An Honorable Wish (A Lady's Wish 2) (19 page)

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Authors: Eileen Richards

Tags: #Historical, #Romance, #Fiction, #Regency, #Victorian, #London Society, #England, #Britain, #19th Century, #Adult, #Forever Love, #Bachelor, #Single Woman, #Wishes, #Gambling Den, #Ruined Man, #Country Estate, #Secret Disgrace, #Secret Wish, #Gambling Mistress, #Heart Risk

BOOK: An Honorable Wish (A Lady's Wish 2)
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“That might be your fate, Sophia, if you’re so determined to marry a peer.”
“There are plenty of young men who will inherit titles. I don’t have to marry a man with one foot in the grave.”
Sophia was crazy to consider marrying someone she didn’t really care for just to be part of Society. “I don’t understand you, Sophia. Marriage is forever.”
“Juliet, what you and Anne have is rare. I’m just not the same kind of person as you. I don’t think I’ve ever been in love. I don’t think I’m capable of feeling it.”
“I wouldn’t give up yet. There’s someone special for you.”
Sophia laughed. “I’m glad you think so. I haven’t met him yet, though I did meet a very handsome heir to an earldom this Season.”
“Really? Do I know him?” Juliet thought of the gentlemen Sophia had danced with. She’d had ample time to observe from the wallflower wall.
“I don’t think so,” Sophia said.
“What’s his name?”
“You’ll know soon enough. Until then, I’m not saying anything.”
Juliet shook her head at her sister. “You are so strange.”
“So are you, but I’m happy that you’re marrying Tony.”
“Me too. I’m really glad you didn’t marry him first.”
Sophia laughed. “Me too.”
Chapter Nineteen
J
uliet gawked at herself in the mirror. Who was this person staring back at her? Anne had told Juliet to allot three hours to prepare for the ball. Juliet had laughed. Surely putting on a dress and doing her hair wouldn’t take three hours!
Staring back at her were the results of those three hours’ work. Juliet had been poked, prodded, pulled, creamed, and powdered until she was ready to scream. If this much trouble was put into a ball, how much more effort would go into the wedding? Scotland and an anvil marriage were looking better and better. Perhaps Tony would consider it.
The gong sounded and Juliet couldn’t put off going downstairs any longer. She turned to leave her room just as Anne came in with a velvet pouch.
“Tony sent these up for you to wear,” Anne said softly. “They were his mother’s.”
Juliet took the pouch and opened it. In her gloved hand was a beautiful topaz necklace, earrings, and a ring. She looked up at Anne. “For me?”
Anne took the necklace and placed it around her neck. Juliet added the earrings and slipped the ring on her finger. She’d never had anything so beautiful to wear.
Anne hugged her. “You look so beautiful. You will outshine all of us.”
Juliet laughed. “Doubtful, but I think I’ll do.”
“Tony will not be able to take his eyes from you,” Anne teased.
Juliet wanted to see that look in his eyes when she walked into the room. He was such a handsome man.
“You love him, don’t you,” Anne said. It wasn’t a question.
“I always have. He is perfect.”
Anne frowned. “Dearest, don’t put him on a pedestal. It’s a long way for a man to fall. And he will fall eventually. I know you, Juliet. You see the good in everyone until they disappoint you.” Anne brushed a stray hair from Juliet’s face. “Think about Mr. Bartleby. You liked him well enough until he threatened your friend, Miss Williams.”
“Tony’s not like that.”
Anne was quiet for a long moment. “Relationships are funny things. When you live with someone, you have to take the good with the bad. We make mistakes; we say things we don’t mean. As long as you can forgive each other, you should do well together.”
Anne was right. There were still so many things they didn’t know about each other. “Anne?”
“Yes, dear?”
Tears stung Juliet’s eyes “Thank you for everything.”
Anne smiled, her eyes also welling with tears. “You’ve gone and done it now. Nathaniel will want to know why I’m crying again.”
“Blame it on the baby,” Juliet said with a smile. She looped her arm through Anne’s as they went down the stairs to the parlor.
Juliet’s stomach jumped with excitement. She tightened her hands into fists, then released them to relieve some of the tension she felt. Juliet hated being the center of attention, but tonight she’d be with the most handsome man in the room.
Anne and Juliet entered the parlor, where everyone was waiting. Juliet hung back, waiting for Tony. He was leaning against the fireplace, talking to Nathaniel.
His eyes widened as he took in her dress. He smiled broadly and moved toward her. Juliet couldn’t keep from smiling back.
“You look so beautiful,” he whispered. He touched the necklace. “Do you like it?”
“It’s lovely, Tony. Thank you.” Juliet took his hand. “You look very handsome, but then you always do.”
“Save the waltzes for me, please?” he said. “I can handle you dancing with other men tonight as long as I’m the only one to hold you in my arms.”
“I rarely dance at these things, so saving you a waltz or two will be easy.”
“Tonight just might be different.”
Juliet hoped not. She’d rather spend the evening with Tony than dancing with men she didn’t really know. “I’m happy to just watch.”
“You say that now, but when you’re an old married woman, you are going to wish you’d danced more. I hate to admit that the thought of other men dancing with you makes me jealous.”
“The others are going into dinner. Should we go?”
Tony waited until the room was empty and then leaned forward and kissed her softly.
The only places they touched were their lips and hands. Juliet wanted to feel his arms around her, but Tony held firm to propriety. He broke the kiss slowly, lifting his lips but keeping his forehead against hers.
Juliet leaned into him, wanting more of his touch. “Do we have to go? Can’t we just sneak upstairs? Just you and me.”
“Your sister will kill us, Jules,” he whispered. “As tempting as that thought is, I want to show you off. Let everyone see what a lucky man I am to have won your heart.”
Juliet laughed. “You are mad.”
“Excuse me, sir, but Lady Danford has requested your presence at dinner,” the footman said from the doorway.
Juliet beamed up at him. “I suppose escaping is out of the question now.”
“It seems so. Shall I escort you to dinner, my love?”
Juliet took his arm and let him lead her into the dining room.
 
Tony glanced at the hall clock one more time. They’d been standing in the entry greeting guests for nearly an hour. From the looks of the ballroom, Anne and Lady Danford had invited half the county. There were people here he’d never even met.
He was tired of men ogling Juliet. They tripped over their tongues trying to converse with her. Tony had to give several men a direct glare to ward off their attentions. Most men had never even noticed she was in the room before tonight.
And she was his, only his. Always his.
Juliet touched his sleeve. “The music is starting, Tony. Shall we dance the first dance?”
“Of course, love. Let’s show them how it’s done.” Tony took her hand and led her to the middle of the dance floor.
Tony turned Juliet in his arms as the waltz started. In this moment, she epitomized joy. He turned her to the beat of the music, pulling her closer than he was supposed to, but their engagement would be announced shortly. Let people talk.
He took the turn quickly as other couples joined them. McDonald had claimed Sophia, who didn’t look too happy about it. “Look at who your sister is dancing with, love.”
“She’s been avoiding him this entire time.”
“There’s more to those two than meets the eye, I think,” Tony said. He was happy and he wanted everyone else to be happy as well.
“Sophia wishes to marry a peer and be the belle of Society.”
Tony leaned closer. Her heady scent filled his head. Tonight he’d remove the dress and leave the jewels and have her beneath him once more. He couldn’t wait but had no choice. It would be nearly dawn before the last of the guests was gone. Tomorrow they were definitely setting a wedding date, the sooner the better as far as he was concerned.
The dance ended and he pressed his lips to her gloved hand. “Let the torture begin.”
Juliet smiled. “What are you talking about, Tony?”
“My torture of having to watch you dance with every man in the room. No one waltzes with you but me.” He escorted her off the dance floor to where Anne and Nathaniel stood.
“I don’t have to dance.”
“Yes, you do. You really didn’t get to do much dancing in Town,” Tony said.
“I didn’t care, either.”
Anne laughed. “Tony, I hope you realize that your Town days are numbered. Juliet never liked London.”
That suited Tony just fine. The thought of spending the rest of his life with Juliet in the country raising children and sheep was more than he deserved. “Who will you dance the next with?”
Juliet sighed heavily beside him. “Mr. Thompson.”
“And here he comes. Go have fun, my love.” Tony pressed his lips to her cheek. “Find me when it’s my turn again.”
She nodded and wandered off.
“I can’t believe you finally settled on a wife and it is Anne’s sister,” Nathaniel said.
Anne smiled smugly. “I don’t know why you are surprised.”
Tony looked at Anne in surprise. How could she have known when he hadn’t even known himself until he came home? “There’s no way you could have. I didn’t even know, Anne.”
“Your head may not have known, but your heart did,” Anne said smugly.
Nathaniel looked down at her. “That’s just romantic nonsense, dear. I’m inclined to agree with my brother. How could you know?”
Anne tapped her fan against her hand. “Remember the ball Lady Danford held before Nathaniel and I were married? You and Sophia were arguing about something.”
“And?” It had been the beginning of the end of his fascination with Sophia Townsend.
“That was the first time Juliet wore a dress befitting her age at the time. You danced two dances with her that night.”
“I was avoiding Sophia,” Tony defended himself. “And I didn’t want Juliet not to dance.”
Nathaniel crossed his arms now. “You are making too much of two dances, Anne.”
Anne laughed. “It was the way Tony looked at Juliet. Like he’d been hit in the stomach.” She turned to Tony. “You couldn’t stop looking at her.”
“I don’t know, Tony.” Nathaniel slapped him on the back. “I think Anne knows you very well.”
Tony had to acknowledge that Anne did indeed know him well. Nothing could anger him tonight.
“Oh, dear,” Anne said. “I thought Juliet was going to dance with Mr. Thompson. I made certain Mr. Bartleby was not on her card.”
Tony turned to the dance floor and spotted Juliet dancing with Simon Bartleby. “How could you invite him?”
Anne was wringing her hands. “I sent the invitation before we knew his true character. I thought he’d have the good manners not to attend.”
“It’s a crowded ballroom. Bartleby will behave himself,” Nathaniel said.
Bartleby knew the truth behind his purchase of Horneswood. He also thought Tony had cheated him out of getting the estate back into his family, and cheated Bartleby out of Juliet.
Tony felt gut punched as he watched Bartleby execute the dance, taking every opportunity to talk to Juliet and weave his lies.
Juliet looked shocked. The more Bartleby talked the more wooden her movements became. She glanced at Tony and his heart stopped. The pain and disappointment on her face cut him like a dull knife.
Bartleby looked past Juliet to meet Tony’s eyes. He was powerless to do anything but watch as Juliet struggled to hide her pain.
Bartleby said something else. Juliet stopped in the middle of the dance, slapped him, and walked out of the room. Tony made his way to follow her as the tittering voices of the gossips filled the ballroom.
Anne’s hand on his arm stopped him. “Let me.”
Tony didn’t want to let Anne handle it. He wanted to face Juliet himself, and what . . . ? Confess? Surely Bartleby had painted him as the villain.
Tony spotted Bartleby leaning against a post, waiting for him.
“What did you tell her?” Tony demanded.
“The truth. I must give you credit for doing such a good job of persuasion. Miss Juliet defended you through all of it. I imagine you educated her in other ways as well?” Bartleby looked bored.
“You bastard.”
“Tony.” Ian McDonald came up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Not here.”
Tony looked around and found everyone watching them. He jerked away from Ian’s touch and stomped away. He had to find Juliet. He had to explain.
He was a thickheaded idiot for not telling her the truth before now. It was his own damned, cowardly fault. Now he was going to lose the best thing that had ever happened to him. Tony searched various rooms until he reached the ladies’ retiring room. It was the one place Juliet would think he’d avoid.
He paced in front of the door, waiting for someone to come out, waiting for someone he could ask if Juliet was inside. Finally, desperate, he opened the door and peeked in.
The squeals of women had him backing out of the room with his eyes closed.
“You did not just go into that room, did you?” Nathaniel said from behind him.
“I have to find Jules.”
“She’s in the morning room with Anne.”
Tony sagged with relief. She wasn’t alone. “I need to get to her.”
“Did the events Bartleby described to Juliet truly happen?”
“Yes.”
“You took a man’s livelihood in a card game. After what happened to our father, you went and did it to someone else. Have you learned nothing?”
“I really don’t think this is either the time or the place for this discussion.”
“I have no idea who you are.”
Tony couldn’t imagine feeling any worse than he did. “I need to find Jules.”
“We’re not done discussing this,” Nathaniel said.
“I am well aware, but think on this, Nathaniel. I no longer need you to clean up after me. I’m capable of taking care of myself.”
“It certainly doesn’t seem that way,” Nathaniel muttered. “Damn it, Tony, I thought you were above all of that.”
“We’ll discuss it later.”
Tony walked away from his brother, desperate to find Juliet. Her opinion was the only one that mattered. How was he going to explain it all to her? Would she listen? Would she forgive him?
God, he hoped so.
 
Juliet leaned against the window, blindly staring at the garden in the moonlight. How could she have been so wrong about Tony?
“What is it with this family and our propensity to cause scandals at our own events?” Anne said. “Really, Juliet, I thought we were beyond this type of embarrassment.”
“You shouldn’t have invited Mr. Bartleby.” Juliet wouldn’t have known the truth until it was too late.
Mr. Bartleby had taken great pleasure in telling her everything, each word like a blade into her heart. She stood there taking it until he had the audacity to suggest she become his mistress. Her hand still stung from when she finally slapped him.
“You had no idea that Tony did this?” Anne asked.

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