by Anna Macy
“If there is anything I am completely sure of is that William always finishes what he starts. I’m sure he has a way to explain to Marshall why you two belong together,” Marian nudged her friend’s knee, “Because you two certainly do. I mean, the sparks flying at Lakeview, and now the letters from him. I believe he’s falling in love with you, Juliet.’
Juliet blushed furiously, and Marian leaned back again against the cushioned settee, giggling maniacally, her hands covering her face.
“When I saw you two together at the summer’s end ball, I think I knew it too,” Marian said softly. Juliet peeked between her fingers. “The way he looked at you, like nothing in the room could compare.” She sighed dramatically, but Juliet heard the honest, wistful tone in her voice too.
“He is,” Juliet stopped, staring off for a moment, “When I’m with him, I just feel complete. Probably for the first time in my life.” She shrugged her shoulders as Marian took a sip of her tea, then added more sugar.
“Ah, yes. It doesn’t hurt that he’s devastatingly handsome and carries one of the oldest titles in England either?” Marian murmured, her bright eyes laughing at Juliet over the brim of her teacup. Juliet swatted her affectionately.
“You and I both know that had nothing to do with it. I don’t need a title. I never have.”
“I know, but had to point it out in case you’d forgotten you can use that to your advantage too,” Marian looked at her sideways, “Why any father, or stepfather in your case, would forego the chance to see their daughter happily married. And married to a Marquess, no less, is beyond me. I can’t even imagine how my father would act if I came to him, half in love with a marquess. I would’ve been married before the ink dried on the newspaper.”
Juliet shrugged her shoulder. Trying to find a way to change the topic to something more lighthearted, Juliet stirred her tea, smiling widely at her friend. “Since we have a moment, I don’t suppose we could bring up the way that you and Nicholas look at each other? Hmm? Maybe I’m not the only one at the Summer Finale who stumbled into love.”
Marian calmly put her tea down, leveling Juliet with a sharp expression on her pretty face. “He is handsome and ridiculously charming, but it just doesn’t feel like there is something there.”
She shrugged a little, her eyes downcast. “Besides, I’m practically an old spinster at this point, and I don’t want to interfere with his chances of finding a bride. And at this rate, he and Robert will be old and grey before they are ready to settle down.”
Juliet patted her friend’s forearm, “You are no spinster, Marian. Someone perfect is out there, waiting to find you. I know it.”
Shaking off the mood, Marian quickly changed courses, poking Juliet’s shoulder, “Maybe I should just wait until someone visits and jump them in their bedroom.”
Juliet’s jaw dropped, and she feigned horror at the statement but secretly enjoyed the rousing jokes and fun. She had been alone so much of her life; having someone who understood her so thoroughly was a true pleasure.
They spent the next hour catching up, laughing, and then Juliet took her friend on a short tour of Greystone, or at least of the rooms still open. Much of the enormous manor had been closed down, cloaked in billowing sheets to protect the remaining furniture pieces.
While Marian had surely realized the family was in severe financial distress, she didn’t mention anything, focusing on admiring the luxurious rooms as they explored.
Before they returned to the main part of the house, Juliet heard it, another carriage making its way up the pebbled drive. This one a four-horse, which would’ve been needed to travel as quickly and as long as Lord Faber would’ve had to.
She looked at Marian and saw a clear understanding in her eyes. As they halted in the empty foyer, Marian reached out and gently gripped Juliet’s hand once. She wasn’t going anywhere, the gesture said, and its soothed Juliet’s pounding heart.
In the final moments, before the butler marched over to open the front doors, Juliet saw her mother and Marshall appear from their wing of the home. They were dressed in the pinnacle of fashion, yet her mother’s elaborately beaded cobalt blue frock looked horribly of place.
Juliet fought her desire to roll her eyes, a cold drip of dread sliding down her spine at their presence. Juliet focused her eyes on the open doorway as Lord Faber slowly climbed the stairs, his squat form taking up the width, but in no way the height, of the frame.
“Henry!” Marshall moved them forward, his green coat making the pair of them look like a peacock. He gripped Faber’s arm, even as the shorter man's eyes were trained on Juliet.
“Yes, yes, good to be here,” Lord Faber said passively, giving the lady of the house a brief kiss on the hand as he turned towards us. He shook off the chatter of Marshall’s greeting with a wave of one meaty hand. His eyes were skimming over her body with a frankness that raised her hackles.
“Lord Faber,” Juliet ground out, dropping into a curtsy as Marian mimicked her obligingly. Standing, Juliet looked to Marian, “This is my dear friend Marian, of Devonshire.” He looked over appreciatively, but Juliet almost laughed at the expression on her friend’s face. Something akin to a scowl, but deeper and more resolute. Juliet clamped down on her laughter, glad she had told her friend of Faber’s unwanted kiss in the barn.
Turning from Marian, Faber refocused on Juliet, his meaty neck quaking as he swallowed hard. “It’s lovely to see you again, Lady Juliet.”
Uncomfortable, Juliet gave him a small, nervous smile. “Please, won’t you come in?” Faber moved loudly past the pair of young women and into the parlor. When Juliet glanced back to her mother and stepfather, she noticed a small group of people who had joined Faber. Her brow furrowed, she remained where she was, and the latest guests didn’t approach her either.
Marshall led the flock of guests from the room and into the parlor after their coats and bags had all been handled. When Juliet and Marian stayed put, he made a clear gesture with his hand that they would be required to join them. Sighing, she sarcastically offered her elbow to Marian.
“If I have to go, so do you.” In response, Marian groaned loudly but slipped her slender arm through.
“Onward then,” Marian said, tilting her head back and all but dragging Juliet out of the room, one hand covering the giggles that threatened. William had been right. She had needed an ally.
***
It was afternoon before William would finally make his presence known. To Juliet, it felt like years had passed. All-day, she had laughed, smiled, and made painfully drab small talk with her supposed fiancé. Marian had stayed true by her side, acting as a chaperone, much to Faber’s chagrin. By the time William’s horse trotted up Greystone’s drive, frustration dotted Faber’s face as he again attempted to speak to Juliet alone.
Juliet’s heart raced as she took a step away from Faber to face the entryway, her thoughts consumed by the excitement of seeing William again. She knew that Faber would see the longing in her look, but she could not stop, couldn’t make herself care. Not anymore. The somber-faced Greystone butler, who was getting more exercise today than he had for years, marched into the room, clearing his throat loudly.
“Announcing, Lord William Huntington, Marquess of Mansfield Park,” the butler bellowed to their group, before turning sharply and striding back out of the sunlit room. Juliet flew to her feet as William strode powerfully into the room.
He was immaculately dressed, no trace of his muddy attire from their meeting the day before. His fine navy waistcoat, brilliant white cravat, and buff breeches were spotless.
Every strong, muscular inch of him screamed prestige. Not to mention that his handsome face appeared bored at them already; the smirk that graced it was casual and cunning. Juliet almost laughed at his carefully constructed camouflage.
Marshall stood, sending an icy stare at Juliet before moving to greet William. While the title was higher than William's, there was no doubt in her mind which held power in the room. Juliet wat
ched the two men size each other up, dark and sharp William, to Faber’s soft blondness. William nonchalantly offered the lower-ranked man his hand as he got closer, the picture of well-bred manners and refinement.
“Pinecrest, what a pleasure,” William said, his voice graveled, sensual, as his silver eyes snuck past Marshall to find Juliet. “I hate to intrude, but I need to speak with you. Alone if you’d please,” At those words, Faber also rose, his paunch belly even more prominent after the large meal they’d watched him consume. The older man appeared nervous, his mustache twitching as he took in the Marquess’ cutting figure.
“That can wait,” Faber said loudly, “Come join us, William. Tell us what news you bring from Mansfield Park. Or is your family’s estate still boarded up?” He gestured to a wingback chair across from his own. “After your father’s death, I’m sure it was easier to leave that place closed up, eh?”
William nodded a little, his eyes never moving from Marshall’s face. Tucking his hands behind him, William brushed past her stepfather and into the room.
Always the gentleman, he stopped first to greet her mother, offering her a stiff bow, and then moved toward Faber. But instead of stopping, he moved purposefully to the other side of the man and gripped Marian’s slim fingers and, with a wide smile, pulled them to his lips.
But even as he held Marian’s hand, William’s eyes were trained on Juliet. Every part of her body had grown warm the moment he arrived. She resisted the urge to fan herself lightly as she melted into his glinting eyes, loving the way they traveled possessively over every inch of her face and lower. As he released Marian, he purposefully shifted so that he was blocking Juliet from the others' view.
“I couldn’t stop thinking of you,” he whispered hotly against her fingers, for her ears only. The words sent a dart of pure desire straight in her core and turning her legs to jelly. She smiled back; her cheeks flushed. Those stolen moments in the cottage were only a taste of what could be between them; she knew it.
“What brings you here, William,” Faber said bluntly from behind the pair, repressed anger lurking in this voice.
William rolled his eyes, giving Juliet’s knuckles one last brush of his lips, and turned to face Faber, bringing himself up to his full height as he walked back to the man.
“Just some business with Pinecrest, I’m afraid,” William said, shrugged as he sat on a settee beside Juliet’s chair, “And I had heard that you would be here.”
“So, you decided to stop by?” Faber said, his face clenched in anger.
“Yes. I have a vested interest in making sure that Lady Juliet is happy and safe.” William practically hissed the last part.
“How chivalrous of you, my Lord Marquess,” Faber ground out, a glistening sweat breaking out on his forehead. He wiped it with his handkerchief and looked meaningfully over at Marshall, who was seated beside his wife.
Both Marshall and Elizabeth looked uncomfortable, pale, their pasty skin standing out sharply against their bright clothing. Had it been any other person, Juliet would have been concerned for their health. But not this time. What she was seeing was merely the ramifications of her family, making deals with bad people.
William made himself comfortable, settling his length into the deep cushions and watching Juliet with openly adoring eyes. Marian watched the two with a small smile on her face, her eyes darting over to wonder at how Faber or the rest of the party might react from this show of interest from the Marquess.
Elizabeth finally spoke up, her hand resting lightly on Marshall’s knee. “My Lord, you will have to stay the night. It would be far too late to leave after dinner.” She rose from her seat, holding out her hand. “Juliet, will you join me? We will prepare Lord William’s room for him.”
Juliet moved slowly, her eyes staring into her mother’s quietly smoldering brown eyes; she rose and made her way dutifully to her mother’s side. Stiffening as she felt her mother slip an arm around her waist, Juliet dared to cast a glance back into the room, seeing both Marian and William looking at her with concern on their faces.
Juliet plastered a smile on her face to convince them, as well as herself, that she would be fine. Juliet and Elizabeth swept down the narrow hall, slipping down the kitchens to supposedly talk to the housekeeper.
As soon as they got out of hearing range, Elizabeth stopped short, dragging Juliet around to face her. Holding her hands tight, Juliet looked down into her mother’s face. It was twisted into a mask of rage and disbelief.
“Mother.” Elizabeth looked everywhere except for her daughter’s eyes. “Why didn’t you tell Marshall that William was coming?” Juliet’s voice was tight, spoken through clenched teeth.
“Why didn’t I?” Elizabeth asked, her face was trapped in a sneer. “Because it would’ve done no good. Just like it will do no good to have him here. It will only fan the tempers of Marshall and Faber. And while I know he acts cold as ice, I know that William won’t be the one to step down either. You have created a monster of your own making. Now I’m going to sit back and watch you be devoured by it.”
Her grip tightened until she could feel her mother’s sharp nails against her palms. The older woman continued.
“And then you will do what is best for your family. Perhaps for the first time in your entire life,” Elizabeth mused, her cruel face twisting into a smile.
“Do you hear yourself?” Juliet finally got out. “Are you completely blind to what Marshall is doing? Are you both bargaining me away for money? You must know that. Why else would Marshall be so obsessed with Faber? Do I mean nothing to you? Papa would be so disappointed,” Juliet hesitated, waiting until her mother’s angry eyes rose to meet her own. “Mama, I think I love him. I have a real chance for a family with William. For a future with him.”
Elizabeth’s eyes stared through her, and Juliet took a moment to continue.
“I know it was a mistake back at Lakeview, but I got the chance to talk to him and to know him. And Mama, there is so much there. He lost his family too. Together, we could show each other what it means to be family. You want that for me, right?” Juliet’s eyelids fluttered, she swallowed hard.
Elizabeth’s sharp gaze was unwavering, her fair skin blotchy with red spots as she stared at her only child.
“You have to let me have this chance, Mama,” Juliet finished, softening her voice as she pulled her hands from Elizabeth’s chilling grip. Stepping back, Juliet knew she had said everything she could.
Elizabeth coiled like an offended snake, “Juliet, do not make me the bad person,” her eyes flickered around the empty hall, then back to her daughter, “This is how it works for every woman of noble birth.”
“Not against her wishes,” Juliet insisted, “And we are Greystone’s, who says we can’t buck the tradition.”
Elizabeth’s eyebrow rose slightly.
“I simply mean that in my opinion, however small, I believe William is worth it. What we have, together, is worth that. And I wanted to tell you.”
“But what about me?” Elizabeth said, practically shouting, “Do you think I wanted to marry your father? No! But I did because it was my duty as a daughter.” She turned and paced a short distance to and fro in the hall, her skirts swirling around her like angry waves in the sea.
“And you will do yours. It’s what’s right.” She stomped her slipped heel against the hardwood floor, reminding Juliet of an angered child.
Juliet watched her mother’s breakdown, her body shaking a little as she tried to calm herself. Where she thought she would find anger at her mother, she only found a pity.
Pity that she had such a small view of the world. Without a doubt, Juliet knew that any daughter she had would never feel a single moment of the disappointment or distrust her mother demonstrated towards her.
“I’m sorry, Mama,” Juliet said softly. “I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through, but I’m mostly sorry for what you will miss out on.”
Elizabeth’s pretty face turned to a snarl again
. “You have no idea what you are saying,” Juliet shook her head, but Elizabeth held up a finger, swishing it back and forth in her face, “When the moment comes, you will honor your pledge as a Greystone, as your father would’ve wanted, as I want.”
Juliet felt her blood run cold. “And if you don’t, Juliet, I know for a fact that bad things will follow you. You and that puppy-eyed Marquess you’ve ruined.”
Juliet recoiled at the subtle threat, clenching her jaw shut as she stared at the creature her mother had become. Not just a stranger, but someone filled with hatred and fear.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Leaning against the cold harshness of Greystone’s smooth painted walls, Juliet let herself slide down until she could curl into a small ball, her knees to her chest. Only then, when she could muffle the sounds of her crying straight into the folds of her dress, did she let the tears that had been threatening for weeks fall.