Library

Chapter 30

CHAPTER 30

“ Y ou have some butter on your face. On your jaw.”

Hector blinked at Juliet then swiped his napkin over his chin, missing the spot completely.

Juliet laughed and shook her head. “No, not there. Higher.”

He tried once more with the same result. Juliet rolled her eyes and huffed, trying not to laugh again.

“A little to the left…higher…no, lower now. Just…” She gave up and leaned to do it herself.

She curled her fingers around his jaw to tug his face closer then used her thumb to gently wipe away the little smear of butter that had been lodged just below the corner of his mouth.

“There. All done… Hector !” she screeched, scandalized, as he grabbed her hand before she could pull away and licked the butter off her thumb.

“Thank you, darling,” he grinned, kissing the back of her hand.

Juliet blushed and mumbled some remarks about him being annoying, shifting her focus to her tea.

They had been in each other’s company since they woke up, and Juliet knew that she wouldn’t want to leave his side for the rest of the day.

Hector had been so sweet, affectionate, and caring, his hands warm whenever they met her skin, and his lips always sweet on hers. His presence made her feel settled and peaceful.

It felt good not to be arguing or at odds with him, to simply sit and have a peaceful meal without chaos, drama, or lingering bad feelings. Juliet liked it a lot, and she couldn’t help but notice that her affection for Hector was growing.

“Pardon me, Your Graces,” John said, knocking on the door to the dining room. “There is something you must see.”

Frowning, Hector beckoned the butler forward, and Juliet noticed he was carrying a silver tray with a slip of paper. It was offered to Hector, and when her husband lifted it, Juliet saw it was a scandal sheet.

Hector’s eyes quickly glanced through it, and when he was done, he sighed, moving to hand it back to John.

“Wait,” Juliet stopped him. “What does it say?”

“Just senseless gossip. Pay it no mind, Juliet,” Hector replied.

Juliet shook her head, sensing something was amiss.

“No, he brought it to you. Meaning it must concern you or us. I wish to read it.”

Hector looked as though he wanted to deny her request but handed it over to her.

Juliet held it in both hands, her eyes slowly skimming over the words.

The column was titled ‘ Below the Sun ,’ with a subtitle that stated, ‘ Nothing under the sun can be hidden forever, ’ but none of those words were what filled Juliet with dread.

No, that honor was reserved for the heading that stated, “ Will the Duke of Islington’s Marriage Lead to his Eventual Ruin? ”

Written below the title were rumors surrounding their marriage, claiming that Juliet and Hector had engaged in some scandalous acts, and that their wedding was a means of covering it up. Another angle was that Hector was trying to cleanse his image and decided that marrying a forgotten girl from a condemned nunnery would make him appear a saint, boosting his business deals.

Another claim written on the sheet was that Juliet or her family had pressured the Duke into marrying her because they knew a secret of his and were after his fortune.

Some of the rumors that Lord Somerton had mentioned to her were also listed within the speculations about the true nature of their marriage, leaving Juliet with an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

The last paragraph tried to remind the reader that all of the speculations were nothing more than that—speculations—pointing out that “ The couple had stunned all who had attended Lord Gainsbury’s ball last night as they took to the dance floor, gazes fixed on no one else but each other. The Duke and Duchess not only painted a stunning picture together, but their closeness serves to say that, perhaps, they are pleased together and in love .”

“Juliet…”

“Is this what people really think? Do they really believe that we had such…dishonorable reasons for getting married?”

Hector sighed and took the sheet from her, handing it over to John with orders to toss it into the fire on his way out before he focused his full attention back on his wife.

“It does not matter what they think. We know it is not true. We know what our marriage is genuinely like because we live it. Do not pay the sheet any mind; it is merely senseless drivel concocted to steal your peace,” he told her gently, leaning forward to press a firm kiss to her temple. “Do not let it consume you.”

Juliet nodded and tried to put it out of her mind, but she couldn’t help but wonder what it was that made people concoct such lies.

She still did not understand what Hector stood to gain by marrying her, but she wanted to believe that he was content with their marriage, especially now that they were getting along so well.

It was difficult knowing that the circumstances of their wedding hadn’t been ideal, but she desperately tried to trust in what she and Hector had recently found in each other.

The days that followed were spent together blissfully, reveling in each other’s company, becoming closer and closer. Juliet found contentment just sitting with a book in Hector’s study while he worked, patiently waiting for him to finish and come to her for affection.

They were nearly always in each other’s embrace with Hector determined to take her wherever and whenever he could. He had her in his lap in his study two days earlier, and the day after that he had pressed her into the soft cushions of a settee in the drawing room and repeatedly claimed her from behind.

Juliet felt immensely fulfilled, thoroughly adored and worshipped, and she only hoped that he felt the same.

“I cannot recall the last time I felt so at peace,” he said to her one afternoon as they lazed about in the garden.

His head was in her lap, and her fingers were gently combing through his hair, pretending that she was not fixated on how handsome he was. Occasionally, she would lean down and steal a kiss from him, and he would smile and let her get away with it. Juliet’s heart would swell with warmth.

“I am glad you have it now. Peace.” She smiled sweetly at him, gently tugging at a slightly tangled lock of hair.

“I did not believe I deserved it. Not after the life I had lived. Not after all that I had lost. Not even after I had married you, and it felt like I’d given up on the only semblance of peace I had. I did not realize that you were the peace I needed.”

“At least you know now,” she nodded, giggling when he poked at her stomach.

“Cheeky,” he half-heartedly glared, then sighed. “There is something I must tell you.”

“Do you secretly regret not rolling down the hill with your cousin and the pigs?”

Hector was silent for a moment then stated, “I think it is in my best interest for you and Marcus to never cross paths again.”

“No,” Juliet whined with a laugh. “But I like his wife! She is so lovely.”

“You are much lovelier.” Hector sniffed.

“You are biased, darling.”

“That is not a bad thing, though.”

Juliet smiled, happy and warm. “No…I suppose it is not. I am sorry, you said you had something to tell me.”

Hector nodded, pulling himself up into a seated position.

“You had asked earlier why I married you. I was never honest with you about my reasons, and now, I wish to change that.”

There was a hint of unease crawling up Juliet’s spine, but she told herself to calm down and listen to what Hector had to say.

“All right,” she urged him to continue.

“The truth is…I married you because of my sister.”

That was not what I had expected.

“I do not understand.”

Hector nodded. “Before she…Well, Lydia told me she had a dear friend who was locked in a convent with no hope of ever leaving, and she was extremely worried that you would not survive.”

Juliet drew in quiet but sharp breath.

“She said she did not want to abandon you as your father had,” Hector continued. “She made me promise to marry and care for you. I went to your father and made it seem like a transaction, and he was all too willing to agree to it as it translated into an increase in his fortune.

“And…that is why it had to be you. I had no prior plans of getting married, and Lydia knew that, but she loved you too much not to do something about your situation. Now that I have gotten to know you better, I am glad I did. I am thankful that my sister had you to love and care for her in my absence all those years ago.”

Juliet did not realize she had been crying until he gently brushed away the tears rolling down her face. She fell into his embrace when he opened his arms, and she buried her face in his chest.

All this time, she had felt so incredibly alone and abandoned, believing that no one cared about her or thought of her as more than a thing to benefit from. Yet all this time, she had been on her friend’s mind, even in her last moments.

Hector had not even met her; he did not have to do as his sister asked. Still, he went ahead and fulfilled his sister’s wish. It was remarkable how their love for the same person had brought them together.

“There is something I must show you,” she said suddenly, pulling away slightly.

“All right,” Hector replied, rising to her feet and helping her up.

She led him to her room, heading straight for her wardrobe. On one of the top shelves was an ornate jewelry box that had belonged to her mother. It had been the only thing she had managed to keep, somehow hiding it away from everyone at the convent.

Juliet opened it and held it out to Hector, smiling at him as he stared down into it.

“Letters?”

She nodded. “Every single one she sent to me. It did not matter how she felt or what she was doing. She had always written to me once a month for eleven years, and I always wrote back until she stopped sending letters. That is when I knew, even before the news of her death arrived at the nunnery. To think that she had been thinking of me all that time…”

Her voice trailed off for a moment as she choked back her tears.

She exhaled. “I heard that you were with her, then. Thank you for making sure she was not alone.”

Hector took the box of letters and placed it on Juliet’s vanity and embraced her again.

“Thank you for making sure she wasn’t alone when I couldn’t be there.”

“I do not understand.”

The man before him, Barry Stevens, one of Hector’s solicitors, shifted uncomfortably, clearly unhappy about being the bearer of unwelcome news.

“Your Grace, a situation has arisen among some of your tenants. A number of them are delaying the payment of their rent, and many are filing all sorts of unnecessary complaints which are costing us time and money to deal with.”

“So?” Hector frowned, confused. “We have had people who have been a little late on their rent payment. This was never really an issue previously. If they need an extension, surely some sort of deal can be …”

“No, Your Grace, you do not understand. We have never had this many people withhold rent before. Some of them are refusing to pay for no reason whatsoever. And…I have more unwelcome news, Your Grace.”

“Oh, it gets worse? Are you not just a trove of delights today, Mr. Stevens,” Hector intoned sarcastically.

Barry winced, then spoke. “Many of your associates are refusing to work with you moving forward, Your Grace. We have reason to believe that it is because of the rumors surrounding your marriage and the Duchess’ past.”

This was becoming irritating. Hector had told Juliet not to worry about the gossip because he’d believed it would fade away given enough time. The Ton sometimes had a laughably short attention span, and it never took them too long to move forward and into the latest scandal.

For some reason, the matter of his marriage was taking a while to disappear into oblivion.

Hector had intended to ignore it, but as it was starting to affect his businesses, he was left with no choice.

“Do some digging around, covertly, mind you, and find out why and how these rumors are still being kept alive. And do it soon before whoever is responsible manages to ruin all that I have built.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“And be discreet about it. I do not wish to alarm my wife,” Hector added.

Once the solicitor left, the Duke began to think of the reasons why someone might be so dead set on his ruin. He had lived a sinful life in the past, but he wasn’t foolish, and he knew that the cost of having enemies was usually taken from one’s future. He’d kept few friends and had even fewer enemies, more often breaking up fights among his peers rather than causing them.

Hector had absolutely no idea who might bear such ill will against him, nor the reasons why.

“No matter,” he mumbled quietly, clenching his fists on the table. “You will be found. And I will end you.”

Comments

0 Comments
Best Newest

Contents
Settings
  • T
  • T
  • T
  • T
Font

Welcome to FullEpub

Create or log into your account to access terrific novels and protect your data

Don’t Have an account?
Click above to create an account.

lf you continue, you are agreeing to the
Terms Of Use and Privacy Policy.