Finding Him

35l Eighteen

The edges of his fingernails were jagged, piercing into his sweaty palms as he balled his fingers into a fist. Julius hardly felt the pain his nails inflicted on his palms, his attention stolen by the incompetent man who sat before him, giving a silly explanation on why he let Lady Hadley slip out of his hands and into the hands of Daniel.

It was difficult to think past his anger, yet, Julius managed to remain seated. His anger wasn't just aimed at Lord Hadley for letting Hadassah go, it was aimed at himself for letting Hadassah storm out of the church that morning, it was aimed at himself for being angry enough to travel to Rye to burn down his family's manor when he could have remained here to stop his blind brother from taking what belonged to him. He should have been here to stop Hadassah from leaving with Daniel!

“You must help me,” Lord Hadley's desperate voice broke through his thoughts. “I have but a few days to pay off my debts or the bank will take everything.” Julius barely glanced up at Lord Hadley, a frown creasing his face. “You can be certain that once this is sorted, I shall find Hadassah and return her to you. I shall...”

Heaving a loud breath, Julius rose to his feet, his heart thumping in his chest. The old fool was desperate enough to try to trick him, when in reality, there was nothing that could be done; Hadassah would turn eighteen and her marriage to Daniel would stand. Julius knew there wasn't anything either of them could do to stop it, he wasn't about to hand his money to a fool who would prove to be useless to him.

Turning from Lord Hadley, he turned to the exit.

“Wait!” Julius froze in his tracks. “Please, Lord Talbot, do not turn from me when I'm desperate for your help. The girl can be found, I can assure you that she will. I shall find her and return her to you but this is a more pressing issue. You must...”

“I mustn't do anything at your command.” He whispered, his eyes fixed on the exit. “You shall fix your own problems, Lord Hadley or spend the rest of your life living as a commoner. Perhaps this is the price you must pay for allowing the only thing I have ever requested of you, to walk away. Now, I shall walk away and you shall remain to face the consequences of your sour gambling problems.”

Straightening, Julius walked out of the Hadley estate with a glimmer of satisfaction racing through his veins; Lord Hadley would suffer for his betrayal. He, on the other hand, would accept his loss and return home.

✴✴✴

Daniel could sense Hadassah's tension. It wasn't that it was anything new to him, he had nearly gotten used to it for she had been that way since he found her in Sheffield. Perhaps she had even been that way before her disappearance from Rye. However, it seemed to have gotten worse only two days ago. They had been sitting with his mother, indulging in a luncheon, when a maid walked into the parlor to announce his brother's arrival. A loud clashing sound had followed the maid's announcement. Confused and greatly worried, Hadassah had apologized for breaking the teacup and had hurriedly made her way out of the room.

She had spoken very little since then and the distance he thought existed between them, seemed to do nothing but widen.

Shaking his head, he released a tired breath and rose from his position on the edge of the bed. It wasn't difficult to guess where she was, he had sat on that same sofa many times, reading a book. He knew from the silence that she was braiding her hair. Finding the sofa easily, he held out his hand to her.

“Dance with me?” He offered a smile, one he hoped reached his eyes.

The soft movement that followed told him she was rejecting his request even before she spoke. “No.” His countenance immediately fell but he was quick to replace his frown with a smile and place himself beside her.