Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

“ I don’t know if this will do.”

Juliet saw Leila smile down at her in the mirror before them as she tugged gently at the black bow that held back some of her hair.

“I promise, Your Grace, you look wonderful. It will be fine.”

Juliet sighed and wished she had more time to properly prepare for the dinner.

Hector had treated the invitation so casually, as though it was not an important event. Perhaps it wasn’t to him because he had known the Marquess of Elwike and his wife for a much longer period of time than she had. To him, it was simply a regular evening spent in the company of dear friends.

To her, it was much more than that. She would be dining with the only family he had left, and it afforded her the opportunity to show that she was worthy of Hector.

Although the Marquess was quite pleasant at their wedding party, he could still deem her unfit for his cousin and declare her a potential risk to his title and reputation. The thought of that worried Juliet immensely.

“I wish I had been given more time to prepare,” the Duchess sighed as she tilted her head slightly to get a better look at the exposed skin of her neck.

Hector had left marks all over her from their activities last night, and she was worried that some of them might not be easily concealed. But Leila had proved to be an excellent help, expertly covering up whatever marks were visible using the cosmetics they had on hand.

It had been a bittersweet to watch the redness that served as proof of what they had done disappear, but she consoled herself, knowing they were merely concealed, not completely gone, and last night had indeed happened.

“You are all right, Your Grace,” Leila assured gently. “You have my word.”

Just then there was a knock at the door. As Leila opened it, a maid entered and politely curtsied before announcing, “The Duke awaits your presence, Your Grace, if you are ready.”

Juliet gave her reflection one last lingering look and nodded.

“I am. I shall be right down.”

The maid nodded and took her leave.

Juliet stood, desperately hoping everything would go well before she too left the room.

Hector waited downstairs and looked particularly dashing. Juliet couldn’t stop the warmth that spread within her heart.

“Well,” the Duke said, as he slowly scanned his eyes over her, “you look lovely, Your Grace.”

Heat filled Juliet’s cheeks, and she raised her head, pretending to be unaffected by his compliment.

“Thank you. However, I am still cross with you.”

Hector chuckled lightly, holding out his arm to her. She took it wordlessly and followed him outside to where the carriage was waiting, accepting his assistance to climb into it.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you,” he stated lightly.

The ride to Lord Elwike’s house was short and accompanied by a comfortable silence. Juliet simply rested her head against her husband’s shoulder, letting his presence soothe her nerves.

Hector seemed content with being her strong and silent supporter.

When they arrived at the house, Marcus and Emma greeted them at the door.

“Welcome! Welcome!” Marcus cheered, clapping a hand firmly on Hector’s shoulder. “I am extremely glad you could make it tonight. My darling wife was prepared to serve my head on a platter had you not shown up.”

“Somehow, I am sure you must have done something to incur such wrath, and as always, Emma’s methods would be justified.” Hector stated teasingly.

“Ah, Hector,” Emma laughed, approaching Juliet, “save your flattery for your wife. I do appreciate your ever-reliable understanding, though.”

Emma held her arms out to Juliet, who accepted the hug. Juliet was unable to recall when she had last been embraced so warmly.

“Welcome to our home, Juliet. It is so good to see you again! It is such an honor to have you with us tonight.” Emma said with a smile.

“Oh, likewise!” Juliet replied agreeably with a smile of her own. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“Oh, think nothing of it, dear. I have been so excited to get to know you better! Marcus and Hector have their special bond, and sometimes it makes me crave a sisterly bond,” Emma waved her hand dismissively.

“I feel the very same,” Juliet admitted as Emma led her to their drawing room with the men trailing behind them.

“Mama!” a child screeched as they walked in, waddling over to cling to Emma’s dress.

“Oh, Tobias,” Emma cooed fondly, bending to lift the child into her arms. “I thought you were going to sleep.”

“He started to cry when Miss Flowers tried to take him,” a small girl with lovely eyes reported.

Emma kissed her son’s cheeks and was rewarded with the most adorable giggle Juliet had ever heard.

“He wants to stay a little longer, I suppose,” Emma beamed sweetly before beckoning Juliet to come closer. “This is Tobias,” she said, pressing her cheek to her son’s for a moment and then reaching down to pat her daughter’s dark curls. “And this is Sarah. There is another, Peter, but he loves to wander about. I am willing to wager that his poor governess is searching for him right now. Children, this is Juliet, Uncle Hector’s wife.”

Juliet laughed lightly, smiling at the children. “How do you do?”

Tobias grinned and reached out to her. Juliet felt her heart melt, and she immediately looked to his mother for permission.

“May I hold him?”

“Of course,” Emma laughed, carefully handing Tobias to her. “But I must warn you, he is quite clingy.”

Juliet did not mind, especially when she held the boy close, and he immediately rested his small head on her chest.

“Oh my…it appears he is quite fond of you already! He does not even like his governess this much,” Emma remarked in surprise, making Juliet laugh a little.

Moments later, said governess arrived, looking worse for wear as she ushered a bright-eyed young boy who looked to be about six years old into the drawing room.

“Pardon me,” the woman practically wheezed. “I have finally found Peter.”

“Peter, come and greet our guests!” Emma called him over, shaking her head pitifully at the governess as her son innocently bounded over.

“Good evening,” he said, blinking up at her with a sweet expression.

“She is Uncle Hector’s wife,” his sister, Sarah, told him as though it were some grand news. “A duchess.”

“A duchess? But she looks like a princess! Did you have to give up your castle because you got married to Uncle Hector? That wasn’t very nice,” Peter pouted.

Juliet expected the matter to end there, but then the boy turned and marched up to Hector.

“Why did you take the princess away from her castle?” he demanded to know.

Hector looked startled at first then confused as he stared down at his nephew, clearly at a loss for words.

“What princess?” Hector questioned gently with a smile.

Peter was clearly not amused as he gestured to Juliet with an open palm.

“Her! The Duchess looks like a princess! So, she must be one, and you took her from her castle!”

Hector glanced back to Juliet, the momentary intensity of his stare making her blush before he nodded at Peter.

“You are absolutely right. I did take her. It might have been wrong of me, but I would rather pay for my sins than go a day without someone as beautiful as she is in my life. You will understand when you are older.”

Peter squinted at his uncle for a moment then faced his father and asked, “Is that right?”

Marcus snorted. “I would certainly hope so as your mother and I have long since started building a life together. So, any laws against the abduction of princesses might just be my undoing.”

Peter blinked up at his father for a moment then he screeched.

“Mama is a princess too?!”

Juliet was distracted from the unfolding drama by a gentle tug on her dress. When she looked down, Peter’s sister was staring up at her.

“You have a castle?” Sarah queried, her interest piqued.

“I am sorry, my dear, but I do not have a castle.” Juliet was already utterly charmed by the children.

“You do not have a castle? But you are a princess! Where did you live?” Peter demanded to know as he returned to them with a devastated expression on his chubby face.

“Oh, well… I am not a princess. I lived in a convent which used to look a little bit like a castle, but it does not anymore. But now, I am a duchess, and my new home is much nicer,” Juliet said with a smile.

The children shared a glance, and another litany of questions were hurled her way.

“What is a convent?”

“Why was it bad? Did it smell?”

“Do you miss the convent? I miss home when I am away from Mama, Papa, Tobias, and Sarah.”

“Do you like Uncle Hector? Papa says he is an…something that means not everyone likes him. Papa only likes him sometimes. But I like him all the time!”

“Sarah, my darling sunshine, what has Papa said about saying such things about him?” Marcus approached them, frowning playfully.

Sarah paused, then said, “Not to do it in front of guests. Only in front of Mama.”

“Oi!” Marcus sighed.

“All right, children, that is enough for now. Our dear Duchess came to spend an enjoyable time with us, not to endure your pestering. All right?” Emma told them, half stern.

“Yes, Mama,” they chorused obediently.

Emma turned to Juliet with a sigh, her expression softening when she noticed Tobias had fallen asleep in Juliet’s arms.

“You are really quite good with children,” the Marchioness noted, beckoning the governess over.

“I got along quite well with many of the girls in the convent. We were quite close-knit,” Juliet explained, carefully handing Tobias over to his caretaker.

“And how are you settling into your life as a duchess? I can only imagine it was not an easy transition.” Emma led them to a settee to sit down.

Juliet inhaled deeply, wondering how much she could say with Hector so close by.

“Challenging, to say the least, but things have already greatly improved.”

Emma nodded. “That is good to hear. My husband and I are so pleased to have you as a member of this family. Marcus…he worries about Hector a lot. But he seems to believe his stubborn cousin will be all right because he has you now. I also share this belief because you very clearly have a good heart.”

Together, they looked in the direction of where their husbands sat and talked with the older children hovering around them. Sarah asked Hector a question, and he held onto her hand, smiling at her as he did so.

“Yes, sunshine, I do have many pretty horses. Even prettier than the ones your father has,” Hector said to her gently.

“Now hang on. Must you slander my horses in an effort to butter up my daughter?”

Marcus’ mock cry of outrage went ignored as Hector added,

“You are welcome to ride them with me anytime.”

“Like in the summer? Mama says riding in the summer is very nice. She also said she once tried to escape papa when they were out riding, but he caught up with her,” Sarah said with wide, excited eyes.

“Between you and me, it is a miracle your father caught up with her at all. I am willing to bet my finest horse that she let him win.” He winked at her. “And yes, you can come in the summer. I look forward to your company and enlightening conversation, My Lady.”

It was such a precious exchange that it made Juliet’s heart swell.

“Hector has been through so much, and he needs someone with a good heart to help him get better. However, he can still be a stubborn mule sometimes. If he ever tries to bully you into having his way, do not let it happen. These men have far too much audacity in them, I swear.”

Juliet laughed, now entirely at ease, and felt that she had been accepted by Hector’s family and had made a new friend in the bargain that she would hold dear for a long time.

“Oh, do not worry. I would never stand for that.”