Page 34 of The Lion Duke's Proposal
Julia raised her head. “Perhaps you should return to your table, Lady Burbank, if you’re so concerned about mixing with the likes of us.”
“I’m going nowhere until you apologize for your crass behavior.”
“Then you shall be waiting a very long time,” Julia declared, sitting back down with her back to Lady Burbank in a clear dismissal. “Perhaps by the time you receive an apology from me, Miss Burbank will have found a man who can stand to be in her company.”
There was a moment of shocked silence from Lady Burbank, and a gasp of rage from the other side of the room. Miss Burbank rose from her seat and stomped over to their table, having clearly heard Julia’s last remark. Julia ignored her, looking at the selection of teas and taking her time over deciding which to try next. Her aunt sat decisively in a seat beside her, reaching over to take some tea leaves, and Poppy looked squarely down at the table.
“You dare to speak that way about a lady?” spat Miss Burbank furiously.
“We’re not the ones who began this affair,” Julia retorted without looking at her. Her whole body was trembling with adrenaline, and her heart was going a mile a minute, but she wasn’t about to let them know that. “If you remember, Miss Burbank, you approached me on the very first evening to try to have me falsely accused of theft.”
“Only to show everyone else here that you do not belong. You’re not worthy of sitting here in our presence, pretending to be ladies like the rest of us. What does it matter what I say about you? You’re nothing,” she hissed, leaning in close and forcing Julia to meet her eyeline. Even Lady Burbank put a hand on her shoulder to try to pull her back, but Miss Burbank wrenched itaway and continued viciously. “When the Duke drops you like a stone, and you’ve no protection left, you can be sure you’ll get your due for trying to steal awaymyfiancé.”
Julia refused to reply, simply reaching over for her teacup and ignoring the girl in front of her. Miss Burbank screamed in anger, grabbing the cup first and tipping it all over the front of Julia’s dress. Julia gasped and stood up in shock, which caused Poppy to jump in surprise. Her cup flew into the air, its contents spilling all over her and Lady Bendon, then it dropped to the floor and shattered everywhere.
“Come now, my dear, that’s enough.” Lady Burbank took her daughter’s arm. “There’s no need to bother ourselves with these people any further. They won’t be around for much longer in any case.”
With that, the Burbanks left, and the rest of the giggling girls who had surrounded Miss Burbank followed soon afterward. The room emptied until only the three of them were left, dripping with tea and surrounded by shards of broken porcelain.
Julia sighed. “I’m so sorry, Aunt Violet. I shouldn’t have escalated things like that.”
“No, darling, it’s okay,” she reassured her. “You should be proud of yourself. You stood up for us all, and you only said exactly what we all think of her. The rest of thetonis just too scared to admit it.”
“Are you alright, Poppy?” Julia asked.
Poppy nodded, although tears were beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. “I think I’d like to go upstairs and change. I can’t wait until this party is over.”
“Come on, let’s all go.” Lady Bendon stood and took her hand, offering her other one to Julia. “It’s almost time for bed in any case.”
Julia shook her head. She needed a little time to clear her head after that encounter, and she was much too worked up to think about sleeping yet. Her hands were still trembling. “I’ll follow you up shortly. I’ll just clean up a little bit around here. The servants have enough to do after that gigantic dinner, so I’m sure they’ll appreciate me tidying our mess.”
“It should be Miss Burbank doing it,” their aunt sniffed, but nodded. “Well, I’ll see you in the morning then, dear. Don’t be too long, will you? Remember, tomorrow’s another day.”
After her aunt and sister had departed, Julia put her head in her hands. This was not how she wanted this party to go. She didn’t feel ashamed of her actions, but she was frustrated that no matter what they did, or how they tried to hold their heads high, everyone else seemed to revile their very presence among them to the point of utterly humiliating them at every turn.
Everyone except Lord Blackwell, that is. And - well -him.
Chapter Ten
“Still sampling the tea?” came an amused voice from behind her. She whirled around, startled out of her daze to see the object of her thoughts prowl into the room and survey the scene. “I must say, you’ve caused rather a mess. Did you hate this flavor that much? Or was it the cup that offended you?”
Julia couldn’t bring herself to laugh, but she did feel a reluctant smile creeping onto her face. “The Burbank blend really isn’t very palatable, I’m afraid to say.”
The Duke chuckled. “So I’ve heard. I should perhaps stop bringing it onto my estate. If you like, I can have it removed, so that you don’t have to sample such an unfortunate blend again.”
Julia smiled wider. “I appreciate it, Your Grace, but I feel like if you were to remove every unpalatable taste from among the teas at this party, there would be none left to drink.”
“Quite.” He grinned. “Well, if you change your mind, do let me know, won’t you?” He was right next to her now, looking over her shoulder as she began to pick up the pieces of the broken cup and place them into a neat pile on the table.
To her surprise, he rolled up his sleeves, stooped down, and began helping her collect some of the sharper bits. She hadn’t expected that he would stoop to engage in manual labor, certainly based on the way he’d behaved in the past. Perhaps there was more kindness inside him than she’d initially thought.
He cleared his throat. “Joking aside, I heard from my housekeeper, Mrs. Wilkins, that there was some sort of commotion in here. Why are you all alone? Is everything alright?”
“Yes, I’m alright. Well, I suppose so,” she sighed. The last person she wanted to know the extent of her troubles was the Duke of Pridewell, and yet, for some reason, she found herself pouring out the whole story to him. She described the encounter with the Burbanks in detail, and by the end, his facial expression had transformed from concern to fury.
“I’ve changed my mind,” he said as he picked up the last of the shards and placed them into the pile, dusting himself down. “I shall have Mr. Bentley remove them both immediately.”
“No, please, it’s fine.” Julia stood as well, wiping the last of the spilt tea with a cloth and placing it near the pile. “It will only draw more negative attention to me and Poppy, and that’s the last thing I want.”
