by Joyce Alec
Lady Juliet let out a long breath of relief and nodded, her smile returning and making Duncan fear that he had made the wrong decision.
“I thank you, Lord Strickland, for your willingness to trust me,” she said as Duncan inclined his head, unwilling to state that, as yet, he had not fully done so. “I know it must be most unusual to hear a request such as this.”
Duncan cleared his throat, fully aware that he would have to explain everything to Lord Richmond once the lady had departed. “I understand, Lady Juliet,” he replied without being fully convinced of her words. “Tomorrow afternoon, then.”
“Tomorrow afternoon,” she replied, making to take her leave, only for their dance then to be announced. With a question in her eyes, she looked back at him and Duncan found himself a little uncomfortable, holding out his hand to her and wondering at his own state of emotion.
Why did he feel such a sense of nervousness, simply because it was now their turn to dance together? Was it because of what he had just agreed to? Had he just allowed her some great victory that would then bring her a great benefit but mortify him completely? Part of him still feared that he would call upon Lady Juliet tomorrow and find that her important news was of no significance whatsoever. The ton would, no doubt, hear of his visit to her and, given that he was now to dance with her twice this evening, would then go on to whisper that his interest in the lady was rather marked. A cold hand grasped his heart as he stepped out with Lady Juliet, but he forced himself forward. He could not refuse to fulfill his dance with her now.
“I can tell that you are having some difficulty in believing what I have said, Lord Strickland,” came Lady Juliet’s quiet voice, making Duncan look down at her in surprise. A small, sad smile crossed her lips as she held his gaze for a moment.
“You must fear that I am doing all I can in order to gain your attention for my own purpose,” she continued, practically speaking every word within his heart as though she could see it without any difficulty. “I am sure that you have had many a young lady attempt to manipulate you so and thus, I shall not hold such sentiment against you.” They came to join a set and he let go of her arm, turning to bow toward her as she curtsied.
“But my words are true,” she murmured, her voice low enough so only he could hear. “And I will prove it to you come the morrow.” Her eyes were practically glowing with determination now, holding to his with such force that Duncan could not look away. He felt his heart soften just a little, felt the anxious thoughts begin to leave his mind as he looked back at her, finding himself somewhat comforted by her manner and her words of conviction.
The music began and there was nothing further for him to say. Following the steps of the dance, Duncan allowed himself to continue to puzzle over Lady Juliet, finding his thoughts quite taken up with the lady. Dare he permit himself to believe her? Dare he hope that she might be speaking the truth? And what will that change within your own heart if it is proven so? said a quiet voice in his head. Will you think better of her? Will you permit yourself to consider what might flourish between you, if only you would let it?
It was not a question Duncan could immediately answer, finding it such an unknown situation that he did not know what to think. But somewhere deep within him there ignited a tiny flame of hope. A flame that Duncan knew Lady Juliet might either encourage or blow out entirely, depending on what she said to him the morrow.
He would have to simply wait to know what she would do.
5
“If you continue to pace, then your father will be most displeased at having to replace the carpet.”
Juliet did not even glance up as Mrs. Grey spoke and thus, missed the twinkle in the older lady’s eye. She was nervous beyond expression, anxious that Lord Strickland would not attend as he had said, fearful that he would give in to the clear belief that she was not as she made out to be. There had been such an apparent distrust in his expression and his words last evening that Juliet knew there would be a great deal of difficulty in convincing him to call on her. Trying to explain to him that there was a great seriousness in her request had been a struggle and even now, Juliet was not at all convinced that he not only believed her but would do as she had asked.
“He will call,” Mrs. Grey said gently. “You need not be so anxious, Juliet.”
“He may not,” Juliet replied quickly. “I saw the distrust in his eyes, Mrs. Grey. I saw that he did not want to do as I asked. Had I not turned to you, then I am quite certain he would have refused.”
Mrs. Grey let out a small sigh. “But he agreed in the end, did he not?” she said, setting her needlework down. “And he is a gentleman who keeps his word, I am sure of it.”
Juliet did not say anything to either agree or disagree, continuing to pace up and down the drawing room, worrying her lip as she did so. She had danced twice with Lord Strickland last evening but neither dance had been one of enjoyment. Instead, she had found herself lacking conversation, unable to find anything particular to say, and Lord Strickland himself made no effort to converse with her at all either. It had been two somewhat awkward dances and Juliet had found herself both frustrated and upset over the matter, wishing she had been able to convince Lord Strickland without any great effort and yet fully understanding why he did not trust her so.
“He thinks me eager to impress him in any way I can,” she said, rather sadly. “I am sure of it, Mrs. Grey. He believes that I have told him this in order to urge him to my father’s townhouse which will, of course, be noted by someone in the beau monde.”
“He will attend you, just as he has said,” Mrs. Grey interrupted, before Juliet could continue. “Stop your anxious thoughts, Juliet. It will do you no good.”
Juliet opened her mouth to say that she could not help it, but before she could do so, a scratch came at the door.
A scratch that had Juliet’s heart leaping wildly, her hands pressing to her lips for a moment as Mrs. Grey called the butler to enter.
“Lord Strickland, my lady,” the butler murmured, handing Juliet his card and returning to the door. “Shall I have refreshments brought?”
“Juliet,” Mrs. Grey hissed, beckoning her toward a chair. “Juliet, do hurry.”
It was with leaden limbs that Juliet walked toward a vacant chair, standing in front of it as though she had only just risen from it. “If you please,” she said to the butler, her heart hammering furiously as he nodded and then stepped back out into the hallway for a moment, ready to bring in Lord Strickland. He had come, then. He had attended her, just as he had agreed and just as Mrs. Grey had stated. Now all that remained was for her to tell him precisely what she had overheard, showing him that she had spoken the truth in her request.
Lord Strickland came into the room with his head held high, his shoulders set, and a rather grim look settled into his expression, as though he was quite convinced that she would immediately be disingenuous. Juliet curtsied quickly as he bowed, struggling to put a smile on her face as she lifted her eyes to his.
Lord Strickland’s gaze was hard, his lips pulled thin and a coolness in his eyes that told her he was not at all convinced as yet.
“I thank you for calling,” Juliet said, a little breathlessly. “Please, do sit down, Lord Strickland. The butler has just now seen to some refreshments. They will be here momentarily.”
Clearing his throat, Lord Strickland gave her a tight smile. “I should prefer that we discuss whatever matter it is that has brought you so much concern, Lady Juliet,” he said, his eyes fixed to hers. There was ice within the blue orbs, a clear and apparent disbelief that anything she had to say would be of any true interest.
“Very well,” she told him, finding her mouth now dry as she tried to find the words to express to him what it was she had overheard. “It was some two days ago, Lord Strickland. I was in a bookshop with Mrs. Grey, merely perusing the books and without any real interest in any of them.” She could see his brow furrowing and knew that he must now believe her to be telling him nothing but
a foolish story. “This is of significance, I assure you.” Taking in a breath, she let it out again slowly. “Mrs. Grey was in one part of the shop and I in entirely another. There was, as you might expect, a quietness there that is not often found in any other part of London and thus, enjoying that silence, I continued to meander without any true intention.”
Lord Strickland sighed and sat back in his chair a little more, brushing back his fair hair from across his forehead. “Indeed,” he said in a dull, bored voice. “And in what way does this relate to me?”
“If you would but listen without interruption, then I believe you would find out.”
Juliet blinked in astonishment at Mrs. Grey, whose sharp words had shot across the room and hit Lord Strickland directly. Mrs. Grey was frowning fiercely, her eyes sparkling with a clear anger that Juliet was surprised to see. There was no immediate response from Lord Strickland, who appeared to be just as astonished as Juliet, although he cleared his throat and sat up a little more, a touch of color coming into his face. Juliet found herself struggling to find the right words to say next and was all the more relieved when the door opened and a tea tray was brought in. It gave her a few moments to gather herself and to consider what she was to say next.
“I thank you,” she murmured as Mrs. Grey offered to pour the tea, leaving Juliet to finish what she was saying. “Yes, Lord Strickland,” she continued, finding a fresh boldness beginning to fill her. “This does relate to you entirely, for as I was in the bookshop, in the quieter part of it, I overheard two people talking.” Taking in a deep breath, she lifted her chin a notch and looked back at him. “They spoke of you.”
The change that came into Lord Strickland’s expression was immediate. His eyes flared and he leaned forward in his chair, his eyes now searching her face. “Indeed?”
“They spoke of you in a manner that has me quite convinced they intend to do you a great deal of harm,” Juliet continued, managing to tell him, almost verbatim, what had been said. “In short, Lord Strickland, whilst I cannot be entirely convinced as to what it is they intend to do, I am entirely certain that you are in great danger.”
Lord Strickland did not say anything for some minutes. In the silence, Mrs. Grey handed Juliet her teacup, leaving her to sip at it as Lord Strickland remained sitting quietly, his eyes now staring blankly at something on the wall behind Juliet’s head, his face paler than before.
“And you are sure that they spoke of a failure?” he said abruptly, turning his eyes to Juliet once more. “They said something about having failed already?”
Frowning, Juliet tried her best to recall the exact words. “I believe the lady in question, whoever she was, told the fellow that he had failed. He then expressed to her that it was not his doing, as his aim had been true but that you had stepped forward unexpectedly.” Seeing the color drain all the more from Lord Strickland’s face, Juliet glanced toward Mrs. Grey, who was now watching Lord Strickland with a growing concern. “Does that mean something to you, Lord Strickland?”
The gentleman nodded slowly, his hands tightening together as he clasped them in his lap. “It does, Lady Juliet,” he said hoarsely. “In fact, I must now apologize to you for refusing to believe that you had anything of true significance to tell me. I can see now that this is of the greatest importance and, had you not told me of it, then I would have continued on believing that what occurred was nothing more than an accident and that I was simply in the wrong place when such an event occurred.”
Not at all sure as to what he was referring, Juliet held back the questions on her lips and waited for him to say more, glancing toward Mrs. Grey, who looked back at her with the same confused expression. There was clearly more to this situation than she had expected, with Lord Strickland seemingly aware of something she was not. Whether he would share it with her, Juliet did not yet know, although she was fully aware that he had no need to do so.
“Lady Juliet, do you think you would be able to recognize the voice of either the gentleman or the lady again, should you hear them?”
Juliet thought hard, her brows furrowing. “I wish I could tell you that I would do so without struggle, but the truth is I am not at all sure I would succeed,” she said honestly, seeing the disappointment on his face. “I was, as you might imagine, quite horrified to hear such things and, to be truthful, quite afraid that I would be discovered. The thought of what might occur should they find out that I had overheard their plans was quite terrifying and I made my way to Mrs. Grey’s side as soon as I could. Thereafter, we departed the bookshop.”
“We might have lingered in order to watch those who departed from the shop, certainly,” Mrs. Grey added in, as though she anticipated that Lord Strickland would make such a remark. “But it is as Lady Juliet has just said. We had to ensure that she was not noticed in any way, that she was kept safe given what she had overheard.”
Lord Strickland nodded, one hand now rubbing his chin. “I shall not berate you for that, Lady Juliet,” he said softly. “You could easily have been threatened also, had you not done such a thing.”
“Then you believe the threat to be real?” she asked, surprised at the strain that was in her voice. “You know there to be significance in what I overheard?”
Nodding, Lord Strickland dragged his gaze to hers. “An incident occurred some days ago,” he said slowly. “I was walking from a soiree toward White’s. The distance was not far. However, as I walked, I heard a shout. A shout that had me stop dead for a moment or two, before I decided to continue on my way.” He paused, then closed his eyes. “Something came flying toward me and would have hit me hard, had I not been already out of its path,” he continued, his explanation now showing her precisely why he had gone so very pale after what she had related to him. “Someone’s aim was true indeed, but I moved forward just in time.”
Juliet caught her breath, realizing now why he had been so horrified with what she had said.
“At the time, I took it to be nothing more than an accident, believing myself to be very fortunate,” Lord Strickland continued, running one hand over his eyes. “I can see now that I was more than fortunate. That was meant for me.”
“Would it have thrown you to the ground?” Mrs. Grey asked quietly, and Lord Strickland nodded. “Knocked you senseless?”
“I believe it would have, yes,” he told her as Juliet bit her lip, hard. “I do not know what their intention is, or why they seek to injure me so, but I am very grateful indeed to you for your willingness to inform me of this, Lady Juliet.”
“But of course,” she said quickly. “Lord Strickland, there must be more that I can do. I might not be certain that I would recognize the voice again, but I am very sure that the lady who spoke was one of the beau monde.” She picked up her teacup and took a long sip, praying it would steady her nerves a little. “You are in danger; I am quite sure of it.”
“And why they would wish for me to be struck down so, I cannot yet understand,” he added, half to himself. “I do not know why…” He trailed off, then looked up at her sharply. “It is, in fact, the second occasion that has troubled me this Season.”
Juliet stared at him, her hand trembling just a little as she set her cup down. “The second time?”
“The first occurred on my way to London,” Lord Strickland told her, his eyes now wide with evident understanding and concern. “I had thought to take my carriage to London, rather than to ride, and had told my servants and the proprietor of the inn I was residing in of my intentions. However, on the morning I rose, I changed my mind, choosing instead to ride on ahead and allow my carriage to follow after. It was not until my driver made it to London and to the townhouse that I discovered it had very nearly been ambushed by highwaymen.”
In an instant, the vision of what she had seen trapped Juliet in a flurry of horror and fright. She reached for her teacup blindly, bringing it to her lips and closing her eyes as she swallowed, not allowing her mind to be overcome with the reminder of what she had seen. Bile rose i
n her throat and she took another sip, before setting her teacup back down again. When she turned to Lord Strickland, she saw him looking at her with a mixture of both confusion and concern written in his eyes.
“It is only that, as my father, Mrs. Grey, and I made our way to London, we came upon a scene of such vile cruelty that even the thought of it turns my stomach, Lord Strickland,” she said hoarsely. “The highwaymen, as you say, were behind this particular attack, according to my father.”
Lord Strickland said nothing for some moments before lowering his head and running one hand across his forehead. “Then mayhap it was nothing more than that,” he said quietly. “If there are highwaymen at work, then it cannot be an attack on myself personally, as I first thought, terrible though it may be.”
Juliet tried to push her memories of that day far from her, shuddering slightly as she did so. “Whether or not it was, my main concern at present is that you are in great danger from an enemy as yet unidentified,” she said, forcing herself to return to the task at hand. “What is it that can be done?”
Lord Strickland frowned. “You need not concern yourself with this matter any longer, Lady Juliet,” he returned, obviously a little surprised that she evidently expected to do just that. “You have informed me of it, for which I am very grateful, but you need not continue with the burden of it.”
“Oh, but I must!” Juliet exclaimed, surprising herself at her vehemence. “It may very well be that I am able to identify the voice of those speaking, Lord Strickland, and besides which, you cannot face this alone.”
“I—I shall speak to Lord and Lady Richmond, of course,” he said, floundering just a little. “I should not like to put you in any difficulty, Lady Juliet.”
A small flare of anger lit her soul and Juliet found herself frowning heavily, her eyes narrowing just a fraction as she looked back at Lord Strickland. Was he truly trying to protect her in some way? Or was there more to his disinclination than there appeared?
