Page 69 of Somewhere I'll Find You
“That's perfectly all right,” Julia said evenly. “Just help me with my clothes.”
The maid helped Julia to dress, fastening a row of buttons on the back of her green silk gown. After pinning her hair tightly on the crown of her head, Julia washed her face and checked her appearance in the looking-glass. Her lips were soft and swollen, her cheeks were flushed, and there were betraying bristle marks on her throat. Carefully Julia arranged the high ruched neckline of her gown to cover the marks. She paused as she heard Logan Scott's deep murmur beyond the dressing room.
“Mrs. Wentworth, I desire a word with you.”
Julia motioned for the maid to admit him inside. Logan had also changed his clothes and washed, the residual dampness turning his gleaming hair the color of cherry wood.
Picking up her basket of clothes, Betsy said good night and left them alone.
“Were you pleased with the performance tonight?” Julia asked, “or have you come to deliver a critique?”
Logan smiled. “You exceeded every hope I had for you. You made everyone in the cast shine in your reflected glory, including myself.”
The lavish praise was so unexpected that Julia was disconcerted. She gave him a tentative smile and turned to straighten the articles on her dressing table.
“I saw Lord Savage coming backstage,” Logan remarked. “From his expression, it was obvious he didn't intend to congratulate you.”
“No, he didn't.” Julia's hands went still on the dressing table, fingertips pressed on the smooth surface until they turned white. She took care that her reflection gave no clue as to what had happened.
Logan regarded her thoughtfully and gave a short nod, as if coming to a decision. “Come with me, Julia. I want to talk to you about an idea I've been considering lately.”
She turned toward him, unable to hide her surprise. “The hour is late.”
“I'll deliver you to the inn by midnight.” His wide mouth curved in a smile. “I have a proposition that concerns your future.”
Julia was intrigued. “Tell me.”
“In private.” Logan clamped a gentle hand over her arm and drew her from the dressing room.
“Where are we going?” she asked, picking up her cloak as they left.
“I have a house near the river.”
Mystified, Julia accompanied him without further questions. She was puzzled as to why he would allow her to see yet another of his residences, inviting her a step further into the private world he guarded so jealously.
After making their way through the crowd waiting outside the theater, they took a carriage ride to a small, elegant villa situated amid thickly wooded grounds. Like Logan's London home, it was Italianate in flavor, with a luxurious but quiet atmosphere.
Sitting in the parlor with a glass of wine in her hand, Julia relaxed against the upholstered back of an Empire-style sofa. She stared at Logan expectantly. He fiddled with a few objects placed artfully on a marble-topped pier table: a Chinese meiping vase, a green malachite box, an ebony Louis XIV bracket clock. He slid her a sidelong glance, appraising her mood.
“You look as if you're preparing to talk me into something,” Julia commented.
“I am,” he said with disarming frankness. “But before I make the attempt, tell me how things stand between you and Lord Savage.”
Julia occupied herself with removing a minuscule bit of cork from the inside of her glass. She finally looked up at him with an uncomfortable smile. “May I know the reason you're asking?”
“I don't want to interfere in your relationship…your marriage.”
“There can be no real marriage,” she said, her voice dull and flat. “It's clear to me that we would both be better off with an annulment. Unfortunately Lord Savage doesn't agree…and he's rather overwhelming when it comes to getting what he wants.”
“And he wants you,” Logan said quietly.
“He wants a traditional wife.” Julia took a swallow of wine. “He wants me to become Lady Savage and leave all traces of Jessica Wentworth in the past.”
“That won't be possible. Not for someone with your talent.”
“If only I were a man,” she said bitterly. “Then I could have everything…my work, a family, freedom to decide things for myself…and no one would disapprove. But I'm a woman, and no matter what I choose, I'm going to be unhappy.”
“For a while, perhaps. The pain of losing something—or someone—fades in time.”
