Juliet could not help but smile. “He is. And if he has risked much, then it is only right that I take a risk, as well.” She pulled herself up into a seated position and leaned her back against the headboard of the bed, and Annabel followed suit. “I will need your help in this. I will say, however, that the consequences of agreeing could be great, and I cannot promise you will escape with anything more than your life. Will you lend me aid?”
Annabel’s eyes glinted in the candlelight. “An adventure?” she asked with a wide grin.
“Most definitely. I must rid myself of Lord Parsons.”
“You mean to kill him?” Annabel asked with a gasp, her eyes wide in shock.
Juliet laughed. “Of course not. What I mean is this. I will write a letter explaining to him that my aunt—not your mother—has become gravely ill and we shall be gone for some time.”
“That is an excellent idea!” Annabel said. “How might I help?”
“I will write a second letter, one that appears that it comes from Lord Parsons. It will be you who just happens to be outside when it is delivered and therefore it makes sense you would give it directly to me.”
For some time, Juliet explained her plan, and at the end, both women were smiling.
“You are so intelligent!” Annabel said, and Juliet’s pride swelled. “You promised me adventure, and I am pleased to find our first to be very exciting.”
“I could not agree with you more,” Juliet replied as she removed the blanket and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “It will be one of many, that I promise you. Come, we will write the letters tonight while everyone is abed.”
Annabel rushed around the bed and helped Juliet stand. Then they donned their nightdresses and made their way to the door. Before they could leave, however, Annabel placed a hand on Juliet’s arm. “Thank you for being my closest friend,” she whispered. “And for sharing with me what was on your heart.”
Juliet hugged her cousin. “And thank you for being here to listen. Come, we have much work to do.”
With Annabel holding the candle, the two made their way to the drawing room—Juliet doing her best at keeping her crutches quiet. All her practice over the weeks was finally paying off.
***
Juliet rose from the chair in the study. She had already written her letter to Lord Parsons, and now they would write the letter meant to be from the man. The plan Robert had devised was brilliant, and Juliet was thankful that they had become friends. Now she would have to create a letter believable enough to allow her to remain at home.
“If I dictate the letter to you,” she asked Annabel, “will you write it?”
“But would it not be better if you wrote it yourself?”
Juliet snorted. “If Mother were to ask for the letter, she would immediately recognize my penmanship.”
Annabel gasped. “I had not thought of that!” she exclaimed as she reached for the quill. “How is it you are able to perceive so much in comparison to others?”
“It is a burden I must carry,” Juliet sighed. “And I tell you, it is unfair. Many nights, I have heard Hannah and Isabel weeping because of my beauty. I believe they are also handsome, but compared to me, they do not believe it is true.”
“That is sad,” her cousin replied. “For all of you are beautiful. I can see why they would be jealous, however. I understand firsthand.” Her face took on a melancholy look.
Juliet arched an eyebrow. “Do not forget yourself. The woman who is so beautiful, her parents hide her away lest every noble man come asking for her hand.”
This brought on a wide smile. “You are too kind.” Her cheeks were a bright red as she placed the nub of the quill to the parchment. “What would you like me to write?”
Juliet adjusted the crutches and moved back to lean against one of the bookcases. “We must make it convincing; heartfelt to be sure, but above all, believable.”
“Yes. We would not wish to make your mother suspicious.”
“Exactly. Let us begin thus: ‘My Dearest Juliet, the lady above all ladies, It is with a sad heart that I inform you of my sudden departure…”
For some time, Juliet dictated the letter, and Annabel penned the words. When they finished, Annabel signed the man’s name, returned the quill to its holder, and covered the letter with sand to dry the ink.
“Now, you know what to do when it arrives, correct?”
Annabel nodded. “I do. I will say I was outside and a man on horseback arrive with a letter that was to reach you immediately.” She rose from the chair. “Do you think the letter will achieve what you wish?”
“What do you mean?”
“It does talk much about your beauty,” Annabel said.
“It is meant to be believable,” Juliet admonished. “Anything short of a glowing admiration will make Mother doubt its authenticity.” She folded the letter and added a drop of wax to seal it before securing both letters away. Then they made their way back to their rooms.
Although she was weary, Juliet was restless as she lay on top of her covers in her shift as she thought of Daniel. Annabel had asked her if she was in love, and her mother had told her she was in the first steps toward just such a predicament. For so long, she had thought Daniel beneath her, but the fact of the matter was, she wanted to be his equal. Yet, what did that mean?
As her eyelids grew heavy, she drifted off to sleep. Later, she stirred during a dream, a dream where he was in her room, whispering how beautiful she was. Then he kissed her forehead.
Not only had the dream seemed real, it felt wonderful in her heart. A feeling that she would certainly explore over the months to come.
Chapter Eleven
Time has a strange way of changing one’s outlook on life. Just five weeks prior, Juliet’s sisters had left for London for the season, the season of which she had dreamed since she was a young girl. However, those dreams had changed, and now she found she wanted nothing more than to spend time in Daniel’s presence.
It had been a week since she had gifted him the overcoat, and Juliet had spoken to him only once for a brief time since. Fear was not what kept her from dropping by the stables, but instead Juliet remained in the house and spoke of Lord Parsons—in a positive light, of course—in order to convince her mother that she did, indeed, have an interest in the man.
Her mother, as was expected, was delighted and spent a goodly amount of time asking questions whilst Juliet and Annabel worked on their embroidery or sat with a cup of tea in hand.
Today, Doctor Comerford had arrived to look at Juliet’s foot, and her mother sat in a chair to observe. Juliet gave a tiny nod to Annabel, and the girl stood.
“Forgive me,” her cousin said. “I feel slightly warm and need a bit of air.” Earlier, Juliet had asked one of the footmen to see that the fire was well built up as a way to play into the excuse.
“You are not coming down with something, are you?” Juliet’s mother asked.
“Oh, no, not at all,” Annabel replied. “I should not have sat so close to the fire is all.” Another step they had taken beforehand.
She left the room, and Juliet looked down at the balding head of the doctor as he studied her foot.
“This seems to be healing quite nicely,” he said. “The bruising and swelling are gone. Miss Juliet, would you please attempt to stand on it?”
“Yes, Doctor,” Juliet said. She pulled herself up from the couch with the aid of one of her crutches—she was getting quite good at using them!—and gingerly placed her injured foot on the floor. She slowly added more weight to it. “There is only a slight pain, but nothing overly so.”
“Excellent,” Doctor Comerford replied. “Now, see if you can walk without the aid of the sticks. I will hold them for you in case you are unable to maintain your weight on that foot, so do not worry you will fall.”
Juliet laughed. The doctor continued to refer to the crutches as sticks, and she found it quite humorous. She took a step forward, her injured foot first, and put her wei
ght on it without difficulty. She took another step and grinned. Her foot throbbed a bit, but otherwise she had little trouble moving about.
“You can walk again,” her mother said. “Doctor, will she now be able to walk without the crutches?”
The man nodded. “I believe so. I would suggest two things, however. One, there is to be no activities that might injure the foot again, at least not for some time. You must be gentle with your foot.”
“Yes, Doctor,” Juliet replied, pleased she would once again be able to walk unaided. Now she would be able to go out exploring once again, and thoughts of sneaking out of the house at night came to mind.
“My second suggestion is to keep the sticks with you if you travel. If your leg grows weary, you may need them.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” her mother said. “It is good to see her up and walking again.”
“You are most welcome, Lady Lambert,” the man said with a bow to his head. “Send word if you need anything more.”
“I shall,” her mother replied. “Allow me to walk you to the door.”
Juliet moved across the room once more, unable to believe that she was finally free of the ‘sticks’. She had never realized how fortunate she was to have such an ability.
When her mother returned, the woman smiled. “You must be happy.”
“I am,” Juliet replied with all honesty. “Now I will be able to move about freely and perhaps not be a burden on Lord Parsons when he calls over next time.”
“You are not a burden to him, I assure you,” her mother said with a click of her tongue. “In fact, I can see in his eyes that he is as enamored with you as you are with him. Your eyes have never been brighter.”
“You have seen a change in me?”
“I have,” her mother replied. “I have never seen you more cheerful, and you have a kindness about you. Even the manner in which you address the servants has vastly improved.”
“It is because of you,” Juliet said, and that was the truth. It had been her mother who had, for so long, attempted to get Juliet to look at those around her with compassion. She had done so with Daniel, and even some of the other servants, and she found it somehow rewarding. “Thank you.”
The sound of the front door opening and closing made Juliet brace herself for the lines she and Annabel had rehearsed several times. The door to the drawing room opened, and Annabel entered, the letter in her hand. “Juliet,” she said, “I took a short stroll and a man on horseback delivered this letter to you.”
“For me?” Juliet asked in feigned surprise. “I am expecting no letter. Are you certain it is for me?”
“It is from Lord Parsons,” Annabel said. Juliet gasped dramatically. “The rider said it was urgent and that you are to read it at once.”
“Do you believe he no longer wishes to call on me?” Juliet asked with a glance at her mother. “Have I not been a proper lady? Perhaps it is my injured foot that has offended him.”
“Calm yourself,” her mother admonished. “Read the letter before you make yourself ill with worry.”
Juliet nodded as she walked over to the fireplace and broke the seal on the letter. “I shall read it for all to hear, for then you will know from where my heartache comes.”
“You do not have to,” her mother said. “It is a personal matter, after all.”
“No, I must, no matter how great the shame.” She counted to five and then read.
My Dearest Juliet, the Lady above all Ladies,
It is with a sad heart that I inform you of my sudden departure. My aunt, a woman who is strong, as you are, has fallen ill, and I fear her days are short. It is this woman who taught me that women such as you, those who possess great beauty and wisdom, are to be cherished.
I do not know for how long I shall be gone, but know that, as I attend to her, I shall think on your beauty in order to guide my broken heart. And when I no longer have strength to carry on, and the temptation to give up becomes too strong, I shall reflect on your strength for inspiration.
I will send word immediately upon my return, but know I shall think of you every moment that I am away.
With my greatest apologies,
Lord Hugh Parsons
Throughout her life, Juliet had crafted tales that few doubted, and this by far was her best work yet. However, the letter was only part of it, for the tears she conjured would be needed to make the plan complete.
“Oh, Mother,” she said, allowing the tears to flow down her cheeks. “How will I live without seeing him?”
“Now, now,” her mother said, hurrying to her side and pulling her into an embrace. “You will be fine in his absence. Just you wait and see. All will be well.”
Juliet grinned over her mother’s shoulder and winked at Annabel, who grinned as she clasped her hands together in front of her.
“I do hope so,” Juliet said, wiping her eyes as the embrace broke.
Her mother pursed her lips and then glanced at the letter. “May I read it?”
“Yes, of course,” Juliet said, her heart pounding in her chest. “Do you doubt his words?”
“I find them odd,” her mother replied. “The man was quite forward with his admiration of you.”
Her eyes scanned the letter, and Juliet began to worry that perhaps she had overdone it like Annabel had suggested. However, her worry left her when her mother returned the letter to her.
“I can no longer ask you to stop speaking so highly of yourself when a gentleman does, as well.”
“I do try to be humble, Mother,” Juliet said. “Perhaps I will reflect on that whilst the man is away.” She sighed as she took one more look at the letter before throwing into the fireplace, allowing the flames to quickly take it away. “What shall I do now? I am afraid I will be lonely and suffer.”
“We could work on embroidery,” Annabel offered. “Perhaps you can make the man something for his return.”
“Yes, that is true,” Juliet replied, although they both knew she never would. “What does a lady do in such times?”
Her mother walked over and took a seat in the chair across from them. “Perhaps you should consider doing something for charity. There are many people suffering in the world these days.”
“What a marvelous idea!” Juliet said. “I suppose I could make a handkerchief.”
“What about the stable boy?” Annabel piped in. The words hung in the air, and Juliet felt her breath taken from her. Had her dear Annabel, her most prized pupil, betrayed her?
Her mother leaned forward, and Juliet found she could not speak. “What about him?”
“He cannot read,” Annabel replied. “Perhaps we could teach him. That would be very kind, and is that not what charity is about? Furthermore, we do not need to go far to do it. What is it the Good Book says? ‘But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.’”
Juliet found her breath and wished to throw her arms around her cousin. “Oh, Annabel!” she exclaimed. “That is an excellent idea!” She turned to her mother. “Do you not agree?”
Her mother gave them a dubious look. “I do not know…” She shook her head. “It is not unusual for those of us in position of authority to teach the lesser, I suppose.”
Juliet found herself holding her breath, and she had to force herself to breathe so her mother did not become suspicious.
“You are the one who has shown me that class is not what matters in this world. This boy, a simple stable hand, like others, has dreams. Can we not teach him how to read so those dreams might become a reality?” Her mother pursed her lips as if in thought, and Juliet knew she had to choose her words carefully. “Perhaps I am wrong.” She hung her head. “These things are to be said but not actually done. I was mistaken.”
“No,” her mother replied with a sigh. “You are correct; they are to be done. Very well. I will allow it under a few conditions.”
Juliet and Annabel both nodded their agreement.
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“You shall give the instruction after the other servants have retired for the evening. Neither of you will go alone, and you will not share a word of this to anyone. It is a noble idea to be sure, and one worthy of one’s time; however, it will remain between us three…or rather four when we include Daniel. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Mother,” Juliet replied.
And as the conversation turned to other matters, Juliet could not help but think on Daniel and the months ahead. She would have no concern for Lord Parsons or the season. In fact, she had nothing of which to cause her worry at all.
***
The following day, Juliet found herself in the cobbler’s shop with Annabel. Her mother had accompanied them into the village, a rare treat, for the woman left the house only when she had business to conduct, which she was off doing at this very moment.
Annabel browsed the various shoes on display as Juliet stood beside Robert. “Therefore,” she said after having explained all that had transpired since she had last visited the shop, “with Lord Parsons now out of the way, Annabel will aid me in teaching Daniel how to read, which in turn allows me to be near the man without fear of scrutiny.”
“It seems your plan went swimmingly!” Robert replied with a wide grin. “Even better than you expected. And with your foot now healed, your spirits seem high.”
“Oh, yes, they most certainly are,” Juliet said. “Although, I must admit that it was your plan that had been so brilliant. I must thank you again for giving me the idea.”
Robert smiled and pushed away a wave of dark hair that had fallen over his brow. “It is not the plan that was brilliant, but rather the brilliance of the woman who implemented it. I had no doubt you would see success.”
Secrets of Scarlett Hall Box Set: A Clean & Sweet Regency Historical Romance Collection Page 55
