Page 31 of Julia.

I struggle to understand everything that she’s saying. Thus far, Margaret has just been on the sidelines, disapproving but not interfering with the time I’ve been spending with her daughter. I guess there’s the possibility that she doesn’t know anything about it, but still… Everyone keeps talking like getting past the woman will be impossible.

“This isn’t a passing fancy, Mom. It’s not a game, either. I’m going to propose because that will show Margaret that I’m utterly serious about her daughter. Even if she doesn’t like me, our family reputation is almost flawless and a marriage uniting us all will be nothing but beneficial. And I will make her daughter happy, whether she believes that or not.”

“Not even a proposal will help, Seb,” Mom sighs, sounding oddly defeatist. “Margaret didn’t pick you, and she finds you too old, and once she makes up her mind then that is that.”

Anger is beginning to spread in my chest, making it hard to breathe. The last thing I want to do is snap at my mom, but the fact that she keeps insisting that my situation is hopeless makes me want to scream. Surely Margaret can’t deny her daughter forever, and I know that Julia wants to be with me just as badly as I want to be with her. Ultimately, Julia is an adult, so while I understand the importance of parental approval, I can’t imagine that it would prevent us from getting married in the long run.

“I don’t get it,” I fume. “Doesn’t she think our family is honorable enough? We come from nobility just like her family does.”

Mom reaches across the table and pats my hands comfortingly. “No, Seb, I don’t think it’s that. Margaret went through a hell of a divorce, and it wasverypublic despite her wishing otherwise, and it was very messy and sad for her. I think it made her paranoid about any sort of match made because of love, and not just duty. She probably doesn’t believe in love anymore, if I’m being honest.”

Just like what I told Julia last night about how I don’t believe in forever love. Huh. What a weird coincidence.

“I’ll figure out a way to convince her,” I insist, even when Mom shakes her head.

“Just be careful, darling,” Mom says, standing to kiss me on both cheeks and hug me before I head back inside and leave her to her book. I’m tempted to just spend the rest of the evening out here with her, talking about easier things, knowing that she’s lonely without my father, but I have a lot to think about. I make a promise to myself to take my mother out somewhere soon, just the two of us, since it’s becoming obvious that my father isn’t going to treat her correctly on his own.

I’m tossing around the idea of calling some friends over to play billiards and have some drinks so I can bounce ideas about Julia off some other men my age who may have gone through similar things when I see Freddie bounding up to me out of the corner of my eye. I sigh internally, watching him run in my direction with all the energy of a golden retriever and an equal amount of excitement.

“Seb,” he calls. “Hey, Seb!”

I turn reluctantly, crossing my arms as he reaches me, grinning from ear to ear. “What, Fred?”

“Hey, so, like, I was wondering…” He rakes a hand through his hair, showing his nerves, and I already know what he’s about to ask. “I have a date tonight and–”

“No.”

His face falls immediately. “You don’t even know what I was going to ask…”

“Okay,” I raise my eyebrows at him. “How about this…if you were going to ask me anything besides ‘Can I take the Aston?’ then I will automatically say yes. So, what is it?”

Freddie scoffs. “Whatever, man. You never let me drive the DB5. All I want to do is impress this girl…”

“We have literally a garage full of cars, most of them you are fine to drive, and you just want to obsess over the single one that is mine alone that I don’t want you to touch. It’s vintage, and you drive like an asshole. Get over it.”

“But–”

My brother isn’t a kid anymore technically, but I still grab him and ruffle his hair until he yells and struggles for me to let him go. “That car is my baby, Fred, so just drop it. I’m sure this girl will love whatever you drive.”

He leaves cursing my name, fixing his hair as he goes, and I can’t help but laugh. My 1965 Aston Martin DB5 has become an obsession with my little brother, but as much as I love him, I still don’t trust him. One day, though, I might.

It’s just not going to be tonight.

9

Julia

I hesitatein front of my apartment door, bag in hand, considering if I even want to go back home for the weekend or not. Normally, home is a welcome respite from the busy and sometimes chaotic city and University, but today is different.

I have seen Sebastian two days this week, and yesterday was obviously a date between the two of us. And knowing my mother, there is no way that she isn’t aware of these facts. I don’t want to have to explain myself, or argue with her, but it’s not like I can avoid it forever. Plus, I know I’m not seeing Sebastian this weekend anyway, because he told me himself that he was going back to his own family estate for the weekend, hopefully to talk to his parents about the gradual distance growing between the two of them.

I think about my parents’ own divorce, and my stomach clenches. That is something I’d rather not revisit right now, if possible.

Blowing out a long breath, I flick the lights in my apartment off and make the decision to go ahead and face my mother. I can’t avoid this confrontation, but I can attack it head on, and hopefully get an upper hand that way.

One of the family drivers is waiting for me outside, and blessedly has a bottle of Perrier chilled and in the cupholder for me when I get in. My mouth is dry from nervousness, and rolling the bottle over my heated forehead after drinking some is a relief.

I practice the conversation I’m going to have with Mom in my head multiple times on the drive home through the countryside, hoping to be able to have a mental script ready as soon as I get there. She’s so sharp and intelligent that it’s easy for her to talk over me and railroad me on any subject that I’m not totally prepared for, and I can’t risk her being able to get a leg up on me when the subject of this talk is so very important to me.

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