“Her Highness, the Countess of Lienz.”
Julian looked up from his papers to see his mother standing in the doorway. He slowly put the pen back into the inkwell, taking the time to compose himself. Anger still seethed in his veins over their encounter at the Austrian embassy.
He rose from his chair. “Madam.”
There was no point in attempting any form of warm welcome when it came to his mother, and he would be damned if he was going to address her as ‘your highness’.
She stood in the doorway of his study. Her gaze drifted to the nearby chair, then back to Julian. He ignored her pointed hint at hospitality. He was beyond offering her anything.
“I saw your notice in the newspaper this morning and came to congratulate you,” she said, stepping into the room.
“Thank you,” he replied.
The countess shook her head. “Congratulations on having not only fallen for my jest with the Saunders girl, but for following your father and marrying someone entirely unsuited to you. I do not know what it is with you Palmer men, but you seem determined to be miserable when it comes to marriage. Perhaps that is why you failed to mention your recent betrothal when we met at the embassy.”
He knew he should have expected her to come and gloat over the necklace, but the spiteful manner in which she spoke of Caroline took him by surprise. Even now, his own mother could not offer him her best wishes for happiness. “You do not know Caroline, nor do I intend that you shall. So, if that is your sole purpose in your last visit to Newhall House, then I shall bid you a good day.”
The countess feigned a look of hurt. “Well, just remember I did warn you. I expect that by the time you arrive to visit me in Austria, you will have come to that conclusion yourself. I am assuming you intend to collect your beloved property at some future date. You will need to bring evidence of your marriage and, of course, your bride.”
Taking the countess firmly by the arm, Julian guided her to the front door and out into the street. He closed the door behind him, ignoring her muffled last words.
He could just picture the look of victory on his mother’s face when he and Caroline arrived at the Count of Lienz’s estate, cap in hand, to ask for the Crusader Ruby. She would milk the moment for all it was worth.
It was late morning, not close enough to midday to consider a long lunch, but the need to imbibe was suddenly strong. Grabbing his coat and hat, Julian called for his carriage. If he headed to his club now, he still had time to drink himself into a numb state before he had to face Caroline and the rest of their guests at this evening’s engagement ball.
“Just the chap we have been looking for.”
Julian put down his glass as Francis and Will Saunders claimed the chairs opposite him. “Gentlemen.”
He was most of the way through his third glass of brandy, intending to push on and see if he could make it to five before he called time. A quiet nook in the corner of Brooks, with high-backed chairs facing toward the fireplace, had given him what he thought was the right amount of privacy.
Caroline’s brother Will, however, was a man capable of finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. His years as an undercover agent for the British crown in Paris had honed his skills of espionage to a fine point.
“To what do I owe this honor?” said Julian.
Francis summoned a nearby waiter, and ordered two bottles of wine and a platter of food. It was clear that both he and Will intended to stay.
“We wanted to have a chat about our sister,” said Francis.
“And the lack of enthusiasm that she has noted on your part since the announcement of your engagement. We just want to make sure that everything is right between the two of you, especially before tonight,” added Will.
Julian picked up his brandy glass and downed the last of its contents in one long gulp. He sat for a moment, rueing the fact that his drink was yet to dull his senses to the desired level. Will’s words did have an effect.
Caroline was worried that he had got cold feet.
Fool.
Once more, he had let his mother get to him and blind him to what really mattered. The necklace was worth a small fortune, but Caroline’s heart was priceless.
“Is there anything we can do?” offered Francis.
Julian sighed. “No. Not unless you are offering to strangle my lovely mother.”
Francis and Will collectively groaned.
“I take it that her highness has been her usual pleasant self,” replied Will.
“Let us just say that the conversation with her at the Austrian embassy did not go well. My father, God rest his soul, signed over the necklace to her, on the condition that she only has to return it when a new countess comes into the title. So, until I marry, I cannot claim it back. And yes, she was her usual charming self about it, thank you for asking,” he replied.
He did not want to make mention of the unkind words the countess had said about Caroline. He had seen them for what they were: a means to bait him into anger.
“So why not marry now, and claim the necklace before she leaves England?” replied Francis.
Julian had promised Caroline the wedding of her dreams. A full service at St Paul’s, married by her uncle the Bishop of London. A glittering ball at Strathmore House would follow, attended by all of London’s social elite. His mother would not steal that from his bride.
He was determined that their marriage celebration would be a triumph for Caroline. One that put all rumors by Harry Menzies to rest. She was Julian’s chosen bride and his countess. “I understand what you are saying, and if it were anyone else, I might consider it, but this is Caroline. I would not do that to her. Not after what she has been through. She deserves a full society wedding, reflective of her status, and I am determined that she will have it.”
Will and Francis exchanged a knowing look.
Two servants arrived at that moment, one carrying two bottles of French burgundy, the other, a platter of cold meats and pickles.
Will reached over and picked up a piece of cold pickled pork and looked at it. Just before he put it in his mouth, he met Julian’s gaze. “How about the three of us have a glass or two of this fine wine and discuss the options before us?”