Page 6 of A Lovely White Christmastide
His words were met with a chuckle. “Bingham it is, but might I say it sounds about as pretentious as Your Lordship?”
Carswell scowled. “You may not. Now get out. It seems I need to ready myself for a trip to the frozen north.”
“Yes, Captain—I mean, Bingham.” Kaye chuckled the whole way out the door.
An indulgent smile touched Carswell's lips.
Chapter Two
Julianna tucked a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear. The sounds of the crowded inn were deafening. She cast her older sister, Beth, a strained smile.
Beth stood straight, her back as rigid as a soldier. One might think she was simply too well trained to relax, but Julianna knew better.
Her eyes strayed to their domineering chaperone, Mrs. Barker. The woman pushed through the gathered guests demanding to speak to the proprietor.
Beth winced and Julianna could not agree more. The woman was embarrassingly brash. Why Father still insisted on keeping the mean old dragon around, she did not understand. Both she and Beth were well into their twenties. There was no need to have a governess.
Their father insisted Mrs. Barker was nothing of the sort, only a companion since their mother had long since passed on. But Julianna was not fooled. Their father needed a spy in his employ to report back to him, one who could follow his unmarried daughters about like a plague.
How were she and Beth ever to find love when Mrs. Barker scared off any interested gentlemen with her sour face and her constant presence?
Then again, their father was not much better. His stiff military demeanor, loud voice, and weathered face were enough to keep any prospective suitors at a very large distance.
“Well,” Mrs. Barker huffed when she returned. “I have never been so insulted in all my days. We are quality, and yet that innkeeper insisted I remain at the back of the line claiming there were others he needed to see to first. Can he not see that the others can wait?”
“We must be patient.” Beth’s sweet, cultured tones must have made the gentle rebuke much more palatable, for Mrs. Barker made no comment. If Julianna had said anything of the sort, she would have gotten ahush, child,but their companion merely smiled tightly at Beth.
“Even so, I cannot see anyone who would hold a higher place in Society than the two of you.”
Julianna wrinkled her nose. Mrs. Barker’s words made her sound awfully high in the instep. They were only the daughters of a gentleman, no more. A regular old military man, no less.
“Do not give me that face, Miss Julianna. There is no need to leave the nieces of a decorated general to shiver by the door.”
Ah, yes. Of course Mrs. Barker would focus on the highest member of the family, one they had not seen in over four years when he’d returned their injured father home from the war. Even before that she’d seen very little of the man as he was always off fighting in some conflict or another.
Someone bumped into her from behind, and she yelped in surprise as she tumbled forward, but strong arms circled her waist and kept her from toppling to the ground. Firmly back on her feet, she spun to face her assailant turned rescuer.
Her gaze locked with the most intriguing eyes she’d ever seen. They were green with flecks of orange in them, or perhaps it was more gold. She leaned in to get a better look.
Mrs. Barker cleared her throat loud enough to make the entire gathered crowd turn toward them. Julianna jerked back, her cheeks flaming at how close she’d come to the man’s face.
“My apologies, miss. I am sorry for nearly knocking you over,” the cheerful gentleman said.
“As you should be.” Mrs. Barker took hold of Julianna’s arm, glaring at the man as if he had said something completely untoward.
A second man stepped forward, shorter and perhaps older. “Could you point us in the direction of the innkeeper?”
“He is over there,” Mrs. Barker said, “for what good it will do you. With all the bad weather the man insists he has far more important people who need to be taken care of first.”
“I see.” The smaller man’s eyes stayed honed in on the innkeeper, his words dismissive of Mrs. Barker’s complaint.
Turning to his companion he said, “Do not make yourself comfortable, Kaye. We may have to move on to find a place for the night.”
Kaye. Was that the handsome man’s first or last name? It could be either, Julianna supposed. Kaye caught her staring and cast her another dashing smile. She could feel her cheeks heat again. Usually she’d move out of the man’s line of sight after such an embarrassing moment, but with so many people standing about there was no place to go.
A room at the back opened up and a dozen people filed out, mostly workmen and such. Their exit relieved some of the close quarters and she stepped back. When the door shut the level of noise also diminished so the innkeeper could be heard above the din.
“Aye, yes, milord. We’ll be sure to have your rooms ready in a trice.”
