“Ouch!”
“Forgive me, Miss Julia.” Molly pulled out the offending pin and repinned it. “Do you need help with anything else? I promised Sally I would help her in the kitchen.”
“You may go, Molly. Thank you.”
There was nothing left to do except go down and join the dinner party. Julia took a deep breath, clasping and unclasping her hands. “God, help me not to pay too much attention to Mr. Langdon, and for love and mercy, please let him not pay too much attention to me.”
By the time Julia entered the drawing room, Andrews, the butler, was announcing dinner. Julia waited for her escort into the dining room as the guests were paired two by two. An older Member of Parliament was there, along with Nicholas Langdon and Leorah. Phoebe, of course, was escorted by Mr. Langdon.
Julia’s cheeks heated as Mr. Edgerton approached her. Of course. She should have known her uncle and aunt would invite him to be Julia’s dinner partner.
“Miss Grey.” He held out his arm to her. “You look very lovely tonight.”
She took his arm and allowed him to lead her to her place.
The meal seemed to last forever. She sat beside Leorah, who divided her attention between Julia and Phoebe. Mr. Edgerton sat on Julia’s other side. He was very polite and spoke to her in a more mannerly way than he had in the past. Perhaps he was actually trying to woo her instead of relying solely on her uncle’s domineering influence.
Phoebe was her usual vivacious self. Mr. Langdon seemed to listen to most of her chatter, and Leorah was frequently drawn into Phoebe’s conversation with Mr. Langdon as well. Julia made polite but very formal and reserved replies to Mr. Edgerton’s attempts at conversation.
Halfway through the courses, Julia glanced up, and her gaze was captured by Nicholas Langdon’s keen eyes, compelling her to look back. Just beyond him, at the head of the table, Julia noticed someone watching their exchange—her uncle.
Julia quickly looked down at her place setting and lifted her fork to her mouth with a dainty bite of goose liver. She chewed slowly, staring down at her plate. The goose liver felt like dirt and ashes in her mouth. She swallowed, forcing it down her throat, and then reached for her glass to stop herself from choking.
Had Mr. Langdon found her note? He said he would check the oak-tree hiding place every morning and evening. She only wished he could have told her he found it and what significance it was.
When the ladies withdrew to the drawing room, Phoebe focused her attention on Leorah, talking to her of all the things they might do when she and her brother came to Wilhern Manor at the end of the London Season.
Finally, the men joined them in the drawing room, and Julia purposely avoided making eye contact with Mr. Langdon. Mr. Edgerton sat near her. She smelled the strong drink on him, but she also smelled the mint he had chewed to try to cover it up, and he did not seem as inebriated as he had the last time he had dined with them.
Phoebe turned and scanned the faces of everyone in the room. She had that gleam in her eye as she asked, “Does anyone object to having some music and dancing?”
There were hardly enough people for dancing. Their only guests were Mr. Langdon, Miss Langdon, Mr. Edgerton, and Mr. Waterhouse, the Member of Parliament. But Mr. Waterhouse suddenly stood and said, “I shall play so that the young people can dance.”
“Oh, Mr. Waterhouse, you know how to play? How very kind of you,” said Phoebe.
He made his way to the pianoforte and began to play a lively tune.
Mr. Langdon might have known that Phoebe meant to dance with him. That must be why he asked her to dance right away. A tiny pang stabbed Julia’s chest as she illogically wished he had asked her instead. Now she’d be forced to dance with Mr. Edgerton—although if she was honest, that was not the reason for the pang. At least she could pass him on to Leorah after the first dance.
When Mr. Edgerton asked, “May I have this dance?” Julia did not bother to argue. But she managed to avoid Mr. Edgerton’s touch until the dance started. He clasped her hand in his, which somehow felt warm and moist, even through their gloves.
Mr. Langdon held Phoebe’s hand lightly, a gentlemanly distance between his body and hers.
As they moved around the room to the music, Julia tried not to show her dislike of Mr. Edgerton. When it was over, Julia said, “Do ask Miss Langdon to dance. She is sitting all alone.”
Julia quickly sat down. Happily, Mr. Langdon broke his own rule by standing up again with Phoebe, while Mr. Edgerton danced with Leorah. Now Phoebe could not say that the only person Nicholas Langdon had danced with more than once in one evening was Julia.