Page 57 of Forget Me Not

Julia dipped a curtsy, her pale-blue eyes sparkling with pleasure. “A very great pleasure to meet you, Mr. Layton. What has brought you to Brier Hill?”

“An intriguing letter from Mr. Barrington.” He offered Julia his arm, which she accepted without the slightest qualm.

“What did Mr. Barrington write to you?”

Digby led her to the nearby seating area. “He sent me word of a wedding.”

Julia looked at Lucas as she sat. “You did not tell your friends that you were getting married?”

“I did.”

“Set your heart at ease, my dear Lady Jonquil.” Digby used his “isn’t my empathy charming” tone that the Gents knew all too well—he’d utilized it often enough over the years. “I received word from Lucas, and I am certain the rest of the Gents did as well.”

“And was the tone of Lucas’s announcement one of—?” Julia’s question ended abruptly, her lips pressing together.

“Had his tone communicated anything less than pleasure, all of us would have descended upon Nottinghamshire with all possible haste,” Digby said. “That I, alone, have made an appearance, ought to set your mind at ease.”

“Your visit is not settingmymind at ease,” Lucas muttered.

“You are not the only one of our group in attendance,” Kes said, moving to join Julia and Digby. “I am usually counted in the number.”

Digby arched an eyebrow and tossed Julia yet another winning smile, deepening her blush once more. “Have you enjoyed the company of our Grumpy Uncle?”

“Grumpy Uncle?” Julia looked from one of them to the other.

“All of the Gents have our little titles,” Digby said with a characteristic wave of his hand. “You do know of the Gents, do you not?”

Julia nodded. “But my information is minimal.”

“Huzzah,” Digby said with a mischievous grin. “I get to share a tale. I am quite adept at it, I will have you know.”

“I haven’t the least doubt on that score.” Julia smiled at Digby in a way she never did at Lucas. She was at ease and engrossed and... charmed, he was quite certain.

“A group of us formed something of an exclusive club while we were at University,” Digby said. “Six of us, known to one another as the Gents. Though our University days are long behind us, we remain the very best of friends and look out for each other. We belong to the same club in London, gather at one another’s homes throughout the year, travel together.”

“And Mr. Barrington’s name among you is Grumpy Uncle?” Julia sounded as though she weren’t certain if she ought to laugh or offer Kes a bit of sympathy.

Digby gestured to Kes. “If the dancing slipper fits.”

Julia pressed her hands together and rested her fingers against her lower lip. “What are the other titles among you?”

Lucas paced behind the sofa she sat on. It was good to see Julia stepping out from behind her reserve and self-imposed distance, yet he felt upended by her obvious enjoyment of Digby’s company.

“We have the General, the King, Puppy, the Jester, Archbishop, and, of course, Grumpy Uncle.”

Julia covered her mouth with her hand for just a moment, laughter dancing in her eyes. “You are certainly not Archbishop, Mr. Layton.”

“Certainly not.” He smoothed the lace at his cuffs. “You have known Lucas longer than any of us. Can you guess which moniker belongs to him?”

Julia twisted enough to look over the back of the sofa at him. He was being evaluated. The experience was not an overly comfortable one. He tucked his nervousness behind a rather daft pose.

With a smile, she turned back to Digby. “The Jester.”

“Quite right.” Digby leaned back, somehow looking simultaneously casual and refined. “And which do you suppose I am?”

“You could be none other than the King.” Lucas couldn’t see Julia’s face, but he suspected she was smiling. Still. He had worked for every smile he’d received from her the past weeks, yet Digby inspired endless, effortless expressions of delight. Perhaps Kes’s scheme wasn’t such a good one after all. What a time for Aldric to not be among them. They could have used the General’s flair for strategy. Further, Aldric was rather austere and unlikely to steal Julia’s affection right out from under Lucas’s nose.

Lucas shook that thought off. Digby was a flirt and oftentimes ridiculous, but he wasn’t a cad. And the man could hardly help that he was an Adonis. It also wasn’t his fault Lucas and Julia were in this predicament.

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