Turning to Julian, Juliette smiled. “And what say you, brother? What do you think of the lovely young Lily who has graced thetonwith her presence?”
A frown creased his brow just as he reached for the tray of kippers. “I am afraid that I am not privy to your conversation. Whom are we speaking of?”
Juliette rolled her eyes with a heavy sigh. “Lily Prescott. The woman who was dressed head to toe in silver. You should know, you danced with her. She is the infamous American.”
His hand froze over the tray.
Lily. So that is her name.
He withdrew his hand and reached instead for his cup of tea, regretting the action when Juliette’s eyes flashed mischievously.
“Were you that enamored with her that you did not even get her name? The two of you seemed to be having quite an intense discussion. Naturally, I assumed that you were exchangingpleasantries, but was that not the case? Were you having a deeper conversation that made everything else, such as names, redundant?” She shot him a teasing grin.
Sitting back in his chair, Julian glared at her. “Your behavior this morning is very unbecoming of a young lady, Juliette. You should occupy your thoughts with more productive matters than this nonsense.”
Their mother averted her gaze, sipping her tea in amusement as she attempted to hide her smile.
“I have important matters to attend to,” he grumbled, pushing his chair back with his legs as he stood.
His mother’s voice made him halt as she spoke up. “Before you leave, darling, please remember that you promised to accompany your sister and me to the art exhibition this afternoon. We have been looking forward to it all week.”
Julian shut his eyes as a heavy sigh descended on his chest. “Must I really accompany you? Is it not sufficient for you to act as a chaperone?”
His mother shot him a stern look. “It is, but I would like to have both of my children accompany me. Is that too much to ask?” She raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips.
A sigh of irritation escaped his chest, prompting him to protest. “Mother, must I really…” His sentence was cut short by the appearance of the butler, who cleared his throat, pressing a fist against his mouth.
“Did you need something, Mr. Carlton?” his mother asked kindly.
The tall man with a widow’s peak and light brown hair bowed. “Mr. Southampton is here to call, ma’am.” He came up straight again.
Feeling thankful for the distraction, Julian nodded. “Show him in, Mr. Carlton.”
Juliette perked up instantly at the mention of Benedict. “Perhaps Mr. Southampton can join us, Mama. He is like family; we can make a day of it.”
“What a splendid idea that is, thank you, Juliette.” His mother nodded over the rim of her cup, holding it between her fingers in the same manner as her daughter.
Groaning inwardly, Julian hoped that his friend would have the good sense to decline the invitation. If his mother and sister had been paying such close attention to him, then it was more than likely that they had been watching Benedict as well.
“Good morrow, Sinclairs, what news have we this morning?” Benedict strutted into the dining room, smiling from ear to ear as usual.
Julian attempted to shake his head discreetly, but his mother and sister quickly drew Benedict’s attention away.
“It is wonderful to see you looking so full of life, Mr. Southampton. As a matter of fact, we were just talking about an outing to the art exhibition. Would you care to join us?” Juliette made the offer.
Looking from mother to daughter, Benedict beamed. “That does sound like a jolly good time. You know, I do not recall any other plans. Why not?” He clapped his hands together, rubbing them enthusiastically.
Groaning inwardly, Julian rolled his eyes and shook his head. “You are such a soft touch, Benedict. I swear,” he grumbled.
Confusion knit his brow together as Benedict looked from Julian to his family. “Did I miss something?”
Julian spoke first before his mother and sister could intervene again. “Just the downfall of the patriarchy. Remind me to have a word with you on the cunning nature of female minds.”
His frown deepened as Benedict cocked his head to the side. “I do fear that I have missed something here.”
Their mother smiled with a graceful sigh as she stood. “You have missed nothing, Mr. Southampton. Ignore Julian’s temper this morning. I am afraid that Juliette and I have been teasing him. Shall we all leave since we are here? I see no reason for resting on our laurels now that we are gathered.”
The ladies filed past them as Benedict shot Julian a questioning look. “Was I supposed to decline the invitation?”