“I mean, thank you for defending me from those two harpies.”
“I cannot bear it when people spread untruths. Especially about you.” He touched her cheek gently.
“Thank you,” she whispered a third time, fighting the sudden urge to weep. He had defended her publicly. As far as she could remember, no one, not even Simon, had ever done that before.
He nodded again, and there was something in his eyes that made her heart leap.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Lady Evie had indeed returnedfrom her travels.
She stood bright-eyed at the top of the marble staircase, still in a rumpled travelling dress, greeting them effusively as they arrived back from the ball.
“Catherine, I mean, Lena! And Julius. I’m back!”
“So I see,” Julius replied. “And somewhat earlier than anticipated. How was your journey?”
“Awful. However, I am back now, and all is well.” She descended the stairs quickly and clasped Lena’s hands. “I’m so glad you’re here. You must tell me everything.”
Julius cleared his throat. “Your friend, I take it she is well?”
“Hm? What fr—oh. You mean Pippa? Yes, of course. Yes, she is fine. That is, she was ill, but she’s better now.” Evie’s gaze flickered away to avoid meeting Julius’s eyes.
His brows furrowed. “I ran into Hartenberg at the ball.”
Her head whipped around. “You did? He’s here?”
“Yes.” He watched her closely.
Evie looked away again, fiddling with the fringe of her scarf. “Oh.”
“It is high time you two met formally.”
Evie shrugged nonchalantly.
He lifted an eyebrow. “Is there something you need to tell me?”
She shook her head. “No. I can’t imagine what that could be. If Hartenberg is in Vienna, I suppose I can’t get around meeting him. Finally.”
“Granted, the war made it difficult, if not impossible, for the two of you to meet sooner. But when he finally managed to come to England against all odds eight years ago, you ran off.”
Evie lifted her chin defiantly. “That’s not true. How was I supposed to know he’d choose to visit the one time I was taking the waters in Bath? Besides, Aunt Agatha needed me.”
“Conveniently so,” Julius commented dryly. “After all, Aunt Agatha could never manage without you. The distance to Bath is insurmountable, far more difficult than his journey from Vienna, of course.”
“Precisely.” Evie sniffed dismissively. “The man is used to travelling through battlefields. Surely, a trip to Bath would have been easy enough for him. But no, he couldn’t be bothered. Come, Lena, let us leave my insufferable brother before I lose my temper. I’ve just returned and I’ve no patience left for him.”
Lena, who’d been looking from one to the other inbemusement, patted her arm. “Come and tell me everything.”
The two women ascended the stairs together, leaving Julius to watch after them thoughtfully.
He had just finisheda meeting with Castlereagh at the Minoritenplatz. The day was clear and brisk, so he decided to walk back to his residence. It wasn’t far, and the walk would help him gather his thoughts.
The weather had turned cold, and a crisp edginess was in the air, heralding that winter was coming soon. The chill cleared his mind, which had been clouded all day with a restless fog. He found his thoughts drifted constantly, making it difficult to concentrate.
During the meeting, Castlereagh had to ask him three times if he agreed to the proposal. He’d blushed like a schoolboy who’d been caught stealing sugar plums from the pantry.
Fact was that his thoughts had been miles away with Catherine and how lovely she’d looked at the breakfast table this morning. They’d made it a habit to eat breakfast together, both rising before the children, savouring that quiet hour alone. He cherished these mornings, his only time with her before the demands of the day took over.
