I doubt she insisted…
Julian clenched his jaw, wanting to remove his arm from her grip, but not wanting to seem rude.
“Is it not wonderful? Of course, I thanked your dear mama; how could I not when she has always been so gracious to me? Do you recall all those times when we were young, and your mama simply doted on me? It was almost as if I were a permanent part of your lives.” She laughed again.
“Yes, and somehow you are still here.” Julian gently withdrew his arm and walked back to stand beside his wife.
The look in Eleanor’s eyes was anything but pleasant, and Julian just knew that they were all in for a trying few days.
Perhaps it is time that I have a word with my wife about Eleanor Everet.
Chapter 22
The cool evening air caressed her skin as Lily strolled beside Eleanor in the gardens of the cottage. It was the following day, and she had done all that she could to try and stay close to Julian, his mother, and even Juliette, but Eleanor had finally convinced her to walk with her in the gardens.
The air was cool and crisp, bringing with it the hope that things could only get better, but Lily had the sinking feeling that Eleanor had insisted on a walk for a reason.
The day had been tedious enough with Eleanor interfering at every turn, yet the final straw had come for Lily when Julian had wanted to take her back to the mill to oversee the repairs, but Eleanor had insisted that she walk with her instead.
Lily was beginning to grow weary of the way Eleanor always stood so close to Juian and touched his arm. She seemed to only want to discuss memories of them that Lily was unable to take part in. She had even gone as far as almost swooning after their ride and batted her lashes at him. Lily had thought she was imagining things at first, but the woman’s behavior now struck her as more than just a little odd.
“These gardens are absolutely lovely, are they not?” Eleanor asked with a contented sigh, but Lily felt anything but.
“Yes, Julian and I plan on making the gardens at Redding Hall look just as lovely as these.” She ran the tips of her fingers over a few roses in passing.
The cottage gardens were filled with various kinds of flowers and shrubs, filling the air with a sweet scent that almost lifted her spirits.
“Ah, yes, of course Julian would be getting involved in such matters. He has come a long way since…” Her voice trailed off as she looked slightly sheepish.
“Since what?” Lily asked, regretted the question almost as soon as she had asked it. She pulled her light green shawl a little tighter around her shoulders and kept her gaze fixed ahead.
Eleanor smiled to herself. “Do you truly not know what happened between Julian and me in the past?” Her eyes searched Lily’s face as if she were trying very hard to read her every expression.
A pang of distrust coiled in the pit of Lily’s stomach, yet she simply shook her head. Why would Eleanor be bringing these things to her attention when everything was just starting to go well between her and Julian? It almost felt as if it were a deliberate attempt to rock her world.
But is that not what Oliver is attempting to do?
“Forgive me for referring to him with such informality, but the two of us were once almost betrothed. He was in love with me, but I had to turn him down because of his reputation as a rake. Of course, you know all of this.”
The distrust in Lily’s chest suddenly turned to confusion.
“Julian proposed to you?” She swallowed hard, not knowing what to believe. Had Julian not mentioned to her the other day that he had only ever been in love with one woman? Her name had been Anne Sullivan, but here Eleanor was saying something else entirely.
Eleanor’s mouth formed a perfect circle as she lifted a hand to her cheek. “Oh, dear me, I do not think that I was supposed to say anything at all. Please forgive me for being so careless, but Julian was an entirely different person before you met him. The war changed him a lot, but it was his rakish ways that finally made me break things off with him.”
Rakish ways…
The sentence did not seem to fit Julian at all, nor did the sentiment that he had been in love with Eleanor. Would he not have told her if he had been? Her head suddenly began to ache as she reminded herself that she had only just begun to get to know him. But if what Eleanor was saying was true, it would mean that he had been in love with two women, not one, unless he had been lying.
Two women and neither of them is me.
The same uncertain feeling of jealousy that she had felt at the picnic came flitting back to her. Julian was certainly capable of falling in love, yet he did not harbor those feelings toward her. At least, not that she knew of.
A still realization dawned on her as she continued to stroll in silence. Was this not what she had wanted? A marriage without love or any emotional attachments at all?
Yet, now that she had finally gotten that wish, she found herself longing for more. She quickly shook her head and took a deep breath to compose herself. She was just tired from the long day and needed a rest.
Turning toward Lily, Eleanor suddenly frowned. “You must not let it bother you, Lily. Those matters are firmly in the past. Julian would not have married you if there had not been a very good reason. He is a sensible man after all. The affections between us are simply remnants of an intimate past.”