by Anna Macy
“I knew that if I was discovered in Robert’s rooms, or even in his arms,” Juliet turned a brilliant shade of pink at these words, “I-I knew that Lady Catherine would insist upon the earlier wedding date to cover up any potential scandal.”
Juliet raised her dark eyes to his; they were filled to the brim with longing and desperation. “I want you to understand, I am an honorable woman, and I would’ve made Robert an excellent wife.”
William was struck silent again; this girl was always doing that to him. His brows were low as he stepped up to her, their bodies only inches apart.
“But do you do mean to marry me, Juliet?” he murmured. With the quiet of the garden surrounding him, his words seemed to echo around them, reverberating through her body. Searching his face, Juliet gave him the answer he was dreading the most.
“I have to.” Juliet opened those full lips again, obviously looking to discuss the subject further, when William stepped back sharply, leaving her hand hanging mid-air.
“You have to?” William asked again, suspicion lacing his low voice. “What aren’t you telling me, Juliet?” Again, a cloud of suspicion seemed to surround them. From his own time out in society, women typically only moved up wedding dates to validate the children that were born into that family. If Juliet were indeed pregnant, that would change things altogether. At least he believed it would.
Juliet had caught onto the implication, and she turned a pasty white under a flaming blush. She followed his retreat, stepped up against his body, her finger jabbing into the hard planes of his chest.
“I made a grave error in judgment last night, but please understand that my integrity remains intact. And now that we have gotten a chance to get to know each other more, you don’t have to worry about anything like last night ever happening again.”
Her dark eyes glared into his with disdain, even as the heat from his body seemed to surround her. The soft scent of sandalwood and shaving cream invaded her nostrils as she boldly held her body against his, her anger heating her blood.
William almost smiled at her response, not just at the relief that he would not be parenting another man’s child, but at the reappearance of the passionate woman who had charged into his life last night. The demure, soft-spoken lady from this morning made him nervous.
A voice rang out from above. Lady Catherine’s was calling her name. Dropping a quick curtsy, Juliet began to walk back up to the main house to appease Lady Catherine's request from above.
“Goodbye, William,” she said quietly over her shoulder.
He did not answer but instead stared at the elegant length of her neck as she made her way back up to the main party. That had not gone to plan at all, and now he feared he had made things even worse.
CHAPTER FIVE
When Juliet made her way up to the bright, sun-filled porch, Lady Catherine was waiting for her. With surprising strength, the older woman quickly gripped Juliet by the elbow and marched her right into a small circle of women, all of whom were sipping drinks and whispering amongst themselves. These must be the latest arrivals for Nicholas’ summer ball.
“This is the young lady I was just telling you about,” Lady Catherine said loudly, presenting Juliet to the group.
Juliet smiled kindly, looking from face to face and seeing several she briefly recognized from parties this past summer. She had only been out in society for part of the year, and it had not gone very smoothly. It was doubtful that any of these women would remember her, even with her prominent family.
To her surprise, one woman, a lady in her thirties with a rather flashy yellow hat across her silver and blonde curls, immediately leaned in.
“Well, of course we know Lady Juliet. She made quite the splash this spring, even if she was only in town for a few weeks.”
Juliet looked at her, surprised. She didn’t remember much other than the overwhelming nature of the seasons’ biggest parties and events.
“My name is Eloise Jones. We met at Lord Hasselten’s house the first weekend of the season.” She held her hand out for a brief, kind embrace.
Juliet flushed, taking the soft hand that was held out to her. Stuttering, Juliet tried to bring up any memory of the smiling face. “I’m very sorry, my Lady, I have a poor memory,” Juliet got out. Immediately Eloise waved her comments aside.
“Oh, don’t be silly. I have a son a few years younger than you; the poor boy couldn’t keep his eyes off you or his mouth shut about you for weeks. I’m sure he would’ve asked you to dance a hundred times over if he had had the chance.”
Juliet blushed prettily as the ladies around them chuckled. Introductions were quickly made to the rest, and while Eloise seemed to be the leader, several others looked at Juliet with envy and rapt curiosity.
A few of the younger ladies in their group eyed her with a sharp edge of competition, and their mothers looked on eagerly, waiting for any signs of gossip or knowledge to lock away. Juliet couldn’t help but wonder if Lady Catherine had already disclosed that she might be marrying the Marquess, not her own son.
While they hadn’t officially announced her marriage to Robert yet, Juliet was sure that some people had to have come to that conclusion.
Juliet had loved her brief stay in town. It had been her mother and Stepfather who had sent her home to Greystone after only a few weeks. Marshall, her stepfather, claimed that it was too stressful for her mother to endure all of the societal pressures of having a daughter out in society.
Juliet had followed orders but suspected that it may have been more due to her questioning the absence of staff and items that had always been present in the Greystone townhome in London.
As if thinking the same thing, Lady Catherine suddenly broke into the casual small talk. “Oh, William,” she called out to the man who was stalking by, “Come here for a moment, please.”
Juliet groaned silently, forcing a smile as the stone-faced man dutifully approached. Steps away, Juliet was surprised to see that his face suddenly lit up into a wide, charming smile turning his silver eyes molten.
Stopping just short of their little party. Deliberately forcing herself to stare straight ahead, Juliet got a firsthand look at the immediate change on every female's face at his arrival.
For the young, single females and their mothers, the eyed William like he was a prized stud on display. And instead of shrinking away, the man seemed to be reveling in the attention, which only confused Juliet more.
Was he the passionate, hot-blooded man she had happened upon just last night, the polished, stern-faced aristocrat, or the charming young man who was about to cause at least one female in their group to swoon any moment? The man fascinated her.
After a moment of silence, Eloise broke the transfixed ladies by reaching out to pat the sleeve of William. His charming smile never faltered as he spoke, “Lady Eloise, lovely to see you again.”
Eloise narrowed her eyes, “Now, William, don’t you try to flatter your way into my heart. Mr. Jones will simply not be able to handle the competition. Nor will my poor heart.” Chuckling, Juliet could see Lady Catherine cover a smile with her hand.
“I’ve heard that you may be a taken man,” Eloise gushed, her eyes stealing away to glance at Juliet. For a moment, Juliet swore the moment winked at her.
Then every eye turned to William for affirmation, the air humming with anticipation of his answer. A glance up at the man beside her sent heat straight to her belly. He was looking at her, breathing deeply, the smile fading from his face.
It made her feel like she was the only other person on the entire planet. Her eyes widened as she almost stepped back at the intensity of his stare. Immediately his eyes softened, and with something close to affection, William’s hand gently reached out to take hers. Bringing it to his lips with excruciating patience, he brushed his lips across her knuckles. Heat, sharp and tangy, raced down Juliet’s spine.
His lips quirked. He knew what he was doing.
Finally, pulling his gaze from her, Juliet fe
lt like she had been released from a spell. It shocked her that mere seconds had passed when it had felt like centuries should have.
“Not taken yet, but I believe that will be changing soon,” William said, looking straight at Eloise with one brow lifted. Juliet dared to raise her eyes back to the group. Every one of them pinning Juliet with a collection of murderous and jealous stares.
Biting into her bottom lip, she worried it gently with her teeth, resisting the urge to pick up her hand and look at it. Could she still see the path that his lips had taken? It felt like a fire dragged across the surface of her skin when he had kissed her so deliberately in front of these ladies.
Her breath left her suddenly. If he was kissing her hand here, he must have decided to go forward with the relationship. Whatever that relationship may be, no man would risk the wagging tongues unless he were serious. Juliet was overwhelmed with relief, and she still felt a nagging pull in the back of her mind at his earlier words.
Perhaps he did mean to follow through with the marriage, as Lady Catherine had strongly advised him. But that didn’t change the fact that Juliet had no idea where she stood with the Marquess of Mansfield Park.
When Juliet dared to look back at him, William was looking at her again, this time with confusion written across his features. Blinking, Juliet turned back to the group to accept the congratulations and happy wishes from the ladies all around her.
William leaned close to Lady Catherine, her head nodding as he whispered something quickly in her ear, and then giving a hasty bow, the Marquess made his escape to the main house. Juliet sorely wished to follow him, if not to avoid the fake well wishes that surrounded her, but to simply remain close to him. She felt like there was so much more that needed to be said.
It was hours before Juliet was able to beg off from the lady’s luncheon and escape to her room. She felt like she might collapse straight into bed, but the moment she sat down, Amelia bustled straight up to her. “Messages for you, my Lady.”
Sighing, Juliet flopped into a plush chair, taking the folded notes from Amelia with a deep sigh. The first was a short quick message from Marian asking her to see her in her rooms later in the day. But the second, it jolted Juliet out of her chair and across the room in seconds.
Grabbing Amelia by her shoulders, Juliet shoved the note in her face. “What are we going to do?” Amelia shushed her gently, as if she was a small child again, before picking up the note to read it herself.
To her credit, Amelia’s face didn’t give away the surprise that Juliet knew she shared. Folding the note back up, she reached up and took one of Juliet’s hands in hers, squeezing tightly, Amelia comforted her mistress.
“It’s going to be okay, my dear Lady,” Juliet tried to smile, but her lips only quivered instead. “I’ve got to speak with the butler; please don’t panic yet. At least until I return.” Amelia finished, putting the folded paper in her apron pocket and hurrying out of the bedroom.
Amelia stared after her maid; one hand plastered to her mouth. Before she lost her nerve, she dashed out after her, but instead of heading down the hall to the main stairs, she turned and made her way to the guest rooms Marian was staying in.
“You’re never going to believe this,” Juliet said, quickly shutting the door behind her and turning to her friend.
***
William had marched straight from his conversation with Lady Catherine and her bevy of ladies straight to the study for a much-needed drink. He prayed to God that Robert was in there. There were some serious accusations that he needed to answer for. Not to mention countless apologies that William needed to make to his friend.
Walking in, he was relieved to find not only Robert but also Nicholas sitting in the room. Each man looked up as William entered.
“Ah, you made it out of the wolves' den,” Nicholas slapped his shoulder in welcome.
“No thanks to you,” William retorted, peeling his jacket off and flinging it over the back of a nearby chair before falling dramatically across the unoccupied sofa. Chuckling, Nicholas propped himself directly across, and Robert came to stand nonchalantly behind.
William looked over and noticed both men's faces, as different as night and day in appearance, both had the same impatient expression. It was one of anticipation and expectation.
William slung his legs over and immediately leaned forward on his elbows, his hands rubbing across his face. “Robert. Robert, I need to tell you how incredibly sorry I am about everything with Juliet. I mean it. I didn’t know who she was.”
Robert’s blonde hair, curling in the humid air, caught the light as he ducked his head. When he raised his eyes, a shadow of a smile on his face, yet his expression held a sadness that threatened to crush William.
“I know you would never purposefully hurt me, William. There is no need for any more apologies, except for perhaps from me to you.”
William looked at him quizzically, and Nicholas turned to look over his shoulder, confused as well. “After all,” he continued, his voice growing rich with suppressed humor, “if I hadn’t been walking along with Mother, who knows what would’ve happened. And maybe far before that, if I hadn’t ignored the poor woman, we wouldn’t be in this situation either.” Robert shrugged his broad shoulders, the overcoat he wore protesting the exaggerated movement.
William sighed, looking down at his hands and watching as his knuckles slowly loosened, relaxed. He wanted to be angry, and he wanted to growl and shout about the situation. Maybe run to the stable for a hard, fast ride on one of the horses. Or better yet, a quick, brutal boxing match with Robert to settle the score. Anything to take away the writhing, nagging pull in his gut.
Or at least he thought that is what he wanted. His mind was full of the way Juliet had looked up at him, those unbelievably thick lashes fluttering as she had stood tall and proud as those harpies glared at the beautiful newcomer.
Her quiet solidarity had won him over faster than any of her words ever had. It was her strength at that moment that stole just the smallest corner of his heart. He may have been distant and a bit severe lately, but it was because of the mantle that had always been placed upon his shoulders.
William didn’t want to be the cold, cruel-hearted villain in Juliet’s story. That had been the role his father had played in his wife’s life. In the deepest part of his heart, he wanted to be the hero. And it was that idea that scared him more than anything else.
He needed a drink—a strong one.
“You can’t blame yourself for things far outside of your control. Shall we call it a draw then? I’d like to get back to the way things were before.”
Nicholas and Robert looked at each other, exchanging worried glances, and then slowly turned back to William. William realized how he must sound.
“Or rather, back to things being as normal as they can be, seeing as I may be getting married in a few weeks.” William corrected himself.
He felt the collective sigh from his friends, and a part of him was offended that they thought he would try to negate his part of the deal. While he might be upset at the nature of things, he would never leave a woman, especially this one, out for the crows of society to pick at and torture.
Nicholas stood and walked to the bar cart, his lean frame blocking the view as he poured them all drinks, his hands a whirl as he orchestrated a small draught for himself and Robert. He made William’s last and presented it grandly, more than twice as much amber-colored bourbon in the glass.
“For you, a double.” William looked at Nicholas, his expression baffled.
“You might need it. After all, this is the part where you tell us everything that happened.” Robert grinned at him; white teeth bared as he took a sip of his drink.
“Start at the beginning, old man; we want to hear exactly how you came to meet Lady Juliet.” Nicholas pressed the glass firmly into William’s hand and quickly retook his seat.
Both men stared expectantly at William, Nicholas’s foot bobbed in the air, counting the
seconds that passed, and William considered what damage sharing this story might cause. And what damage not telling them might do as well.
Expertly swirling the drink, William watched the deep brown spirit tease the lip of the glass. William thought back to last night and the passionate, proud creature who had come hurtling into his life. To his surprise, his chest warmed, and it felt like suddenly he was too big for his skin. Sitting back, letting his body sink into the heavily pillowed chair, William began his story.
By the end, both Nicholas and Robert were guffawing, each holding their torso’s as if the good humor might burst from them with force. William rolled his eyes, rubbing his hand across his temples, but he was secretly glad the story had amused them. It meant that it was in actuality as ridiculous to hear as it had been to live through.