His face changed almost imperceptibly and she expected him to refuse. However, to her relief and gratitude (which Julia felt but did not express), he nodded again and left.
She didn’t creep up to see it, didn’t think she could bear it and instead she escaped to her own room and refused to allow herself to think about it or, indeed, anything at all.
The night hadn’t, thankfully, repeated itself since. Julia couldn’t have borne up against that gentle of an onslaught. She had to trust that this was a genuine effort on his part and not Douglas using the children to get to her and thus breaking their only rule.
However, it had caused a slight change in Lizzie’s behaviour as she seemed to have a bit more bounce in her step from that night onward. Julia never asked her about it but vowed that even if nothing went right for her and Douglas, she would always be thankful for his one night of kindness.
Julia turned to her dressing table and picked up her perfume. Since that day when Douglas told her (not asked her, told her), he was going to marry her, she hadn’t used her normal scent. She told herself she wasn’t using it because she didn’t want to run out. Instead she put on the expensive French perfume her mother bought her every Christmas. It was a leftover from Sean, who used to buy it for her and she loved it so much she still used it occasionally even though it reminded her of her hated ex-husband.
And, Julia decided, she could use reminding of rotten, selfish men who did whatever vile thing they had to do to get what they wanted.
Everyone was to gather in the library for drinks before dinner and when she arrived, Douglas, Sam and Oliver were there as were all the children.
“You look pretty!” Ruby shouted and Julia stopped to bend down and kiss the top of her head as Ruby ogled her shoes. “I love your shoes,” she drawled out the word “love” dramatically, giving it about five syllables and Julia laughed.
“You can have them when I’m done with them, Ruby-girl,” Julia promised her niece.
“Wicked!” she shouted Willie’s favourite word and the next thing she knew, Douglas was pressing a martini in her hand.
“‘Pretty’ is not the word I would use,” he said in her ear and she flashed him a false courteous smile. “You smell lovely, something new?” he inquired lazily, his amused grin telling her that he was on to her game.
“I’m not surprised you like it. Sean used to buy it for me. He loved it. It seems you two have things in common,” she drawled cattily and walked quickly away.
But when she made her escape and caught his eye, Julia saw he was watching her and she could tell that he was not happy. She tried to tell herself she didn’t care but she knew that comparing him to Sean was out of line and she felt uncomfortably like a screaming bitch, mostly because she’d acted like one. It was something Monique would say. Perhaps they were playing games but she’d never been one to fight anything but fair.
“When’s this feast being laid out?” Charlie, upon entering, greeted the entire room, making the children giggle. “I’ve heard about these American holidays and I haven’t eaten for a week in preparation.”
And this started a night that was surprisingly and welcomingly full of laughter and teasing. Even Monique slipped only once, confiding in a stage whisper to Charlie, “Ruby. I don’t know what possessed them. Such a common name.”
Before Charlie, who looked as if she’d just eaten something foul, or Julia, who was about ready to jump out of her chair, could reply, Douglas did.
“Obviously, Mother, you’re unaware that it’s a family name on both sides. I believe it’s Julia’s grandmother and also some distant ancestor of Father’s who shared the name.”
Monique’s eyes cut toward her son, glittering quickly with ire but then she shook it off and again ignored the rest of the table in order to act the lavish hostess to an indifferent Oliver and openly beleaguered Charlotte.
Julia shot Douglas a grateful look but he ignored it, most likely still angry at her earlier comment and she had to admit, he was entitled to it.
After dinner, Monique didn’t retire to the billiards room with them because the children did.
Once there, Charlie and Julia walked directly to the couch in front of the warm fire. Avoiding the rug of dead tiger hide lying on the floor in front of it (complete with head), they tucked their feet underneath them, settling in to finish the evening drinking wine and gossiping.
The children, Sam and the men engaged in boisterous games of snooker behind them with the mortifying heads of dozens of dead stags staring blankly over their heads. Julia liked this room, albeit not the dead animal pieces hanging on the walls or lying on the floor. Unlike most of the house, it was snug and welcoming, inviting you to stay awhile. Someone had long since disposed of the billiard table and replaced it with snooker and they were at it until it was time for Ruby to go to bed.
“I’ll take her up,” Sam offered. “I’m dead on my feet and don’t often get a break.” She slid a comical look of accusation at Douglas who completely ignored her comment except to raise one, arrogant brow and his lack of response that nevertheless included a response made everyone else laugh.
It didn’t make Julia laugh. Instead, it made Julia’s inebriated mind fill with thoughts of just how sexy he looked with that one brow raised.
Lizzie and Willie were allowed to stay up later than normal due to the holiday and loudly protested when the time was nigh for their beds.
And Julia found it difficult to insist they go. Lizzie, that night, had allowed her grief to crack and, although it was a slow process, it eventually ruptured during the snooker games with her uncle. Surreptitiously glancing their way, Julia had seen both of them teaming up against the others and she couldn’t help but feel immense relief that Douglas was making more overtures to their niece. She saw him encourage her and even lift her gorgeous hair off her cheek to tuck it tenderly behind her ear.
Upon seeing that, Julia could almost have kissed him, if she was in such a mood, which she, of course, was not.
But she had to insist they went to bed mainly because they’d be bears the next morning. And when Julia’s insistence was met with the children’s denials, Douglas insisted.
This, of course, worked and Lizzie and Willie called goodnights and slunk from the room.
“All right then,” Charlie started, rising from the couch when they had the room to themselves, “it’s time for me to wipe the floor with you.”
Charlie and Julia had been steadily drinking for the last several hours. Julia had a martini before dinner and, since then, so many glasses of red wine, she lost count.
When she rose to join her friend, she felt light-headed and realised, belatedly, that she was a little drunk.
This made her giggle to herself until she noticed Douglas’s eyes on her and that sobered her immediately.
She made her way gingerly to the snooker table as Oliver and Charlie argued about the teams. Apparently Charlie was an accomplished snooker player and also, clearly, quite competitive. Julia ignored them and Douglas and sipped distractedly at her wine. All she hoped was that she wasn’t on Douglas’s team.
“That’s settled then, boys against girls,” Charlie announced to Julia’s relief. “Jewel, do you know how to play snooker?”
“No,” Julia replied truthfully. “You should have asked me before you chose teams. I won’t be any help.”
“Never mind,” Charlie replied airily.
“It’s kind of like pool,” Oliver supplied helpfully.
“I’m rubbish at pool too,” Julia explained on a grin. “But I’ll give anything a go.”