Page 41 of The Rake and Lady Julia
Chapter Nine
For the past fortnight, love had been in the London air, much to Lady Cavendish's disgust.
"I still cannot believe that those two girls are now duchesses, and you are still a spinster," Lady Cavendish grumbled, as she came to view Julia's new dress, "It's not fair."
"It's not a competition, Mama ," Julia sighed, "Charlotte and Violet did not fall in love simply to spite me."
"Are you sure?" Lady Cavendish muttered, as she straightened the ribbon around Julia's waist, "Lady Havisham is Scottish; I wouldn't put it past a Scot to besmirch the good name of an English family for their own amusement."
"How is my name besmirched?" Julia questioned, throwing her arms up in frustration, "Why can you not be as happy for my friends as I am?"
"I will be happy when you are wed, and people are not muttering about two wallflowers stealing the best husbands from under their friend's nose."
"Neither Penrith nor Orsino were ever under my nose," Julia was abrupt, "So you cannot say that they were stolen from me. I never wanted either one."
"No," Lady Cavendish comforted—though it was difficult to tell if she was soothing Julia's nerves or her own, "You only had eyes for Lord Pariseau, and not even two dashing dukes could distract you from him."
Julia inwardly marvelled at her mother's ability to construct a narrative which suited her. In Lady Cavendish's active imagination, poor Penrith and Orsino had now been snubbed by Julia, in favour of Lord Pariseau, and Julia knew that nothing she might say would dissuade her from her belief.
"How do I look?" Julia asked, desperate to change the subject.
"Ravishing, my dear," Lady Cavendish answered, as she took in Julia's appearance.
Julia wore a promenade dress ofjaconetmuslin, which though simple, was richly embroidered around the hem and trimmed with hand-stitched lace. It was high at the waist, dropping into a skirt which flowed softly down to her kid-skin boots.
"You shall upstage both duchesses, mark my words," Lady Cavendish continued, a gleam in her eye.
Julia discreetly rolled her own eyes, though the act was caught by Maria.
"Don't think badly of your mother," the lady's maid said, once the marchioness had left the room.
"Why not? She thinks badly of everyone else," Julia retorted.
"She just wants to see you wed," Maria soothed, as she helped Julia into a spencer, composed of cerulean blue satin. Upon Julia's head, Maria tied a bonnetà la Ninon, made of French willow, with a fancifully ornamented crown.
"Perfect," the lady's maid declared, "You will be both warm and fashionable for Vauxhall."
"For my spinster's outing, as Mama called it," Julia replied, with a wan smile.
"Not a spinster for long," Maria scolded, "Why, just this evening Madame Lloris sent over your dress for the masquerade. Soon you will be married, just like your friends."
Julia offered Maria a smile, though she could not make it look genuine.
"Oh," the lady's maid reached out to take Julia's hand, "Don't look so sad. Once you are mistress of your own house, you will realise that you made the right choice."
"Will I?" Julia asked lightly, as the memory of Montague filled her mind. She had been cold with the marquess, cruel even, and she regretted her every word. Though a clean break was better than a wound which festered, she reasoned, as she tried to push the dashing lord from her thoughts.
Once ready, Julia traipsed downstairs, and did not have to wait long for Charlotte and Violet.
"Now be sure, should you need to introduce them to anyone, that you say 'My good friend, the duchess'," Lady Cavendish instructed, "You might as well make some use of them, seeing as though they have slighted you terribly."
"Yes, Mama ," Julia replied through gritted teeth, too eager to be gone to argue with her mama any further.
She bid Lady Cavendish goodbye and hared out the door, to the awaiting carriage.
"Lady Julia," Penrith, who had exited the landau to assist her inside, gave a stiff, formal nod of greeting.
"Your Grace," Julia replied faintly, unable to keep the smile which played around her lips at bay.
