The Rake's Redemption(21)

"Dominic, what luck! Need a word with you, my boy."

With a nod from Dominic, his tiger jumped down to assist Rodney onto the  high seat. "How is Sophia? And the boy, Ben?" Dominic asked carefully.

"Fine. Fine. It is Juliana that … "

"Juliana!" His horses shied and he relaxed his tense grip on the reins as they trotted away. "She isn't ill?"

"No, no. Fine in that way. But Sophia is concerned that she ain't found a husband."

Dominic became aware of strange stirrings in his chest. "I wasn't aware Juliana was hanging out for a husband."

"She might not be keen on it. But Sophia's fondest wish is to find her a dashing husband. You for instance."

Permitting himself the smallest of smiles, Dominic glanced at his uncle. "I'm sure Sophia did not suggest me for this honor."

"Well, not precisely you. Someone like you. Must find a way to help  Sophia. Do anything for the woman, Dominic. Dashed if I wouldn't  …  Just  let me off here at White's."

Tossing the reins to his tiger, Dominic jumped down and assisted Rodney  to the cobblestones. "Coming in are you, Dominic? Be thinking about  likely candidates, will you, my boy? Mean a lot to me."

Leaving his uncle in the card room, Dominic opened the heavy doors to  the library. The quietness of the room settled over him, and several of  the older members glanced up from their deep wing chairs as he made his  way to a desk. At a wave of his hand a servant brought paper, pen, and  ink pot. He must do this quickly before he changed his mind. He knew how  to help Sophia achieve her goal and this was the first step.

Quickly he penned a note and addressed it to Mrs. Juliana Grenville.  Before he could change his mind, he gave it to the waiting servant with  delivery instructions.

Sprawling back against the hard chair, he stared at nothing, letting  himself remember those days at the inn when he had first realized Sophia  was interested in eligible parties. He had found it amusing then. But  that had been before he had discovered the only woman he had ever wanted  and decided he could never have her. Now he would help find someone  truly worthy of her. Someone as fine and decent as Will Grenville.



Three days later a scrawny maid in a lacy, bibless apron admitted  Juliana to the front parlor where Sophia sat in front of a hot fire in  the carved marble fireplace. The heat felt welcome to Juliana, for she  could never seem to stay warm these days after her long, chilly vigil  beside Ben's bed.

"Did you notice the family resemblance between our new parlor maid and  Smithers?" Aunt Sophia remarked when she entered. "Bella is his first  cousin twice removed. He promoted her from scullery maid."

Juliana laughed aloud for the first time in days because, with her  rawboned hands and long chin, Bella did bear a striking resemblance to  Julius, the one puppy her late papa had insisted on keeping from the  last litter Claudius had sired. She knew Aunt Sophia had meant to make  her relax and she had succeeded admirably.                       
       
           



       

This afternoon her aunt was clad in a jonquil frock with puffed sleeves  that showed off her nicely rounded shoulders. With her dark hair pulled  up in a yellow ribbon and small curls framing her face she looked  younger than her thirty-nine years.

"Are you going out, Aunt Sophia?" Juliana asked, reclining on the settee.

"Yes. Rodney is taking me driving in the park just as he has every day  this week," her aunt replied with a self-satisfied air, before turning a  stern gray eye on her niece. "It certainly wouldn't hurt you to get  some fresh air. Young Ben has been raising havoc in the kitchen for  days. Even his father has ordered him back to his own quarters, but  still you hover over him. The least you could do is accept Dominic's  kind invitation to go for a short ride. You know you miss your horses  dreadfully."

"Aunt Sophia."

"Don't tell me!" Aunt Sophia held up her hand to protest her niece's  confidences. "What you do next to put poor Dominic in his place, I'd  rather not know. He was goodness itself when Ben was sick. Sending fresh  fruit every day and keeping the house full of flowers. But if you still  harbor these absurd feelings of persecution, I want to hear none of  them!" She sighed deeply, shaking her head. "Of course, you may be  correct and I wrong. As your chaperon I should, perhaps, be encouraging  you to stay away from such a rake."

Surprise widened Juliana's eyes. "Aunt Sophia, are you saying that  Dominic is someone I should be protected from? If so, why do you wish me  to ride with him?"

"Of course, you don't need to be protected from Dominic! Even though  several ladies of the ton have made morning calls for the express  purpose of informing me that Dominic is a rakehell. However, I, as you  very well know, am an excellent judge of character." She waved her hand  dismissively. "Believe me, my dear, if Dominic ever paid the slightest  degree of attention to any one of their daughters, the tattle mongers  would be in raptures, for he really is quite wonderful."

"You are right, Aunt Sophia, Dominic is  …  has been wonderful since Ben's  illness. I was foolish to say such things the night of the ball.  Obviously I misjudged him. I will ride with him today."

Sophia gasped, nearly choking on a bonbon she had just popped into her mouth.

"Well, it is the least I can do," Juliana remarked, raising her chin in  defense. "I have had both Freddie and Lord Edgemont to tea this week. It  hardly seems fair to exclude Dominic when he has been so kind."

"Don't bristle at me, love. I couldn't agree more." Bella came in  bearing tea, plain biscuits, and small plates of paper-thin sandwiches  topped with watercress.

Juliana stared at the frugal fare. "Surely you aren't going to serve Lord Rodney this!"

"Of course. You have probably not noticed, but Rodney has already  dropped over half a stone. Is that not marvelous? I hope he can continue  to make such excellent progress without his elixir. It is nearly all  gone."

"You have been giving his lordship Mrs. Forbes's potion!"

"Of course. I told you it might come in handy one day and so it has."  Deciding the tea had steeped long enough, Aunt Sophia took off the cozy  and poured the steaming liquid into white teacups. "Drink your tea,  dear, and then change for your outing. Wear that russet velvet habit. It  looks magnificent with your coloring."

Juliana was ready thirty minutes before Dominic arrived. She watched for  him from her bedroom windows. She paused only briefly in front of her  mirror to arrange the short-crowned hat more becomingly over her curls  and smooth out the skirt of the matching habit before she went to the  head of the staircase.

When Smithers admitted the marquis into the foyer, a slight rustle of  her skirt caught his attention. He glanced up and saw her. She seemed to  glow when the sunlight filtering through the high windows caught her,  making her velvet habit gleam and shine with her every movement as she  descended the staircase. He resisted an impulse to go to her and catch  her in his arms. Instead he waited for her to cross the foyer and then  raised her gloved hand quickly to his lips.

"I'm pleased to see you, Juliana. You look lovely today," the trite  conventional pleasantries he had mouthed to dozens of other women came  easily to his lips.

Her smile was warm and sweet, as she had seldom given him, and he almost  forgot his intentions. Almost. Rod had told him Sophia's fondest hope  was to see her niece happily settled. That was why he had to proceed  very carefully if he was to help Sophia attain her goal. And what little  honor remained to him demanded that he help Sophia in her quest for  Juliana's happiness. To be seen with the Marquis of Aubrey would bring  Juliana's credit high, indeed: as long as he was very careful that his  attention was not too marked. Too much attention and she would be fuel  for the gossip mill just as he was. He knew his world well, and had  carefully considered how to promote Juliana's interests. Somewhere in  the ton there must be a man worthy of her, all she needed was to be  brought to his notice. Freddie or Lord Edgemont, who seemed to be  running tame in the house, were not quite fine enough, he had decided  grimly.                       
       
           



       

Freddie had said Dominic's horses were among the finest in London, and  he had not exaggerated. Dominic rode his white Arabian stallion,  Bucephalus. But for Juliana he had chosen a rich brown gelding with a  proud carriage. She stroked its nose once before Dominic tossed her in  the saddle.