He studied her for a moment. “Your fatherdied?”
She winced at being caught in an earlier lie.It wasn’t really her lie; it had been Genviève who led him tobelieve papa still lived. “He died when I was very young. I barelyremember him.” Actually, Juliette could not remember anythingexcept that when anyone mentioned her father when she was a childher stomach hurt. All she could determine was that his death musthave been particularly painful for her.
“Was your father French as well? Mirabelle isa French name.”
She thought about it for a moment. He musthave been though she always assumed he was English. However, herparents had married during the infancy of the Revolution and manyFrench had fled to England already so he could have very well beena Frenchman. She also remembered her mother commenting once thatwhile all the French were fleeing Paris they were running to it.She would ask her mother, but Maman did not like to talk aboutthose years and chastised Juliette to leave well enough alone. “Ido not know, but I assume so.”
“How long did you live in France beforemoving to Milan?”
“It was right before my eighteenth birthdayand unexpected.”
His brow creased but he never once lookedaway from her as they spoke and Juliette couldn’t stop watching hisface either. He had the nicest full lips and strong cheekbones. “Ithought we would live in Paris forever but one day I came home fromthe ballet and Maman had all of our things packed and announced wewere moving.”
“Usually it takes longer to prepare for sucha move.”
Juliette shook her head. “Maman was alwaysmoving us from one household to another. She didn’t like staying inone place too long. I assumed we were simply moving to a new houseonly to learn we were traveling to Italy.”
Acker studied her. He wasn’t sure he wouldlike moving so often. Of course, he had two homes. An estate inMonmouth and a Townhouse in London and depending on the time ofyear, he lived in one or the other. Each home had everything heneeded so he didn’t have to actually move everything from one tothe other, simply travel there. However, he had been traveling forthe past six months and that was tiring enough. He longed for hisown bed in his own home, but not until he came to know Juliette. Atleast there was no father to stand in his way, just a young pup asa brother.
“Your mother simply decided it was time tomove to a new country?” This still seemed odd to him. It was onething to change a residence, but move to an entirely differentcountry with three children. “Do you have family in Milan?”
“We knew no one when we came here.” Juliettefrowned for a moment and a crease developed between her delicateeyebrows. “Maman simply said it was time.” She tiled her head as ifin thought. “She was most adamant that we leave immediately andthat another adventure awaited us.”
“And your great-grandmother? Did she comewith you?”
“Arrière grand-mère died when I wastwelve.”
“I am sorry,”
Juliette shrugged and offered a slight smile.“Thank you. I suppose I will always miss her.”
Acker simply nodded.
“I did not wish to leave Paris.” She sighed.“I still had so much to learn from my dance master, PierreGardel.”
The name meant nothing to Acker, but it didto Juliette because her emerald eyes lit and a loving smile formedon her lips when she said the gentleman’s name. A stab of jealousystruck him in the gut. Would she ever think of him with suchadmiration and had Gardel been more than a teacher to her?
Acker shook the thoughts away. That was thepast, and several years ago. She said they have lived in Milan forthe last six years and if she was ten and eight when she leftParis, Juliette was now four and twenty. Not a child at all, thoughhe had suspected her age to be closer to twenty. Already she was afamed ballerina. Her name was listed at the top of any playbill hehad seen.
“You clearly became accomplished without hiscontinued guidance.” Acker smiled down at her.
A blush painted her cheeks. “I’ve been luckyto have continued my training under Viganó.”
Again her eyes lit and a soft smile formed onher lips. She seemed to hold this new dancing master with as muchhigh regard as Gardel. Was Juliette in love with the man?
There was also a sweet innocence to her.Something he had never encountered with any other woman he had metwho also worked in any form of theatre. Surely she couldn’t stillbe all that innocent? He knew that no performer remained innocentfor long. It was a fact, as far as he was concerned. Not that anyof this mattered to Acker because the longer he sat with her themore he wanted her. He had lusted after her when she danced and itwas all he could do not to take her in his arms and kiss her.
The time for that would come later. He neededto know her better first and determine if and how she could be apart of his life. “Does your sister also dance?” He couldn’t recallseeing Genviève on the stage.
Juliette laughed. “No. Genviève is theorderly one and likes to take charge when given theopportunity.”
This didn’t surprise Acker. The sister ratherreminded him of a governess he had as a young boy.
“Hélène is an actress,” Juliettecontinued.
There is another sister? Did she have morebrothers as well? “Hélène?”
Juliette’s eyes grew wide and her cheeks grewbright. Clearly she had let something slip she shouldn’t have.
She sighed and looked down. “I don’t have abrother. The person following us last night was my other sister,Hélène.”
At least that explained why the lad appearedso feminine.
“Maman warned us not to let anyone know therewere no gentlemen to look after us.”
He could well understand why. All threesisters were beautiful and if it became common knowledge, which itprobably was for those attached to the ballet, that these threeyoung women were unprotected, all manner of men would probablypursue them. Much as he was doing at this very moment.
“Your mother sounds like a very wise woman.”If he had three beautiful daughters he
