Page 100 of The Earl Takes All
He was holding three queens when she walked in. He didn’t see her as much as he felt her presence, felt her gaze landing on him, and when he looked up, she was standing in the door, pale and unsmiling. As he stood, he tossed down his cards. “I’m out for this hand, gentlemen.”
The ladies and gents who had been standing around watching the various games made a wide berth as he plowed through them, determined to get to Julia. Something was amiss, terribly amiss. She looked on the verge of weeping, and she was not one who easily wept.
When he reached her, he placed his hands on her shoulders. “What’s wrong?”
“May we please leave? My head hurts.”
“Yes, of course. Straightaway.” He turned toward the doorway, made to follow her out—
“Greyling, your winnings!” one of the lords shouted.
He turned back. “Donate them to a charity.” Grinning broadly, he winked. “Just make certain you’re not the charity.”
Laughter trailed after them as he guided Julia from the room. In the parlor, he retrieved her wrap, his hat and walking stick. Together they went out and waited in the drive while a footman ran off to notify their driver that they were ready to depart.
It wasn’t until they were inside the carriage, with her against his side, her head on his shoulder, his arm around her, that he asked, “What happened?”
“I just needed to leave, to think, to find some quiet.”
Settling back to provide her with just that, he tempered his alarm. He would get it out of her eventually, before they retired. Nothing good ever came from sleeping on troubling thoughts.
She spoke not a word as they entered the residence, kept silent as they looked in on Allie, although Julia seemed reluctant to leave her daughter. Had she had a premonition? Had someone threatened the child?
At the door to her bedchamber, he made to follow her in when she stopped and faced him. “Will you bring me some brandy?”
“Of course. I won’t be but a minute.”
“Allow me enough time to prepare for bed.”
“Julia—”
“I also need to gather my thoughts.”
That didn’t bode well. As he stood in the library sipping on his scotch, he didn’t think that boded well at all. He shouldn’t have left her alone at the damned ball. Something had obviously been done or said to upset her. But what husband never left his wife’s side?
They’d have all thought he was besotted. While he was, it would have been out of character for the Earl of Greyling to hover over his wife all night. Although neither did the earl generally sit down to a game of cards, at least not since he’d wed. He’d explained that away as “one hand in memory of my brother.”
Of course, one hand had turned into several. He had to take more care. Maybe coming to London so soon after he and Julia had committed themselves to each other had been a mistake.
With his scotch in one hand, her brandy in the other, he made his way to his bedchamber and stripped down to his trousers and linen shirt. Then he entered her room. She was sitting at her dressing table staring at her reflection in the mirror. He set down the glasses and said in a low, gentle voice, “Come to bed.”
If he could only hold her, comfort her, he could reassure her, make whatever was troubling her go away.
Pivoting on the bench, she lifted her gaze to his. He hadn’t seen that much sadness since she’d discovered she was a widow.
“I can’t do this, Edward. I can’t live a lie. I thought I was prepared to do so, but I’m not and I shouldn’t be. It’s not fair to you or Albert or Allie.”
He knelt before her. “Julia, whatever happened—”
“They think you’re a scapegrace.” She shook her head. “Edward, they think Edward was a scapegrace.”
“He was. I was.” It was confusing, the person he’d been versus the person he was now. He touched her cheek. “Before you.”
“No you weren’t. You liked to have fun. You were a bachelor, young, having a good time. You never ruined anyone. You never ‘didn’t amount to anything.’ But no one will ever know that. No one will ever know you as I do.”
“I don’t need for them to. The only opinion I care about is yours.”
Her eyes held such sorrow, such remorse. Her brow knitted, and he could see her struggling to explain what he truly had no desire to understand. He didn’t want things between them to change. He didn’t want to lose her.
