Teresa, Melanie Merton’s cousin, shook her head so swiftly her blonde ringlets bobbed beside her ears. “I must return home. I promised Val my help. I look forward to seeing you again soon, Lady Watson. Miss Radley.”
The woman hurried out, leaving silence in her wake.
“Not one word from Miss Merton for months, and I’m glad.” Imogen shook her head. “We were never really her kind of people.”
Melanie Merton’s “people” consisted of older women, ladies who’d never climb a fence let alone race a man, ladies who would have thrown a fit of vapors at merely a quarter of Julia’s physical achievements. The type to stand around and tell other women what to do. Julia hadn’t really missed those uncomfortable moments. “It is still strange to be in Brighton without hearing of her, seeing her, or suffering her disappointed stares from morning till night at this time of year.”
“We will learn to bear the absence.” Imogen sighed and squeezed her hand. “What will you do about your brother?”
“Endure.”
Imogen burst out laughing. “Are you not being a trifle melodramatic, my dear?”
“It’s all I can do.” She sighed and twisted a red curl around her finger and tugged savagely. “Mr. Merton spoke to me on my way here but I could tell he’d rather have ignored me again. That’s almost as bad as being shouted at.”
Lectured, expected to give up her hoydenish ways and concentrate on finding a husband. Yes, ignored and avoided was ten times worse than anything her brother had thrown her way.
“It’s not as if I was the one to insist he marry me. For heaven’s sake, he should know that was all Linus’s doing. A clever man like Mr. Valentine Merton would not want me for a wife. The idea must have been mortifying. It is no wonder he avoids me now.”
“I had thought better of him too but perhaps he’s more like Melanie than we realized.”
“I never thought so. He was ten times more fun once.” She sighed. “Well, there is no denying I was faster in the water than him. I need a new challenge to set for myself now.”
“Another? Oh heaven help us.”
Julia patted Imogen’s hand soothingly. “Fully dressed, I promise. Next time I will not have to pester the fellow to race me. I have learned my lesson. I will not bother Mr. Merton again. They must want the challenge too.”
Imogen smiled. “Perhaps, now the dare is over, Mr. Merton simply doesn’t know what to say. Men often don’t understand that silence causes more harm than good.”
“Linus has never had a problem in expressing his opinions.” She stood, suddenly keen to put the past behind her. “However, I think it’s high time Mr. Merton and I sorted this out or I shall not bother to look at him again.”
“I do not like to see you so upset, and over something that cannot be changed.” Imogen gestured toward the window. “Is the sky free of clouds?”
“Yes. Oh!” she exclaimed. Understanding at last how she might just corner Valentine Merton for a private tête-à-tête without her brother, or anyone else, knowing brought a grin to her face. “If the sky is clear of clouds tonight, Mr. Merton will almost certainly be stargazing. He is always alone for that. Oh, Imogen, you are a genius.”
“I’ve heard that before from Abigail.” Imogen bit her lip. “Now, make sure no one sees you sneak out to him. I don’t think there is any reasonable excuse that can save your reputation from a second scandal, should you be caught alone with him tonight.”
“I won’t be caught.” She grinned, imagining Mr. Merton’s ease once their misunderstanding was behind them. “I promise to be on my very best behavior.”
Two
There was nothing more comforting than dining in a home where every breath is accompanied by the ticking of two dozen clocks. When they chimed all at once, the noise deafened. Valentine Merton was accustomed to the racket, being in the habit of keeping the clocks he made in his workshop properly wound at all times. “What do you think of my chances, sir?”
Mr. Faraday, an elderly man with a shock of white hair and failing eyesight, waited until the house was silent again before replying. “Your application has caused quite a stir among the company.”
He schooled his features not to show his eagerness at the news. Interest was what he hoped for most, rather than outright dismissal. He was an unusual candidate, without the years of training most possessed, but Faraday had claimed he had a gift and he was determined to grasp this chance to make a change in his life for the better. “How so?”
Mr. Faraday slipped his glasses on and then picked up a pocket watch left on the table, Valentine’s latest creation. He turned the piece over in his hands, inspecting every aspect. He brought the watch very close to his face so his failing eyesight could make out the finer detail. “You have accomplished much on your own, sir. An item such as this will no doubt delight the eventual owner.” He set the pocket watch aside and turned his attention to the small ormolu mantel clock next. “Very elegant, sure to be desirable to any home of good taste and distinction. Yes, your customers will love them both and tell all their friends.”
The praise reassured him. “I’m very proud of both pieces.”
“As you should be.” Mr. Faraday removed his glasses and carefully folded them. “My eyes these days are not so good for the finer details required for my career anymore. It is a great disappointment to me not to be able to pursue my profession a
s earnestly as I once did. As it is, I shall have to close my shop soon.”
“The end of a great era,” Valentine murmured. The loss of sight could end a career and make one very anxious. Valentine required neither eyeglasses nor magnification for the finer detailed work. He was luckier than most, he’d been told. “I can understand a little of how you must feel.”
Faraday set his eyeglasses aside. “How is Lady Watson getting on these days?”