For the next dance, Mr. Edgerton asked Julia again, and Mr. Langdon continued to dance with Phoebe, who looked as happy and simpering as Julia had ever seen her. There was no doubt she was enjoying herself and that she felt the significance of Mr. Langdon’s attentions toward her.
Finally, when that dance was over, Mr. Langdon excused himself from Phoebe as Mr. Waterhouse began playing yet another dance tune. He came toward Julia and Mr. Edgerton.
“Pardon me, but I should like to dance this one with Miss Grey, if she is willing.”
Julia was almost afraid to look him in the eye, afraid everyone could see their secret in the way they looked at each other.
But when they faced each other on the floor as the dance was starting, he said in a low voice, “I took your message to our mutual friends. They were very pleased.”
“It was helpful to them?”
“Yes, indeed.”
They started to move through the dance and were no longer able to speak. Julia forced herself to behave exactly as she had with Mr. Edgerton. She kept her expression bland and did not meet his eyes any more than was necessary, but she could feel his gaze on her quite often.
When that song was done, her uncle said to Phoebe, “That is enough dancing. You will wear out our guest, Mr. Waterhouse.”
Phoebe said, “Julia can play for us. You don’t mind, do you, Julia?”
So Julia spent the rest of the night playing, while Mr. Langdon danced the rest of the evening with Phoebe, and Mr. Edgerton danced with Leorah. Mr. Waterhouse conversed with his host, Mr. Wilhern.
When their guests were finally leaving, Mr. Langdon said his farewell to Julia. “Thank you for playing so beautifully for us.” He squeezed her hand as his brown eyes delved into hers. “Good evening, Miss Grey.”
“Good evening, Mr. Langdon.”
But Phoebe grabbed Nicholas Langdon’s arm and drowned out Julia’s farewell as she exclaimed, “Mr. Langdon, do not forget that my father has invited you and Miss Langdon to sit with us in our box at the theatre in three nights. You will be there, will you not?”
Phoebe’s voice trailed off as she walked with him to the door.
Of course, she supposed Mr. Langdon was only paying attention to Phoebe to make sure her father continued to invite him to his home. She should not feel attacked by jealous thoughts of whether Nicholas Langdon actually preferred her to her cousin.
The following day, Julia hoped Mrs. Wilhern would sleep until midmorning and not make an appearance until the afternoon. Mr. Wilhern had left early on a trip to the country and wasn’t expected back for a few days.
Julia made ready to go to the Children’s Aid Mission to speak with Mr. Wilson. With the aid of Providence, neither her aunt nor her uncle, nor even Phoebe, would ever find out. She would leave early, walk down the street and fetch Felicity, take a hackney coach, and be back before anyone knew she was gone.
Her heart beat hard against her chest as she thought about what her aunt and uncle would do if they knew. When she and Felicity had ventured far enough away from her home, she approached a hackney coach and driver and asked him to take her to Bishopsgate Street in London’s East Side.
The driver held the door for them as they climbed inside, and then he closed them in.
“Why are we taking a hackney coach, Julia?” Felicity’s eyes were wide as they sat inside the strange coach.
“Because I’m not supposed to be going to the East Side.”
Felicity stared hard at her in the dim light of the closed vehicle.
“Aunt discovered that I had been going every Tuesday to visit the Bartholdys, and she forbid me to go again. She said it was not a respectable place for her niece to go. But I am not going to the Bartholdys’. I’m going to the Children’s Aid Mission to speak to their director about a place for Sarah. You do not mind going with me, do you?”
“Of course not. My parents are not as fastidious as your aunt.”
She only hoped Mr. Wilson would be in and she could speak with him right away. She shouldn’t even run across Mr. Langdon, since it was an hour earlier than her usual Tuesday run-ins with him. She should be able to talk with Mr. Wilson and depart again in a matter of minutes.
The hired coach smelled of stale smoke and body odor. But dwelling on the possibility of a way to help Sarah made it bearable.
“You are such a good friend to come with me,” she said to Felicity, who squeezed her hand.
The small closed carriage came to a stop. Julia didn’t wait for the driver but opened the door herself and climbed out, just as he was stepping down from his driver’s perch. They were only a hundred feet from the mission.
“Shall I come back for you, miss?” The driver tipped the brim of his hat up. Then he eyed Julia up and down.
“If you could wait for me I’ll only be a few—”
“No, miss.” He shook his head.
Julia handed him his fare for the ride there. “Could you come back in ten minutes?”
“I’ll be back in half an hour.” He nodded as if this was the time she had requested.
Julia frowned, but the man was already hopping nimbly onto his seat and setting the horses in motion again.