Her manner was faintly hostile, he thought. And definitely aggressive. Her bonnetless state and the absence of a shawl that might have prevented the wind from doing suchrevealing things to her muslin dress—both details that haddazzled him before he realized who she was—suddenly seemed offensive to him. Typical of Julia. Typically immodest. He raised his eyebrows and made his tone deliberately frosty. “I beg your pardon?”
“How did you find out?” she asked again.
“Find out what?” he said, raising his eyebrows. “I was in the area. I decided to call to see how my uncle is. Is hewell?”
“In the area!” she said scornfully. “What a ridiculous bouncer. And you know very well how Grandpapa is. Itwas Aunt Millie, was it not? She wrote to you.”
“I did receive a letter from my aunt last week,” he said. “Are you going to keep me on the steps for the rest of theafternoon, Julia, or am I to be permitted to go inside?” Helet his eyes roam over her to make her aware of the impropriety of her appearance. But it was useless to try to embarrass Julia, of course.
“You had better turn around and go home again,” she said. “He does not want to see you. He wants to be left inpeace. He gave strict instructions that no one was to writeto you. Or any other member of the family.”
“Did he?” He was beginning to feel irritated. “Clearly my aunt felt the need of the support of another member of the family, though, Julia. You will excuse me?” He set onefoot on the bottom step.
“You are not going to upset him,” she said.“Iwill not allow it.”
He disdained to argue further with her. He walked around her and up the steps. “Thank you for your warmwelcome,” he said. “It was graciously done, Julia.”
“There is no need for the sarcasm,” she said, trotting up at his side when it became apparent that she had lost her audience at the bottom of the steps. “He is very ill, Daniel. Heis d-dying. I don’t want him upset.”
He is d-dying.It was a little too carefully done. He realized the truth immediately, of course. She had been quite clever. She had thought to have his uncle all to herself untilhis death. She had probably persuaded him that no one elsecared to come to visit him when he was so ill. She hadprobably persuaded him to leave her something of a fortunein his will. Doubtless she had succeeded. She had alwaysbeen the favorite anyway. Now she did not want him coming along and threatening to upset her plans.
He stepped into the tiled hall and nodded to the butler, who was hurrying toward him from the back stairs. Theman recognized him even after six years and called him byname.
“How do you do, Bragge?” the viscount said. “You will see about having a room made up for me and having mybags sent up? I would like to pay my respects to my unclewithout delay. Is he up?”
“No, he is not up,” Julia said indignantly from behind him. “He has not been up for a month.”
The viscount ignored her. “Is he awake, Bragge?” he asked. “Perhaps you will go up and see. I will follow you.You may announce me if he is.”
“Grandpapa is resting,” Julia said. “I shall go up, Bragge, and peep in on him. If by chance he is awake, I shall tellhim of Lord Yorke’s unexpected arrival. Perhaps tomorrowhe will be feeling strong enough for a brief courtesy callbefore his lordship continues on his way to wherever he isgoing.”
It seemed, the viscount thought, that they had got themselves into the ridiculous situation of communicating through a third party.“Thank you, Bragge,” he said. “MissMaynard will conduct me upstairs.” He turned to her andindicated with one imperious hand that she was to precedehim to the staircase. She glared at him for a moment andthen turned abruptly and strode away. Oh, Lord, shestrode.Was it any wonder that she was still unmarried? She mustbe—oh, twenty at the very least.
He followed her up the stairs, his eyes on the angry sway of her hips, and along the corridor to the master bedchamber. She turned to him and glared again and spoke in apointed whisper.
“He will be sleeping,” she said. “I will not have him woken up. Do you understand me? He was very tired whenI left him half an hour ago.”
“What do you think 1 am planning to do, Julia?” he asked, disdaining to whisper. “Invite him to waltz withme?”
She was not amused. But then neither was he. She whisked herself around and proceeded to open the doorvery slowly and without any perceptible sound. She openedit a little, stepped inside, and half closed it behind her back.He heard a deep, gruff voice and then hers. He set a handflat against the door and pushed it open against the pressureof her hand on the other side. She glared at him yet again.
“Here is Daniel come to see you, Grandpapa,” she said, and she hurried across the room to bend over the bed andfuss with the bedclothes. “He was in Gloucestershire andthought he would come to call on you.”
“Actually,” the viscount said quietly, stepping forward, his hands clasped behind his back, “I heard that you werepoorly, sir, and came down without delay. I thought I mightbe of some use.”
“Don’t exert yourself, Grandpapa,” Julia said, smoothing a hand over the sparse white hair on his head.
“Millie, I suppose,” the earl said. “Dratted woman. There was no need for you to drag yourself away from the pleasures of the Season, Dan. Dying can be done just as well alone.”
“But it is probably done a little more comfortably when there are family members close by,” the viscount said. “1don't spend much time in town, sir. Usually I give the Season a miss altogether. It is no great hardship to be awayfrom there.” He thought of Blanche with a pang of regret.
“Hm,” the earl said. “Well, I’ll try not to keep you herelong, Dan.” He attempted a chuckle and coughed instead.“A few days ought to do it nicely, I think.”
“Grandpapa.” Julia dropped a kiss and a tear on his forehead. A nicely affecting scene, the viscount thought. “Don’t talk so. Don’t talk at all in fact. Didn’t you sleep?”
“I’ll be sleeping long enough, Jule,” the earl said, “I havebeen thinking. I want to see Prudholm. Tomorrow. No laterthan tomorrow. Is he at the house?”
“He is staying in the village,” Julia said. “Leave it for a while, Grandpapa. You need more rest.”
