Page 46 of Lady of Fortune
“No one is more grateful than me that I was raised by such a man,” he agreed. “And I do consider him to be my father. But knowing I was sired by a man who would turn me and my mother away so callously…” he gritted his teeth as he looked back across the room at the Viscount. “It just makes me so angry to know that a man can do such a thing and there are no consequences. My mother could tell no one — for who would have believed her? If it wasn’t for my father, who knows what would have become of her. She could hardly have found another position, and who would have taken her in? She could have starved to death out there on the streets.”
“She could have, it’s true,” Julia said, and the look that covered her face was full of remorse, as though she herself was at fault. It filled him with regret that she now had to even know of such a thing. “But God looked after her, led her to someone who would love her, and take care after her.”
“I suppose He did,” he mused. “But I worry now.”
“Of what?” she asked, her eyes flying up to his. “You worry that I am like Lord Dorchester? That I would eventually leave you?”
“That’s part of it,” he admitted. “Honestly what I have learned is to never be certain about the future. I don’t rely on anyone — but myself.”
Julia looked up at him, searching within his face.
“That is rather sad.”
He shrugged. “Perhaps so, but it’s the truth. That doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy life with others, however.” He winked at her, trying to break the tension of the moment. “Like a certain lady who I hardly recognize this evening.”
She laughed at that and offered him her arm. “Should we take a turn around the room?”
"A turn about the room?” He had never heard such a term before, and when she giggled once more, he was pleased that they were back to the lighthearted teasing that had always brought them closer together. They had barely escaped the shadows, however, when a large presence appeared ahead of them.
“Lady Julia,” came a deep voice, and when Eddie looked up to find the Duke of Clarence, his resolve instantly hardened. The man looked at him from the corner of his eye with some curiosity. “And who, pray tell, is your companion?”
“This is Mr. Francis,” she introduced Eddie, and the smile she gave him warmed his heart for a brief moment.
“How do you do?” the Duke asked politely, before turning his attention back to Julia, and Eddie wanted to place an arm around her and hold her tight to tell the man that this woman was his, and would the Duke please step off. But of course, he couldn’t do that — especially not here, amongst all of these people.
“Lady Julia,” the Duke continued. “Would you care to dance?”
“Oh,” she said, those red lips forming an O. “I, I—”
She looked at Eddie, and he could read the desperation on her face as she was clearly completely unsure of what to say.
“Go ahead,” he urged, seeing no other option. She had clearly wanted to dance, and he would not be the one to indulge her this evening. The Duke looked at him with some amusement as well as curiosity, that she would need his approval. “We can walk later,” Eddie added.
“All right,” she said with some hesitation, and when she moved her hand from his to the Duke’s, Eddie’s heart flipped over in his chest, but he forced the smile to remain on his face. He nodded at the two of them and turned to find another drink, knowing he could not stand here and watch them together.
CHAPTER23
Julia kept her eyes on Eddie over the Duke’s shoulder as he meandered through the crowd. It looked as though he was intent on finding something, though what, she wasn’t sure. She knew he wasn’t eating the rich food in an effort to keep his weight down, as he and the other jockeys did. She could hardly imagine having to be so careful.
Julia thought of the way he had looked at her, and wondered what their future could hold. What would her life look like with him? She knew it wouldn’t be the life she knew, and she was fine with that. A life around the racetrack was one she would welcome, not shy away from. She was nervous for Eddie racing and the possible dangers that could await him, but that was part of him and she understood it now, better than she could have possibly imagined before. She was prepared for this. Now she just had to convince him that this would work.
Julia suddenly heard the Duke clear his throat, and she turned abruptly to look back at him. Of course it was a waltz, though she was doing all she could to keep a gap between their bodies.
“I must apologize, Your Grace,” she said sheepishly. “Would you mind repeating your question?”
His knowing smile returned as he looked down at her. She felt impossibly tiny in his arms. The Duke was a tall man with a wide frame. Julia was used to feeling dwarfed by others, but there was something about the way he carried himself that overwhelmed her even more so. She couldn’t help but compare him to Eddie, the one man who made her feel as though she were equal to him in every way.
“I asked what your thoughts were on the upcoming race,” he repeated.
“The Two Thousand Guineas?”
“What other race matters?” he asked with a smirk.
“Right, of course. Well, I hope Orianna does well,” she said slowly, determining what else she should say, for the Duke seemed to be hinting at something, though what, she wasn’t sure. “She seems ready. I primarily want to make my father proud.”
“Yes, the meeting with your jockey the other day was most interesting,” he said, and she tensed slightly. “James Smith, his name was, if I do remember correctly.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
