Page 1 of The Lion Duke's Proposal
Chapter One
“I’m just saying it’s unusual, that’s all,” Poppy sighed, looking once again at the clock on the mantel, which was ticking dangerously close to midnight. “Even when he goes out drinking, he’s never normally this late home.”
Julia shrugged. She suspected that their father would eventually stumble in as usual, shout a bit, and collapse on a couch. As the elder of the two sisters at four-and-twenty, she was well used to his antics over the years and had often shielded Poppy from the full extent of his debauchery. Although Lord Norish had tried his best to be a good father to the pair of them after their mother died, he was a struggling alcoholic who didn’t truthfully know anything about raising girls.
Thankfully, at least, he still managed to conduct business well enough to keep the household running financially, so Julia had simply picked up the task of raising her sister and left him to his own devices.
“You should go to bed,” she offered. “There’s no use waiting up any longer for him. It’s your debut Season this month, remember. You shouldn’t ruin your sleep for this.”
“Oh, even if I go to bed, I shall still be tossing and turning,” Poppy argued. “Something about this time just feels different somehow. Besides, what about your beauty sleep? You still might find a suitor this Season, too.”
Julia sat down beside her sister on the chaise with a small smile. “I don’t need a suitor. You’re the one who’s been excited about your debut since you were six years old. Remember when I walked in on you trying on Mother’s veil?”
Poppy blushed. “Honestly, it wasn’t very elegant. It smelled like mothballs.”
“I’m not surprised,” Julia laughed. “It had been in that chest for ages. But you wore it anyway and paraded around the house all day pretending to be married to every lord you’d ever heard of.”
Poppy giggled at the memory and leaned her head on her sister’s shoulder. “That was a fun day. I don’t think I would like to be married to any of those men in real life, though.”
“I should hope not. Most of them are in their fifties now. Far too old to sweep you off your feet!”
“Do you really think men do that? Carry you in their arms like in a novel?”
“The right one will. I’m sure of it,” Julia smiled. “This has been your dream all your life, Poppy, and I so,sowant you to find what you’ve been looking for all along.”
“But what will makeyouhappy, Julia?” Poppy asked. “You can’t tell me that you also don’t want a family, a home, a husband.”
“I have a family and a home,” Julia smiled. “And handling Father is quite enough work for me; I don’t need another man around, thank you very much. No, thetonmay call me a spinster, but I say let them. I’m happy. I couldn’t be more grateful for everything I’ve got in my life, and to see you married in your first Season is all I could ever want. So please, for both our sakes,go to bed.”
Poppy sighed. “You promise you’ll wake me when he comes home?”
“I promise.”
“Well, all right then. But only because I still think you’ll find a man, and I don’t want you to put him off with worry lines.”
“Whatever works,” teased Julia. “Goodnight, darling. Sleep well.”
After Poppy departed, Julia sank back down into the couch, idly fiddling with the fringe of her nightgown. Although she had shrugged off her sister’s concerns as her father simply staying out at the club a little later than usual, it was true that hehad never been this late before. That was her problem to worry about, though. She didn’t want Poppy losing any sleep over a man who hadn’t lifted a finger for either of them, not when it was so important that she be mentally and physically prepared for the Season.
A violent knock shattered the silence.
Julia jerked upright on the chaise, her heart pounding as the sound came again—louder this time, urgent, insistent.
Who on earth?—
She scrambled to her feet, her pulse quickening. The clock had only just struck midnight. No decent visitor would call at such an hour.
“Miss Norish!” came a muffled voice from beyond the door. “Miss Norish, I must insist—this is a matter of urgency!”
Julia froze.
Urgency.
A cold unease curled in her stomach.
She hurried into the hall, pulling her shawl tighter around her shoulders as another round of knocking echoed through the house.
“Coming!”
