Page 37 of Lady of Fortune
“Have you been enjoying the week?” Julia asked, and the Duke took a step closer to her.
“Very much, Lady Julia,” he said, and suddenly she felt as though he were crowding her and she tried to take a step back but bumped into another patron. “And you?’
“Yes, of course,” she said and nodded her head as she made to move by him, motioning to Elizabeth who remained rooted on the spot.
“Oh, Lady Julia,” he said before she could maneuver around him.
“Yes, your grace?”
“Would you mind at all if I called upon you tomorrow?”
“C-called upon me?” Julia asked, wondering if she had heard him correctly.
“Yes,” he said, his smile coming easily, as though he knew he had disconcerted her and was glad of it. “As in, I would come to your residence and perhaps we could go for a ride or something of the sort.”
“Yes, I understand,” she said, nodding as she tried to bide her time, to find something to say. For not only had she no wish for the Duke to call upon her, but she would be rather busy preparing for the Two Thousand Guineas. She looked frantically over at Elizabeth, but she remained staring stoically forward, no help whatsoever. “That would be lovely, how—”
“Perfect!” he said, lifting her hand to bestow a kiss upon her thin white glove. “I will see you tomorrow. Lady Elizabeth,” and with that and a nod, he stepped back, allowing them to proceed out the door.
“What’s wrong with you?” Julia hissed at Elizabeth as they continued walking down the path that led around the track of Newmarket to where Elizabeth’s carriage was waiting to take them home.
“What do you mean?” Elizabeth asked, not meeting her eyes.
“Back there, with the Duke!” Julia said, waving her arms in front of her to emphasize her point. “You didn’t say a word. I have no wish for the Duke to court me, as you well know. But you just stood there. You didn’t even say hello — or goodbye!”
“No, I didn’t,” Elizabeth finally admitted, slightly tilting her head down.
“Whyever not?”
“I do not wish to speak of it.”
“You must tell me what happened between the two of you,” Julia said firmly, astonished that the normally unflappable Elizabeth Moreland may have had a run in with the Duke of Clarence of which she did not wish to speak.
“In our youth, we were acquainted, but the Duke had otheracquaintancesas well, it would seem,” Elizabeth said as they reached the carriage and began to climb in. “That is all I wish to speak of at the moment, however, Julia. Please do forgive me.”
Julia had so many questions she wanted to ask, but instead she simply nodded and followed Elizabeth in. It was unsettling to see her friend like this, and Julia could hardly believe that Elizabeth had not mentioned such circumstances before. But that was probably exactly why Elizabeth had never said anything — she would never want to show a crack of vulnerability underneath the armor she wore.
She would help Elizabeth, she promised herself as she looked over at her friend, who was clearly hurting but too proud to show it. And now that the blasted Duke should be flirting withher, one of Elizabeth’s closest friends…
“I’ll not allow him to court me, Elizabeth, I won’t,” Julia promised, and Elizabeth only shrugged.
“If you wish to, I would understand. He is a powerful man and not only that but a wealthy one as well.”
“Do you truly think that matters to me?” Julia burst out. Elizabeth may be hurting but that didn’t mean that she should accuse Julia of such a thing.
Elizabeth dipped her head once more.
“I’m sorry, Julia, please forgive me,” she said again, before tilting her head up from beneath her hat to look at Julia, who was shocked to see that Elizabeth’s eyes, which were the strangest shade of a blue so dark they were nearly violet, were covered in a slight sheen of tears. “I am aware that those things are of no consequence to you. However, to most that isallthat matters.”
“And that, Elizabeth, is why we are friends,” Julia said with a pointed stare, and Elizabeth finally smiled, as small and tremulous as it was.
“Yes, Julia,” she said. “You are absolutely correct.”
CHAPTER19
Eddie had finished his training session with Valiant and was heading out to meet Will for lunch when the sun reflected off of a window across the street and went right into his eyes. He raised a hand to his brow in order to block the brightness, but as he did, he noticed something else.
For there, in the doorway of a coffee house, was Lady Julia. She was standing next to her friend, Lady Elizabeth if he recalled her name correctly. But that wasn’t what most captured his attention. It was the man who stood in front of Julia, or, rather, with Julia. For he was leaning so far into her that the man looked as though he waswithher, and not a mere acquaintance.
