Honoria had died of pneumonia before he returned.
When he’d returned to see her, her brother had screamed at him. For some reason, he’d immediately suspected Lucas of acting inappropriately. Perhaps Lucas’s unhappy expression had betrayed him. Nothing could mask his grief, even twenty-five years of being trained to be in the ton, to act as if nothing mattered. His nannies had always said that emotions were for commoners, not dukes.
“Are you fine?” Juliet asked, her voice gentle. She approached him, then lay a hand tentatively on his tailcoat.
“I’m afraid my attire is wet.”
She quirked her lips and pointed to the floor. “That puddle rather suggested it.”
He gave a sheepish grin, and his heart started to beat again.
He looked at Juliet. The woman was so wonderful.
“I don’t want anything to happen to you,” he said.
“Nothing will happen to me,” she promised. “I have a strong constitution.”
“That’s good,” he said. “That’s a start.”
But it’s not everything. It’s not enough.
He’d lost Honoria to pneumonia, but if Sherwood was truly running a criminal operation, he could lose Juliet as well.
“You need to be careful around the Duke of Sherwood.”
Her eyes widened. “You think he will take advantage of me? Because the only man in my room is you.”
“That’s not what I meant,” he said, but she continued to frown.
“I think he might be a criminal,” Lucas blurted, even though he hadn’t yet gathered sufficient evidence to say that, even though he shouldn’t be telling Juliet at all.
She flinched.
The word hung in the air, looming between them.
“I must have misheard you,” Juliet said finally.
“You didn’t,” Lucas said. “I-I shouldn’t tell you. My partner will murder me.”
“Partner?” her voice wobbled.
“Yes.”
“That sounds official,” she said.
“We’re investigating Sherwood,” Lucas said quickly. “It’s not very official. We just do odd jobs for the government now and then.”
“The government?” she drew back, and this time, she forgot to speak in a whisper. Her cheeks pinkened a lovely color. “S-Sorry.”
Lucas shot a glance toward the door, but no footsteps from angry fathers sounded.
“It’s true,” Lucas said, “or at least,” he amended, “it’s true we suspect him.”
“Of what?”
“There’s a sudden flow of counterfeit money in this region, and he might be behind it.”
“Oh.” She blinked. “But he might be behind it.”
“Yes.”
“But you’ve found convincing evidence, and you’re simply waiting for the courts to make a move?”
“Er—not precisely.”
She nodded knowledgeably. “Because he’s a duke. There are more procedures. He might get away with it. But you know he’s responsible.”
“Well.” Lucas scratched his head. “It’s possible he’s not responsible. In fact, that’s why I went to visit your manor house.”
“Oh.” She blinked. “You thought my father might be a criminal? Because his morals might not be terribly strong, but I couldn’t imagine him running a counterfeit operation. He even leaves most of the estate work to his estate manager.”
“No,” Lucas said. “I didn’t suspect him. Don’t worry.”
She stared at him. “You left after I left.”
Lucas averted his eyes. She’d put that together. He didn’t want to think about what else she might put together.
“You suspected me,” she said quietly.
“Not long,” Lucas assured her.
She stared at him. Memories of the highwayman inundated her. “You were the highwayman, weren’t you?”
He paused, then gave a miserable nod. “Yes.”
Juliet’s face whitened. “And now you suspect the duke?”
“I always thought he might be guilty.”
“But you have evidence?”
“Not yet,” Lucas admitted. “And to be fair, it’s possible he’s not involved.”
She raised her eyebrows. “That’s why you’re here. You’re looking for evidence.”
He nodded.
“If every person who didn’t like someone went about searching through their homes...”
“It’s not like that,” Lucas said hastily, even though he had a horrible suspicion that it might be somewhat like that. “I just want you to be careful.”
She nodded, but rose. “I think you should leave.”
“Oh.”
It occurred to him he might not see her for a while. “I shouldn’t have told you. I trust you will keep it secret.”
“Naturally,” she said, as if the implication that she might not do so had offended her.
“Perhaps when you’re here you can see if there’s something out of the ordinary—”
“He’s going to be my husband.” Juliet’s voice shook. “I need rather more proof than a suspicion from a man who does not like him.”
“Of course,” Lucas said quickly, regret filling him. His heart ached. He didn’t want to leave her here. He didn’t want to no longer speak with her. Great Olympus, he’d missed her in the past few days. Seeing her now did strange things to his heart.
He strode toward the wardrobe, even though each step seemed heavy, as if someone had shackled them. He moved unsteadily, as if his direction had confused his heart, and as if it were veering about inside of him in a desperate attempt to rectify his path.
“I’m sorry,” he said again.
She sighed and opened the door to the wardrobe. “I know. And I’ll be careful.”
He nodded.
That was what he’d wanted, but it wasn’t enough. Great Olympus, he wanted her.
He stepped inside.
Lucas’s heart clenched oddly, as if it were contracting, as if it didn’t want to be here.
Lucas didn’t blame it: he didn’t want to be here either. Leaving was also an impossibility. Leaving meant not seeing Juliet’s auburn hair, and leaving meant not seeing her green eyes. Leaving meant not listening to the pleasant contralto sound of her voice, and leaving meant there would never be a chance of hearing her laugh again.
“No man could be with another woman when he has you,” Lucas said.
Juliet’s cheeks rosied, and she averted her eyes. Lucas wanted to gaze at the swoop of her nose and her long dark eyelashes forever.
He wanted to look at her forever.
He wanted to be with her forever.
“You don’t have to marry him,” he said. “Even if—”
“Don’t say it.” Pain rippled through her voice. “You don’t need to say it.”
Lucas was silent.
The unsaid words filled the silence, seeming to hum between them.
He loved her.
And she was going to marry another man. A man who wasn’t good enough for her. She was going to keep her promise.
Footsteps sounded outside, and Juliet blew out her candle hastily. The room was dark. He tensed, but the footsteps continued through the corridor, past the room.
He knew he should leave, but he pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arms about her body. He brushed his fingers against her back, then moved another hand to her hair. He couldn’t see her auburn locks here. Everything was dark, but he felt silk beneath his fingers.
She was lovely.
She was even lovely in the dark.
Lucas pulled away hastily.
He’d almost kissed her.
He stepped back, his heart pounding oddly.
For a terrible moment, he’d forgotten that Juliet—Lady Juliet—was betrothed to another man. For a moment, he’d only thought of her rose-colored lips, and her floral scent. He’d desired to hold her in his arms and to kiss her.
A LIGHT KNOCK SOUNDED on the door, and Juliet tensed. L
ucas shot her a horrified look before he hurried away. Juliet closed the wardrobe abruptly, then headed for the door.
Had someone heard them? She’d thought they’d been quiet, but one never knew how sound traveled in these old, gusty buildings. The architects seemed to give greater care to fortressing from the outside than to providing privacy on the interior.
Heavens, when this place was built, it wasn’t unusual for everyone to sleep in one large room, servants and animals included.
Her heart thudded loudly, but in the next moment, she realized it was someone knocking again.
“Come in,” she squeaked, bracing for her stepmother’s sarcasm or her father’s befuddlement. Fiddle-faddle, Horatius himself could be here, wondering if she’d developed a cold that was deepening her voice and if she had a habit of talking to herself. Horatius, she was certain, in all his perfection would not be able to abide eccentricity to any degree.
The door opened, and her breath vanished.
A maid stepped in and curtsied. “I’ve come to help you with your clothes, miss.”
“Oh.” Relief surged through Juliet, and the maid shot her a curious look.
“I’m sure they’re uncomfortable, miss.” The maid strode toward her. “I’m sorry I was late. I was helping the countess change.”
“No, no,” Juliet said. “You’ve been absolutely perfect.”
The maid furrowed her brow, and Juliet realized she may have been over effusive in her praise. Most people, after all, limited their praise, when they bestowed it all, to after a task had finished.
Juliet decided to be quiet.
That was perhaps far safer.
She stood as the maid assisted her to undress. The maid moved matter-of-factly, hesitating only a few places on how to best remove her layers.
Juliet’s thoughts remained on Lucas. For a wild moment, she’d thought he might kiss her. A feeling of unease moved through her, as if something that had been supposed to happen hadn’t, as if life had almost changed... but was now its normal dull self.
This was the life she’d wanted, she reminded herself. This was the life for which she’d strived and strategized.
Had she made a mistake? Was Horatius involved with illegal activity? It seemed absurd that anyone she knew might be involved in nefarious deeds.
And yet...
Perhaps she’d been overly hasty at defending Horatius to Lucas. Horatius said all the correct things, but did she know him? He may as well be reciting lines from one of the thick etiquette books which had been popular reading material at her finishing school.
Still, he couldn’t be a counterfeiter. Such practices were illegal. A man who knew the correct forms of address was bound to know whether or not something was within the law.
But perhaps... Perhaps it wouldn’t be a terrible idea to see if she might find something that pointed to anything suspicious.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The castle had seemed lovely at nighttime, but now it was magnificent. Juliet had half-wanted to explore the castle in the early morning, but she only woke when the maid came to bring her tea and breakfast.
“Just something simple,” the maid apologized. “Cook wasn’t expecting so many people for breakfast.”
Juliet glanced at the tray. It was piled high with all manner of delicacies. “This will do.”
The maid strolled to the drapes and drew them open.
Golden light streamed into the room, and Juliet stared. Mountains jutted their wildflower-strewn peaks toward the sun, and a large, azure lake shimmered.
“Ullswater Lake,” Juliet breathed.
“Yes,” the maid said, with something like pride in her tone. “It is pretty.”
“Do you like working here?” Juliet asked the maid.
Juliet immediately regretted the question. The maid was bound to know Juliet was betrothed to Horatius. She couldn’t very well tell her if she didn’t like working there, but the maid brightened immediately. “It’s absolutely lovely, my lady. I couldn’t imagine a prettier place to work.”
“How nice,” Juliet said. “I should tour the place.”
The maid nodded. “Oh, yes. You must see the gardens. Apparently, some fancy man designed it.”
“I’m more interested in the interior.”
“Well, that’s nice too,” the maid said.
“Are there many parties here?” Juliet asked.
This time the maid did draw back, and Juliet wondered whether they would be speaking downstairs about the strangeness of her question.
“The ballroom is large if you want to have festivities,” the maid said finally. “The reception rooms are lovely.”
Juliet sighed. That wasn’t what she’d meant.
“I meant... Has there been a ball since you were here?”
“No,” the maid said.
“Does the duke have many guests here?”
The maid tilted her head and eyed Juliet suspiciously. Juliet retained an innocent expression on her face. “I’m sorry. I’m a bit curious. Everything is all so new.”
The maid’s shoulders relaxed a fraction. “His Grace is often occupied. Sometimes he has male friends over. They like to play cards.”
“Ah.” Juliet forced her expression to remain neutral. Was a love for gambling a reason to start a counterfeit operation? That would make losing the money less trying. Or were the card games only an excuse to lock themselves in a room, where they might speak about nefarious things?
Juliet was unsure, but it might be good to find out. At the very least, if the duke was waltzing with a woman, he wasn’t do it here. Perhaps he wasn’t doing it at all.
She sighed.
There’d been a time when that fact would have filled her with joy, but now uncertainty moved through her.
THE NEXT MORNING, LUCAS entered the breakfast room.
Sebastian glanced up from the table. “You look horrible. More than normal.”
“I got caught in the rain last night.”
“Hmph. When I saw it was going to rain, I headed back here. I don’t care if I was invited to Sherwood’s place. It’s not right to go without you.”
Lucas smiled at his friend’s loyalty.
“How come I didn’t see you here?”
Sebastian grinned. “I have news of my own. You’re going to like it.”
Stanley knocked on the door and cleared his throat. “You have two visitors, Your Grace. Two young ladies.”
“Young ladies?” Sebastian brushed his hand over his cravat knot. “They shouldn’t know I am here.”
“The young ladies in question are calling on the Duke of Ainsworth,” Stanley said.
Sebastian raised his eyebrows. “Now that can’t be right. Ainsworth never has female callers. Better show them in here.”
“Very well.” Stanley gave a slight bow before Lucas could protest.
Lucas’s heart quickened. Was Juliet here?
But there were two women. No doubt they were simply other neighbors who’d come out of curiosity to see two dukes.
Sebastian bit into a large turtulong, grinning merrily.
Lucas could hear murmurings, then footsteps.
I hope it’s her, I hope it’s her, I hope it’s her.
Then she appeared.
In the moment after that, her friend appeared, and Sebastian let out an undignified yelp followed by rapid coughing. His face turned an unusual puce shade, and he pointed at Miss Devon, as if he were a dying man identifying his murderer.
“I see you remember, Miss Devon,” Lucas said drily.
Sebastian continued to cough and flay his arms about. Lucas stood up, placed his arms about Sebastian’s stomach and tugged. A piece of turtulong, now in a mangled state, flew out and landed in the butter tray.
“Forgive us,” Lucas said, “we’re not much used to women.”
“Speak for yourself,” Sebastian grumbled. “I’m not used to that woman.”
Miss Devon blinked. “But we never met.”
Sebas
tian coughed. “Oh, yes. Quite, right. You looked like someone frightening.”
Miss Devon’s face whitened.
“Not that you are frightening,” Sebastian rushed to say. “In fact, your appearance is most pleasing. Beautiful blond locks, bright blue eyes, and—er...”
Lucas raised his eyebrows. Though Sebastian was no longer choking, his face remained curiously pink.
“I merely meant to say,” Sebastian said, his voice hoarse, “That you’re not two-headed or anything like that. That would be frightening.” He gave an odd laugh.
“Genevieve, perhaps you would like to go outside,” Juliet said hastily. “The view of the lake is quite lovely.”
Genevieve gave a grateful nod, then dashed outside.
Sebastian’s gaze fell on Juliet. “Ah, Lady Juliet, I presume.”
“Indeed.” Juliet curtsied, as Sebastian dipped into a bow.
“We met on the coast, I believe,” Sebastian said.
“And near Ullswater,” Juliet said, “though I believe you were more attired then, particularly in the facial area.”
Sebastian shot a glance at Lucas. “She knows?”
“She knows,” Lucas confirmed.
Sebastian frowned, and Lucas realized his friend might think it somewhat odd that he had gone to Juliet’s home to investigate her for the possibility of being involved in criminal activities, but had a few days later, shared all his activities with her.
Yes, Sebastian was right to be skeptical, but that didn’t matter. Lucas trusted Juliet completely.
Sebastian eyed the entrance skeptically, as if he still expected Miss Devon to appear.
“It’s not polite to show such open disdain for a woman’s relatives,” Lucas said.
“It’s also not polite to shoot someone.” Sebastian rubbed his shoulder.
“It’s perhaps an injury that is to be expected when pretending to be a highwayman,” Juliet said. “You were terribly realistic.”
Sebastian brightened instantly. “I was very good at pretending to be a highwayman.”
“Obviously, a great actor,” Lucas said solemnly.
Sebastian puffed out his chest. “Most people just say that I’m good at swimming.”
My Favorite Duke (The Duke Hunters Club Book 2) Page 13
