by Joyce Alec
This caught Duncan’s interest, for if such a statement was true, then it spoke very highly of Lady Juliet’s character.
“There is no need to make mention of such things,” Lady Juliet interrupted briskly. “Lord Strickland, what of your estate? Where do you reside?”
Duncan smiled to himself, daring a glance toward Lady Richmond, who now looked all the more delighted with herself. It was very clear that Lady Juliet had no knowledge of him whatsoever and Duncan had to admit that he was glad Lady Richmond had been proven correct. Quickly, he told her about his estate, some distance north from London. She asked him some further questions about it and showed a genuine interest in all that he said. Much to his astonishment, Duncan realized that he was actually enjoying this particular conversation, even though he had not expected to.
“My mother, Lady Strickland, resides in the Dower house,” he finished, a little offhandedly. “Some might consider her residence there a little premature since I myself am unwed, but it was for the best.” A small, rather sad smile graced his lips. “I believe she found my father’s absence very difficult.”
A look of astonishment grew on Lady Richmond’s face, leaving Duncan rather embarrassed as he realized what he had said, wondering why he had found himself speaking so openly with a young lady he had only just been introduced to.
“I can quite understand,” Lady Juliet replied without any sign of embarrassment. “My own dear mother passed some years ago and I still feel her loss very greatly. Even if I see something that I know she loved very dearly, it brings an ache to my heart.”
Duncan blinked and nodded, not quite certain what he ought to say next. He had never once spoken of his late father to any of his new acquaintances and why he had done so now, when Lady Juliet was still only a stranger to him, he simply could not say.
“Lady Juliet!”
Duncan half turned, seeing a young lady, a gentleman, and another older lady approaching. Recognizing them and seeing that it was quite apparent that they wished to speak to Lady Juliet rather than to him, Duncan quickly took his leave.
“It was very good to meet you, Lady Juliet,” he said quickly. “I do hope that we will meet again soon.”
“As do I,” Lady Juliet replied sweetly, before turning her attention to her approaching acquaintances. Lady Richmond took her leave and together, both she and Duncan stepped away from the lady.
“You need not look so superior,” Duncan muttered as Lady Richmond beamed with obvious pleasure at her success. “Yes, you did very well indeed, Lady Richmond. It was a new experience, I feel, to speak to a young lady who knew nothing of me.”
Lady Richmond arched one eyebrow and looked at him. “And is that why you mentioned your mother in such a way?” she asked, clearly still surprised at what he had said. “I did not think that you would ever speak with such frankness to a new acquaintance.”
“Nor did I,” Duncan admitted ruefully. “Yes, I was quite astonished with myself, Lady Richmond, but I am sure it is simply because I am unused to having conversations with young ladies who are not doing all they can to have me take notice of them.”
This made Lady Richmond laugh, catching the attention of her husband, who had been busy conversing with their host.
“I see you have stolen my wife away, Strickland,” Lord Richmond grinned, coming to join them. “She looks very pleased with your company, however.”
Chuckling, Duncan shook his head. “Lady Richmond insisted that I was introduced to a particular young lady who, it seems, has no knowledge of my vast fortune and eligibility.”
Lord Richmond’s brows rose. “Oh?”
“It went very well,” Lady Richmond gushed, taking her husband’s arm. “You will have to make certain that he asks her to dance at the next ball.”
Duncan was about to protest that he could very well make certain of such a thing himself, only for Lord Richmond to say the very same thing to his wife, patting her hand with a tenderness that spoke of the great affection he had for her. Duncan lapsed into silence, a slight tug of jealousy in his heart as he watched his friend. It was not that he despised the friendship and the obvious affection between Lord and Lady Richmond, but rather that he was beginning to wonder if he would ever find such a thing for himself.
“How long shall you linger this evening?” Lord Richmond asked, looking up at Duncan. “Are you soon to tire of the lack of good company?”
Duncan chuckled. “If you are asking if I intend to make my way to White’s this evening, then I can assure you that I fully expect to do so. It is not far from here, so I have already sent my driver home. I will either walk or hail a hackney.”
“Then I may very well join you,” Lord Richmond replied, daring a glance at his wife, who, much to Duncan’s relief, did not look at all put out. “I shall look forward to hearing all about this new acquaintance of yours.”
Having decided to walk the short distance to White’s—mostly so that he might have a few moments of quiet in between what had been an evening of conversation and laughter and now would be a few hours of merriment—Duncan considered the young lady he had met earlier that night. Lady Juliet appeared to be just as Lady Richmond had described her. She was unaware of his wealth and quietly interested in his situation, and asked no particular questions about his fortune or made any attempt to discover whether or not he was seeking a wife. There had been no flirtation, no longing glances, no overt displays of interest. Rather, she had behaved very properly, and Duncan found himself all the more glad for it. It had been a relief to speak to her, even if he had been a little too open with what he had said.
“Hoy! You there!”
The shout came from nowhere and Duncan stopped dead, his eyes searching the streets, the dim lamps giving very little light to him. Taking a few steps forward, he tried to see where the shout had come from, when suddenly something came crashing down behind him.
Right where he had been standing.
For a moment, Duncan could not breathe. Turning slowly, he saw someone dart out in front of him, pick up whatever object it was on the ground, and then hurry off with it, giving him no opportunity to discover what it was or where it had come from. A sudden scrape to his left had him starting in surprise, but he could not work out where it had come from or what had made it. In fact, he was still rather dazed about what had happened, realizing, with horror, that had he been hit by whatever the object had been, he could easily have been knocked to the ground either unconscious or worse.
“That was a very near miss,” he muttered to himself, hurrying forward on somewhat shaky legs as he made his way along the pavement. Quite what had been going on around him, he had no idea, but he thanked his lucky stars that he had not been injured.
Within a few minutes, Duncan was within a few yards of White’s. Letting out a long breath of relief, he hurried toward the entrance and stepped in through the door held open for him by the footman.
“I did wonder whether or not you were coming,” Lord Richmond cheered, only a few steps away from the door. “Goodness, what happened to you?”
Duncan frowned, looking down at himself. “What do you mean?”
“You look rather pale,” Lord Richmond said, snapping his fingers at the footman so that he might have another brandy brought. “And there is, if you will forgive me for saying it, a good deal of dust on your shoulders.” He moved around behind Duncan. “And, indeed, your back.”
Shrugging out of his jacket, Duncan handed it to another footman with a request that it be brushed clean. A little embarrassed, he accepted the brandy from Lord Richmond and took a sip.
“Something occurred as I was walking here,” he said, by way of explanation. “I think I must have been caught up in a ridiculous escapade by some foolish street urchins or some such thing.”
Lord Richmond’s eyes widened. “You were not hurt?”
“No, not in the least, although I might well have been,” Duncan replied, quickly explaining all that had occurred before taking another
sip of his brandy. The fright which had taken a hold of him at the realization of what he had narrowly avoided finally began to dissipate.
“Perhaps you should tell me about Lady Juliet instead of thinking of this most unfortunate encounter,” Lord Richmond said with a sudden smile. “It would certainly take your mind from your troubles.”
Duncan chuckled and gestured for Lord Richmond to find a seat for them both. “I do not think I have very much to say about her,” he said with a wry smile. “She was pleasant enough, certainly.”
“And beautiful, I believe,” Lord Richmond said over his shoulder as he found them both a quieter corner of White’s so they might discuss things without being forced to raise their voices too loudly. “That must have caught your notice.”
Duncan shrugged and settled himself down in his seat, feeling the last of his fright disappear entirely. “As I have said, it was most refreshing,” he said determinedly. “But that is all I shall say about her at present.”
Lord Richmond chuckled. “Very wise, very wise,” he said with a grin. “It is not as though everyone can be as I, finding myself deeply in love with a lady the moment I set eyes upon her.”
“Indeed not,” Duncan agreed, picking up his brandy glass and bringing it to his lips. Letting the heat of it spread through his chest, he rested his head back and closed his eyes for a moment. It had been both an interesting and tiring evening and now Duncan found himself quite weary. Perhaps he would not linger here for long after all.
3
Before she knew it, a fortnight had passed and Juliet found herself enjoying London society more and more. She was often asked to dance and did not struggle to find conversation or acquaintances but, as yet, there was no gentleman that caught her attention. And, it seemed, none that were particularly interested in her either. Yes, she had enjoyed some afternoon calls and yes, she had often been sought out at a ball so that her dance card might be scrutinized by a gentleman but, as yet, no one appeared to be eager to continue developing an acquaintance with her.
Mrs. Grey had told her not to worry and Juliet was doing her very best to obey. Part of her began to grow anxious over this lack of interest from other gentlemen, but she did not allow herself to continue on in such thoughts. Instead, she was determined to enjoy the Season without restraint, although she silently prayed that she would have at least one gentleman eager to court her by the month’s end.
“And what do you think of Lord Strickland?”
Juliet meandered slowly through the London streets with Mrs. Grey beside her. “I am not certain who you mean, Mrs. Grey.”
“Yes, yes, you are!” Mrs. Grey exclaimed, looking up sharply at her. “The gentleman who was introduced to you at the evening soiree. Lady Richmond introduced him. He has asked you to dance upon occasion, I think.”
Juliet searched her memory and then instantly recalled whom Mrs. Grey meant.
“Oh yes, I do recall,” she said as Mrs. Grey smiled. “The Earl of Strickland, is it not?” She considered him carefully, spying a bookshop ahead of her and wondering if Mrs. Grey might be persuaded to go in to peruse it for a short time. “Yes, he is…” Nothing came to mind as she thought of him. “He is handsome, certainly, and can converse well.” That could be said about any number of gentlemen who called upon her, but Juliet did not want to say such a thing to Mrs. Grey, given that the lady was clearly eager for Juliet to have more than a little interest in this gentleman.
“Well,” Mrs. Grey said excitedly, “I have heard that he is a gentleman of great wealth. They say that he is richer than the Marquess of Longbridge, if you can believe it.”
Given that Juliet had no notion as to who the Marquess of Longbridge was or just how much wealth that gentleman had, this did not make much of an impact.
“He has every young lady in London flocking to him,” Mrs. Grey continued, sounding rather pleased, “and yet he has been seeking you out upon occasion, has he not?”
Juliet laughed, although this stole away some of the eager excitement that was so visible on Mrs. Grey’s expression.
“I hardly think that a dance or two and a few minutes of conversation mean that he has any more interest in me than any other,” she told her companion. “And to be truthful, Mrs. Grey, I do not think I have any real interest in him either. Wealth does not make a gentleman any more eligible than another, I think.”
Much to her surprise, Mrs. Grey laughed heartily at this remark, as though Juliet had said something mirthful.
“I think you are one of the very few young ladies who would say such a thing, my dear,” she said as a slight flush of embarrassment crept into Juliet’s cheeks. “Every other young lady seeks out a gentleman of both high title and excellent fortune. In fact, the greater his wealth, the more eligible he becomes.”
“Well, not I,” Juliet declared, despite the touch of embarrassment she felt. “If he is able to provide a comfortable situation for both himself and me, then I will be most content with that.” Wanting to change the subject entirely, she gestured toward the bookshop. “Might we step inside for a short time?”
Mrs. Grey nodded at once. “Yes, of course,” she said, much to Juliet’s relief, glad that Mrs. Grey was not about to insist that they remain out of doors so that they might meet any particular acquaintances. “But only for a short time, Juliet. I should like to go to Gunter’s.”
Now it was Juliet’s turn to laugh. “So that we might meet any eligible gentlemen present?” she asked as Mrs. Grey shot her a knowing look. “Thank you, Mrs. Grey. I shall be glad to attend there with you, of course.”
The bookshop had that wonderful, almost inexplicable smell that Juliet had come to love so much last Season. It reminded her of old books, of quiet corners and whispered conversations, making her smile with gentle delight as she followed Mrs. Grey inside. There was a peace here that could not be found in any other part of London and Juliet had come to relish it. Last Season, she had found it a quiet haven, where she might peruse for as long as she wished, her thoughts wandering from one thing to the next.
“Pray do not leave the shop without coming in search of me, Juliet,” Mrs. Grey warned, and Juliet nodded. “But I will leave you to your searching.”
Juliet smiled and turned away, glad that Mrs. Grey had remembered just how much Juliet liked to be alone in such a place as this. The bookshop appeared rather quiet, devoid of other patrons, although this did not disturb Juliet at all. Picking up a novel, she opened it to the first page and looked at both the title and the author, before beginning the first chapter. It was, she discovered, a little dull and, after a few moments, she set it back down again on the shelf.
He has every young lady in London flocking to him.
Why such a remark by Mrs. Grey should come back to her now, Juliet could not understand. She had no need to think of Lord Strickland, no need to even consider him at present. Yes, he had asked her to dance and yes, she had conversed with him on a few occasions, but Juliet did not think that such an acquaintance would come to anything. It irritated her somewhat that Mrs. Grey considered her to be so fickle as to want to wed someone with a vast fortune and title, without ever considering his character and temperament. It was true that, whilst she would be glad to have a husband who could provide for her comfortably, she did not require one who had more wealth than almost anyone else in England. Besides which, she considered, picking up another book and opening the cover, she did not know very much about Lord Strickland at all. He had told her a little about his mother and his estate, but aside from that, what awareness did she have about his character? Was he a kind gentleman? Or was his temper inclined to flare at any moment?
“You did not succeed with Strickland.”
Juliet looked up, looking all about her and wondering if she had heard Lord Strickland’s name or if it had only been her thoughts confusing her with another matter.
“That is hardly my fault,” came another voice, low and quiet in the apparent hope that they would not be overheard. “My ai
m was true. He stepped forward when we did not expect it.”
The first voice came again and Juliet’s heart began to pound furiously, realizing that she ought to move away but fearing that, if she did so, she might be overheard.
“I need him removed,” said the first, clearly a lady of quality speaking. “You know very well why it must be done.”
“And as I have said,” the second voice said, sounding now a little irritated, “it was unexpected that he moved in such a way. Otherwise I would have succeeded.”
“But that is the second time you have failed,” said the first voice, clearly now quite angry with the second. “How long am I to wait?”
There came no reply from the second person and Juliet turned slowly to move away, her whole body rippling with a tension she could not push from herself. A mixture of fear and embarrassment plagued her as, on gentle feet, she began to take slow steps back toward the front of the shop. Her mind was swirling with terrified thoughts, wondering if what she had overheard could be true. Was someone attempting to injure Lord Strickland? And for what purpose?
“Ah, there you are.” Mrs. Grey emerged from another part of the bookshop, coming toward Juliet quickly. “Have you found something you wish to purchase?”
Juliet did not immediately answer, her mouth going dry as she stared at Mrs. Grey, too overcome with horror to speak. What was she to do? Should she linger, waiting for those who had been speaking to emerge so that she might identify them? Or should she hasten from the bookshop out of fear that they would see her pale cheeks and realize that she had overheard them, and then bring her into their dark plans?
“You look a little unwell, Juliet,” Mrs. Grey said, frowning. “Perhaps we ought to return home. Gunter’s can wait.”
“No, no, of course not,” Juliet managed to say, forcing a smile to her lips that barely lifted the corners of her mouth. “Here, I have found something I should like to purchase. And then, of course, we can make our way to Gunter’s.” She tried to speak in her normal voice, but she could tell that Mrs. Grey was not entirely convinced, given the searching look in her eyes.