Alexander said nothing to her, though. He just shook his head. There was no triumph that he’d won. Nothing but regret.
The rest of the walk was a blur. Her aunt moved them faster through the hallways and finally into Julia’s chamber. Her maid, Elsie, was working on the bed as they entered the room and looked up. “Oh, Miss Comerford, Mrs. Banfield, I was?—”
“Elsie, you must pack Julia’s things as swiftly as possible,” Caroline said as she guided Julia to a seat by the fire and helped her take a place there. “Do not be neat, be quick, do you understand?”
Elsie’s eyes were wide. “Y-yes, Mrs. Banfield, of course.”
“Prepare yourself, as well, we are returning to London today. As soon as we can.”
The maid rushed into the dressing room without another word and Caroline followed to shut the adjoining door and give them privacy. She returned to Julia and dropped to her knees before her, cupping her cheeks. “Please say something. You’re so pale it’s frightening me.”
“He said Alexander manipulated that,” she whispered at last, and the tears began to sting.
Her aunt’s brow wrinkled. “Judging from Mr. Castleton’s expression and reaction when it was done, I’m guessing thatwasn’twhat he wanted, even if he did want the engagement ended. But I’m talking about the viscount. Oh, Julia, that was infinitely cruel, I’m so sorry.”
All the words her fiancé had said now began to sink in. Her stomach turned with them and she bent her head. “I knew he didn’t love me. But I was so foolish not to see that he hated me. He—hehatedme. It was in his eyes, it was dripping from every word he said.”
“You are not the fool,” Caroline insisted and wiped a tear from Julia’s face that she hadn’t even realized had fallen. “That awful man is. And I’m sorry, my love. I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you.”
She caught her aunt’s hands. “Youareprotecting me,” she whispered.
Caroline nodded and pushed to her feet. “And I must continue to do so. I don’t want to leave you, but I must go to my chamber and have Violet begin our preparations to leave. And I must send a runner ahead with the news for your sisters and…” She trailed off and shook her head before she repeated, “For your sisters. They’ll want to know before we reach London tonight. And you’ll need them, I think. Will you be well by yourself for a very short time before I come back?”
Julia nodded. “Yes. Yes, I’ll be fine.”
Her aunt didn’t look certain, but she leaned down and kissed Julia’s cheek. “I’m sorry.”
She pivoted away then, trembling as she left the room, left Julia alone. She pushed to her feet and paced to the window, looking down over the grounds. From this view she could see the path from the house down toward the stable where she’d found Beatrice.
She started as she moved to the bed and looked for the cat. She found her underneath, probably waiting for it to be finished being made. She coaxed her out and gathered her up, cuddling her against her chest.
“You’re coming with me,” she whispered into her soft fur, and felt the kitten begin to vibrate in response. At least someone in this awful scenario loved her.
She looked out the window again and caught her breath. Alexander was storming down from the house toward the stable. She didn’t see him after he disappeared toward the building,but in a few short moments he reappeared on his mount, racing toward the gate.
He was leaving.
“I suppose he got what he wanted, there’s no more reason to stay,” Julia whispered. And it was only then that the pain hit and the tears fell.
CHAPTER 13
Alexander had not said a word to his cousin after Julia had left. He couldn’t, for fear the rage and pain he felt would not be something he could control. That it would turn into something more than a punch or a shove. So he’d left the room, gone straight down the stairs where he’d asked Taylor to have his things sent back to London for him, and then departed on his horse.
Now he rode out the drive and toward the city, sick with heartbreak for Julia. He had never hated his cousin more than he did in this moment. And, in fact, he’d never been clearer on what he would do next.
He would sever his relationship with Laurence. There was no way he could stomach another interaction with him after seeing how cruelly he could cut Julia down. Would it cause problems for him?
Well, that was very likely. The earl wouldn’t like it, Laurence would make a fuss over it. It would hurt his mother. So he would speak to her first, but in the end, he had to make a stand, didn’t he? He had to decide when it was too far.
And the look in Julia’s eyes when Laurence had declared her nothing…that had been so painful thattoo farhad been glanced at and passed by a wide margin.
The look in her eyes when she looked at Alexander? The betrayal? The heartbreak.
Well, that would be something he couldn’t forget for a long time. He could only hope that one day she would be pleased that she’d escaped his cousin’s machinations and not ended up his unhappy wife. He only hoped that one day she wouldn’t hate Alexander if he ever crossed her mind.
The urgent message Caroline had paid to be delivered to London had apparently arrived not long before their carriage had. When they pulled up to Arabella’s residence, Julia saw her sisters and their husbands gathered in the front window, watching as one group. Their love and support was evident even before the door opened and she stepped into the foyer.
“Dearest,” Evie said as her two sisters enveloped her in their arms. She sagged against them, not crying but finally allowing herself to be weak. In the end, they were the only two people on earth who she fully trusted to shore her up.
