”

  Julia made sure there wasn’t any trace of admiration in her expression anymore. Her competitive nature wouldn’t let him have the last word. He had already turned to leave when she replied, “You’re right. I don’t need your help.” For a parting retort, it was weak and Julia knew it. The man turned back and gave her another knowing smile. He knew it too.

  Julia stayed in the garden and watched just long enough to see the man take his reins from the stable hand and mount his tall horse. Then she purposely looked away. She didn’t want to be caught staring. She had never felt such a strong immediate attraction to anyone before. She had met many handsome gentlemen, but none had ever had this same effect on her. She didn’t want to ever see him again, purely for the sake of her pride, but she looked up at him once more, just to see if he was traveling the same direction she was. If she hadn’t completely humiliated herself, she may have felt disappointed that he rode off in the opposite direction. But as it was, she was not sorry to see him go. She had never behaved so stupidly before. She couldn’t believe she had tried to catch a fly, just to prove she could! Catching a fly was nothing like catching a husband. Julia let that thought settle for a bit before asking herself if maybe it wasn’t similar after all. She thought about how she had crept so slowly toward the fly that it hadn’t noticed her coming. Maybe that approach would work on a man, she thought with her first amused smile since receiving the bite on her hand. She was certain Mother would approve of any method that produced results.