He released her as she recovered her senses and found her footing. She stepped away and straightened her gown, her pulse skittering.
“Just not too much of it,” he warned as he opened the door and closed it softly behind him.
Julia pressed an unsteady hand to her throbbing lips. She had more to think about in London then she originally surmised. How like Daniel to complicate matters. To muddy the water.
She could not marry a man like that. Who did not heed her wishes. Who kissed her without leave or permission. Who was a bit wild and . . . dangerous.
Then again, if he loved her, she did not know how she could not. After all, she deserved no less.
But he was leaving for America.
And she belonged here.
Chapter Fourteen
DANIEL dismounted on the lane leading to Tanner Stables. After leaving Taunton Court, he had spent the morning riding over the undulating hills of Bedfordshire. As a boy, this unfettered freedom had always been his release from all that pressed upon him. As he had galloped across the lush green landscape, the whip of the wind and exhilaration of the ride had provided a healing solace to his roiling emotions. It also served to remind him that Julia was wrong.
Yes, he had built up a life in America, but his home was here. This land spoke to him. And it always would. After listening to the tenants, wandering over well-worn grounds and revisiting the charred remains of Lakeview Manor, he could never escape it. It was in his soul.
America had given him time to heal after the fire, but he was better now. He did not know if or when he would leave, for he had a business in Boston. He only knew that no one could force him to flee again, not the person who had scared him away all those years ago, not Edmund with his threats or Julia with her pleas.
Julia.
With an irritable kick, he sent a stone skittering across the road. Taunton had said Julia was all about family and deserved one of her own. His family had never been close; he had no plans to marry and knew nothing about being a father. But by God, he would learn for Julia—even if it terrified him. It was the right thing to do. He just needed to convince her of that. Taunton knew his daughter well, for her stubbornness was a formidable barrier.
He understood she was struggling with the realization that she had made a mistake in accepting Edmund’s hand, but she could not possibly compare him to Edmund and fear making another one? After all they had done together, he refused to believe she could still be confusing them. So why was his proposal a mistake? He did not see anything wrong with it. He thought it quite timely. Would it not save her from ruination? What did she want? Bended knee and flowers?
He thought he understood Julia. Feared he did not, which did not bode well for a future together. Her decision to flee to London rather than staying to resolve matters particularly irked him. How was a man to convince a woman to marry him if she was in a different city? Well, as he said, he would give her time, but not too much of it.
He led Chase into the Tanner Stables, greeting Robbie, who was storing up tack.
“Shouldn’t those bridles go in your office?”
“Do not start nattering on about that again,” Robbie warned. “You were up and out a mite early. A maid said the footman delivered you a note while you were breaking the fast, and you were off like a wild horse. Was there a fire you needed to put out?”
“There was,” he said. Seeing as they were alone, he continued. “Bedford severed his betrothal with Julia. Cited breach of contract. Apparently, she was seen in a compromising situation with—”
“What? That’s bollocks,” Robbie thundered. “What kind of grotty, underhanded good-for-nothing son of a whore would ruin Lady Julia? Only a blackguard of the worst sort. A real son of a bitch . . . Ah, hell, you didn’t, did you?”
Daniel cursed Robbie as heat burned his neck like a brand of guilt. “Keep your voice down,” he snapped. “I do not need the whole village to hear. The announcement is not yet public.” Robbie unhitched Chase’s saddle, while Daniel removed his bridle.
“I intend to make it right.” He leaned forward and practically hissed the words. “I may be a good-for-nothing blackguard, but I am not Edmund. For God’s sake, Robbie, it would have been like giving a bird to a feral cat. It was not how I intended to severe their engagement, but I refuse to apologize for the demise of it.”
With a grunt, Robbie hefted off Chase’s saddle and set it down. Planting his hands on his hips, he blew out a breath. “Can’t argue with you there. Is that where you disappeared to this morning? To make things right?” He nodded to Daniel’s cheek. “Is that from Taunton?”