Chapter 21

Chapter 21

“I don’t think we’ll ever get the stains out, my Lady,” Juliette’s maid, Hannah, said, as she helped her change for dinner.

Juliette had taken a bath in a large copper tub in front of the fire in her bedroom, the water now a muddy brown, but the dress, as the maid suggested, was unsalvageable.

“Never mind. Do what you can. But I couldn’t stand by and watching Alexander do all the work,” Juliette replied, and the maid smiled.

“There aren’t many men of his rank and class who’d stoop to such menial tasks, my lady,” she said, as she helped Juliette into a clean dress ready for dinner.

That had been Juliette’s thought, too. Alexander had showed no hesitation in helping his tenant. He had not held back, nor had he been angry at having to do so. His actions had reminded Juliette of something her grandmother had often said – “the measure of a man can be taken by how he treats his subordinates.” Juliette had always tried to treat her own servants with kindness and understanding.

When Hannah’s sister had been ill with a fever, Juliette had insisted on her taking as much time off as was required, and she had given her money to help cover the costs of a doctor, too. In Alexander, Juliette had seen that same kindness – and in the way he treated the servants, too.

“No, you’re right. But I think he’s quite different from other men. He’s…” she began, blushing as she was about to reveal something of her ever-growing feelings for the marquess.

“A good man, my Lady,” Hannah said, finishing her sentence, and Juliette nodded.

“That’s right,” she said, just as a knock came at the door.

It was Emily, and as she entered the room, she shrieked with laughter at the sight of Juliette’s soiled dress.

“I still can’t get over the fight and the two of you covered in mud. Did you roll in it?” she said, as Juliette looked at herself in the mirror.

“No, we didn’t. We just… did what needed to be done. Besides, it was one of the pigs that knocked me over. Are we going down to dinner?” Juliette asked.

“Gregory’s going to escort me. I just wanted to come and see if you were… clean,” Emily said, and she burst out laughing again.

Juliette shook her head. But she could not help but smile, and glancing again at the soiled dress, she shook her head and laughed.

“Well, it’s an excuse to visit the modiste again, isn’t it?” she replied, and her cousin nodded.

“We’ll choose something lovely for you. I’d better go and wait for Gregory. I wonder if he’ll propose tonight,” she said, clapping her hands together in delight.

Juliette was pleased to see her cousin so happy – her excitement was palpable, and the prospect of a wedding was a delightful thought. Having put on her pearls, and sprayed herself with lavender water, Juliette thanked Hannah and made her way downstairs, expecting to find the two mothers in the drawing room. But instead, she was surprised to find herself alone, and a moment later, the door opened, and Alexander entered the room.

“Ah – we’re the first down, are we? I must say – you smell a lot better than before,” he said, winking at her.

“And for that matter, so do you. Though you missed a smudge,” Juliette said, pointing to a small trace of dirt just below Alexander’s ear.

He looked momentarily perturbed, but Juliette took out her handkerchief and raised it to wipe the smudge from his face.

“Even my valet missed it. You’ve got sharp eyes, Juliette,” he said, and Juliette smiled.

“I only hope I washed it all off myself, too,” she said, and he laughed.

“What fun. The perils of life in the country – though the town can be just as filthy, can’t it? I… I really enjoyed your company this afternoon. I hope I didn’t bore you with a visit to a pigsty. It’s not exactly the theater or the Vauxhall pleasure gardens, is it?” he said, but Juliette shook her head.

She did not need such things. Juliette was simply pleased to be in his company and to enjoy the things he so obviously enjoyed, too. He had been kind to invite her to Norfolk. She felt at ease there, away from the pressures of the ton, and the sad memory of her grandmother’s death. It had been just what she needed, and Juliette would gladly face the pigsty again, if she could do so with Alexander at her side. Her feelings for him were growing stronger by the day – by the moment – and yet she could not find a way to express them, fearing, even now, the possibility of rejection.

“Oh, but those places are all very well, but… well, there aren’t many women can say they’ve rolled in mud with the man they’re courting,” Juliette replied, and Alexander laughed.

“No… I suppose not. Would they want to?” he asked, furrowing his brow.

“I suppose it depends on what kind of woman they are,” Juliette replied.

“The kind that rolls in mud,” he said, winking at her.

“The kind that gets involved – shouldn’t a wife take an interest in her husband’s… work,” Juliette said.

She was teasing him now, and he laughed again and shook his head.

“I don’t spend all my time in pigsties, you know. But I’ve never been one to shirk from duty, either. If a job needs doing, one has to get on with it. That’s all. Don’t you think?” he said, and Juliette nodded.

It was just what she thought, and she admired Alexander for the way in which he had not held back from doing his duty towards his tenant and his estate. There was so much she wanted to say to him – so much she wanted to share – and yet still she held back. It was not a woman’s place to say such things, and Juliette feared she would humiliate herself if she said something she later came to regret.

“I do, yes,” she replied.

“Well, you were a very good helper. I couldn’t have done it without you. But tell me… has coming here… helped you? Have you been able to forget about the things you’ve left behind – Nicholas…” he said.

Juliette was caught off guard. She had not given Nicholas – or Lavinia – a second thought since arriving in Norfolk. She had left them behind in London, and what had seemed so important there was now simply a matter of memory.

“I… yes… I mean, I haven’t thought about him. He and Lavinia have their troubles. We both know that. But as for I being the one to do something about it. No… it doesn’t seem to matter now. I’m content as I am. It really was so very kind of you to invite us here. It was just what I needed,” Juliette replied, and he smiled at her, just as the door opened, and his twin sisters entered the room, both shrieking with delight at the sight of Juliette and Alexander together.

“You’ve got to tell us all about your adventures with the pigs,” Claire said, taking Juliette by the arm and leading her to a chair by the window.

***

There had been a reason for Alexander’s enquiry over Nicholas. He had been curious as to Juliette’s feelings towards the man she had waited so long for, even as he had detected a subtle shift in her demeanor since arriving in Norfolk. Before, there had often been a wistful look in her eyes – a sense of hope and longing for something she was never going to have.

She would mention Nicholas in relation to whatever the topic of conversation happened to be, and it was clear the thought of him was never far from her mind. But now, it was as though something had changed. Nicholas no longer appeared to preoccupy her thoughts, and there had been no mention of him since her arrival in Norfolk.

After the afternoon they had spent together, Alexander was beginning to wonder where he stood when it came to Juliette’s affection. There was no doubting the growing bond between them, and yet he feared making a fool of himself by declaring feelings that would not be reciprocated.

“I still can’t believe you dragged poor Juliette into a pigsty, Alexander,” Alice said, shaking her head and tutting.

Alexander glanced at Juliette and smiled.

“I didn’t drag her anywhere. She was more than willing to go,” he said, and Juliette laughed.

“It’s true, I was. I wanted to help,” she said, and both Claire and Alice shook their heads.

“You’re too good to him, Juliette. If you don’t want to do something, just tell him. That’s what we do, isn’t it, Alice?” Claire said, and her twin sister nodded.

“We never do anything he tells us,” Alice said, patting Juliette’s arm.

Alexander rolled his eyes. His sisters were still at that age of youthful immaturity. But they could be fun, too, and he doted on them, glad to see they had taken Juliette to heart. She had soon come to fit in, and for all intents and purposes, it was as though the two of them really were courting.

The two mothers were talking at the far end of the room, and Alexander could only imagine what they were whispering about – a plan afoot for the matchmaking to continue. He knew his mother was keen for him to marry, but could he really translate the ruse into something more?

“When’s Gregory going to ask Emily to marry him?” Claire whispered, lowering her voice as glanced towards the window, where Gregory and Emily were talking to one another and smiling.

“Yes, I wish he’d just get on with it, don’t you? I want to go to a wedding,” Alice said.

Alexander and Juliette exchanged glances and smiled. Alexander knew his friend intended to propose, but as for when the proposal would come, he did not know. Gregory had told him just how much he had fallen in love with Emily, and it was clear she had fallen in love with him, too.

It pleased Alexander to think so, but in seeing Gregory and Emily together, he realized what he and Juliette were lacking. To the casual observer, the two couples were the same, and there was certainly no reason why anyone should think differently. But to see Gregory and Emily together was to realize what could be, if only Alexander was brave enough to ask the question…

“We’ll be going to yours soon, Alexander,” Claire said, and Alexander blushed.

“Really, Claire – that’s enough,” he said, but Claire only shrugged her shoulders and smiled.

“But you want him to propose, don’t you, Juliette?” she asked, and now it was Juliette’s turn to blush.

“I’m sure it’ll happen when it’s meant to,” she replied, and Alexander could not help but be impressed by her diplomacy, even as his sisters persisted.

“Oh, but you must, Alexander. Why won’t you just ask her?” Claire said, and Alexander shook his head.

“If… when, I do, it won’t be in front of my two silly, giggling sisters – I can assure you of that,” he said, glancing at Juliette, who smiled.

He had been about to say “if,” but it had come out as “when.” But that was the expectation. The two of them had been courting for some weeks now. They had been seen out in society. There was an assumption on the part of both their mothers.

What had seemed an easy ruse at first, had now become – as it was inevitably going to – something more serious. To extract themselves from the arrangement would be difficult. Tongues would wag.

There would be an upset, and it would have to appear as though a falling out had occurred. Alexander had no desire for that. Whatever happened, he wanted to remain friends with Juliette, and more than that, he knew it would be a terrible wrench to part with her.

“But you’ll do it soon, won’t you? We want Juliette as our sister. We’ve decided it. You can’t let us down,” Alice said, and Alexander rolled his eyes.

“I’m sure you’ll be the first ones to know,” he replied, as the gong sounded for dinner.

“We’d better be,” Claire replied.

Alexander’s mother invited them to go through, and Alexander offered Juliette his arm, as his twin sisters went off giggling with one another.

“I’m sorry about that,” Alexander whispered, but Juliette shook her head.

“Your sisters are a delight. They’re only teasing you,” Juliette replied.

But in his heart, Alexander did not want to be teased. He wanted to take the matter seriously – he did take the matter seriously. The thought of asking Juliette to marry him filled him with both trepidation and longing. He wanted to marry her because he had fallen in love with her. Over dinner, he could barely take his eyes off her, and the thought of her leaving for London in the coming days filled him with dread.

Would there be a chance to tell her how he felt? Alexander was terrified of humiliation, of being made to look a fool. But the more he thought about Juliette, the more he was convinced of his own feelings towards her. He had fallen in love with her, and it would be impossible to renege on those feelings, even if he had wanted to.

“What a wonderful evening it’s been,” Juliette said, as they stood taking coffee in the drawing room.

The last of the evening sun was setting over the gardens, its rays reflecting on the sea beyond, where the waters sparkled like a thousand diamonds. It had been a wonderful evening, and Alexander loathed for it to end.

“I wonder… would you like to walk in the gardens? I promise there’ll be no pigs,” he said, and Juliette smiled.

“I’d like that,” she said, and having finished their coffee, the two of them stepped out onto the terrace and down the steps to the lawn.

“I’m going to miss Norfolk,” Juliette said, as the two of them walked arm in arm together.

“And… it’ll miss you, too. I mean… I’ll miss you being here. It’s been… wonderful,” Alexander replied.

She turned to him and smiled. The look in her eyes seemed to say something she was not yet willing to speak aloud – a hidden secret, a longing.

“Will you come back to London soon? I’d hate to think… well, I wouldn’t want anyone to talk. We should be seen together, shouldn’t we?” she said, and Alexander nodded.

“Absolutely. I’ll come down next week. I’ve got a few things to see to here. Nothing much. But… I want to see you very soon, Juliette,” he said, and Juliette smiled.

Alexander would have had no cause to return to London, had it not been for his desire to see Juliette again. He did not want her to leave, and he felt foolish for the sense in which she had so captivated his emotions – his feelings, his very being. It was all so unexpected, but delightful, too. Alexander had never been in love, and to find himself so was quite remarkable, even as he was wary, too – wary of being hurt, or of hurting her.

“And you will, I promise. I’ve been thinking… well, I hadn’t given Nicholas or Lavinia a second thought. But I suppose I should try to discover something as to what’s been going on in the past few weeks. They still intend to marry, I believe. But as for their happiness together…” Juliette said.

At these words, Alexander’s heart fell. He had hoped Juliette would put any thoughts of Nicholas out of her mind, and yet it seemed she was still determined to discover the truth about him and Lavinia – and for what reason?

“But does it really matter?” Alexander asked.

He knew it was a blunt remark, and Juliette now looked at him curiously.

“I thought you were interested in knowing the truth,” she said, and Alexander nodded.

“I am, yes. But I’m not sure it’s any of our business to get to it. You said yourself you’d barely given Nicholas a second thought while being here in Norfolk. Does it really matter if they marry or not? And as for the circumstances…” he said, shaking his head.

Juliette nodded.

“You’re right. I’m sorry, Alexander. There’s no reason for me to be so preoccupied with them. I just worry about Nicholas, that’s all. He’s still a friend, and I care about him,” she said.

Alexander now realized he was being selfish – jealous, even. It was not his place to dictate who she spoke to or who she cared about. They were not courting – not really – and to have such feelings was to behave as though they were.

“No… I’m sorry. He’s your friend. You’re right to be concerned for him. It shows the kind of person you are – always thinking of others. And there’s certainly a lot of question still unanswered, aren’t there?” he said.

He had asked her to step outside for a reason – he had intended to test the waters, to see if how she felt for him was the same as he felt for her. He knew what she had said to Emily, and what Gregory had told him, and yet he wanted to hear it for himself, and to know Juliette truly felt the same.

But the mention of Nicholas had made Alexander realize there was still a great deal to resolve – questions of the past, and of Juliette’s feelings for Nicholas. Now, he held back, changing the topic of conversation to other things, and by the time they returned to the drawing room, the two of them were once again laughing about the incident in the pigsty.

“Oh, there you are – we’ve got the most wonderful news to share,” Alexander’s mother exclaimed, as Alexander and Juliette stepped into the drawing room.

Alexander looked at her in surprise, and Gregory and Emily stepped forward, arm in arm, with smiles spread across their faces.

“She said yes,” Gregory said, as Juliette let out a cry of delight.