Chapter 27

CHAPTER 27

“ A nd then, he rolled down the hill alongside the pigs!”

The table erupted into a fit of laughter with the storyteller, Hector, looking immensely proud of himself.

“But what else was I supposed to do? It would be put back into its pen, and I would certainly get into trouble; there was no harm in having a little bit of fun while my freedom lasted,” Marcus complained, unable to shed his grin.

“You were supposed to catch it and at least pretend to be remorseful over your actions,” Hector pointed out, dabbing the corner of his lips with a napkin.

“In all the years I have known my husband, he has never experienced a single shred of remorse. I have known him for a lot less time than you have, Hector, yet I know what and what not to expect from this chaotic storm of a man,” Emma stated, causing Hector to snort into his glass of wine.

“Bullies, the lot of you,” Marcus tutted in disappointment, shifting his attention to Juliet. “Do not fall for their cruel jokes, Duchess. They shame my name with slander and taint my character with falsehoods.”

“All those stories are facts! You admitted as much yourself!” Emma laughed harder when her husband leveled her with a look of mock contempt.

“Moving forward, Lady Elwike is no longer a member of my defense council. She has inherently failed to shield me from my cousin’s very obviously malicious intent to disgrace me before his bride. To think my own wife would not have my best interests at heart. It truly is a shame.”

While he was making his dramatic speech, Marcus’ hand was cradling his wife’s. At the end, he pressed a kiss to the back of her other hand, obviously not as affected by the turn the situation had taken as he’d wanted them to believe.

Emma giggled, shaking her head a little as she said, “I am sorry, my love, but your ‘best interests’ have never been attainable. You have been shameless before my eyes from the very first moment we met.”

“But Juliet does not know that! You and that brat over there have utterly ruined any chance I have of appearing distinguished in her eyes! Now, I can only hope she would kindly consider coming to my defense,” Marcus bemoaned.

“A very foolish ploy, I assure you,” Hector pointed out.

“You are no fun, cousin.” Marcus made a face at him then turned to Juliet with a kinder expression. “Do not let these miscreants corrupt you, Juliet. I mean, you can let Emma because she is perfection personified, so she is allowed to do whatever she wishes. But not Hector. We might not survive if you are added into his fold of darkness.”

Juliet did not think she had stopped laughing in the last hour. Her cheeks felt hot, and they hurt a little from all her smiling, but she couldn’t remember the last time she had been so happy.

Hector noticed how flushed she was and nudged a glass of water closer to her reach, whispering softly.

“Breathe. Do not suffocate yourself for his amusement.”

Juliet flashed him a thankful smile as she picked up the glass, the heat in her cheeks intensifying for a different reason.

He had been giving her curious little glances all evening as though he was surprised at how much she talked and laughed. She couldn’t fault him for that, knowing that she was also quite astonished at herself at how easily she had grown comfortable enough in their presence to interact so freely with them.

“I am afraid I might not be of much help in your defense, Marcus,” she said with an apologetic smile. “But I do support all the points you have made today. Can we honestly say that we are living our lives if they are not being lived to the fullest? And that is what you have done countless times—live to your best. That will never be a terrible thing to me.”

Marcus stared at her for a moment then turned to Hector and stated, “You are underserving of someone so good.”

Juliet thought Hector might refute his cousin’s statement or go further to playfully scold her for supporting him, but the Duke merely nodded.

“I know.”

“At least you are self-aware,” Marcus nodded, turning back to Juliet to remark while pointing at Hector.

“Be patient with him, Duchess. His haughty attitude stems from the fact that he thinks and worries too much. The heart of a martyr, this one. At least we can believe that he will make a benevolent father. Your children are going to love you as though they wish to ruin you, cousin.”

It sounded like an odd thing to say, but in a particular light, Juliet felt she could understand what Marcus was trying to say. His wife had also mentioned that Hector’s past had been a difficult one, so it was easy to imagine him being wholly spoiled with love.

However, when she turned to say something to Hector about it, his open and carefree expression was gone, replaced by the cold mask she was used to seeing.

Juliet was confused but decided to believe that he had simply grown weary of the night’s festivities.

Eventually, the time to return home arrived, and saying goodbye was a bittersweet affair.

“Thank you for inviting us,” Juliet said, holding onto her husband’s arm. “I had a lovely time. You have a wonderful family, and this is a lovely home.”

“Oh, stop it,” Emma scolded lightly, the smile on her face betraying how proud she felt in that moment, “before we are overcome with the urge to send your husband home without you. It was a pleasure to have you with us, Juliet. You are welcome any time.”

“Yes, please. Take care of yourself, Juliet. You may occasionally care for that troublemaker you married if you wish,” Marcus whispered loudly.

“You are vexatious as always, cousin,” Hector stated, tugging his wife out of the house.

“Behave, Hector!”

“You don’t know the meaning of the word!” the Duke retorted from where he was helping Juliet into the carriage.

He waved in the direction of the front door, but Juliet wagered he was waving at Emma and not Marcus. She smiled at Hector as he stepped into the carriage after her.

She wanted to speak, but he still appeared to be in the same mood that had settled over him during dinner. She decided to ignore his stern countenance and rest during the carriage ride, completely worn out by an entire evening of enjoyable engagement.

When they arrived at Renton House, Hector nudged Juliet in the direction of her bedroom and said, “You should get some rest. Dinner was a tiresome affair.”

Juliet shook her head, pressing closer and clinging to his arm as she replied, “I quite enjoyed it. Wouldn’t you like me to stay with you again tonight? Because I would…”

“No,” Hector stated firmly, brushing her hands away as he stepped back, putting some distance between them. “I will sleep alone tonight.”

Without another word or even a backward glance at her, Hector walked away, leaving Juliet enveloped by the embarrassing heat of rejection.