Janet Aylmer: Julia and the Master of Morancourt

Her father took off the lid. He looked at the rich silk lining, and then took out one of the red shoes.

As Julia had done, he ran his hand along the smooth leather. He looked at her, smiled, then took out the other shoe and put both of them on her bed.

“So this is the note?” he said, looking at the piece of paper still in the box.

“Yes. Please read it.” And she sat down on the bed and waited.

Her father read through the note slowly, and then read it again. He looked thoughtful. “No, this was not written by Harry Douglas. I would guess that the author is Kit?”

“Yes, I believe so. I recognized the writing—from the lists that he had made of the books in the library.”

Her father looked at her warily, then said slowly, “Julia, young men do not normally give a valuable gift to young ladies whom they have only met on a single occasion.”

“Yes, I know. And I guess that the shoes may have been made for his mother.”

“Did Harry Douglas tell you that his wife had died just before Kit returned from Spain?”

“Yes.”

“Julia, who knew where you had left your old shoes in Norton Place?”

“Kit Douglas gave them to the butler himself for safekeeping before we went out for our ride.”

Her father looked out of the window for some time, then back at Julia.

“I am not sure quite what to say to you about this. He is the younger son, and you know very well that it is Jack who will inherit the estate. His father told me that Kit had joined the military hoping that he might make his way in the world, since he will only have a modest income otherwise. I would guess—you do not need to answer me—that you might like Kit much better than his elder brother. But it is Jack who could provide you with a secure future.”

“All that you say is true, and I did like Kit better than Jack.”

She felt tears welling in her eyes and fought to hold them back.

“Oh Papa, why cannot life go back to being like it was before the bank in Derby failed and then David was killed? Then I could have done as I want to, and marry whomever I like.”

Her father answered the implied question. “Your mother only has your best interests at heart, and she is trying at the same time to secure the future of both your sisters.”

Julia said nothing, for they had debated all this before, and it was all true. She felt that she was in a prison, with the gates about to close, and with no other options open to her.

Her father sat down beside her on the bed and took her hands in his, and they sat there side by side, and nothing was said for a short time.

Then the sound of voices in the distance reminded them that the rest of the family would be wondering where they were. She put the box back in its hiding place, her father took her hand, and they went downstairs.

“Papa, am I going with you and Julia to the castle next week?” demanded Sophie.

Her mother answered for him. “No, you have not been invited, only Julia will be going with Papa.”

“But I would like to see Emily, for she is my friend as well as Julia’s!”

“I understand that Emily may not be at home, but in any case that is not the purpose of the visit.”

During the remainder of that week, Julia thought once or twice of telling Harriet about the note with the red shoes. It was not that her sister would tell Sophie anything, because Julia knew that Harriet was good at keeping secrets. It was more that Julia herself could not decide how she felt about the situation.

A message came from Mr. Douglas asking Julia and her father to visit him again in a few days’ time. Sophie was miffed, for the note had made no reference to her at all. For once, Mama was happy about this, for she was determined that Julia should have some conversation with Jack Douglas without interruption.

Julia’s father asked her in private whether she was happy to make a second visit to Norton Place. He would not have been surprised if she had refused. But she knew how he valued Harry Douglas’s friendship and agreed to go, provided that it was after her visit to the castle to see the Brandons.

Meanwhile, Mama was anxious to make sure that Julia was clear about how she should behave when she met the Earl and Countess.

Julia had been to Cressborough Castle many times, for she had been to school with Emily in York and had met her uncle and aunt before. Through Emily, she had become friendly with Freddie Brandon. Dominic, his brother, was more than five years older and had been away at university and then in the army for most of the time when Julia had visited Emily.

Since then, as Harriet had reminded her, he had been living in the family house in London, and by all accounts had joined the fast gaming set and was living the high life in town.

Julia imagined that her mother was aware of all of this, but was equally certain that it would not deter her from encouraging the match with Dominic Brandon because of the financial advantages attached.

The day before the visit to the castle, Mama decided to make quite sure that everything was ready. Julia always disliked fuss, and she could see that the next few hours were going to be very tedious. She could have done everything herself, but Mama was determined to be involved in every single detail.

“Have you decided what you’re going to wear tomorrow, Julia? I know that you are very fond of your blue dress, but it is really getting rather shabby at the back. Don’t you think that it might be better to wear something else?”

Julia suspected that it would not make much difference what she replied to this question, for it was very likely that, as usual, her mother had already made up her mind.

“Harriet says that you may borrow the green costume given to her by Aunt Lucy, so I hope that you will agree to that kind offer, for it is a colour that is so becoming to you.”

Julia did not argue. She had no intention of wearing her new red shoes, and even her mother could not possibly insist that they matched the proposed outfit better than her black ones.

“I think you said, Julia, that Lord Brandon bought himself out of the regiment at the end of last year?”

“Yes, I don’t think that soldiering was much to his taste. Emily said, last time I saw her, that Freddie will probably carry on, for he hopes for promotion, and the war with Napoléon is far from being won.”

Julia had often wondered whether it would not have been better if her mother had succumbed to her grief when the news of David’s death came last year. She had not been surprised at herself or her father, who had wept most of their tears in private, but usually her mother, like Sophie, did not conceal her feelings in any situation. It must have been a second devastating blow for her to know that she was going to lose the house after Papa’s death, and would then have a much reduced income.

It was as if Julia had spoken these thoughts aloud.

“Julia, did Freddie Brandon ever mention David’s death to you? I wished at the time that he had told us more about what happened.”

“No, Mama, he didn’t. He only knew what Dominic had told him.”

When the next day came, her mother busied herself in making sure that all the details of Julia’s outfit were perfect, her shoes shined to the highest gloss, her hair washed and dressed in the most becoming ringlets, and everything done so that her eldest daughter was looking her best.

Even Sophie agreed that Julia looked rather fine in the green dress—if she was careful, Harriet might agree to lend the dress to her as well. Julia was not the only person who looked good in green.

Harriet gave Julia a big hug, and whispered in her ear, “Don’t let them make you agree to anything that you don’t want to do. He’s not the only rich young man in the world, and certainly not the nicest.”