Her words soothed him, as they always did, and Solomon had been able to enjoy his favorite aspects of planning such a grand event once more. He’d decided to take Juliet’s advice and find a way to honor his lost loved ones at the ball—perhaps by having a guest musician play Ambrose’s favorite pianoforte piece. He knew Cecilia would be happy to do it since she possessed both technical skill at the instrument and a moving emotional connection to music. Even so, a part of Solomon’s heart always reminded him that his brother would not be there. That thought still felt very foreign. But would it ever truly feel normal?
Solomon shook his head and returned his attention to the guest list before him. Mother had written down the names of her friends from their county and the surrounding areas that they always invited. In fact, Solomon had been surprised that Mother even wanted to go ahead with the spring ball, but she’d agreed with Juliet’s advice, praising it as uncommonly wise for such a young person. Next, Solomon had added all of his own friends he wished to invite.
There was just one name missing from the list.
Solomon bit his lip and put his pen back in the inkwell. His thoughts were too scattered right now to continue with planning. He would find something else to do, some way to work out this strange energy that had built up in his body. Perhaps a walk through the orchard would clear his head.
Movement outside the window caught Solomon’s attention and he peered outside again. As if his thoughts had been read, he saw Juliet and Pearl walking across the lawn toward the orchard hand in hand. They wore lovely colors now that the mourning period had ended, Juliet in a pale yellow and Pearl in sweet green. He stood from his chair and went to the window, looking down at them. They both wore coats since the early spring air still carried a hint of winter, but Solomon trusted that the powerful sun shining bright overhead would keep them warm enough.
They walked hand in hand, talking and smiling. Juliet carried a large basket in her free hand, a blanket folded on top. Solomon smiled. It must be some sort of sign from above.
He returned to his desk, not bothering to resume his seat. Still standing, he jotted down one more name at the bottom of the list.
Solomon rushed to his dressing room and pulled on his coat and gloves, eager to catch up with the ladies. His long strides carried him quickly across the lawn, but Juliet and Pearl had long since disappeared from sight. Solomon hoped it would not take him long to find them.
Luck was on Solomon’s side. He had only walked through the orchard for a couple minutes when he heard Pearl’s voice practicing some simple French phrases. Juliet’s voice came next, gently correcting her. Solomon picked up his speed toward the sound of their voices. Finally he saw them up ahead, just off the main path, sitting on a blanket spread out beneath a tree.
Once Solomon had seen them, he slowed down, suddenly nervous. He hadn’t felt this nervous about asking a lady to dance since he’d started courting Juliet years ago. He had always known that she would say yes, but he’d still felt nervous to ask her because every dance had meant so much to him.
Of course, Solomon had had many dances before and since, dances he’d enjoyed. But he’d never felt nervous around any of those ladies.
Only Juliet could send his heart into flutters with the briefest glance or the simplest word, with her mere presence. And she still held that power.
As he watched from a distance for a moment longer, gathering up his courage, Solomon wondered why he should be so nervous now. He simply wanted to invite Juliet as a friend, just like everyone else on his list. With that in mind, Solomon pulled back his shoulders and closed the distance.
Juliet looked up when she heard his boots against the gravel path, smiling brightly at Solomon as he approached. There they were again, those exquisite yet alarming flutters.
“Lord Overton, what brings you out here?” she chirped, her sky blue eyes sparkling in the dappled sunlight.
“I just happened to be out on a walk,” he mumbled, before managing what he hoped was a charming smile. He felt so very silly, but he prayed he wouldn’t give himself away and draw Juliet’s suspicion.
Juliet narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, her almost imperceptible dimple appearing. She looked as though she was about to make some teasing remark, though she didn’t press him.
“And are you enjoying your walk, my lord?” she asked innocently.
Solomon gave a sharp nod. “Indeed I am. Ah, Miss Richards, I actually hoped to speak with you for a moment. Over there, if you would.” He tilted his head toward the path he’d just come from.
Juliet eyed Pearl, who had taken advantage of the distraction provided by her uncle to pull at the fragile blades of new grass.
“We will stay quite close. She’ll be within sight at all times,” Solomon quickly reassured Juliet. The genuine concern in her eyes truly touched him.
After a moment of thought, Juliet nodded. “Pearl, we have to talk for a moment, so don’t leave the blanket. And don’t pull at the grass, dear. Why don’t you have a biscuit? Just one, please.”
Pearl clapped with glee and immediately dug into the picnic basket as Juliet and Solomon walked back out to the path. Juliet angled her body so she could keep an eye on Pearl while they talked.
Something possessed Solomon. He found himself stepping closer to Juliet, closer than necessary, but Juliet did not back away. She gazed at him with intensity, seeming to sense his mood—maybe his nerves, maybe his desire.
“Is there anything I can help with?” she asked quietly, her voice somehow hopeful.
Solomon cleared his throat and licked his lips, suddenly feeling dry all over. “Yes, as a matter of fact. You can help me by accompanying me to my spring ball.” He forced the words out slowly, trying to sound regal and confident or, at the very least, not like a teenaged boy asking his first young lady to his first ever dance.
Juliet frowned, looking equally confused and surprised. “Solomon, you know there is no place for me in ballrooms now. I’m just a governess. It would be exceedingly strange for me to be there. Besides, I have no proper evening gowns with me.” She rushed out the last part as if her lack of appropriate attire posed the biggest challenge.
Solomon couldn’t help laughing. “I assure you, Juliet, I see no problem whatsoever. You are a valued member of my household and even more than that, you are a valued friend.” He paused, allowing his words to sink into them both. Juliet bit her lip, still not convinced. “And you will not be alone. I’m sure Henry and Cecilia will come. They always do. Owen and Violet, too. I’ll see if Cecilia will bring a dress with her for you to borrow. I’ll have Mother’s seamstress come and adjust it for you,” he added quickly.
The young woman pulled her eyes away from the earl, a pretty pink hue spreading over her pale cheeks. “Y-you see, that’s just the thing. I think Henry may come if you do your best to convince him, but I’m afraid Cecilia won’t, nor will Violet or Owen.”
“Whyever not? They love my parties.”
“Well…I suspect that Henry will be writing to you soon about the matter but I’ve recently had my own letter from Cecilia. Congratulations will be in order. Violet will not leave her side and I’m sure Owen will want to ensure Violet is taking care of herself.” Juliet’s blush deepened as she stumbled over the words.
Solomon’s eyes went wide, immediately understanding. Cecilia must be expecting again. Solomon knew next to nothing about the condition, but he did know that pregnancy often came with a variety of unpleasant side effects during its various stages. He knew how fatigued he felt after a trip to and from Gatherford Park so he could only imagine how tiring it must be for a woman with child.
A surge of warm joy flooded through Solomon. Another Neil child! He adored his godson Joseph and he knew he would love this new baby just as much. A grin spread over his face. How wonderful for his dear friends! Juliet looked just as thrilled as he, beneath her embarrassed blush.
The topic at hand quickly returned to the forefront of Solomon’s mind. Now that
Cecilia would be absent from the ball, perhaps Juliet really would refuse him.
“I’m so very happy to hear that. And fear not, I will compose a surprised reply when I receive Henry’s letter,” he chuckled. “But even if Cecilia cannot come, do you have any other friends I could invite on your behalf that would make you feel more at ease?”
Juliet immediately perked up. “Oh I do so miss my dear friends Rosamund and Daniel in Brighton.” She gazed past Solomon, a wistfulness to her voice.
“In that case—” Before Solomon could finish, Juliet gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth.
“Good Heaven, how impertinent of me! I cannot simply invite people to an event that is not my own. Please don’t invite anyone unless you truly want them there,” she begged, her blush deepening still.
Solomon smiled slyly. “But you are not inviting them, Juliet. I am. And I do happen to truly want them there. I’ve known Mrs. Wililams’ father, Lord Henshell, for quite some time, so we were acquainted when she was still Miss Henshell. And since she is Cecilia’s best friend aside from you, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting her and Mr. Williams at Gatherford Park on numerous occasions. They are a lovely couple and the perfumes they create are rather genius. This will be my first time inviting them to the spring ball, but I do look forward to getting to know them better.”
Juliet grew contemplative before asking, “Do you really want me there that badly?”
Solomon wished to step closer, but, if he did, they would practically be in each other’s arms. He summoned all his strength to remain where he stood. “Yes, that badly.”
Several still, quiet moments passed as they looked at each other, both trying to figure out what the other thought, where their hearts lay.
A terrible shriek rang through the air, instantly breaking their concentration. Juliet and Solomon both ran to Pearl. Juliet immediately sank to the ground, pulling the girl onto her lap.
“What’s wrong, Pearl? What happened?” she demanded urgently, smoothing Pearl’s hair out of her face.
Solomon’s heart pounded as his niece pointed a trembling finger toward a corner of the blanket. He let out the breath he’d been holding when he saw the cause of Pearl’s distress, a truly fearsome beast—a little pink worm about two inches long slinking its way across the blanket.
“Don’t worry, dear, it won’t hurt you. I promise.” Juliet continued to soothe Pearl, protectively wrapping her arms around her charge. She rocked her back and forth until Pearl summoned the courage to peek over Juliet’s shoulder at the offending creature.
“Are you sure?” she asked suspiciously.
“Very sure. See?” Juliet set Pearl down beside her and leaned forward on hands and knees, picking up the worm and gently placing it on the grass beside the blanket.
Solomon’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. Juliet had not hesitated to touch the creature. She hadn’t even flinched when her fingers met that strange wriggling body. Yet it had made even Solomon’s skin crawl.
“See?” Juliet asked as she settled herself back down next to Pearl, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “He’s harmless, just going about his day. Now we’ve returned him to his home in the grass.”
Pearl tilted her head up for a better view of the worm, now barely visible between the blades of brown and green grass. She nodded, satisfied.
“Are we going to continue French now? I need to finish French so I can have lunch and I really want lunch,” Pearl announced. Solomon and Juliet both laughed at her candor.
“Yes, we will resume now and have lunch very soon,” Juliet promised through her chuckles.
As Pearl picked up her French book, Solomon suddenly realized that he’d never gotten an answer from Juliet about the ball. That blasted little worm had thrown everything off. As if reading his mind, Juliet looked up at him.
“I would be honored, my lord,” she said with a dazzling smile.
Solomon’s face split into a delighted grin. “Well, I must be off. I have some letters to write. I will see you ladies soon.”
He bowed his head to Juliet and Pearl before making his way back down the orchard path, a giddy spring in his step.
Nerves jolted through Solomon’s stomach as his eyes roved over the ballroom. Everything was brightly lit, sparkling, exciting.
Dozens of people loitered about the room, all friends of the family. In fact, nearly everyone had arrived by now—everyone except Juliet, Ambrose, and Florence. A hint of melancholy settled on Solomon’s shoulders, making it a bit harder to stand up tall and proud, as he thought once more about the painful absences.
“Solomon, are you alright?” Henry asked, placing a comforting hand on his friend’s shoulder.
The touch brought a small measure of calm to Solomon. He’d thought it would take several letters of arguing back and forth to convince Henry to come to the ball, leaving his pregnant wife behind, but the baron had agreed right away. He’d known how important his presence would be at this particular ball, assuring Solomon that he trusted Violet and Owen to provide excellent care for Cecilia as they’d done during her pregnancy with Joseph.
“Shall I fetch more refreshments?” Mr. Williams suggested, his hazel eyes glancing toward the nearly empty glass in Solomon’s hand.
Solomon frowned, waving their concerns away. “Please just keep my mother company while I try to find Juliet. She’s not expecting to bump into her governess here, you see. Mr. Williams, perhaps you can bribe her with a new perfume sample?”
“You haven’t told her?” Henry’s deep voice grew deeper still, a sign of his disapproval. Solomon had grown used to the baron’s disapproval. They need not agree on everything to be friends. In fact, their markedly different personalities proved that they need not agree on most things to be friends.
“Of course not,” Solomon scoffed. “If I had told Mother beforehand, she would have said no. But she won’t very well kick Juliet out once she’s here. That would look very rude. Don’t worry, Henry, I’ll be sure to ask her forgiveness later since I failed to ask her permission earlier.”
Mr. Williams chuckled and clapped Solomon on the back. “That sounds like just the thing my dear wife would say.”
Henry, on the other hand, merely sighed. “Well, no one could ever accuse you of not staying true to yourself,” he grumbled.
“Hurry along now. I don’t want Mother to see me leave. I can see the guests are growing anxious for me to begin the dancing and I had very much hoped to open the ball with Juliet,” Solomon urged, putting his hands on his friends’ backs and pushing them toward the corner where the countess sat, a handful of her county friends gathered around her.
Henry shot one more glare at Solomon before finally heading across the room. Mr. Williams glanced back with a commiserating smile. At least one of them seemed keen on helping Solomon with his plan.
With Mother taken care of, Solomon made his way to the nearest wall, pressing himself against it so he could slip out of the room without being stopped by every guest. He knew that Juliet wanted to see Pearl safely tucked away in bed before readying herself and meeting him in the ballroom, but he would have thought she’d be done with all that by now. Now that Solomon had a chance to think about it, he’d barely seen Juliet all day.
A flurry of preparation had kept Solomon quite busy, but part of him couldn’t help wondering if perhaps she had changed her mind at the last minute. He’d nearly reached the stairs to the next floor to continue his search when a quiet “Oh no!” surprised him.
Solomon looked up and everything froze. Juliet stood at the top of the stairs, wearing a breathtaking pale pink gown, her hair all curled in an intricate design with flowers and jewels. She glowed.
“I’m so sorry I’m late!” she called out when she spotted Solomon, her melodic voice drowning out the sounds of the music and chatter behind him. “Pearl had a nightmare as I was getting ready and she asked for me.”
Once again, Solomon found himself admiring Juliet’s complete dedication to Pearl, know
ing that it was not just her job but her loving nature that made her so attentive to his precious niece. Solomon could not have prayed for a better woman to come into their lives.
Juliet lifted the bottom of her skirts and took the first step down. Solomon immediately sprang into action, taking the steps two at a time until he reached her.
“There’s no need to apologize, Juliet.” He offered his arm to her, noticing the way her breath caught in her throat before she accepted.
They made the rest of the journey down the stairs together. Juliet’s gloved hand trembled the whole way as it clutched Solomon’s elbow. Solomon frowned as guilt bubbled up in his stomach. The circumstances were unusual, but Solomon knew Juliet thrived in crowds and at glittering events. She was clearly nervous. He hoped that she would feel more comfortable once they made it to the ballroom and the dancing began.
Solomon paused at the tall double doors leading into the ballroom. Juliet looked at him curiously. “You look beautiful,” he said quietly, his nerves suddenly dissipating. Having this perfect lady by his side felt so right, just like the old days.
She smiled shyly, her lips pressed tightly together but her eyes sparkling with excitement. “And you look so very dashing.”
“Ah but the host is always the most dashing man in the room.” Solomon winked, hoping to ease her into the lively spirit of the evening.
Juliet giggled and it sounded like heaven. “I think you would still be the most dashing man in the room even if you weren’t the host.”
She gazed at him with what looked like a mixture of contentment and pride. Solomon forced himself to look away so he could nod to the footman to open the door. He led Juliet in.
Most of his guests were too occupied with their food and drink and conversation to notice a latecomer to the party, but a few did turn to look. Those who did seemed transfixed by Juliet. Of course, she always stunned everyone in the room as soon as she entered, whether it be at a ball or the theater or a drawing room. He noticed even the footmen stationed throughout the room had paused to stare.
Embracing The Earl's Dream: A Clean Regency Romance (Resolved In Love Book 4) Page 11