Page 5 of The Lion Duke's Proposal
“I don’t like the thought of leaving our trunks unattended,” Poppy replied distantly. “Who knows what might happen to them if we leave? Anyone could take them off the back of the carriage while the driver’s distracted. Better to stay, I think.”
“Then we’ll wait,” Julia said, though the words felt increasingly uncertain even as she said them.
Poppy shifted beside her. “Everyone is staring.”
Julia did not look, but she could feel it.
The carriage had drawn too much attention. Voices drifted past, low but unmistakably curious, punctuated by the occasional pause as someone lingered a moment too long.
“We cannot remain here,” Poppy murmured. “What if someone recognizes us?”
Julia’s jaw tightened.
She risked a glance through the window and immediately regretted it. A pair of gentlemen had slowed their steps, their attention fixed far too intently on the carriage. One of them said something to the other, and both gave a knowing look.
Her stomach dropped.
“They must not see us,” she said quickly, pulling the curtain more firmly into place. “Keep your head down.”
“But what are we to do?” Poppy whispered.
Julia hesitated.
Waiting was no longer an option.
Not more than three minutes later, a carriage much larger than theirs pulled up behind them. It was a sleek, fancy black cab with a coat of arms on the side, although she did not recognize it from looking.
A man stepped out of the side, tall and wearing a long overcoat and top hat. His leather shoes clacked smartly on the cobblestones as he made his way over to their carriage window. Julia’s hopes jumped as he approached them.
Perhaps he is here to offer us assistance?
How fabulous it would be to finish off the journey in such a grand carriage and arrive at Lady Bendon’s house feeling on top of the world. Could they finally have stumbled upon some good luck?
He arrived at the window and leaned down, taking off his hat. His thick mane of brown hair grew wildly in all directions, and his hazel eyes shone with reflected sunlight, bringing out an underlying note of green. He could not be more than thirtyand looked extremely well-to-do; probably someone from the peerage. His face was broad with a strong jaw and defined features. He was handsome, but in a quiet sort of way. Julia raised her chin to look as elegant as possible and noticed Poppy doing the same.
“You are obstructing the road.”
His tone was cool, clipped—more accusation than observation.
“I suggest you have your driver move at once. I have no intention of being delayed.”
Julia frowned. Not a brave hero here to save the day, then. “Our apologies, my good sir, but we have had a stroke of misfortune, and the wheel is broken. Until it’s repaired, we can’t move anywhere.”
The man made a face, appraising the state of their cab. “What on earth made you hire this rickety contraption in the first place? It looks as though it’s about to fall apart at any moment. Anyone with sense would know it can’t handle these cobbles.”
Any other time, Julia would have felt guilty about holding up the traffic, but after everything that had happened, she found she had no patience left to spare for this irritating, unhelpful man, or the appointment he had to be at so urgently. “What on earth made you leave so late for your important meeting? Surely if you had to be there so urgently, you could have left sooner and made more time to account for unexpected obstacles.”
He looked taken aback, as though he wasn’t used to being spoken to in such a contrarian manner. Then the hard lines of his face folded into a thunderous frown. “It’s no business of yours. The issue here is with public safety; you are causing a hazard to other road users.”
“I’ll tell you once again, sir, that none of this was premeditated.” Julia opened her eyes wide and emphasized every word in a very condescending manner. She’d had enough of this rude man. After everything else, this was the last thing they needed. All thoughts of making a good impression flew out of her head as, despite Poppy’s small noise of protest, she stepped out of the carriage and down onto the street, where a small crowd of murmuring onlookers had already begun to form.
Upon standing in front of him, she realized she was a lot shorter than the man, who towered at least a foot over her, but she wasn’t deterred. He gestured at the broken wheel.
“This is precisely the sort of negligence one expects from people who have no business occupying the road in the first place,” he said, his gaze sweeping over the carriage with undisguised disdain. “If your driver is incapable of managing so simple a matter, perhaps you should reconsider venturing out at all.”
“This is not a matter my sister or I can remedy,” Julia replied, her voice tightening despite her effort to remain composed. “If you find the situation so intolerable, I suggest you take your concerns elsewhere.”
The man gazed down at her with a hard stare, but Julia didn’t quail. Perhaps she should have; he was obviously a few rungs above them on the social ladder, and something about his poise and posture seemed to demand respect. But the combination of events over the past month and the disastrous, uncomfortable journey had really taken its toll on her mood. And although she knew it was petty to be picking a fight with a stranger, much less one who was so obviously an influential person, her good sense had abandoned her and left sheer frustration in its place.
