Page 61 of A Lovely White Christmastide
And what of Lord Bingham’s declaration about the inconsistency of his friend’s attachments? Was it possible Daniel would grow tired of her?
She paused on the steps of Haverton House and pushed the thought away. Beth may choose to wallow in gloomy conjectures, but Julianna would not. She could not if she wanted to escape the same dull existence her sister seemed determined to hold onto. Daniel would remain innocent in her mind until someone proved him otherwise.
Shehadto believe she was the one who had finally captured his heart entirely, because she intended to keep it.
The realization nearly knocked her backwards. She did indeed want to build a life with him. Conviction burned within and she determined to find Daniel right away to give him the answer she had neglected—or more accurately, avoided. But she’d needed time to know her mind, to find the courage to go forward with this impetuous scheme.
Voices filtered out of the front parlor as she and Beth handed their winter wear to the butler. One deep voice in particular caught her attention and Julianna froze. Beth’s gaze met hers. Usually she could read her sister’s expressions like an advertisement, but this time her face was a mask of calm as their father’s loud words floated into the entry.
Beth ran her hands over the front of her dress and straightened her posture before leaving Julianna to unglue her own feet from the floor. When Daniel’s softer tones filled her ears, her unruly appendages finally obeyed.
“And why should I believe my daughter would choose you over Mr. Caleb Waverly?”
The volume at which her father asked the question exceeded polite conversation, but unlike Daniel, Julianna knew this came from loss of hearing after the war rather than outrage. However, her father’s stiff posture and pointed gaze made even her question her own knowledge.
“Because I did choose him,” she managed to say evenly before Daniel responded.
Daniel’s eyes found hers and his shoulders relaxed. She pulled her gaze away from the warmth there to meet her father’s glare. Recognition dawned and his ire quickly retreated. He rose and swiftly crossed to her and Beth.
Their papa was not a demonstrative man, but he did not neglect them either. Kissing them each on the cheek, he asked after their health. They gave positive reports, but doubt showedin the set of his shoulders and the bend of his head as he hovered over them.
Like a large wall trying to buffer them from the wind, he leaned in, blocking them from seeing anyone else. “Are you certain you are well?” he asked quietly.
Beth nodded, but Julianna’s gaze flitted to the fingers she could barely see beyond her father’s elbow, the ones she’d memorized over the last few weeks. Daniel’s hand flexed and relaxed several times. Did he worry that her father would hurt her? Such an idea was ludicrous.
Then again, Daniel would only know of her father’s character through Uncle Waverly’s unsavory view.
“We are fine, Papa,” Julianna finally said. “I see you have been introduced to my intended.”
“Can we speak privately?” he whispered, but it was not quiet enough. Grasping her arm, he pulled her toward the door.
Daniel’s green eyes widened and his hand settled on a fist as he took several steps after her, but she shook her head. While his protectiveness was well meant, she was in no danger from her father. Daniel halted, his body wavering forward with the sudden motion, but he did not follow, only stared after her in concern.
In the hall she stopped. “What is this all about, Papa?”
“I should like to ask you the same thing. You have only been gone a little over a fortnight and already I have received two concerning and entirely different reports, Mr. Caleb Waverly’s visit being one of those. I have to admit myself relieved after he so rudely presented himself on my doorstep that you had not accepted him, but what can you know of Mr. Kaye? You are barely acquainted.”
She grabbed his arm. “So you did not give Caleb your blessing?”
“Of course not. The man is far too brash and has been since childhood.”
Julianna let out a huge sigh, her shoulders sagging in relief. “I knew you would never give your consent without speaking to me first. Beth was right. It was all a lie.”
Her father’s gray bushy eyebrows inched together. “I do not follow.”
When she explained Caleb’s claim her father began to fume like an overheated teakettle. “That boy needs a few years on the battlefield to beat some respect into him. I should have him brought up on charges for trying to force your hand. Was this your uncle’s idea? I should have known better than to trust you to his negligent care.”
She placed a gentle hand on his sleeve, hoping to quiet his booming voice that echoed through the house. “No, Papa. Uncle Waverly has been keeping me safe from Caleb’s advances. Well, he and Mr. Kaye.”
Her father’s bluster seemed to fade, then he glanced behind her and compressed his lips. Julianna turned to see her uncle glaring, his back ramrod straight and his arms crossed over his broad chest.
“Glad to know you have so much faith in me, Haynes. Especially after I dragged your sorry body off the battlefield. Your gratitude is overwhelming.”
“Why should I have faith in an impetuous man who seduced my sister-in-law to run off to Scotland and cause scandal in my wife’s family? For all I know you could have been encouraging my daughters to do the same.”
“How can you hold onto a decades-long grudge when not even your wife held it against us? Never mind, do not answer that, for you can have no good reason. Why are you here, Haynes? You were not invited.”
“I am here to collect my daughters. After having your no-account nephew ask for Julianna’s hand in such a rude, demanding manner and then being written to by some other fellow who for all I know could be a fortune hunter after her dowry, I decided my girls were no longer safe here with you.”
