“She must be at the opera on Wednesday, Callie,” Mariana repeated, then said to Juliana, “You will come with us, of course.”
Of course, Mariana was right. Wednesday was opening night at the Theatre Royal and the perfect event at which to launch Juliana into society. She would be introduced as delicately as possible, only having to interact with the ton before and after the opera, and during its intermission.
Callie nodded her agreement. “Wednesday is, of course, the perfect day.”
The modiste, who had remained quiet through the conversation, finally spoke. “It is Monday, my ladies. I can finish the gown for Wednesday, but not without having my girls work through the night.” The meaning was clear.
Callie smiled. Ralston had put her in charge. And he had said money was no object. “Her brother is the Marquess of Ralston. I am certain he will approve the charge.”
Madame Hebert did not press the issue and sharply ordered two of her girls to begin the dress immediately.
Once outside, the trio began a whirlwind tour of the shops of Bond Street and beyond. After visiting the milliner, they made their way down a small, narrow street, and Juliana stopped to gaze through a bookshop window. Turning back to her companions, she said, “Would you mind terribly if we went in? I should like to purchase something for my brothers. To thank them for their kindness.”
“What an excellent idea!” Never one to avoid a bookseller, Callie opened the door with a wide smile, motioning for Juliana to enter ahead of her.
The tinkling of a small bell welcomed the young women into the shop and alerted its proprietor to their presence. With a polite nod, he quickly returned to his work, and Callie and Mariana moved to browse the latest novels, leaving Juliana to consider an appropriate gift for her brothers.
The younger girl had never considered how difficult it might be to choose the perfect gift for Ralston and St. John—something that spoke to their unique interests and would hold additional meaning as the first gift they received from their new, unexpected sister.
After a quarter of an hour of browsing, Juliana had finally selected a large book of illustrations of Pompeii for Nick, hoping that his love of the ancient world would make it the perfect gift.
Ralston, however, presented a challenge. She knew so little of him, aside from the long hours he spent at his piano late at night. Moving through the shop, Juliana ran her fingers along the spines of large, leather-bound tomes, wondering what might be the right choice for her eldest brother.
Finally, she paused, lingering over a German volume on Mozart, nibbling on her lower lip as she considered the book.
“If one is looking for a biography of Mozart, there is none better than that. Niemetschek knew the maestro personally.”
Juliana started, spinning toward the voice.
Scant inches away, stood the most beautiful man she had ever seen.
He was tall and broad, with eyes the color of honey warmed in the sun. The late-afternoon light that streamed into the bookshop played on his golden curls and underscored the perfect lines of his straight nose and strong jaw.
“I—” She stopped, her mind racing as she attempted to remember the rules of conduct for such a situation. Callie and she had never discussed proper conduct when approached by an angel in regard to musical biographies. Certainly it would not be inappropriate to thank him. Would it? “Thank you.”
“My pleasure. I hope you will enjoy it.”
“Oh, it is not for me. It is a gift. For my brother.”
“Ah, well then I hope he will enjoy it.” He paused, and they stared at each other for a long moment.
Juliana grew nervous in the silence, eventually saying, “I am sorry, sir. I am fairly certain that we are not allowed to converse.”
He gave her a small, crooked smile, sending a wave of warmth through her. “Only fairly certain?”
“Almost positive. I am new to London and your rules, but I seem to remember something about our needing to be introduced.” Her blue eyes flashed.
“That is a pity. What do you think will happen if we were discovered? Discussing books in a public place by light of day?”
The scandal in his tone drew a little laugh from her. “One never knows. The earth might well swallow us whole for such a dangerous activity.”
“Well, I would hate to place a lady in such imminent danger. And so, I will take my leave, and hope that someday we will have cause for proper introductions.”
For a fleeting moment, she considered calling Callie or Mariana over to make the introductions, but she felt certain that kind of thing was not done. Instead, she blinked up at the golden man. “I shall hope the same.”
He bowed low then, and was gone, the only sign that he had been there at all the faint tinkling of the bell above the bookshop’s door announcing his exit.
Unable to stop herself, Juliana moved to the window, watching him as he strode down the street.
“Juliana?” Callie spoke from nearby. “Have you selected your books?”
Turning with a smile, Juliana nodded. “I have. Do you think that Gabriel will enjoy a biography on Mozart?”
Callie considered the title. “I think that is a fine choice.”
Juliana took a deep breath, pleased. “Tell me, do you know that man?”
Mari followed the direction of Juliana’s gaze, taking in the tall, golden man moving quickly away from the shop. Wrinkling her nose, she looked back at Juliana and said, “Why?”
“No reason,” Juliana hedged, “He is…familiar.”
Mari shook her head. “I doubt you know him. I can’t imagine his even deigning to visit Italy, let alone actually speak to someone Italian.”