Chapter 23
Julian awoke the next morning to a house full of guests. He was not even certain where they had come from, or how they had even gotten there, but they had somehow gone from a party of four to nine. His mother had said that she had invited them after Eleanor had arrived, but that still did not explain why Eleanor had been there in the first place.
It was not the people that bothered him as much as it was the shift in atmosphere. Lily was quieter, far more distant and aloof. He had attempted to make conversation with her after he had been to the mill, yet something inside of her seemed to have shifted.
He hoped that it had not been Eleanor who had upset her, and he made a mental note as he dressed to ask her at a later date.
Making his way downstairs to breakfast, he was once again greeted by a quiet and withdrawn wife who seemed to want to hide in the shadows. Everyone around her was chatting away, yet she was picking at the kipper on her plate.
Julian chose a seat beside her and smiled, yet she returned the gesture with little to no enthusiasm at all. It was Eleanor who turned her gaze in his direction and spoke up first.
“My lord, it is wonderful of you to join us. We were beginning to wonder if we would be seeing you at all this morning.” She laughed almost flirtatiously, setting his teeth on edge.
“Good morning, Miss Everet. I see that you are still with us,” he bit back so sharply that the chatter around the table suddenly died down.
Juliette exchanged a concerned look with their mother while Benedict cleared his throat.
The other two women who had joined the party were not familiar to Julian, yet they seemed just as uncomfortable as Arabella and everyone else. One with light blonde hair and sharp features looked down at her plate while her friend with auburn hair and brown eyes sipped her tea.
It was Eleanor who eventually broke the silence between them and gave a nervous laugh. “My lord, you are quite grumpy this morning. Did you perhaps get out of bed on the wrong side?” She fidgeted with her napkin before forcing a smile.
The tension around the table seemed to ease a little as she spoke.
“I am sure it will please you to hear that Mr. Southampton has come up with the most marvelous idea. What say you to a game of cricket? We are nine people, but I am certain that Lady Barnard would not mind sitting out at all. Would you, Lily? I have never heard of an American playing cricket before. Do you remember all the times we used to play cricket together as children?” She gave another nervous giggle.
Opening her mouth, Lily was about to say something, but Julian spoke up first.
“We shall not play cricket unless everyone joins in. If Lady Barnard does not know how to play, then I shall teach her,” he said in a firm voice and held her gaze determinedly.
Eleanor seemed taken aback at first but quickly regained her composure. “But, my lord, if Lady Barnard joins us, we shall be an uneven number.” She tilted her chin up triumphantly as if she had won.
“Then we shall not play. I am certain that we are more than capable of finding an activity that we may all enjoy…” His patience began to wear thin as he strummed the tips of his fingers on the table beside his plate.
“But my lord…” Eleanor began again, forcing his mother to sigh.
“I shall not play. I have never enjoyed the game to begin with. You may all play as two teams of four.” Her voice was filled with annoyance as she sipped her tea.
The table grew quiet as everyone focused on the kippers on their plates.
Why must she make matters so difficult?
Julian clenched his jaw again as he finally returned to his own plate of food.
The rest of the breakfast passed in relative silence, with little being said other than remarks on the weather.
***
The group of eight made their way down to the open patch of field beside the house. The teams had been decided, to Eleanor’s great disappointment, that Julian, Lily, the girl with the auburn hair, and her friend would be on their team. Which left Benedict, Arabella, Juliette, and Eleanor on the other side.
“Shall we get started then?” Eleanor asked, tossing the ball up with one hand. “I think that I should pitch first, and Lady Barnard can be the batter. What do you say?” She smirked at Lily, grating on Julian’s nerves once again.
“I think I should rather wait until I have seen how everyone else has played. Do you not agree?” Lily turned to him with an uncertain look.
Realizing that Eleanor was testing her, he quickly rose to her defense. “I think it is a marvelous idea that Lady Barnard bats first, but I shall coach her along the way.” He smiled at Eleanor before taking Lily by the hand and guiding her over to the posts that Benedict and Arabella had set up.
“Are you certain this is a good idea? Miss Everet was right, I have never played a game of cricket in my life. It would be better for someone else to bat first,” Lily protested once they were out of earshot.
Julian turned to her with a reassuring smile and reached up, taking a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. “Do not worry, I will teach you all that you need to know. It is very simple. MissEveret will try to knock out the posts behind you, and you must defend them with your bat.” He reached down and picked up the bat that had been placed beside the wickets.