Somewhere I'll Find You (Capital Theatre #1)(30)

Eventually Lady Ashton looked away, turning her attention to the lace trim on the doll in her arms. She replaced it carefully on the table. “This is my first visit to Madame Lefevrbre's,” she remarked. “I will require a great many new gowns, I'm afraid.”

“No doubt you'll look very well in anything she designs,” Julia replied mechanically. With a trim, voluptuous shape like Lady Ashton's, she could probably wear sackcloth and make it look fashionable.

“Not for long, I'm afraid.” Lady Ashton patted her flat stomach and glanced down at it fondly. “I'm expecting some significant changes in a matter of months.”

The fashion prints trembled in Julia's hands, and she set them in her lap. The information struck her like a bolt of lightning, scattering her thoughts into chaos. My God…a baby…Lord Savage's child. Aware that Lady Ashton was watching her intently, she recovered enough from her confusion to pretend a great interest in a particular design. She wondered if Lord Savage had known about the pregnancy before, if he knew now, how he felt about it…

Angry, perhaps. And trapped. And most of all, responsible. He would not callously abandon a woman who was carrying his child. He had said he had no intention of marrying Lady Ashton…he wanted to marry for love. That dream was impossible now. Julia was almost, almost tempted to pity him, but there was no denying that the situation was of his own making. He and this calculating woman would make a handsome pair, both of them dark and exotic, both possessing an apparently ruthless drive to obtain what they wanted.

Well, Lord Savage would have to deal with the circumstances he had created…and Julia would make doubly certain that she stayed far away from him. Let him and Lady Ashton resolve their own problems…she had her own life to attend to.

To Julia's relief, Madame Lefevrbre's pleasantly chattering voice intruded on her thoughts, bidding her to come to the back of the shop for her fitting now. She stood and forced herself to smile faintly at Lady Ashton. “Good day,” she murmured. “I wish you well.” The other woman nodded, evidently satisfied with her morning's accomplishments.

Having recently received a letter from her mother, Eva, Julia knew exactly when her father would be absent from Hargate Hall. He often went to London to attend club gatherings or meet with his financial advisers. Julia managed to visit her mother every month or two, seldom missing an opportunity to make the hour-long carriage drive to her family's home. She was never certain what Eva's condition would be—her health was uneven, sometimes fair, sometimes poor.

Today Julia was gratified to find her mother sitting up in her private receiving room with a light embroidered blanket across her knees. Eva's complexion was brighter than usual, her expression serene. A basket filled with half-finished needlework rested on the floor near her feet. Eva reached out her arms in welcome, and Julia rushed to embrace her.

“You take my breath away,” Eva exclaimed, laughing at Julia's hard squeeze. “My goodness…it seems that something has happened since the last time you came.”

“I've brought a present for you.”

Opening her drawstring reticule, Julia removed the small jewelry pouch and let the glittering ruby pin fall into her palm. “It was a gift from an admirer,” she said casually. “I've decided it will suit you far better than me.” She couldn't keep the piece, much as she loved it. She wanted to dispose of all reminders of Lord Savage.

“Oh, Julia…” Eva exclaimed softly at the sight of the jeweled bouquet.

“Try it on,” Julia urged, pinning the brooch to the white ruffles at her mother's throat. “There…now you'll always have roses with you, no matter what the season.”

“I shouldn't accept this from you,” Eva said, reaching up to touch the delicate pin. “It's much too valuable—and if your father should see—”

“He never notices such things. And if he does, tell him it was left to you by a recently departed friend.” Julia smiled brightly into her mother's worried face. “Don't refuse my gift, Mama. It suits you perfectly.”

“Very well,” Eva said, her expression smoothing out, and she leaned over to kiss her daughter. “You must tell me about this admirer of yours. Is he the reason you seem so animated? Or is it that Mr. Scott has given you the role you desired in his new play?”

“Neither of those things.” Julia stared at her steadily, feeling her cheeks turn pink. “I…I've met him, Mama.”

Eva stared at her uncomprehendingly…and slowly the realization dawned. There was no need to ask who “he” was. Her lips moved soundlessly. “How?” she finally asked in a whisper.

“Purely by chance. I was at a weekend party. I heard his name and turned around, and there he was. He doesn't know who I am. I couldn't tell him.”

Eva shook her head slowly. A visible pulse fluttered at her fine-skinned temple. “Oh, Julia,” she breathed, her voice thin and bemused.

“He invited me to dinner,” Julia continued, finding it an indescribable relief to tell someone what had happened. “Actually, ‘coerced’ is a better word. He promised Mr. Scott a large donation to the theater in exchange for my company, and so I agreed.”

“You dined with Lord Savage?”

Julia nodded jerkily. “Yes, at his London estate, a week ago.”