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fact, but she knew well that, though a London season was a heavy financial burden, an unmarried daughter—especially one of five—could be even more so.
    Julia glumly dropped her chin onto her folded knees, curling her arms around her legs. Thus far, her family had behaved quite unconventionally toward their guest—that is, their newest family member, as he had referred to himself—but then again, he did seem to like it.
    So, did he like them?
    Did he like her ?
    From what Julia had seen of James so far, he was . . . well, wonderful. She couldn’t seem to stop thinking about him. His clever face, his warm smile, his low laugh, his long body. She only wished she’d been able to see more of it. Of him.
    She felt her face heat again. This time, the heat spread into her fingers, making them tingle, and into the pit of her stomach, tickling it with nervous excitement.
    James was exactly the sort of man she wanted to meet in London. Exactly the sort of man she’d like for a husband.
    She had to remember, though, that he was also the man who was going to marry her sister.
    Suddenly, she felt like using all her most unladylike vocabulary words.

Chapter 4
    In Which Louisa Is Offered a Bathtub Shaped Like the Sphinx
    In the library, James and Louisa were completely oblivious to Julia’s fit of confusion outside the door as they enjoyed their first private conversation in, it seemed to James, the weeks since his proposal. As soon as the door had closed behind him, he strode over to the red Grecian-style sofa on which Louisa was seated.
    He wondered what type of greeting would be proper in this situation. A man should be affectionate with his future wife, of course, but he still felt the distance of unfamiliarity looming between them.
    After the briefest of pauses, he caught up her hands in his and kissed first one, then the other.
    â€œGood morning, my dear. You look more beautiful than ever.”
    This was no exaggeration; Louisa was a lovely woman. Her wide brown eyes were bright, and her thick dark hair was coiled up neatly and caught back from her face by a pale green band that matched her print morning dress. The color brought out the rich tones of her hair and the delicate pink of her cheeks, which blushed in response to his words.
    Louisa cast her gaze down and motioned for him to sit next to her. “Nonsense; that’s just fine talk. But it’s kind of you, so I’ll let it pass even though I know it’s ridiculous.”
    â€œIt’s the perfect truth, I swear. I’m very glad to see you alone this morning. It has been quite a while, and we have much to talk about.”
    â€œOh?” she asked, lifting her eyes. “I am glad to see you, too, of course, but what subject has arisen so suddenly?”
    â€œNothing sudden; just talk about our marriage. Before I talk to your father—which is, of course, one of the reasons for my visit here—I wanted to consult your wishes as to the time and scale of the ceremony.”
    Again he reached for her hands as he moved closer to her on the sofa. Gazing at her intently, he added, “I would like to be married as soon as possible.”
    This had been his plan even before arriving at Stonemeadows Hall; a key motivation for his swift engagement had been an equally swift—though respectably so—marriage. Now that he had arrived, he was also disconcerted by his unexpected attraction to Julia, and he determined to squelch it at once by cementing his tie with his fiancée.
    Except Louisa didn’t react as he’d thought she would.
    Based on his experience with women, he expected a warm, eager response, possibly even followed by an animated discussion of where to get the wedding gown. He wasn’t sorry to be spared the discourse on fashion, but still—when Louisa only stared at him, startled, he felt his heart sink a bit.
    â€œI see,” was her only initial response. She hesitated a moment,