by Joyce Alec
She did not know what to say to this, finding his change in demeanor almost overwhelming. No longer was he pushing her back, frowning and shaking his head at even the thought of having a prolonged acquaintance with her. Rather, he was seemingly eager to have her in his company and was now speaking as though he wanted nothing more than to linger there. Was it an act? A staged performance, set out to ensure that both the earl and Viscount Haverstock were aware of his supposed interest in her, so that they might speak of him to her without hesitation? Or was there any truth within his actions?
“He is not too far,” Lord Strickland murmured as Mrs. Grey fell into step beside Juliet. “I am sure he will catch my attention without me even attempting to speak to him. He is that sort of gentleman.”
Juliet did not know what Lord Strickland meant, only to hear a loud voice calling his name, seeming to boom across toward them. Blinking in surprise, she looked up at Lord Strickland and saw him grin.
“It is as I have said, is it not?” he murmured to her, before turning toward a small group of guests who were, by now, all turning toward her.
“Lord Redford,” Lord Strickland called as they approached. “Good evening. It is not like you to shout so loudly. Is something the matter?”
This made the earl laugh, his small eyes crinkling so much they looked almost entirely closed. He was a larger man than Lord Strickland, both taller and broader than he. The foppish clothes did not hide his paunch but there was a jolliness to his expression that warmed Juliet’s heart toward him almost in an instant.
“I could not help but exclaim at the sight of you with a beautiful young lady on your arm,” the earl said beaming, turning his gaze to Juliet. “Whatever have you done, my lady?”
Juliet did not know what he meant, stammering awkwardly as she tried to reply. “I—I have done nothing, my lord,” she replied, only for Lord Redford to guffaw with laughter.
“You have done something, certainly,” he said with a broad smile and a wink in her direction. “Do you not know that Lord Strickland has never once shown any interest in any young lady of the ton? And now here he is, walking with you through the ballroom. Most extraordinary.”
Juliet blushed but Lord Strickland took the opportunity to quickly make introductions, freeing Juliet’s arm and allowing her to curtsy.
“I am very pleased to make your acquaintance,” the earl said, still smiling at her. “I must ask if your dance card is available to me, Lady Juliet, for there must be something about you that has captured Lord Strickland so, and I have to discover it for myself.”
“You are much too kind, Lord Redford, but I can assure you there is nothing at all such as you have described within me,” she replied, slipping off her dance card and handing it to him. “Lord Strickland is merely being a gentleman, that is all.”
Lord Redford did not appear to believe this, guffawing loudly as though he knew all too well that Juliet did not speak the truth. With a twinkle in his eye, he held her gaze for a moment before dropping his attention to her dance card.
“Now, you can hardly expect me to believe such a thing when I can see from this that Lord Strickland has taken the supper dance,” he said, writing his name with a flourish. “Although I shall take your first waltz, if I may?”
She smiled at him, rather glad that Lord Strickland had warned her about Lord Redford’s flirtatious nature. Was he the sort of gentleman who would want to injure Lord Strickland in some way? And if so, for what reason? The man seemed much too jolly to want to harm anyone and yet Juliet knew that such demeanors could be an outward appearance only. However, she had to admit that there was something very likeable about the gentleman, finding her smile remaining steady as he continued to speak.
“I look forward to dancing with you, Lady Juliet,” he said with a small bow as he handed her back her dance card. “Although I shall confess to being rather jealous that Lord Strickland has stolen the supper dance from me.”
“No doubt you will find many other young ladies willing to step forward and offer you their supper dance, Lord Redford,” Lord Strickland answered dryly. “Just so that you are not too disappointed.”
Lord Redford chuckled at this remark, no hint of malice or annoyance in his expression.
“I hope you have noticed the arrival of one Lady Ridgedale, Lord Strickland,” Lord Redford said suddenly, the smile on his face beginning to fade as a new seriousness came into his eyes. “She has not spoken to you as yet?”
“No,” Lord Strickland replied, a tightness coming into his expression, his lips flattening and his jaw working for a moment. “She has not greeted me, and I have no intention of doing so either.”
Juliet did not know what to make of this, a little confused as to who Lady Ridgedale might be and why she appeared to be so entirely disagreeable to Lord Strickland. Keeping her questions to herself for the moment, she dropped her gaze to the floor, making sure to show no particular interest.
“That is a wise choice,” came Lord Redford’s reply. “I think much of the ton are a little wary of her and it would not do your reputation any good to be seen in her company.”
“Given just how much she clearly dislikes me, I do not think that such a thing shall ever occur,” Lord Strickland replied firmly. “But I thank you for your concern, Lord Redford.”
Lord Redford nodded sagely. “But of course,” he said, only for the music to strike up for the next dance, leaving him to turn bright eyes toward Juliet.
“Ah, it is our waltz, Lady Juliet,” he stated, holding out one hand to her. “Shall we take to the floor?”
Much to Juliet’s relief, Lord Redford was an excellent dancer. She had no difficulty remaining in step with him and he appeared almost effortless, gliding around the floor with ease as he maintained a conversation with her.
“Lord Strickland did not tell me just how proficient a dancer you were,” Lord Redford said with a broad smile on his face. “You must have many excellent qualities, I am sure.”
Juliet laughed, becoming a little more used to the gentleman’s many—and seemingly continuous—compliments.
“Lord Redford, there is merely an acquaintance between myself and Lord Strickland, I can assure you,” she said warmly. “Besides which, I confess that I do not know the gentleman very well at all as yet.” Keeping her smile in place, she tilted her head just a little as he twirled her around. “Is there anything untoward about him that I ought to know?”
Lord Redford chuckled, his hand holding hers a little more tightly. “Indeed there is not,” he said with seeming honesty. “There is nothing that I can think of that would make Lord Strickland lacking in your eyes. You should take great pride in knowing that you are the first young lady he has ever shown any particular interest in, which speaks very highly of you, I am sure.”
Again, he returns to complimenting me, Juliet thought to herself, a little irritated that he would not say anything more about Lord Strickland. “You are too kind, Lord Redford,” she murmured as the dance came to a close. “Then there is nothing you would warn me of? Nothing that I might come to discover about Lord Strickland that would push me from him?” She sighed heavily as he bowed, curtsying beautifully toward him. “I should not like to continue in our acquaintance only to discover something much too late.”
Lord Redford’s smile faded and, to her relief, he appeared to be a good deal more serious. “Please, Lady Juliet,” he said, offering her his arm so that they might return to Mrs. Grey, “have no fear. Lord Strickland is just as he appears. He is not a rogue or a scoundrel. He has nothing in his history that would bring you any sort of pain. In fact, I believe him to be one of the very best gentlemen of my acquaintance.” Reaching across with his free hand, he patted hers gently as it rested on his arm, as though they were very old friends. “You need only to know how he behaved with Lady Ridgedale to be sure of that.”
Juliet blinked, tilting her head up toward him. “I know nothing of Lady Ridgedale,” she said in a slightly plaintive tone. “Is that
someone of importance?”
Looking down at her, Lord Redford made to speak, only to stop himself and shake his head. “You must speak to Lord Strickland directly,” he said firmly. “It is not my story to tell, but I can assure you, that he was more than wise in such an acquaintance.”
“That is a relief to know,” Juliet murmured, her mind filling with questions as to who this Lady Ridgedale might be and precisely why she was so important to Lord Strickland. “Thank you, Lord Redford.”
He grinned at her, the twinkle back in his eyes almost at once. “It was wonderful to dance with you, Lady Juliet,” he told her. “I do hope that I might have the pleasure of doing so again very soon.”
The supper dance was quite wonderful. To be in Lord Strickland’s arms seemed, to Juliet, to be the most delightful thing in all the world. It was not as though they had not danced before, but something had changed in their acquaintance—as well as within Juliet’s own heart.
“Lord Redford said too much, then, and Lord Haverstock too little.”
Juliet looked up into Lord Strickland’s eyes and saw him frown, silently praying that anyone watching would not think that he was displeased with her dancing.
“Lord Haverstock danced the cotillion,” she reminded him gently. “And there is not much opportunity to speak as one might do in the waltz.”
The frown lifted just a fraction from Lord Strickland’s face. “Of course,” he said, his eyes turning back toward her as the corner of his mouth lifted. “I was expecting too much from the first meeting, I think.”
Juliet searched his blue eyes, looking for any sign of discontent within them, worried that he had thought her something of a failure in her endeavors. But there was none there, and for that, she was grateful. Once more, she was struck by the handsomeness of his features for, when he smiled, his face transformed entirely. Light came into his eyes, his brows lifted, and there was no longer any heaviness about him. Juliet could not help but smile back in return.
“You were studying me,” Lord Strickland murmured as the dance ended and he released her gently. “Is there something you wish to ask me?”
Juliet curtsied quickly, hoping to hide her embarrassment. She could not very well tell him that she had been thinking just how handsome he was, or just how much his expression changed when he smiled.
“Well?” he asked, a teasing note in his voice as he offered her his arm. “You will not say?”
A little frantic to find an answer, Juliet looked away. “It is only that I was thinking about Lord Redford,” she said, scrambling to find any sort of explanation. “He spoke very highly of you.” Lord Haverstock, on the other hand, had not said a word about Lord Strickland, although he had spoken well to both her and to Lord Strickland when it came to conversation. Mrs. Grey herself had thought both gentlemen to be just as she would have expected, although had remarked that a little more might come from either gentleman upon further acquaintance.
“Lord Redford speaks well of everyone,” Lord Strickland remarked with a small smile. “He is known not to speak poorly of those he is acquainted with, unless they have, of course, behaved in such a poor way that the entirety of the beau monde recognizes it.”
Juliet was about to ask whether or not Lady Ridgedale was one such person, only for Lord Strickland to offer her his arm and lead her on through to the refreshments in the dining room, where tables and chairs sat waiting for them. Mrs. Grey, ever present, remained nearby, sitting next to Juliet as Lord Strickland showed her to a table.
“If you will permit me?” he asked, and Juliet nodded her thanks as he poured them all some wine. Looking at the many dishes, he quickly served both Juliet and Mrs. Grey and then himself, whilst other guests joined them at the table. Juliet felt herself becoming quite contented with how the evening had gone. This was more than delightful for her, to be sitting in Lord Strickland’s company and enjoying a pleasant meal and excellent conversation. The threat that surrounded Lord Strickland no longer seemed to be of great importance, no longer felt as significant, even though she knew it to be so. These few moments were more than a little satisfying and Juliet felt herself sigh with a renewed sense of happiness.
“If you will excuse me for a few minutes.”
Lord Strickland sent her an apologetic smile and rose from the table. Thinking nothing of it—for it was not the done thing to give a reason to excuse oneself—Juliet turned to Mrs. Grey and continued their conversation.
“The only other gentleman we must introduce ourselves to, if we can, is Lord Brookmire,” Mrs. Grey remarked with a lift of one eyebrow. “I am aware that Lord Strickland is not acquainted with him in any way, but it might well be wise to be introduced to him regardless.”
“Indeed,” Juliet agreed thoughtfully. “Although it would seem very strange to me to have a gentleman eager to bring pain and suffering to Lord Strickland if he is not even acquainted with him. What purpose would he have?”
Mrs. Grey frowned, taking a small sip of her wine before setting it back down. “From what you said, it appears that the gentleman in question, whoever he might be, is doing all of this at the behest of a lady of the ton,” she said slowly. “What if there is some sort of agreement between that lady and himself? Might it be then that he is hoping to receive some sort of benefit from her rather than having anything specific against Lord Strickland himself?”
A loud, raucous laugh caught Juliet’s attention before she could answer and, turning her head, she saw Lord Redford guffawing loudly at some remark another at his table had made. Lord Haverstock sat near to him and there was nothing akin to enjoyment on his face but rather a look of tired acceptance. With a small, knowing smile, she turned back to Mrs. Grey. “That is a wise suggestion,” she admitted as Lord Redford finally subsided. “I do wonder if—”
“Lady Juliet?”
A footman came toward them, bowing quickly but speaking with such sharpness that Juliet was a little taken aback.
“If you and Mrs. Grey would join me at once, Lord Strickland is in need of your assistance,” the footman said quietly, so that none of the other guests would overhear. “This way.”
There was not any suggestion as to what particular assistance Lord Strickland required but Juliet, with a glance toward Mrs. Grey, rose quickly and followed the footman, noting, with dismay, that Lord and Lady Richmond were following after them.
“Do you know what is the matter?” Lady Richmond asked as she fell into step beside Juliet. “What has happened to Lord Strickland?”
“He has fallen down the staircase,” the footman replied, turning toward them for a moment, clearly having overheard their conversation. “I directed him to the gentleman’s retiring room and I believe an incident occurred as he made to return to the drawing room.”
Juliet’s heart began to pound as she stared at the footman, with Lady Richmond’s hand tightening on her arm. She could not take another step forward, suddenly dreadfully afraid of what she would find.
“Is he badly injured?” Lord Richmond demanded, one hand slipping around his wife’s waist as they all came to a stop, horrified to hear such news. “Whatever happened?”
“He has asked for us,” Mrs. Grey said quietly, “so he must be at least conscious.”
The footman nodded. “I think it would be best if you spoke to him yourself, my lord,” he said, clearly eager to hurry them along. “He was most specific and demanded that I did not inform my master of his injuries either.”
“Then let us hurry at once!” Juliet exclaimed, her legs weak but her eagerness to see Lord Strickland for herself growing within her. “Please.” She gestured for the footman to lead them on and, with a swift nod, he turned and continued walking along the hallway back in the direction of the ballroom. Her heart in her throat, Juliet hurried after him, her mind filled with dread as she wondered in just what state they would find Lord Strickland.
10
Making his way from the retiring room, Duncan allowed himself a small smile as he thought of
returning to Lady Juliet. She was, much to his surprise, becoming more and more important to him with every moment spent together, to the point that he was struggling to even consider what his life would be like without her company. But that was within his future, he supposed, for given that his acquaintance with Lady Juliet had come about simply because of what she had overheard and her seeming eagerness to do all she could to help him, it was reasonable to expect that their acquaintance would fade once the matter was at an end. Was that something he wanted? Musing to himself, Duncan did not see a shadow suddenly step out from behind him, did not feel the hands pushing hard at him until it was almost too late.
He reacted at once. One hand shot out, his body twisting as he flailed backwards, trying to find something—anything—to hold onto. His hand grasped onto clothing and he managed to pull himself forward, with the fellow behind him gasping for breath as they fought.
“Unhand me!” Duncan exclaimed, his voice echoing through the otherwise empty hallway, but there was no immediate effect. The man snarled, his face and expression a blur as Duncan fought to regain control. Pain shot through Duncan’s stomach as the man punched him hard, one leg slipping down onto the first stair and his ankle twisting painfully.
“You may have escaped thrice, Strickland, but you will not escape again.”
With a hard shove, the man freed himself from Duncan’s grasp and pushed him back, hard. With a cry, Duncan found himself stumbling forward, hurtling down the staircase without managing to catch himself. His hands flew out in front of him, but it was not enough to stop him from falling, finding almost every part of his body burning with pain as he tumbled to the floor.
“My lord!”
A voice drew near to him as Duncan tried to recover himself, realizing, dazedly, that he was no longer falling. Everything ached, his head pounding furiously as he tried to breathe at a steady pace, making every attempt to work out where he was.
