Mistletoe and Mayhem - Cheryl Bolen Page 0,229

in the chair so she was no longer slumping. “No one would ever accuse you of being dull.”

“I should say not.” Miss Price was beaming. “Rather the opposite, I think. I’m loath to see the evening end.”

“Lord Julius deserves a good night’s rest,” Bess said. “Sleep well, my lord.”

Since she appeared more alert and less in need of his assistance finding her way to bed, he sketched a bow. “Sleep well, ladies.”

Miss Price was talking about the invitation to Everly Manor as he exited. He didn’t linger outside the door to hear what Bess thought of the change in plans. Part of him hoped she would kick up a fuss and refuse; the other half would be terribly disappointed if she did.

Chapter Eight

Julius slowed the four person sleigh at the crest of a hill. His cheeks were pink from the thrilling ride, and his eyes held a feverish gleam. He was in his element. “Have you ever driven one of these?” he asked.

Bess shook her head.

His younger sister Octavia groaned in the back seat. “Here we go, another lesson.”

Calliope, who was two years younger, shushed her.

“No heckling from the back”—Julius tossed a wry smile over his shoulder—“or you will receive a lesson in mucking stalls when we reach Ammie’s house.”

Octavia scoffed. “You are full of empty threats, as usual.”

Bess chuckled. She admired the girl’s gall and hoped it served her well once she was unleashed on Society in a few years.

Bess hadn’t expected to see much of Julius once they arrived at Everly Manor. The morning after their kiss and her embarrassing fall, he was in a somber mood when he announced the roads were safe for travel. He certainly hadn’t been the same jovial man who worked without complaint alongside her at Davensworth Cottage or chased away her cousin’s blues with his antics.

Any hope of furthering their association were quashed when he chose to ride on the box with the driver.

He is angry with me, she’d confided to Gemma on the journey to Everly Manor. Perhaps I should return once you are settled at the party.

Lord Julius is not one to harbor a grudge, Bess. You will see once you know him better.

Bess had thought her cousin’s view of men was naive, a consequence of unique upbringing. In her own experience, men were fragile creatures who sulked when their pride was bruised or blustered when outright insulted. Even her husband, who’d been good and decent, stopped talking to her for days whenever he’d felt slighted.

Julius shattered all of her preconceptions. Whatever was bothering him vanished after his audience with his parents soon after his return home yesterday. This morning, with his good humor restored, Julius and Bess had resumed their friendly banter.

“Tell me you’ve at least driven a buggy,” he said.

Bess shook her head again. She’d never had cause to learn. If she’d needed transportation, she always had a coach at her disposal, or one of her brothers claimed the reins.

Julius’s sigh was dramatic and noisy. “What are young ladies being taught these days?”

“How would I know? I’ve been out of the school room for years.”

“It couldn’t have been a very long time.”

“Oh, but it has. I’m twenty-six.”

“Egads, twenty-six?” He clucked his tongue. “Before you know it, you’ll have a head of grey hair and need an ear trumpet. We best get on with it before it is too late.”

“Get on with what?”

“Your first lesson.” He draped his arm on the back of the seat they shared. “Every lady should know how to drive a sleigh.”

“Are you serious?”

He extended the reins.

A giddy laugh bubbled at the back of her throat; she accepted the sturdy leather straps.

“Hold the ribbons firmly,” he said. “Don’t allow any slack.”

“Throwing a punch. Driving a sleigh. You have unusual thoughts on what skills a lady should acquire.”

“He just wants someone who can bring him home whenever he’s foxed,” Octavia piped up.

“What did I say about cheeky comments from the back?” Julius playfully lunged at his sisters. Octavia and Calliope squealed, bumping against the sides of the sleigh and laughing as they evaded his wiggling fingers.

Julius and his siblings teased one another relentlessly, but there was no malice between them. Bess envied their easy camaraderie. Her brothers had always gawked at her if she were an oddity, and they still addressed her like a child, even though she was their elder.

The mare moved forward. Bess startled. “Whoa!”

With a grin, Julius dropped back on the seat and rested his arm behind Bess again. “I thought this was