Acker stepped into his carriage and thedriver pulled it into traffic. Eleanor was his future and Juliettewas his present. Would he be able to make Juliette his before heneeded to leave Milan or would he simply share a few walks neverhaving known the tenderness of her touch?
Acker tossed the correspondence from the HomeOffice onto his desk and sat back. He was to finish his businessand continue onto Prussia, now that they had sided againstNapoleon. It would also be impossible to watch Juliette dancetonight because he was required to attend a supper this eveningwith those who supported the effort to defeat Napoleon. Thedictator may currently rule Milan and the Kingdom of Italy but thepeople resented his authority and wanted the country to return tohow it once had been, before Austria and France were fighting forthe land.
At least he would see Juliette today, whenshe had finished with her students. He glanced at the clock andexcitement stirred in his blood. In just a short time he couldleave to see her again.
He picked up the missive and read the messagefrom the Home Office again. Prussia turning against Napoleon waswelcoming news yet Acker was not certain he was ready to leaveMilan or Juliette.
He tossed the parchment into the fire androse from his desk. He would not think about leaving now, but enjoyhis time with Juliette, no matter how short it may be. He grabbedthe great coat he had left folded over a chair and made his wayoutside only to be brought up short. When had it started rainingand how long would it last? He had been so caught up in his workand writing reports to be delivered to London that he had blockedout everything, even the activity outside of his own windows.
Though Acker had no set plans for theirouting, he assumed they would enjoy another pleasant day such asyesterday. The rain altered his plans greatly. Perhaps he couldbring her back here?
A slow smile formed at the thought ofJuliette curled upon his settee in front of the fire warming thedamp room. Would she allow him to make love to her?
As much as he wished for that to happen, itwas unlikely. They barely knew one another and Juliette didn’tstrike him as the type of woman who easily shared her favors,regardless of whether she had lovers in the past or not. She wasunlike any dancer he had met in the past.
Acker dashed from the doorway and ran to hiscarriage. The door was already held open by a footman and helaunched himself inside. The drive was not far to the school andtraffic was light today. It was probably due to the weather. Theystopped before the old building and Acker glanced out the window.The rain hadn’t lightened and he weighed whether he should wait inthe carriage for Juliette to emerge or go inside.
Young students came out from the building,their cloaks pulled up over their heads as mothers, or perhapsgovernesses, ushered them home. Surely Juliette was done and wouldsoon exit the building.
He tapped his fingers on his thigh, watchingthe door, waiting for her to appear and then leaned forward to peerup at the building. She stood at a third story window, lookingtoward the corner where they met yesterday. Was she waiting untilit stopped raining or until he appeared?
Juliette glanced out the window from thethird floor where she taught ballet. It had been raining heavysince early afternoon with no signs of it ceasing. Would Lord Ackermeet her today as promised or would he remain home? She strained tolook toward the corner but nobody waited. Was he in a doorway orinside a building trying to stay dry?
She glanced back to the front of thebuilding. The carriage that had been there when she first lookedstill waited. At first she thought it belonged to one of herstudents, but none of them entered the conveyance. Was Lord Ackerinside?
Juliette bit her bottom lip and tried to seewho was sitting at the window. She couldn’t very well approach itif she didn’t know who was there. And, even if it was Acker, dareshe get inside? Her mother warned her about being alone withgentlemen and what they would try to do with her. Though she andAcker had been alone yesterday, they were outside, surrounded byother people. Such would not be the case inside a closedconveyance.
Nobody appeared at the corner and Juliettepulled away from the window and lifted her pelisse from the hook.If he did not arrive she would simply return home. She stepped outinto the corridor and was surrounded by silence. The otherclassrooms on this floor were empty and as there was no musiccoming from below, she assumed all of the teachers, students andmusicians were gone for the day. Only Signore Bianchi would be hereat this time. He oversaw the building, saw to the cleaning at theend of the day and locked the door early in the evening only toreturn in the morning to begin another day.
Juliette started down the stairs when sheheard footsteps leading up. Perhaps Signore Bianchi was beginninghis rounds. Instead, she saw light brown hair, wet from the rain.Soon Lord Acker came into view and she stopped, waiting for him.She couldn’t help the thrill that went through her at the sight ofhim.
He paused when he saw her standing at the topof the stairs. “I don’t believe this a good day for an outing.”
She laughed, feeling light and free, happythat he had come inside.
He continued up the stairs. “Perhaps we canwait out the rain here.”
“I believe that is an excellent idea, LordAcker.” She turned to return to her classroom and he followed. Theback wall was lined with windows, each with water streaming downthe thick panes of glass. On the opposite wall were mirrors andbarres used for balancing and stretching. The room was devoid ofany furniture except in a back corner across from the door where asettee and three chairs had been placed. This is where parentswaited for the children to be done with lessons. The wide space,with an old scarred wood floor, is where the students learned andJuliette often rehearsed.
Upon entering the
