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not so unlike Julianna when it came to love. "What of the young swains? Is there anyone you're hoping to meet, some titled lord you've read about in the papers?"
    Evie tilted her head. "I haven't thought much on it. There will be so many men. I'm sure to find one who doesn't bore me silly."
    Julianna laughed. "That is all you require in a husband?"
    The girl 's cheeks colored beautifully. "I don't know what I require. Surely I'll know when I meet him. What about you? Why are you unmarried? Don't tell me it's because you live with your aunt and can't go to London. You're pretty enough to find a beau without leaving your home."
    Now it was Julianna's turn to blush. "You exaggerate. But I did have a few beaux when I was in London. There was nothing about any of them that stood out, though. I couldn't see choosing one to spend my life with, when any of them would just as easily have suited. I can walk into the modiste's and find one pattern that stands out from the others. Surely there must be a man I could feel the same about."
    Evie 's eyebrows rose and a giggle escaped her. "You can't mean it. You can't compare finding a husband to buying a new gown!"
    " I suppose I can't. But there is my point. Perhaps I'm not meant to marry. I don't dream of having children, I dream of visiting Vienna."
    " You could go to Vienna on your wedding trip," Evie suggested. "But what will you do with the rest of your life if not have children?"
    Julianna had hoped Evie, of all people, would understand. There must truly be something lacking in Julianna to not long for a family. "I'm beginning to ask myself that very thing. I almost wish I had stayed with Aunt Phillips. You see, I had decided never to marry. And was quite content with that decision."
    A knowing light brigh tened Evie's face. "Do you mean to say you are developing an attachment to Nash?"
    Leaning back in her chair, Julianna closed her eyes. "I am not at all certain what I mean."
    <>
    Reaching the bottom of the staircase, Nash slowed to a more respectable pace and walked down the hall to the drawing room where everyone gathered before dinner. He was quite pleased with his afternoon spent in the nursery. Frank and Everett were beyond enchanted with the idea he proposed to them for the Twelfth Night entertainment. All he'd had to do was display the toy swords to gain the boys' attention.
    Keeping their attention was another story, but what they would lack in polish, they 'd more than make up for in enthusiasm. Nash would practice with them each day and hope they wouldn't forget all when they stood in front of a crowded room. His mother and their guests would enjoy the result no matter how it turned out.
    Nash hadn 't realized how long he'd taken in changing for dinner until he saw everyone else had already come below stairs. One could usually count on a sister or two to be the last to arrive. No one commented on his tardiness, so he located Geoff. "Did Mother tell you I'm helping the twins with an entertainment for the party?"
    " She did. Whatever did she threaten to gain your assistance?"
    " Would you believe I volunteered? And I wasn't even foxed. I can't say I'm certain what's come over me since I returned home."
    " You can't? I could venture a guess." Geoff leaned back briefly, giving Nash a clear view of Lady Julianna sitting with her sister.
    " Don't be absurd. If I wished to marry, I'd be better off choosing a young lady who was also looking to marry." Or so he'd been telling himself hourly.
    " If marriage is your intent, I have no objection. I might even be convinced to assist your suit."
    Nash raised a brow at his older brother. "You think me incapable of winning her on my own?"
    Geoff grinned. "Just as I suspected. You can't hide anything from me. Even Mother has mentioned you two have been seen walking together. If you aren't careful, Lord Carrington will call you out."
    " For speaking to her in passing when I discover her in the park? Don't make me laugh. If I had done