Page 6 of The Lion Duke's Proposal
For once, she just didn’t want to be the responsible one anymore.
“I suggest you watch your tone when speaking to me,” the stranger said stiffly. “Two young ladies, clearly new to London, out and about without an escort of any kind, making trouble in broad daylight - what is your family name? Who is your father?”
Julia’s face burned with a mix of anger and shame. “Lord Norish.” She heard the gathered crowd gasp audibly and clenched her fists, trying hard not to look over at the whispering masses. One girl, not much younger than Poppy, giggled loudly at the front of the group and was quickly shushed by her mother.
Something in the stranger’s eyes flickered dangerously at her admission, and for a moment, Julia was genuinely afraid. Then he snorted contemptuously, and his mouth turned up with a derisive sneer. “I have no desire to be entangled with the consequences of your father’s actions,” he stated flatly.
Julia narrowed her eyes. “What do you know of my father?”
“He is the worst of men,” the stranger hissed angrily. “A leech, a liar, a turncoat. He would sell out anyone if it would make him a shilling. Lord Norish has brought nothing but shame to anyone who has been naïve enough to do business with him.”
Julia was taken aback by his vehemence; even she and Poppy did not feel so strongly. “I know my father has done wrong-”
“Wrong?” He cut her off with a sharp bark of dry laughter. “Your father has left half of London baying for his blood, Miss Norish. Thetonwill not soon forget the amount of debt he owes, nor so easily allot his family a place amongst them while the man himself remains in hiding.”
“Do you, like them, judge us by his actions?” Julia lifted her head.
The man did not reply at first. Then he responded slowly. “I do not concern myself with idle gossip,” he said evenly. “But I take a very dim view of men who leave ruin in their wake.”
“But why do you shame my sister and me forhismisdeeds, simply because we bear his name?” she pressed. “It’s not as though a daughter has any control over her father, after all.”
The stranger held her gaze evenly. “Alas, while that’s true, a father has plenty of control over his daughters; so I, and theton,can only assume that yours has raised you to conduct yourselves in the same poor manner. Mark my words, whatever your approach to the Season, London’s upper echelons will not be welcoming.”
“This situation is hardly of our choosing,” Julia replied, meeting his gaze despite the heat rising in her chest. “One might expect a gentleman to show a degree of understanding, rather than impatience.”
“And what about the things thatarein your control, hm?” The man looked almost amused now, his wild floppy hair falling to the side as he tilted his head. “For example, getting out of your carriage to stamp your foot and shout in the street after someone politely asks you to move aside.”
“You mistake the matter,” Julia replied coolly. “You have not shown me anything other than ill-will, and I only stepped from my carriage so that I might converse with you properly. I mean to be treated like a lady and…”
“Then act like one,” the man responded. There was a pause. In the heavy silence, Julia snorted heatedly through her nose. The man seemed to realize he had been unnecessarily brusque, and Poppy gasped. It was this sound that drew the gentleman’s attention. For the first time, he looked past Julia and acknowledged Poppy, who was still seated inside the carriage, looking absolutely mortified by the exchange. “Pray do not feel obliged to involve your sister,” he said, his tone even. “One spirited exchange is quite sufficient for the moment.”
Poppy shook her head and cleared her throat. “Please accept our apologies for the mishap with the carriage. Our driver is doing all he can to clear the blockage as soon as possible.”
“Very well. Your apology is accepted. Let me see if my driver is able to help repair this sorry excuse for a cab so we can both be on our way.” The man gestured to his cab driver, significantly better dressed than theirs, with neat leather driving gloves, who promptly disembarked and made his way over to the beleaguered man, who still knelt by the rear wheel, hammering the spoke back into place. Then the gentleman addressed Julia again. “Am I a truegentlemannow, by your estimation, Miss Norish?”
Julia snorted in a most unladylike manner. “Hardly. Although I will concede that we both very much appreciate the assistance,” she added as an afterthought, deciding that now the man wasn’t being quite so hostile, it might behoove her to try and undo a little of the damage she’d already done to Poppy’s prospects by making such a spectacle. Now that the heat of the moment had died down, she suddenly felt very silly and regretful.
“I suggest you return to your vehicle and wait quietly, lest you draw any further attention.” The man’s eyes were dancing with something like amusement, which only made Julia feel further cowed. She turned on her heel, refusing to meet his eyes, and stepped back up into the carriage, gathering her skirts around her. She pulled the window shutter closed as soon as she got inside, hiding herself away from the watching eyes.
How she wished she could put this uppity person in his place. How dare he look down on them because of the misfortune they’d fallen into. She began to remember why she didn’t like coming to London very often. It would almost be a relief to say goodbye to all of this, once Poppy was married, and go tobecome a governess somewhere in the countryside. Life would be easier without enduring the pressure of high Society.
“What wasthat, Julia?” Poppy asked, her face pale. “Are you feeling quite well? I’ve never seen you lose control like that.”
“I’ve just had enough, Poppy,” Julia sighed. “I’m exhausted, and I can’t wait to see the end of this damnable carriage.”
“You shouldn’t have riled him up so much,” her sister admonished. “Did you even get his name? He seemed like a rather important person.”
Julia realized that she had not. “No, but he could be the King’s cousin, and I wouldn’t care a whit. Nobody has the right to treat us with such disdain. We’ve done no harm to him.”
“Well, purposefully or not, wehavemade him late,” Poppy reminded her sheepishly.
“For which we’ve apologized. Twice. There’s really not much more anyone could ask,” Julia argued. “I may have overreacted, but I’m sure it will be fine. We’ll just avoid that hateful man if we see him attending any dances. With any luck, he thinks himself so far above the rest of us that he won’t even deign to show his face, and we’ll never have to talk about him again.”
Poppy smiled ruefully. “Based on the way our lives have been going lately, do you think that’s likely?”
Julia sighed and flopped back against the seat. “Oh, Poppy, don’t be so pessimistic. Our bad luck has to end sometime, doesn’t it?”
At that very moment, there was a rap on the shutter, and Julia pulled it back to see the apologetic whiskered face of their driver. “Uh, begging your pardon, Miss, but I fear we shan’t be able to fix this today. Although we’ve been able to attach the wheel, the carriage is not stable enough to ride in. I shall have to take it to the shop to have it properly replaced.”
