To Suit a Suitor Read online

  Julia’s maid stepped out to find her a moment later when their meal was ready. A half hour later they were ready to set off again. Before they left, however, Julia took a moment to ask for a wedge of raw onion and was obliged by the proprietor returning from the kitchen with one. She rubbed it over the red and swollen palm of her hand, and there was a sharp sting, but then it began to feel better. So resigning herself to the strong smell of onion for the rest of the journey, she made her way back to the waiting carriage.

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  As he prepared to mount his horse, Henry Chamberlain glanced several times at the young lady he had just left standing in the side yard of the inn, but as far as he could tell, she didn’t look his way again. He rode away reluctantly. If he were on his own business today, he might have turned back and tried for an introduction. A strange idea for him; that was the kind of impulse he hadn’t acted on in over three years. It was, in fact, the first time he had even felt such an impulse in that time. Three years and he hadn’t felt so much as a flicker of attraction to any young lady his mother insisted on introducing him to, and suddenly today he did. He thought it odd that he should feel so at such a strange moment.

  She was a beautiful young woman; there was no denying that. Her chestnut brown hair had glinted in the afternoon sun, coming slightly loose from its knot and free of any bonnet. Her face, too, was beautiful, with defined cheekbones, although that could have been because of her blush. But these traits weren’t any more fantastic than those he often saw in other young ladies. But for some reason he couldn’t name, the girl he had just met had attracted him. So much so that when there had been an opportunity to touch her, he didn’t even think of resisting. There was a quick rush of guilt, but he talked himself out of it. He couldn’t help the feeling of attraction he felt for the young lady, but he didn’t go back, so there was no reason to feel uncomfortable.

  With such logic, he allowed himself to dwell on their brief exchange. It had been amusing and refreshing to watch her enthusiasm over catching—of all things—a horsefly. He had noticed her as he left the inn and it was her intense concentration that had caught his attention. He had watched her slowly move toward the fly sitting on the fence and her features had been so expressive. First, there was her absorption as she crept forward with wide, unblinking eyes, then the thrill of success, which was more surprise than anything, as she lifted her hand, followed by shocked disbelief upon receiving a bite. Most amusing of all had been the flush that stole upon her face in her embarrassment as realization dawned. It was all so humorous that Henry found himself smiling as he rode.

  When he had approached her to get a better look at the bite on her hand, he had caught her scent, like lilacs, and leaned in closer. But the moment that had truly caught him off guard was when she turned and looked into his eyes. An awareness that he had never felt before overtook him for a moment. Her eyes had widened once more in startled surprise. His own surprise kept him perfectly still while she took in his features. He was used to the reaction. It was typically followed by a look of calculated scheming, but not this time. She had stayed mesmerized a few moments longer than most, and then her expression had returned to defensive embarrassment. He had smiled at that.

  Perhaps it had been her expressive eyes that had caused him that unusual feeling of attraction. He had seen her single-minded expression only in profile as she had crept toward the fly, but when she had turned around the triumph in her light brown eyes had been vivid. The dismay when she felt the sting of the bite on her hand had also been reflected clearly in her eyes. Then there had been the wide-eyed surprise he had seen when she finally looked closely at him. There had been an extended moment of what he was sure was attraction on her part too.

  As he left the outskirts of Wincanton, he continued to try to pinpoint a reason why his reaction to her was so strong. He was too used to admiring looks to expect anything else. He had always been admired, and didn’t know any other reaction. But the young lady who could catch a fly had taken in his features with the usual admiration, then surprisingly had gotten over it and glared at him for teasing her. That was unusual.

  Henry had hated his appearance in his youth. His mother, so proud of his looks, would always introduce him as her “handsome boy.” It was so detestable that he had actually asked his younger brother, Charles, to hit him hard enough to break his nose. He hadn’t had to ask twice, and the memory of the crack he heard as his brother’s fist connected with the bridge of his nose still made him shudder. His mother had been devastated, but Henry was hopeful that he wouldn’t be teased for being handsome anymore. With double black eyes and a swollen nose, it had worked, but only for a week. His nose had healed perfectly straight. As he grew older, his eyes had turned more often to girls than to anything else, and he was glad he hadn’t succeeded.

  But three years ago, his life had tragically changed and he knew he would never again need his good looks. He didn’t consider trying for a broken nose again; there was no use. Young ladies often looked for handsome gentlemen, but more often they looked for fortune, titles, and land. Since he had all of them, he would be pursued even if he had a crooked nose.

  Thinking back to the young lady at the inn, he felt for the first time in three years that being pursued wouldn’t be completely awful. Which was why it was a good thing he would never see her again.

  Instead, Henry turned his mind back to where it should be: his business today with Mr. Dunn. For the last few years, no one had demanded anything of Henry. His parents had left him without responsibilities so he could wallow in peace, but before his father left for Parliament, he had mentioned his disappointment in himself at his failure to negotiate a land deal with Mr. Dunn. His father hadn’t suggested that Henry give it a try while he was away, but Henry had seized the opportunity anyway. It felt wonderful to have a project to work on, and even though working with Mr. Dunn was nearly impossible at times with all his conditions and lengthy negotiations, even down to the detail of when his daughter would be allowed to accept her new position as Miss Abbot’s companion, Henry felt sure they had just about reached a solution. He could hardly wait for his father to return home in a couple months to show him all he had accomplished. Perhaps even better than showing his father was showing himself that even if his heart was broken beyond repair, at least he could still be useful to his family and community.

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  Chapter 5

  Within a few days of arriving in Barrington, Julia had a new routine that she loved. After breakfast, Julia would go for a long walk. So far, she had found Barrington and its surroundings both beautiful and peaceful. There were fields and pastures lined by hedgerows along gently rolling hills, as well as wooded forests where the trees were so thick that the cold wind could hardly get through them. After her walk, Julia played Martha’s lovely pianoforte for hours in the afternoon, and took tea with Martha, who was very regular about teatime, and then Julia would read or do needlework until dinner. Her cousin had several social engagements, and Julia was easily included in the visits with neighbors. The family at Barrington Court were particular friends of Martha’s, and she informed Julia that they would dine there regularly through the course of her visit, which Julia happily anticipated. But getting to know Martha again was the highlight of all of it. Julia’s only family had been her mother and sister for so long, but with Martha, she finally had a family member she could relate to.

  When she had first arrived, her carriage had rolled through Barrington, the town passing in a blink. Julia had worried that her mother had been right; she would hate it here. It was so small she thought she might be willing to walk just to get herself back to London.

  Becoming reacquainted with Martha had reassured her. She was a slightly stout lady of about fifty with nearly black hair except for the strands of white dispersed throughout. Her features denoted sternness, but for Julia she had a kind smile. She had greeted Julia with an embrace and exclaimed, “Julia, welcome. It’s so lovely to have you here. You probably
don’t remember me. It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other.” She wasn’t overly enthusiastic or warm at Julia’s arrival, but her words seemed sincere.

  “I do remember you,” Julia had replied, “although it’s just vague memories of dear ‘Cousin Martha’ from when you stayed with us.”

  “I am surprised that you can remember me at all. You were so young and we’ve not had any contact since then.” She shrugged and resolved it by saying, “I did spend much of my time with you when I was there.” Her voice turned tender as she said, “You seemed to feel the loss of your father most keenly. Perhaps because it was such a difficult time for you, your deep feelings created deep memories.”

  Julia felt on the verge of tears at her simple statement. She hadn’t thought about her father too much in recent years; he had been gone so long. How strange it was for her to be so moved by her cousin’s sympathy. Julia had been reacquainted with her for no more than half a minute and she felt that she had uncovered something hidden inside her. Martha had given her a kind smile and embraced her again. Julia swallowed the lump in her throat with some effort and pulled back, returning the smile.

  From that moment, they had been quite comfortable with each other. They had had several long conversations coming to know each other, and now their discussions were even more interesting as they came to understand each other. But most of the days weren’t spent relying on each other’s company. Martha wasn’t demanding of her time, and Julia loved her solitary morning walks. It was ridiculous now to remember how she thought she would be bored here. She loved walking through Barrington and had soon seen the whole town, but walking out in the countryside was even better.

  Today’s walk had been the best one yet. It was still cold, but Julia had had a brilliant idea while out on her morning walk and it brought her back to Martha’s home with a smile on her face. Perhaps she could stay in Barrington permanently. She didn’t want to return to London and she didn’t want to marry, especially someone her mother chose for her after making that rash promise. Perhaps Martha could be the answer to her problems. Mother couldn’t marry the earl until her daughters were married because he didn’t want to provide for them. But if Julia could secure a home with her cousin, she wouldn’t have to marry!

  She had thought the solution to her problem was to marry someone she chose, rather than to have her mother choose for her. Falling in love was a dream she had given up long ago. But she never thought she could avoid marriage altogether, at least not until meeting her cousin again. Martha had never married, but had the means to have an independent life. Julia and her sister had both inherited a very small annual sum at their father’s passing. While she could never be independent, if Julia could stay with Martha, she could at least contribute a little to the household. Julia had seven more weeks before she was supposed to return to London. Perhaps she could convince Martha before then to let her stay.

  With these hopeful thoughts, Julia entered the hall, untied her bonnet strings, and hung her cloak and bonnet up on the pegs by the door. She made her way to the sitting room where she knew she would find Martha. Even with the cool weather, Martha had told Julia that she refused to light every fire in the house in May, especially during daylight hours. So it was that the sitting room—the only room with a daytime fire lit, as well as being a south-facing room—was where her cousin could be found with the door firmly shut to keep in the heat.

  As Julia came down the hall, she was surprised to see the sitting room door open, but then she heard Martha’s voice and realized she must have company. It was confirmed a moment later when she heard a man’s voice say, “How can you say everything has worked out for the best? It’s been less than a week; you cannot know so quickly if she will be a problem. I still think you should not have sent for her.”

  It couldn’t be more obvious that whoever he was, he was referring to Julia. She was surprised to hear herself spoken of at all, but the negative comments were quite unexpected. Julia always made a good first impression; it was only after courting her for some time that a gentleman became disenchanted with her. She was immensely curious which of her cousin’s neighbors had already taken a disliking to her and why.

  Always, she wanted to know why.

  So she stood outside the door to listen further. Martha didn’t respond right away, and Julia could just picture her sitting on the other side of the wall, silently counting as she looped the thread around the needle as she embroidered. Julia briefly wondered what her cousin’s response would be, and she hoped it would be positive. Julia already had her heart set on staying in Barrington permanently and it would all depend on Martha’s judgment of her. She felt that they were getting along very well, but what was Martha’s opinion?

  Finally she heard her say, “I didn’t send for her; I sent for her mother.”

  “Which makes it even worse,” came the reply. “She passed off her duty to her daughter, who surely must be angry at being banished from London, and you are the one who will suffer for it with a reluctant and sullen companion for the next two months.”

  “Julia hasn’t shown any reluctance about being stuck here with me. I am lucky Marianne sent Julia in her place. As my cousin’s widow, Marianne would always be welcome here, but our characters are so different … It would have been a trying two months.”

  “That is another reason you should not have sent for her at all. If you had told me or my parents that Miss Fie was leaving you early to tend to her mother, we wouldn’t have let you stay alone for two months. We would have invited you to Barrington Court to stay. You needn’t have called on any distant family relations who have never given a thought for you.” Ah, now his identity was revealed. He must be a son of Lord and Lady Chamberlain. Julia had yet to meet any members of the great family of the neighborhood. But Martha had assured her that she would meet them soon; she had a standing invitation for a weekly dinner at Barrington Court and any other social outings usually involved the Chamberlain family as well.

  “Perhaps that is why I didn’t tell you,” came Martha’s voice. “Being away from my home for any length of time has always been a great sacrifice for me. I’ve grown too independent —or perhaps I should say stubborn—to ever enjoy being a long-term visitor.”

  “It is likely you won’t enjoy having a long-term visitor in your own home any more than being one yourself. Surely your cousin’s daughter will prove to have a character just like her mother.” Julia clenched her teeth at his persistence, wishing she could defend her character right then, but vowing to herself to make sure this man would never have the chance to say such things once he knew her. What an annoying person he must be! Why did he continue to try to convince Martha that she wasn’t happy with the situation when she so obviously was?

  “No, Henry, it’s just as I’ve been telling you. Everything has turned out better than I expected. Julia and I are getting along fine.”

  It wasn’t the highest praise she’d ever heard, but Julia was content to know Martha was pleased with her. Although if she knew Julia was standing outside the door, she might change her mind. Of course, listening to their private conversation was inappropriate. Julia knew the gentleman’s opinion of her couldn’t matter at all as they had never even met, but she didn’t want anyone trying to present her in a poor light to Martha. She decided it was time to make her entrance.

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  Chapter 6

  Julia pushed open the door wider to the sitting room, saying as she entered, “Hello, Martha, I’m back from my walk. The sunshine is misleading; it is still so cold today! Thank you for letting me take your cloak. You were right; it’s much thicker than mine.”

  Julia purposefully didn’t cast her eyes about, knowing that she shouldn’t be expecting anyone else in the room with her cousin. She was feeling defensive over the words she had just heard this stranger speak and she was prepared give a formal curtsy and then to be cold and distant when Martha introduced her to Mr. Chamberlain. Her resolve was immediately thwarted when she h
eard him speak, “It’s you!” and a bark of laughter followed his pronunciation. Julia’s eyes shot over to where Mr. Chamberlain stood and her jaw fell open as she recoiled in horror.

  It was him: the man who had seen her most foolish act since childhood. He had witnessed her first and last attempt at catching a fly. The very man she was sure she would never see again. He was every bit as handsome in her cousin’s sitting room as he had been in the side yard of the inn, but Julia wasn’t overwhelmed by him now. Her embarrassment at seeing him again was too great for that.

  Her reaction seemed to amuse him even more than just her presence and she could see a gleam in his eye as he surely was anticipating humiliating her with the story of their first encounter.

  Before he could speak, Martha voiced her curiosity, “Henry, have you already met my cousin? You must know her from town, but why did you not say you were already acquainted?”

  “We are not acquainted actually; we’ve merely crossed paths. But it was quite a memorable experience.”

  His perfect mouth was curved up in a wicked smile, which helped Julia recover from the shock of seeing him again. She quickly blurted to her cousin, “Yes, isn’t it strange that I saw him as we traveled here? We stopped at an inn for a late meal, and he was just leaving.” Julia emphasized the last few words, hoping he would take a hint and leave now.

  His grin grew broader, but he remained standing where he was.

  Martha remained sitting and by now she had set her embroidery down. Julia thought that her cousin had probably discerned that there was something unspoken going on as her eyes darted between Mr. Chamberlain and Julia several times, but she chose not to address it, saying, “Well, that is quite a coincidence. Since you aren’t yet acquainted, Henry, this is my cousin’s daughter, Miss Julia North, and Julia, this is Mr. Henry Chamberlain, the Baron of Eldridge.”