A Lot Like a Lady (26 page)

She jerked her gaze to his, eyes narrowed. “When I believed that you had ignored my pleas and refused to see the estate manager? Bringing myself to send Mr. Dawes after you ensured the
ton
would give me and my daughter the cut was humiliating enough. To seek you out in person…”

Grey raked a hand through his hair and sat forward. “Please believe me, I never realized — never intended for others to treat you so callously.”

Regina lifted her eyebrows in a gesture that clearly said she was doubtful.

Grey held his stepmother’s gaze. “Until Mag — Juliet turned up at my door and informed me of the fact that you were being given the cut, I had no idea.”

“Mayhap if you had deemed us important enough to visit, you would have seen for yourself how—”

Shame flooded his face with heat. “If I had treated you as I should have, none of this would have happened in the first place. And I cannot tell you how sorry I am for the pain I’ve caused you.” He swallowed, wishing he had something to do with his restless hands. He should have ordered the chocolate and biscuits. “Please believe me when I say I have done everything in my power to undo the damage I caused.”

She gave him a tight smile. “Yes, Aunt Charity and Aunt Harmony told me how you tried to make amends.”

He stiffened, wondering exactly what they had said to his stepmother, and how much damage had been done by the unfortunate scene Michaels and Lady Fenimore had witnessed in the parlor the previous day.

And what of Juliet? Had she arrived home safely? Higgins would know. He’d ask the butler later.

“…happened to all the funds from the country estate.”

Her words startled Grey from his thoughts. His fingers clenched around the arms of his chair, but he kept his tone even. “I’m afraid Dawes has played both of us for a fool.”

“He never was interested in my friendship after all, was he?” Tears shined in her eyes and she dabbed them away with her dainty handkerchief. “He used my vulnerability and loneliness to steal from me… from us.”

Guilt slammed into Grey, driving home how much damage he had caused. Not only to his beloved childhood home, but to the families of the employees Dawes had fired. And more importantly, to his stepmother and stepsister.

He sighed heavily. “No, Regina, you handled the situation as you should have. The blame is mine to bear. And I swear to you I will set this right. Dawes will be dealt with.”

She stood. “Thank you. Now, if you will excuse me, I really must head home to check on my daughter.”

“Godspeed you on your journey, Regina.” Grey swept her hand into his and kissed the back.

May 21, 1813
Haselmere, England

Juliet eased the leg of her breeches above her ankle and dipped a toe in the creek. The bite of cold water first stung and then her toe numbed. After a moment, she plunged her entire foot into the gurgling water and swished it around, wishing she could dull the ache in her heart the same way. Longer than a week had passed since the scene at the townhouse, and yet the pain remained just as biting… maybe even more so.

“I thought I’d find you out here,” said her mother from behind her.

Juliet rocked back onto her elbows and turned to regard Patricia. Her mum hadn’t offered one word of censure. She’d welcomed Juliet back home and that had been the end of it. The duchess, for some strange reason, hadn’t said anything either, though she tended to grow tight in the lips whenever she chanced to cross Juliet’s path.

“With Annabella gone off somewhere, there’s nothing for me to do up at the house,” murmured Juliet.

“So you spend your time out here playing in the water, or in the stable brushing your precious horses.”

“Toby appreciates the help.” Juliet prayed her mother wouldn’t scold her for wearing breeches and a worn shirt. Dressing in the old clothing that had once belonged to her father gave her a sense of protection… of being shielded. She’d worn Annabella’s pretty things and felt like a princess for a few weeks, but she wasn’t a princess. She was just Juliet, maidservant who had dared to pretend she was something more. If Grey had seen her in her true element, he’d have not looked twice… probably wouldn’t have troubled to discover her name. For a while she’d managed to experience the life she’d once dreamed of, but in the end… she’d only managed to mull up the works.

Patricia stooped and slipped off her shoes and socks and then plopped down on the bank next to her daughter. “Convenient, that, isn’t it? If you’re in the stable or out here, should the estate’s master arrive for a visit, easier to keep away from him.”

Juliet’s face burned. “It’s best I avoid him. I’m fortunate he didn’t dismiss me, or that the duchess did not do so.”

“Oooo, ah. That’s cold, isn’t it?” Patricia kicked her feet back and forth in the running water. Angling her head at Juliet, she smiled, her light brown eyes warming with the love reflected in them. “I’ll wager the both of them understand quite well you were not the instigator of the scheme.”

“I went along with it, Mummy.” Juliet eased her other foot into the creek. “I could have said no, but I played at being a lady, and now Gr—his grace hates me for it.”

“Hate is rather a strong word, don’t you think?”

Juliet sighed. Her mother had not seen the look in Grey’s eyes when he hadn’t known who she was, hadn’t felt his touch, nor his kisses. Oh, he’d wanted her as much as she’d wanted him…

And he wouldn’t thank her for making him want someone so far beneath him.

Juliet plucked a long blade of grass from the ground beside her and wove it through her fingers. “He’s a proud man, Mum. He escorted a servant, a
maid
around London in grand style, to exclusive affairs. He introduced me to his friends and associates as though I was someone important.” Her voice trembled and she bit the inside of her lip to steady herself.
He danced with me in public three times in a row… that’s as good as announcing an engagement to the minds of most.
“If I’m hiding, it’s to spare him from having to look upon me as much as to save me from seeing the loathing in his eyes.”

Patricia flicked a few droplets of water in Juliet’s direction and smiled. “Well, thank goodness there are always more fish in the sea.”

“It’s not a fish I’m wanting, Mum. It’s a man.”

“Well, now there I disagree. ‘Tis not a man you’re after wantin’ but a duke. And you may as well ask God to deliver the moon to your pocket as set your cap for a nobleman.”

“Do you think I am not painfully aware of this fact? He neither followed me nor sent a message of any sort.”

Patricia said nothing. The tinkling stream and the song of the birds filled the lengthy silence between them. “Did you expect him to, child?” she finally asked in her quiet voice.

Juliet raised her eyes and stared at a pair of sparrows as they dipped and rose, playing among the purple thistles and pale blue cornflowers. “For a while, I was afraid… and then I hoped,” she murmured. “But no… I never expected any more than he’s done.”

“I think you should get away,” Patricia said abruptly, standing and shaking the water from her feet. “Your father had cousins in Bristol. They work in the house of an elderly earl, and he’s looking for someone to run his kitchen.”

Juliet’s eyes widened. “You’re sending me away?” She could barely choke the words out.

Patricia’s lips thinned. “I’m suggesting that it might be easier on everyone — especially
you
— if you were to take a position in Lord Penderton’s home. One day, his grace is certain to come here, and maybe by then he’ll have a bride… how would that make you feel? Lord Penderton is a kind old sort, so I am told. I’ve already written to your cousins and I’m quite certain the Duchess of Wyndham will—”

Hot tears filled Juliet’s eyes and the blood rushed to her ears, deafening her to her mother’s words. She pushed to her feet. “Old being the most important part, right, Mother? Have I embarrassed
you
as well? So much so that you feel it to be my just deserts to go work in the
kitchen
of a dried up old man?”

Without waiting for an answer, she turned and fled toward the stables, leaving her shoes and socks sitting on the bank next to her mother.

“Juliet… please come back.”

She kept running. Tears burned her eyes and blurred her vision. When she reached the road behind the barns she slowed her steps. Racing higgledy-piggledy into the stables would only upset the horses. She stepped on a pebble, the sharp pain reminding her of her first ball and how her feet had hurt so afterward. Wincing, she scraped the bottom of her foot in the grass, wishing she hadn’t left her shoes behind.

Grey hadn’t been to Wyndham Green since shortly after his father’s death, more than four years gone. And he’d spent precious little time there even before that. But he wouldn’t stay away from the estate forever. And when he did arrive…

“Mummy’s right,” she murmured, entering the stable. “If he brings a wife here, I shall be devastated.”

Maybe going to work for Lord Penderton would be best. She’d ask her mother to make the appropriate arrangements.

****

Grey stared at the door through which Stowe had just exited his study. So, his stepmother had told the truth. Not that he’d doubted her once she’d finally opened up and talked to him two weeks past. But having his investigator uncover proof that Sheridan Dawes had been draining the estate for well over a year, subtly at first then recently with more audacity, had been all Grey needed to put an end to the man’s thievery.

A light knock sounded on the door.

“Come,” called out Grey.

The door pushed inward and Emily entered with a polite curtsey. “Begging your pardon, your grace. Now that your visitors have left, I was seeing to your guestrooms and found this.” She held up a brown leather-bound book. “I’m just here to put it back where it belongs.”

Grey nodded and allowed his eyes to trail the young maid as she stepped crossed the floor. “Wait,” he called out when she was nearly to the bookshelves.

Emily paused and then turned to regard him. Sadness that mimicked his own reflected in her eyes, and his mind reeled. His heart should be well over its upset by now.

“Bring the book here. I want to read through it.” Now, why did he feel the need to explain himself?

“Yes, sir.” She reversed her steps and laid the book on his desk.

“Thank you. That will be all for now, Emily.”

“Of course, sir.” She gave another quick curtsey and hastened from the room.

Grey stared at the book with dread as he reached out and traced a finger over the title.
Selected Works of William Shakespeare
. One of his father’s favorites. Peculiar how Magpie had ended up having so much in common with his father. She might have pretended to be a lady while in his residence, but she hadn’t pretended her love of reading or her knowledge of Shakespeare.

His father would have enjoyed long conversations with her.

Grey snatched his hand away and set his lips into a hard line. Alexander Markwythe certainly wouldn’t have enjoyed being the victim of the sham she’d put on for all of London to see… and judge, something the
ton
had been all too happy to accommodate.

Still… Grey lifted the front cover, surprised to find something jammed between the pages. He fanned through them until he came to the page, and realized Magpie — he shook his head as an unbidden smile sprang to his lips —
Juliet
had used a feather from her mask, perhaps as a place-holder to keep track of the page she had been reading? His eyes flicked to the passage and he caught his breath.

Romeo and Juliet.
The balcony scene.

His body warmed at the memory of holding her close, of the perfect rhythm they’d found when they moved together in a private and very intimate dance. He’d lost his mind over her long before that night, but during that dance, his heart had opened to let her in.

With an almost feral groan, Grey slammed the book shut, but he kept one hand resting on top of it, imaging the feel of her satiny skin beneath his fingers… his lips. He opened his schedule book and scanned his next few days. He’d have Petry do a fair bit of rescheduling.

June 3, 1813
Haselmere, England

Juliet laid the ragged volume containing several of Shakespeare’s plays in the trunk. She’d been disappointed that the book hadn’t included
Romeo and Juliet
, but had to admit it was probably for the best.

Bristol. It seemed so far away. It would take days to reach her new home.

She added a folded pair of breeches, though likely she’d never be able to wear them. Lord Penderton’s home was not a country estate, and he had no horses. Juliet sighed. She’d spend long hours in his kitchen in any case, so even if he had lived in the country with horses, she’d never get to ride them.

The thud of the trunk lid when she lowered it echoed in Juliet’s soul, like the clang of a prison door, locking away her heart.

“Is that everything then?” asked Patricia from across the room.

Juliet nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

Patricia walked slowly toward her daughter. “Don’t cry, darling. I’ll miss you, too, but the time apart will do us both good.”

“I only wish you were coming now, Mum. Instead of at the end of the month.” Juliet sighed. “It’s a bit frightening, the thought of being among people I hardly know.”

Patricia shook her head and laughed softly. “Certainly this cannot be the maid who spent part of the London Season among strangers.”

Juliet’s face heated. “This will be different. I won’t be pretending to be a lady.”

Patricia lifted the edge of her apron and dabbed at Juliet’s tears. “There now. This will be far better because you will be yourself and you may just find that people love you for that far more than you being some hoity-toity lady.” She stepped back and swept a critical eye over Juliet. “Please tell me you will not be wearing men’s clothing to travel in. I raised a daughter, not a son. And it would be unseemly to arrive in your new position looking like a hoyden.”

With a sigh, Juliet shook her head. “Have no fear, Mother. The duchess gave me an old dress of Annabella’s to wear. I think she’ll be glad to see my back.”

Juliet’s mother pulled her into a fierce hug. “The duchess is beside herself with worry for her daughter. You know that’s why I cannot come with you to work for Lord Penderton at this time. The Duchess of Wyndham has been very kind.”

“I know.” When Patricia released her, Juliet stepped to the cottage door. “I’m going to go to the stables for a last visit to the horses to say goodbye.”

Patricia broke into laughter. “Go on with you. Have a care for the time. The duchess has given me the evening off so I might share supper with you on your last night here.”

Juliet slipped from the cottage and hurried across the grounds to the stable. When she ducked through the entrance, she had to blink until her eyes grew accustomed to the dimness. She pulled in a breath, drinking deeply of the smell of hay and horse.

Old Toby raised his head. An odd expression of pained sadness crossed the head groom’s wrinkled face. “I weren’t sure ye’d be stoppin’ by.”

“I had to come say goodbye to the horses.” Juliet tweaked the battered leather cap on top of the man’s cap. “And to you, of course.”

Toby’s brow pinched into a frown and he slid a glance to the front of the stable before smiling at Juliet. “Silly Bob’s been stomping about back there.”

Juliet inclined her head. “Well, then I’ll have to stop and see him first.”

Purposely, she kept her step light even while her aching heart weighed her down. The pale bay indeed was stomping in his stall but he soon calmed when she offered him a carrot.

Cracker nudged her hand looking for a second carrot and Juliet experienced a pang when she realized how like Adair the chestnut gelding was. He dipped his head close for a rub between the eyes and she closed her eyes and breathed in his horsey scent.

Toby appeared at her elbow. “Excuse me, miss, but I have an errand to run. I shouldn’t be long but in case you’re gone when I get back, well… I wanted to tell you goodbye.”

He probably had no errand. More likely he didn’t want to see her walk out of the barn for the last time. Well, she’d just as soon not have an audience for that, herself.

“Goodbye, Toby. I shall miss you.”

Toby took up one of Juliet’s hands in both of his gnarled ones and squeezed. Then he pressed a kiss to the back of her hand and hurried from the stable. Juliet followed his exit with her gaze, tears burning behind her eyelids.

“Don’t cry,” she whispered to Cracker, though she was well aware she had just admonished herself.

The sound of a whinny and the clumping of a horse’s hooves on the soft floor of the stable drew Juliet’s attention. Donald, the younger of the estate’s two grooms, entered through the front door leading a prancing horse. When he tossed his fine head, a long silky mane fluttered like black silk.

Juliet shook her head.
Why, he looks like…

It
was
Satin! Had Grey sent him out to the estate, perhaps for more training? Even as her heart leapt and her feet led her toward the horse, her good sense halted her steps. No. Grey wouldn’t have sent Satin out to the estate. He’d have brought the horse along himself.

“Watch it, miss!” warned Donald. “This one’s touchy, ‘e is.”

Juliet couldn’t move. Grey was here at Wyndham Green. That little tingle of awareness she’d experienced off and on all day suddenly made sense. She looked between the front and rear stable doors. She had to get out of there.

As she began to ease herself away, Satin whickered a greeting.