Desire In His Eyes

by Kaitlin O’Riley

  “Yes, we would have a grand time. But I don’t love you and you don’t love me.”

  He let go of her hand and remained oddly silent at her words.

  “That is, I love you as a dear friend, but I don’t love you the right way. As a wife should love her husband…” Juliette’s words faltered. “Besides, I don’t wish to get married.”

  He turned his back on her, moving to face the tall windows, which overlooked Fifth Avenue. “It was just an idea. A suggestion. Your escapade may make it difficult for you to return home.”

  Good heavens! He was trying to save her reputation! Juliette rose from her seat and went to him. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Thank you, Jeffrey. But you truly don’t wish to marry me. When you marry, and you will, it shall be to a woman who loves you more than life itself. Besides we are too much alike and would get into all sorts of mischief and scandalize our poor families.”

  “I daresay you are right.” Jeffrey turned around to face her. “But what type of man will you marry now?”

  “I already told you, I don’t wish to get married. Do you think I’d ever let a man have control over me?”

  He laughed, the smile reaching to the corners of his blue eyes. “Oh, but you will. I predict that one day you’ll fall in love, Juliette, and I will laugh harder than anyone when I watch you obey the man you love…and see you bending to his will in order to please him. Now that will be something to see!”

  She shook her head in protest. “You’ll not see me wed.”

  He gave her a pointed look. “You’re still looking for your highwayman, aren’t you?”

  Her brows drew together in puzzlement. “What are you talking about?”

  “I remember one time at the bookshop you told me you wanted to marry a man who was adventurous and dangerous. Someone like a pirate or a highwayman.”

  “I never said such a thing,” she paused. “Did I?”

  “You did. In fact you said you would know him when you saw him.”

  An unbidden image of Harrison Fleming standing at the wheel of the Sea Minx, his blond hair glinting in the sun and his powerful arms moving the massive wheel, flashed in her mind. Was a sea captain like a pirate? Suddenly annoyed by Jeffrey’s teasing, she changed the subject. “What a funny thing for you to remember. Enough about marriage now.”

  He sighed in resignation. “Honestly, Juliette, what are you planning to do? Will you stay in New York?”

  “I am not entirely sure.”

  “Your sisters want me to bring you home as soon as possible.”

  “I know they do,” she nodded reluctantly. “But I just arrived. I can’t leave yet. I need more time to think.”

  “Well, I do need to return at some point in the near future. I do have other obligations in my life. I will give you a week to figure out your next move. I would like to escort you back home safely. In the meantime, I’ll be at Harrison Fleming’s house. It’s just down the block—”

  “You are staying with Harrison?” She could not control the high-pitched sound her voice suddenly made.

  “Yes.”

  “Harrison lives a few houses from here? From Christina’s?”

  Jeffrey immediately gave her a suspicious glance. “Yes.”

  Her heart hammered erratically. She attempted to ignore it. “Is he there now?”

  Jeffrey’s eyes narrowed at her. “Yes, he’s there until tomorrow. Then he is going to New Jersey. Wherever the hell that is.”

  “Oh.” Juliette turned away from him. Harrison lived just down the street and had not yet come to see her. She felt guilty about leaving him. And she had been somewhat surprised that he had not come looking for her. She had half-expected him to, but was also relieved that he had not. He must be very angry with her. She did not understand why that bothered her, but there was much about her feelings for Harrison that she did not understand.

  “Juliette?”

  The tone in Jeffrey’s voice caused alarm to rush through her. Afraid to turn around where he could see her expression, she remained still. “Yes?”

  “What happened between you and Harrison on the ship?”

  She said nothing.

  “Juliette…”

  She was incapable of describing what had happened between her and Harrison on the Sea Minx because she was not entirely sure what had happened. She could not speak. Jeffrey would never understand and would most likely be upset with his friend for taking advantage of her, but she knew Harrison had in no way taken advantage of her. If anything she had been the one who seduced him, if the truth were told, but Jeffrey would not see it that way.

  After an uncomfortably long silence, Jeffrey finally said, “Your avoidance of the question leaves little doubt in my mind what might have transpired between the two of you.”

  Still Juliette remained quiet, her cheeks heated.

  “And your continued silence only confirms my worst suspicions, Juliette.”

  Slowly she turned around, but she said nothing.

  “Well, you Hamilton sisters certainly have a way of sweeping men off their feet and causing them to lose their heads, do you not?” He gave her a wry look.

  She knew he referred to Colette’s tempestuous courtship with Lucien. She and Jeffrey had been instrumental in bringing the love-struck pair together. And Jeffrey had been privy to some information of a highly personal nature. His teasing remark told her he had a pretty good guess as to how far her relationship with Harrison had progressed.

  Jeffrey continued, “Well, now I don’t feel so insulted at your refusal of my proposal, but he has to do right by you. If he doesn’t, by God, I will see to it that—”

  “I turned him down.”

  The shock was plain on his face. He looked completely baffled. “Why?”

  Juliette remained silent.

  “Do you love him?”

  Jeffrey’s question caused a knot of conflict in her stomach and she felt flustered. “It is not a question of love.”

  “Why not? He’s a good man.”

  “Yes, I agree with you. Harrison is a wonderful man, but I don’t wish to get married,” she said for what felt like the hundredth time that evening.

  “He hurt you.”

  “No,” she protested. The last thing she needed was for Jeffrey to become righteously outraged at Harrison for something he did not do to her. “He did nothing in the least to hurt me. He was exceptionally caring and kind to me—”

  Juliette stopped as the door to the parlor opened and Maxwell Dunbar entered, signaling the end of their private moment. Maxwell’s glittering eyes took in the intimate scene between her and Jeffrey. “Would you care to join me for a cigar, Lord Eddington?”

  Jeffrey responded with a breezy calm. “Thank you for the offer, Mr. Dunbar, but I am afraid I must decline. I need to be on my way.” He turned to Juliette, his expression one of sympathy. “I shall call upon you tomorrow. We still have much left to discuss. Perhaps we can tour some of the city.”

  “That would be lovely,” she said. “I shall look forward to it.”

  Jeffrey bid them all farewell, and Juliette retired for the evening, too emotionally drained to make pleasant conversation with the Dunbars.

  She had a feeling she would not sleep well that night.

  15

  An Englishman in New York

  As promised, the next morning Jeffrey called on Juliette, and the two of them set about to spend the day exploring New York City together. If he was not mistaken, Juliette seemed inordinately excited for the opportunity to escape the Dunbars’ house.

  “Is it not as nice to see your friend as you had hoped?” he asked her as they rode along Fifth Avenue, admiring the lovely houses. The carriage driver Jeffrey hired for the day was taking them to Central Park. The warm June sun sparkled in a cloudless sky, creating a perfect summer day.

  “Oh, yes, of course it is. I’m thrilled to see Christina.”

  Jeffrey laughed at her. “You are lying to me. Out with it, Juliette.”
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  She stuck her tongue out at him.

  “You know I love when you do that,” he teased her pleasantly. She had done that the first night he met her.

  She blithely ignored him. “I’ve been cooped up with them since I arrived and have not had an opportunity to do anything fun at all.”

  “Poor Juliette.” Jeffrey shook his head. “She crossed an ocean to find more of the ordinariness of the life she led at home.”

  She gave him a sharp look. “How did you know that is what I was thinking?”

  “Because I know you.”

  “Well, it’s true,” she continued. “The only real fun I’ve had so far was while I was on the Sea Minx, and that was utterly thrilling.”

  “I imagine it was, at that.” Jeffrey had thought a good deal about what he had learned had happened between Juliette and Harrison on that ship. And it worried him greatly. For all of Juliette’s bravado, he was concerned about her being hurt.

  The night before Jeffrey had waited for Harrison to return home for an hour before he learned that Harrison had already departed for his other home on the Jersey shore to tend to his sister who was ill. Jeffrey had been disappointed for he had wanted to speak with his friend to discover the truth of what his feelings for Juliette were.

  He glanced at Juliette, sitting beside him in the carriage, looking as lovely as a rose in a pale pink muslin gown and holding a frilly parasol to shade her from the sun. No one would guess that she had run away from home. With her angelic face and feminine attire, she appeared the epitome of a well-bred English lady.

  “Did you pack that gown with you?” he asked with a wink.

  “No, I was traveling considerably lighter than this when I left London,” she pointed out, knowing full well he was aware of that. “I was planning to have new clothes made when I arrived, but Christina gave me her entire wardrobe since her clothes no longer fit her properly and they will be out of style by the time she can wear them again. I am merely putting them to good use until I can have my own made.”

  “Very good use,” he added, looking her up and down. “The Dunbars seem like nice people.”

  “They were very impressed to meet you, Lord Eddington.”

  He took her meaning and laughed. “Little do they know that my title is empty!” Jeffrey loved the irony that the people who fawned over him would normally scorn him if they knew the circumstances of his birth.

  Juliette smiled at him, her blue eyes alight with excitement. “Imagine, Jeffrey! We are in New York City. Isn’t it exciting? Who ever would have thought that we would be here together?”

  “I can’t think of anyone.”

  And that was the truth. He had imagined doing quite a lot of things with Juliette, and some of them did not bear repeating, but seeing the sights of New York was not one of them. He wondered what had prompted him to propose they get married last night. It was not as if he had a sudden wish to be married or planned on acquiring a wife any time in the near future. Marrying Juliette would have been a mistake in the long run. She was quite right about that.

  Now he worried over her feelings for Harrison. The more Jeffrey thought about it, the more he realized that Juliette and Harrison were perfect for each other. Harrison was the only man he knew who had the fortitude to put some restraints on Juliette’s reckless behavior, yet he would be able to provide her with the excitement that she craved. He also sensed that Juliette cared for Harrison more than she led him to believe. She was usually quick to provide a litany of faults of men she found lacking. She did no such thing when he questioned her about Harrison last evening. Juliette had remained uncharacteristically silent. Which told Jeffrey more than she realized.

  Harrison was a bit tougher to read. Although now that he considered it more carefully, Harrison had questioned him about a mystery man in Juliette’s life and was under the misconception that Juliette had fled to New York to be with a man. And Harrison had questioned him about his own motives regarding Juliette. Harrison had acted as a jealous suitor might, which told Jeffrey that Harrison definitely had feelings for Juliette, even if Harrison was unaware of it himself.

  “Oh, look!” Juliette exclaimed. “That must be Central Park over there.”

  An indeed it was. Their driver explained that over twenty thousand workers and engineers had reworked the land in the center of the island of Manhattan to create a countrified and well-landscaped park, which first opened over a decade earlier. With rolling green fields, wide meadows, and hundreds of leafy trees, it provided a much-needed pastoral respite for the citizens of New York and instantly became a popular place to see and be seen while ice skating on the lakes in winter or attending outdoor concerts in the summer. Many walking paths, carriage drives, and equestrian trails lined the park, which also boasted a meadow filled with sheep and a brand new zoo.

  As their open-air carriage winded its way through the shade-covered lanes of Central Park, Juliette fell into a thoughtful silence. Jeffrey could hardly resist.

  “What are you thinking about?” he questioned.

  “Nothing.”

  “You looked very far away.”

  “Did I?”

  “Yes, you did.” He paused. “Are you thinking about Harrison?”

  She shook her head, twirling her parasol.

  “I believe you were and just so you realize what a sporting chap I am, I’m going to tell you something.” He smiled knowingly at her.

  Juliette’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “What is it?”

  “Harrison is no longer in New York.”

  Surprised by the news, Juliette’s voice rose higher. “He’s not?”

  “Ah, I see that got your attention.” He smiled wickedly at her. “No, he is not.”

  “Where is he?”

  “He has gone to see his sister.”

  Her elegant eyebrows shot up. “Melissa?”

  “Is there another?” Jeffrey asked.

  “Harrison has two sisters, Melissa and Isabella, and a brother, Stuart.”

  “He’s gone to visit the one who is ill.”

  “That would be Melissa,” she announced with a certainty that surprised him.

  “Yes, I believe that’s the one.” He found it very telling that he had known Harrison for some years and knew next to nothing about his family, yet Juliette knew the names of his brother and sisters.

  “How long will he be gone?”

  Ah, another telltale question for Juliette to ask. Jeffrey maintained a neutral expression and shrugged casually. “I’m not sure. He seemed to leave rather abruptly.”

  She fell into a long silence, staring off into the trees.

  “Were you hoping to see him again?” he asked.

  She turned sharply to him. “You are very manipulative, Jeffrey, and I don’t care for it one bit.”

  “You might as well confirm my worst suspicions and simply tell me the truth.”

  “There is nothing to tell.”

  “Isn’t there?” he said in a low voice.

  She sighed. “I hate that you know me so well.” Her eyes were downcast.

  “That’s part of my charm.” He grinned at her. “You know that I would never judge you. Lord knows I’m not one to put anyone up on a pedestal, least of all myself.”

  She smiled at that. “You would love to be on a pedestal.”

  “Maybe.” He thought for a moment. “If the right person placed me there. The view could be rather nice.”

  Juliette’s bubbly laughter floated around them.

  As their carriage left Central Park, Jeffrey instructed the driver to take them to Fifth Avenue and Fourteenth Street to Delmonico’s for lunch. Juliette had never been to a restaurant before and happily added the experience to her list of adventures. In a private room, they dined on “eggs á lá Benedick” and Delmonico steak and champagne.

  “Juliette, you have to think about what you will do next. You can’t possibly stay with the Dunbars forever.”

  “Nor would I want to,” she responded tartly.
“Maxwell Dunbar is a lecherous bore and I cannot imagine how Christina can bear to be married to him.”

  “Lecherous?” he questioned.

  “He never stops staring at me.”

  “Not that I blame him for doing so but if that is the way the wind blows there, you must leave. That’s a disastrous situation for you to be a part of.”

  “I am quite aware of that, but I have not decided where to go yet.”

  “Well, what are you looking for that you haven’t found?”

  She looked into his eyes, her frustration evident. “I don’t know, Jeffrey. I can’t describe it to myself, let alone to you, but I will know it, I will feel it, when I find it.”

  “No.” He shook his head. “No, I think you’ve already seen it and it has scared you to pieces. And you ran away.”

  “Whatever are you talking about?”

  “Captain Harrison Fleming.”

  At her startled look, he pressed further. “I think he scares you because you cannot control him like you can control everyone else.”

  Juliette waited until their waiter brought them baked Alaska for dessert and left, before she let loose a diatribe. “I have never had control over anything in my life. I’m a woman if you hadn’t noticed. Women control nothing. If you are confusing the fact that I may from time to time use what little charms I possess to get my way on occasion with control or power, then you are an idiot. Women have no options, no say in anything that happens to them. Even in a country as equality based and founded on freedoms and rights as America, women have no vote, no voice, in anything that happens here either. Don’t you dare speak to me of control, Jeffrey! A man can do whatever he wishes and no one blinks an eye. But if a woman—”

  “Why did you stop?” he asked, when she abruptly came to a halt. She had been talking a mile a minute, her fury mounting.

  “Because I might as well be talking to a wall.” Juliette folded her arms across her chest. “And you are smirking at me.”