Page 20 of Regency in Color

“So, you wish for me to come to visit you again?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You know what I meant.”

He leaned closer to get a better look at her paper. She pressed the pad against her chest, blocking his view.

“You know I don’t like anyone seeing my pictures until they are finished.”

“And you know I think your work is superb, no matter what stage of completion it is in.”

She grinned, a more frequent occurrence since he’d returned to her life. “Why are you here? Do you have another lesson for me?”

“No, I don’t have a lesson for you, although I have it on good authority they are working. You had two callers today, I believe.”

“How do you know that? They just left a little more than an hour ago.”

He shrugged and crossed his ankles. “I have my sources.”

“Are you spying on me?”

As mad as it sounded, the prospect of Colin keeping tabs on her incited a swarm of flutters in her belly. Men only kept track of the women they cared about.

“How am I to know if my instruction is working if I don’t keep abreast of what men are saying about you? Besides, I don’t have to try too hard to find out. Men at the club flap their lips more than a gaggle of women.”

“Fine. I will accept that as a suitable answer. For now.” She placed her sketchbook on the blanket, away from Colin. “Since you’re here, I wanted to know if I can expect to see you at Vauxhall on Monday for the masquerade?”

“I’m afraid not. They will be performing a reenactment of the Battle at Waterloo. Seeing it once was more than enough.”

“I understand.”

Colin sat up, bent a knee, and leaned his elbow against it. “There is a reason I’m here. Something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

“You sound so serious. Are you setting me up to be the conclusion of a joke?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. His leg began to bounce—something wasn’t right. He was so nervous. Dread began to slither through her chest and up to her ear, whispering all the hurtful things he could say.

“No. Though what I have to say is of a serious nature. And I admit my nerves are starting to get the better of me.”

“Is everything all right?”

“Yes, yes. Don’t be alarmed. In fact, what I have to say is a good thing. At least I hope it is.”

“What is it? Spit it out.”

He grabbed both of her hands in his. “I love you, Juliana. I’ve never stopped loving you. I didn’t show up that day because I was young and foolish, and I’ve spent every day since regretting my decision.”

Juliana’s mind went blank. He’d never stopped loving her. So he had loved her while he had left her waiting for him to carry her off and start a life together? He’d chosen to abandon her while he loved her. The thought was more painful than if he said he’d fallen out of love with her.

“What was the reason? The real reason you didn’t show up that?” she asked, her voice void of emotion.

“My father didn’t approve of our match.”

“Yes, nor did mine, which is why we were going to elope. What was your reason?”

“Robert told him about our plans. I’d packed my bags that morning and had the carriage readied, I swear.” He paused, giving her time to absorb his words.

The whisper of panic became a clanging alarm so loud she could barely hear herself think. His words had begun to fade into an abyss of internal, crackling noise. She lifted her shaky hands and signed the question she needed to know the answer to.

Why?

Colin replied, using both his hands and voice, “My father was waiting by the door when I was ready to leave. He said he wouldn’t stop me, but if I left, he would cut me off and take back my inheritance.”

“Money,” she choked out. Her chest shook with the force of her sobs. He’d abandoned her for money.

“No! It wasn’t about the money. I didn’t want my inheritance for myself. I knew that I couldn’t take care of you if I didn’t have a penny to my name. When we made the plan, I thought once we returned married, my father would have to accept you. I didn’t know he would cut off my inheritance, or I would have thought of a different plan.”

Juliana shot up off of the blanket, leaving everything behind, and sprinted off. Needing as much space between them as possible.

“Miss Drake,” Charlotte called after her.

She didn’t stop.

“Juliana! Wait,” Colin shouted. He raced after her.

Juliana spun around and pointed her finger at him as if wielding a sharp blade. “Don’t.”

It was all she could manage, but Colin understood. She took off again, leaving him behind. This time, he didn’t follow.