Lord Barry's Dream House Read Free Page B

one who is likely to be much sought after by all the mamas with daughters to marry off. I think it would be nice if you were to catch his eye, for you are undeniably lovely, and if he is anything like his father, he must be a handsome man.”
    “Yes, Mama,” Lady Barbara answered dutifully. She had heard this speech so often she might have matched it word for word.
    Further directions were denied when Lord Barry entered the room and brought all conversation to a halt. The man was simply too elegant for words, Juliana thought. None of his garments were of themselves the sort to draw attention, but the whole, on him, captured the eye and interest of the beholder. Barbara was speechless.
    “Welcome to our home, Lord Barry,” Lady Hamilton said with practiced ease. “I regret that my husband is not here to greet you. He came to an untimely end last winter.” Her manners were impeccable, her black sarcenet dress fitted her with queenly grace, and her smile was most genuine. “I knew your father well,” she said simply, without elaboration as some might have given.
    “Fine man,” Uncle George chimed in. “I gather you have been minding the plantations in Jamaica. How goes it there?”
    “Quite well, thank you,” Lord Barry replied with an elegant show of manners to the elder members before turning to face the lovely Lady Barbara and Lady Kitty, now introduced as Katherine.
    Lord Barry scarcely noticed the younger girl, concentrating on the exquisite Barbara instead. “Charmed, my lady.”
    Juliana placed a protective arm about her youngest sister’s shoulder and said, “I believe dinner is ready. Following that, I had best have a meeting with our guest, if you will permit, dear Mama.”
    Lady Hamilton, for once seeming flustered, nodded, then gestured to the guest. He immediately offered his arm, and they walked to the dining room, the others falling in behind.
    “Are you nervous, puss?” Uncle George murmured in her ear before seating her at the table.
    She nodded, not trusting herself to speech.
    The meal went off well, considering the tense strain present in all but Barbara, who managed to look demure and flirtatious at the same time. Lord Barry parried her social chatter with practiced ease for one who had been off across the ocean in the wilds of Jamaica.
    Once the covers had been removed and a tasteful dessert served, Lady Hamilton rose and gave Juliana a significant look. “I shall withdraw along with Barbara and Kitty. George, you may do as you please. You always do. Juliana, I expect you to give Lord Barry a full accounting.”
    “I propose we forgo the customary port after dinner and retreat to the library,” Uncle George suggested as he rose from the table. Juliana slipped from her chair to join him. Lord Barry had risen the moment that Lady Hamilton had announced her intention to leave them, and now he strolled toward Juliana.
    She gulped and hurried to the door, leading the way down the hall to the pleasing confines of the library, which held many books on architecture and construction. The room was a favorite one, furnished with comfortable chairs, and had a pleasant fire in the grate. Once they were settled in those chairs, Lord Barry studied Juliana, then said, “I believe I am due a few explanations.”
    “Yes, my lord,” Juliana replied in her most conciliatory manner. “When Papa died, I could not bear to see another take over the project, especially the man who sought to do so. I had served as Papa’s assistant and secretary—as I mentioned before—and felt that with Henry’s help I could finish the house. I wished to honor my father’s talent and memory. Should someone else have intruded, I feared the plans might be altered drastically and not for the better.” She gave Lord Barry a defiant look.
    “So you failed to mention his passing, but continued to write me as in the past and carried on with the construction? Did it not occur to you that I deserved to know this?”
    Juliana