2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Norfolk, England - September 1814

J uliet took full advantage of the afternoon light in her window to continue working on her most recent painting. A woman who was with child had inspired her, and she wanted to capture the essence of motherhood with her paints. Women were so often hidden away in confinement while they were increasing, and she believed such a piece would make a great addition to her gallery one day. The world deserved to see the power and beauty of a woman with child. Why should women be forced out of society simply for growing a new life as their body was designed to do?

She had to create most of the painting from her own memory since she didn’t have a live model present at the house party where she was in attendance with Eliza. They had arrived at Viscount and Viscountess Ockham’s house party a couple of days ago. With around thirty guests in attendance, it was easy for Juliet to go unnoticed so she could take a bit of time each day to paint. She hadn’t even been introduced to everyone at the party yet.

It was to her good fortune that her papa let her attend the house party without her aunt, or the woman would surely keep her hostage downstairs speaking with the eligible gentlemen.

With her newfound freedom, Juliet had hurried back to her chamber right after a game of Pall Mall on the lawn with the other guests, so that she could get in some work on her painting before dinner. Her absence should go unnoticed while the other ladies were busy with correspondence and needlepoint. Eliza would know where to find her and understood her need to spend a bit of the day with her canvas and paints.

A few hours passed without Juliet realizing it, lost in her work, completing a light sketch on her canvas ahead of beginning to paint the piece. She wanted to get the dimensions just right for how she wished to portray the woman in the image. She wasn’t as confident in her sketching abilities, but painting was where she made the piece come alive .

“My lady,” her maid said, pulling her focus from the canvas, “you shall be late for dinner if we don’t dress soon.”

“Of course, Bess,” she replied. “I lost track of time.”

Juliet enjoyed a glass of sherry in the salon after dinner. She had been surprised to find that Eliza was hiding in her room for the evening, avoiding the man who had broken her heart. She hated to see her strong, spirited friend in such turmoil and had suggested that Eliza consider taking a gentleman to her bed during the house party as a means to heal from what the man had put her through.

Scandalous for sure, but Juliet didn’t see how it could hurt. Eliza would either get over the pain of her broken heart and push the man aside, or perhaps she would acknowledge that she still had feelings for him. She wasn’t certain Eliza was ready to accept any notion of feelings for the man, even though it had been quite obvious to Juliet.

“Are you having a pleasant time so far, Juliet?” Rosina asked, approaching her.

“I am,” she replied. “How about you?”

Rosina, Lady Preston, was one of the few who had always been kind to her. She had been married to Marquess Preston—a passionate love match from what Juliet had heard—for a brief time before he became very sick and passed away. It was awful that the woman had become a widow so young, not that she found herself without a gentleman in her company very often. Her reputation made her appear scandalous in the eyes of society, but Juliet had never worried about such associations. If Rosina wished to bed a man without marriage, then good for her.

The woman glanced around the room and Juliet noticed how she smiled in the direction of the Duke of St. Albans. “I believe I shall soon.” She winked at Juliet as if they shared a secret.

Juliet laughed. “I wish I had the courage you do, my lady.”

Rosina sighed and clasped one of Juliet’s hands in hers. “It isn’t courage,” she replied. “I have just learnt to accept who I am and what I want. I don’t let society decide what my future shall be.”

Juliet wrenched her hands, fighting her nervous energy at the mere notion of considering such a thing for herself. “I’m trying.”

“Don’t try, my dear,” Rosina said. “If you want something, make it yours. ”

“My ladies, you look lovely this evening,” a gentleman’s voice said, pulling Juliet’s focus from their conversation.

“Lord Camden,” Rosina said. “You look well.”

Juliet glanced at the gentleman, and she couldn’t help but notice how attractive he was. She had heard about him but hadn’t actually been introduced. Given his rakish reputation, she hadn’t hurried to make his acquaintance, assuming he would be much the same as the other men. His name occasionally appeared in scandal sheets for his rakish behavior, which would explain why he rarely appeared at balls and society events. A man of his reputation likely spent most of his time in brothels and gaming hells.

Such knowledge about his lifestyle didn’t distract from the intensity of his masculine features and the effect they had on her.

“Indeed,” Lord Camden replied, shifting his focus to Juliet. “And might I receive a proper introduction to this beautiful woman before me?”

Rosina snickered. “Camden, this is Lady Juliet,” she introduced. “Juliet, this is Marquess Camden.”

He took Juliet’s hand and pressed his lips to it, which did something funny to her insides. His hair was a rich chestnut, which had a silky shine. When he looked up at her after kissing her hand, his eyes were a unique shade of light blue that bored into her with a wicked intensity. The man was a rake, so there was no doubt he had the ability to render women senseless just from his presence. Masking the fortifying breath she drew, she fought to shake off the reaction to the far-too-handsome man.

“I am so glad to make your acquaintance, my lady,” he said, his words smooth as butter.

“Pleased to meet you, my lord,” Juliet replied.

He glanced at her chest, and she fought to roll her eyes. It was typical of every man she was introduced to, so she shouldn’t expect anything different from a rake of the ton . To his credit, his eyes didn’t linger, nor did he ogle her, so that was an improvement.

“I hope to see more of you while we are here, Lady Juliet,” he said, bowing to her before continuing to another group of guests.

“So, you find him handsome, I take it,” Rosina said, nudging her.

“No, of course not,” Juliet returned. She noted Rosina’s smirk and knew the woman didn’t believe a word she said. “All right, he’s very handsome,” she admitted. Suddenly, something gnawed at her, even though she wasn’t sure why she cared. “Is he one of your partners?” Juliet asked, unsure where she found the nerve to ask such a forward question.

Rosina laughed and patted her arm. “No. He has never warmed my bed,” she said, assessing Lord Camden where he stood with his back to them across the room. “But I believe you should entertain such an arrangement.”

“What?” Juliet scoffed, nervously glancing around the room. She knew her neck and face must be a deep pink. “I couldn’t.”

“You could, my dear. Just think about it.”

Rosina was mad. Even if she knew the first thing about how to initiate such an entanglement with a man, she wasn’t certain if she wished to do so. And even if he agreed to such a scandalous suggestion, it would be to use her once and never speak to her again. She wasn’t certain why that bothered her, since that was what a tryst was meant to be. A moment of passion without the attachment. Juliet tamped down the notion, rejecting the idea. He wasn’t for her, even if he was the most handsome man she had ever seen, from the front—and the back. His form was trim and muscular, but he had a rounded bottom that she could just barely make out beneath his tails when he turned to the side.

The room suddenly felt a bit warm, and she wished she had a fan so she might cool herself. The urge to touch such a gorgeous man heated her in the most inconvenient places while surrounded by all the other guests. Good thing she was aware of how to relieve the growing tension for herself.