How long would he allow me to stew over my earlier misbehavior? His comment at dinner had assured me he hadn’t forgotten our encounter this afternoon, yet he seemed in no hurry to put me in my place. I fidgeted through the entire game, fearing the chastisement that was surely coming. But as the evening dragged on, I began to wish he would call me forward and be done with it. The wait was excruciating.
When the game drew to a close, I struggled not to huff out a breath of relief. Robert grumbled that our loss was due to my inattention, and I mumbled an apology.
Aunt Agnes came over and hovered, waiting to escort me back to my room. “Come, my dear. If you are to go riding tomorrow with Lady Ellen, you should get some rest.”
How she had come by that knowledge was beyond me, but she seemed to have ways of knowing everything that went on. Except for my encounters with the duke, I hoped.
On our way out I kept my gaze squarely focused on the back of Aunt Agnes’s dress, going almost cross-eyed from the endeavor. Perhaps we could slip out without detection. “Miss Graham, a word,” the duke said from his chair.
Aunt Agnes turned, open-mouthed, too shocked to say anything. Even she seemed cowed in his presence. “I’ll wait for you in the corridor, Juliet.” There were a thousand questions in her voice.
Quiet chatter and laughter continued on the other side of the room.
When I finally met his gaze, a shiver ran through me. There was a depth, a magnetism that made my insides tremble. “Yes, Your Grace?”
“You were quiet at the dinner table.”
I pursed my lips, measuring my words. “I said what was expected of me.”
He leaned back in his chair and set one hand on the armrest. “That was certainly not the case earlier today.”
Ah, here it was. My dismissal. The earlier shaking of my hands returned, the few bites of dinner I’d managed to take churning in my stomach. I took a step toward him, keeping my voice low despite the desperation that filled me. “I know I am no longer welcome here after the way I spoke this afternoon. I hadn’t any right to say what I did. I’ll be gone before breakfast, only please allow my aunt and cousins to stay. They should not be punished for my poor behavior.” The words spilled out of me, and my breath came heavily once I stopped.
“Are you quite finished?” he asked.
I nodded, all of my muscles cramped with tension.
“Good, because you are very dull when you apologize.” His gaze wandered before coming back to rest on me. “Good night, Miss Graham.”
Doing my best to school my shock, I curtsied, still trembling. That was all? “Good night, Your Grace.” I dared not look him in the eye, fearful he might change his mind.
And just as quickly as I’d been summoned, I was sent on my way. I padded out to the corridor to join Aunt Agnes.
“What did he want?” she demanded as soon as we were outside my room. It was the same question I’d been asking myself as we climbed the stairs.
“I do not know.” And that was true. Why exactly had he wished to speak with me?
Aunt Agnes’s expression grew wary. “Be careful not to attract undue attention, Juliet. I do not want you detracting from our purpose here.”
“No, of course not,” I murmured.
Still she scrutinized me, searching for answers I could not give. “Good night.”
“Good night,” I returned, then hastily retreated to my room before I could be questioned further.
Chapter Five
I pulled another stitch through the linen of my sampler and then checked to make sure my stitches were even. They were passable, at least.
Aunt Agnes sat to my left, in conversation with Lady Ellen’s mother and grandmother. I was trapped for the foreseeable future in a semicircle of daunting matrons and my least favorite of all womanly pursuits—embroidery.
Men had all the luck, for most of their pastimes involved the outdoors. Well, except for school. Robert and I used to argue whose lot was worse—mine, as I was stuck at home with his mother, or his, as he was buried under mounds of work at Harrow. Harry! In an instant I realized that with all that had happened yesterday, I’d never written him back. How could I have forgotten? Normally I wrote him a bit every day and then sent off a letter after I’d written several pages. And right now it was especially important that I send him a letter quickly—he needed my encouragement so desperately.
My distraction cost me. I bit off a gasp as I poked myself with the embroidery needle. Aunt Agnes shot me a severe look as I put my finger in my mouth, trying to ease the sting.
Lady Ellen walked in, her cheeks blooming with color.
“Where have you been?” the dowager duchess asked pointedly, sweeping over her granddaughter with a quick glance. After last night’s interrogation, I was more than grateful her attention was on someone else.
“I lost track of time while practicing the pianoforte,” Lady Ellen answered. She quickly pulled out her needlepoint and took the open seat next to me, keeping her gaze down. But I did not miss the air of excitement about her.
“Hmm.” The dowager’s brows knit with displeasure. Yet she turned back to Aunt Agnes, barraging her with a host of questions about Lymington Park.
I glanced at Lady Ellen and spoke quietly. “Does music always leave you blushing?”
She ducked her head, and for the first time I saw a degree of embarrassment. “Lord Everdale happened upon me as I was practicing.”
The temptation to tease her was too great. “It is strange that he never happens upon me when I am at the pianoforte. But then, I suppose I do not play as beautifully as you.” I shot her a meaningful look, and we both laughed, muffling our giggles so as not to earn the disapproval of the matrons.
Once we
