Perhaps he shouldn’t trust them with locatingJuliette. If they thought Jordan Trent could commit murder theyweren’t as smart as Acker had given them credit for. “Is thereanything I can do?”
Bentley thought for a moment. “VisitEleanor.”
Acker nodded.
“She could use the distraction of a visitfrom you while I sort out this mess.”
“I will see to it this afternoon,” Ackerassured him as Bentley marched away.
Juliette couldn’t believe it. In her hand sheheld the message from Mr. Fortier. One of the ballerinas hadinjured her ankle and would not be ready to dance in time for theproduction and he was asking her to replace the young woman. Sheknew her mother had forbidden her dancing again but Juliette couldnot ignore the invitation. She needed to dance as much as sheneeded food and water. It had been too long and part of her soulhad been crying out for the stage. Now she had her chance.
Rushing upstairs she tossed her shoes andrehearsal clothes into a small bag, grabbed her cloak and rushedout the door. She left the note on the desk for anyone to find inthe event they wondered where she disappeared to. Juliette didn’tdare tell her mother personally. The woman would likely forbid herto leave and Juliette wasn’t about to waste precious time arguingwhen she knew she would dance regardless of her mother’sobjections.
Besides, maman was only being overlycautious. It was her illness that made her paranoid and Juliettecould not remain in the house doing nothing. Just because Genvièvehappened to meet someone asking about them, and they were a familymember, didn’t mean she would be recognized when she danced. Thefamily may not even attend the ballet. The only person who wouldrecognize her is Acker and she would worry about seeing him again,if and when he sought an audience after the performance.
Besides dancing, this was an opportunity toraise precious funds. Though maman insisted on selling her jewelry,neither she nor Genviève had been allowed to leave the house to seeto the task. Her mother was becoming impossible to live with andthe quicker they increased their savings the sooner they couldleave England and return to Milan. Then they would once again beable to live freely without having to look over theirshoulders.
And, if by chance someone from the family didrecognize her when she danced and somehow caught up to her,Juliette would deal with them at that time. She was five and twentyand would not be ruled by the past and a situation she had nocontrol over. Nor would she let her mother dictate her life anyfurther.
Acker swirled the whiskey around in his glasswhile he slumped in a chair inside Dagger’s Haven, a popular gaminghell, and run by Sebastain Stanwick. The two were once friends butAcker had lost track of him after Stanwick dropped out of Oxford.They became reacquainted when Dagger’s Haven opened. It was earlyin the evening yet but Acker couldn’t remain in his home watchingthe time slowly tick by while he waited for the ballet to begin. Hehad come here for the distraction. Under normal circumstances hewould be looking forward to the production, had he found Julietteand asked her to join him, but she remained missing.
What would it have been like to watch theballet with Juliette by his side? They could discuss the productionafterwards and he could learn how she viewed other performers.Would she have been critical or simply enjoyed the production as hedid when he watched her?
Instead he dreaded this evening. He would beattending with Bentley and his family and watching a ballet thatdid not include Juliette. Seeing the other ballerinas would onlyremind him of how he ruined everything. Actually, he didn’t needthe ballet to remind him of his errors. Every day that he couldn’tfind Juliette and the remembrance of their discussions wereforefront in his mind. Acker doubted he would ever forget. He wassuch a bloody fool.
Acker glanced around the room at thosesitting at the tables. He knew better than to gamble here, but hewasn’t in the mood for Whites this evening and he enjoyed theatmosphere at the Haven. Besides, it was located in Covent Gardens,the area where Acker had been spending most of his time. He hadeven taken up residence in the home where he had once kept hismistress in hopes that while he was out he would see Julietteagain.
It had been a month since she ran out of thecoffee house. Where had she gone this time?
Jonathan Bridges, probably the richest man inthe room from his shipping ventures, tossed his cards on the tableand rose from his seat. By the firm set of his mouth, Acker assumedthe cards had not been in Bridges favor this evening. This wasStanwick’s establishment, the cards or dice were never in thepatron’s favor. That didn’t mean Stanwick cheated. Far from it. Oneof the reason so many gentlemen frequented this gaming hell wasbecause it was fair and honest. If a gentleman wished for fair playaway from the Gentlemen’s Clubs of St. James, they came to Dagger’sHaven. Stanwick simply had the damnedest luck of anyone Acker knew.And, he also spotted the cheaters and tossed them out on their earwhen caught. A few had challenged him, not that it was everdiscussed again nor did Acker know any details.
Bridges walked over and settled into thechair next to Acker. “I should have known better.”
Acker chuckled. “How much did you lose?” Notthat any amount would make a dent in Bridge’s fortune.
“One hundred pounds.”
Acker nearly choked. He could afford to losethat much as well as Bridges, but many of the young whelps aboutthe tables could not. How many quarterlies were lost in one eveningin this establishment?
Stanwick strolled over and joined thegentleman at their table, his grin wide. “I thank you for yourpatronage, Bridges.
“You’re bloody welcome,” Bridgesgrumbled.
Stanwick threw back his head and laughed.“I’d feel sorry for your loss but I know that you can afford it andI don’t mind lightening your pockets.” He lifted his arm andgestured for a servant to come over. “A bottle of my best brandyfor these gentlemen,”
