He meant, she assumed, by that last remark that she would have to turn a blind eye to any liaisons that he might conduct in town outside his marriage, and the time that he might spend at the various gaming houses and in his clubs drinking with his friends.

“I am not sure that that is the kind of life that I would like, however comfortable the financial circumstances that I might be offered.”

“If you would prefer to spend most of your time here at the castle, I would not object to that. It is a good place to raise children.”

Julia’s dismayed expression did not escape him.

“That is not the kind of marriage you would want? You had hoped to marry for love? Not many people are that fortunate.”

“No, but I would much prefer to be together with my husband for most of the time, to share common interests.”

“Not many relationships stay like that in the highest social circles, Miss Maitland, at least in the long run.”

“No, I accept that.”

“I sense that you do not approve of my suggestion of your living here whilst I would be in London. My parents have been married for thirty years and seem to have found that a tolerant attitude to each other’s preferences works for them. It has been a comfortable basis for their relationship.”

Julia wondered if that was more his father’s view than his mother’s, since the Earl had had a reputation for fast living when in town, and not only in his youth.

“I am trying to be honest with you, if only for your brother’s sake.”

“I am grateful to you for that, Dominic.”

She turned away to look out of the window. She was aware that many young women would be only too happy to accept an offer from the heir to the earldom, and to be assured of wealth and a great social position for the rest of their lives. Her mother had already told her how lucky she was to be offered such an opportunity when she now had only a small dowry and no share in property or the family estate.

“I do not need an answer now, Julia. A few weeks’ delay will make no difference. Why don’t we meet again, once you have had the opportunity to consider the matter more thoroughly? My offer still stands in the meantime.”

Julia thanked him. She should be grateful, she supposed, for his being thoughtful enough not to rush her. Whether she wanted someone to marry her because of a promise made to her brother was quite a different matter.

They returned to the salon, where her father was apparently enjoying his conversation with the Earl and Countess.

“Well, Miss Maitland, what do you think of all those past Brandons?” said the Earl in a friendly tone. “Some of the earlier ones would make good brigands, don’t you think! We are lucky that they are not still alive, in my opinion!”

Matching his mood, Julia said, “No more than many families may have had in their past history, sir. But I was glad to have been able to see more of the castle. On my visits to see Emily and Freddie, we usually spend most of our time in your family’s private quarters.”

“Yes, these rooms here are shown to visitors when we are not in residence. We spend most of our family time elsewhere in the castle.” Then, turning to her father, he said, “Lewis, shall we go and look at those bank papers now, so that I can sign them for you before we leave?”

Her father answered Julia’s unspoken question before she could say anything.

“I brought them with me at the Earl’s suggestion—it is just some unfinished business,” and he left the room with their host before she could reply.

“Come and sit next to me, Julia,” said the Countess. “And Dominic, please go and find Annette, and ask her to bring down the blue silk shawl that I have set aside for Miss Maitland.”

To Julia she added, “Annette Labonne is my personal attendant. She was born in northern France and, before she became my dresser, Annette was our nursery maid when Dominic and Freddie were young.”

Julia hesitated after he had gone out of the room, but only for a moment.

“Ma’am, would you find me presumptuous if I asked you a personal question?”

“If I did, I need not answer you.”

Julia took this as being an affirmative.

“Dominic said just now that you had spent part of your married life living here with the children whilst the Earl was more in town—were you happy with that arrangement?”

The Countess did not answer immediately, but then said, “I would prefer to reply by saying that Dominic is, in some respects, very like his father. I would expect that he would want to adopt that pattern of life—yes, my dear. If that would make you unhappy, you should not marry him. But if you fear that he would in any way be disrespectful to you in public if you were to become his wife, you can put that idea out of your head!”

“Thank you for answering. I apologise for any intrusion.”

The Countess took Julia’s hand and held it firmly. “Marriage is not always a happy state, my dear, but I am sure from what Emily and Freddie have told me that you would make Dominic as happy as anyone of our personal acquaintance.”

Anyone of our personal acquaintance—that struck Julia as being a rather unusual expression.

The Countess smiled at Julia. “I never had a daughter of my own, so the untimely death of Emily’s parents gave me an opportunity to care for the daughter that I would have otherwise been denied. I would be happy to welcome you also into our household.”

It would, Julia thought to herself, be so very much easier to reject the idea of marriage with Dominic if she disliked him, or either of his parents, more.

Dominic returned with the shawl, which the Countess insisted on giving to Julia, saying that it would flatter her colouring. As she gratefully accepted this generous gift, her father returned to the salon with their host.

The Earl summoned the footman to have the barouche brought round to the front door, and Julia and her father said their farewells and were escorted to the carriage.

They had travelled some distance on their return journey in silence before Julia said, “Papa, there is no connection between your signing those papers and the suggestion that I should marry Dominic—is there?”

“No, my dear, I promise you that there is none. The documents relate to guarantees that were offered by the Earl to help me when I had difficulties following the failure of the bank in Derby. He also had losses, but they were minor in the context of his overall investments. He assisted me by giving the guarantees, which I have now been able to discharge.”

“Papa, I cannot understand the reason that Dominic gave me for his proposal that I should marry him.”

“What reason was that?”

“That he had promised David in Spain that he would look after me.”

“I would agree that a proposal of marriage would certainly be an extreme reaction to such a request. It is not as though you are in very reduced circumstances, or have no one to look after you.”

“Exactly, Papa. It does not make sense. I am going to speak to either Freddie or Emily as soon as they get back, for surely one of them can tell me more.”

“It is not that you really dislike Dominic, is it? He is really quite a pleasant young man.”

“Yes, indeed he is. But he is also used to doing exactly as he pleases, and living the high life in town. That is not unusual when you have been the heir to such riches all your life. No, it is not that. I just do not want to live in London, or move in the highest circles, where people are competing with one another all the time. Not everyone is as pleasant as the Earl and Countess. I’m sorry, Papa, but I do not wish to be in that kind of gilded cage for the rest of my life.”

Her father looked rueful, and then replied, “Say nothing to your mother as yet. She has pinned such hopes on that alliance, and indeed would much prefer it to your marrying Jack Douglas. Let’s wait and see what happens.”

Sophie and Harriet ran out of the house to greet them as soon as they heard the carriage enter the drive at home. They were both full of questions about how the day had gone, of what Julia had seen, of who had been there, and about every detail of who had said what to whom.

Mama also wanted a full description of how the Earl and Countess had received Julia and her father, and what the outcome of the visit had been.

Between them, Julia and Papa gave what explanations they could, although she decided that it was best not to communicate all the details of her conversation with Dominic Brandon to anyone.

“Mama, the Countess told me that Emily will be back from Bath quite soon, and I have left a message asking her to come over here as soon as she is ready to do so.”

Meanwhile, her mother had not forgotten that Papa and Julia were to make a return visit to see Mr. Douglas and Jack on the following day. Sophie was still sulking about not being included in the party, but Harriet promised to let her try on some of the new garments given to her by Aunt Lucy, which was some consolation.

This time, the journey to Norton Place did not seem to Julia to take so long, and the carriage wheels were soon rolling up the drive towards the mansion. They were greeted in a friendly fashion as before, and this time Jack was waiting with his father at the top of the steps. He was dressed more smartly in a tweed jacket above dark green riding breeches and well-polished boots.

“I have told Jack here,” said Mr. Douglas, “that he is to show Miss Maitland how he can make proper polite conversation during this visit, and that he is not to mention a horse, or anything to do with farming, in the first thirty minutes!”

Julia had to smile at this, though she felt sorry for the red-faced young man.

They all went along into the drawing room, and she was placed opposite Jack and next to Harry Douglas. There was an awkward silence, so Julia decided that she should say something before her host criticised his son again.

“Perhaps, Jack, I ought to start our conversation, since your father is trying to make it so difficult for you.”

She had meant to be making a joke, but Jack merely looked rather embarrassed, and said nothing in reply.

Julia tried again. “We went to the castle yesterday to see the Brandons, but it is a much less friendly house than this. Have you been there, Jack?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“My sister Sophie sends her regards to you. Our younger sister, Harriet, has finished at school in Bath now and is back home with us. Have you met her?”

“No,” said Jack.

By this time, Mr. Douglas’s irritation was becoming obvious. He clearly was not impressed at his son’s conversational skills.

“Jack, why don’t you tell Miss Maitland about our visit to the spa at Buxton last week?”

Jack mumbled something that Julia didn’t catch. Her father decided to help her out.

“Perhaps it would be better, Harry, if we did let Jack talk about horses or the farm, for those are the things that he likes best?”

Jack looked relieved, and for a few minutes he gave a creditable account of his activities riding on the estate and supervising the farm workers. It was the first time since they had met that Julia felt it possible to have anything in common with Jack Douglas. But it was hardly a sound foundation for a relationship to be able only to converse on subjects of minor interest to her.

She had been hoping that Kit Douglas would appear, but there was no sign of him. Julia had agreed with her father before they arrived that neither of them would mention the gift of the new red shoes. Before Julia could put the question herself, her father enquired about the whereabouts of Kit.

“He has been called away at short notice to his godmother’s bedside. The message came three days ago that she is very seriously ill. She is a distant relative of my late wife. We have not yet had any further news from Kit of how she is.”

Jack did not seem to be very interested in this situation, and he began to fidget as he sat beside his father. Julia was beginning to think that they had stayed long enough, despite the obvious anxiety of their host that his son should show himself in a better light.

Perhaps fortunately, Reuben entered the room at that point to ask that Jack should return to the farmyard where an emergency had arisen.

“Of course you must go,” said Julia’s father immediately. “Thank you for sparing the time to see us, Jack.”

Jack nodded and made his escape so rapidly that Julia wondered whether he had made a prior arrangement to be called away.