Chapter Nineteen

Juliet knew, even as she woke up a few mornings later, that something catastrophic would happen. She couldn't exactly point her finger on it, but she had this nasty feeling growing down her spine. As she took her bath, her heart would not stop beating. The tension surrounding her was palpable. At some point, Estelle took notice of it.

"Is anything the matter, milady? You seem a bit tense today." She had asked, her voice laced with concern.

"I don't know." Juliet replied, the cluelessness catching her off guard. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that the ball Lady Beatrice was throwing for Abigail's anniversary was happening today.

It couldn't be that could it? Why was she so uncomfortable all of a sudden? Yes, maybe she wasn't the most confident of all maidens out there, but she had attended her fair share of balls and parties. None of them had ever made her feel this way. Something sinister was happening.

Something sinister was going to happen.

"Do you want me to fetch you some water to drink?" Estelle asked, the worry in her voice now growing. She was helping Juliet put on one of her dresses. Since she already promised Beatrice that she would attend to all the members planning to grace the party, she couldn't sneak away as usual and find solace in her garden. Some part of her was convinced that if she could do so, she would be able to rid herself of the tense nervousness clouding her body all of a sudden.

"Should I fetch Lord Weston? Perhaps he might be able to calm you down?"

Juliet scoffed. "No. Leave him alone. I do not want to bother him."

Juliet stared at herself in the mirror as Estelle continued to adjust the edges of her dress. She wore a dull brown gown adorned with lacy ropes and shiny flowers. This was not her typical day-to-day wear, but since it was a party, she didn't mind dressing up for the occasion. She tried to shrug off the feeling of impending doom and decided to focus on the day instead. Beatrice had informed her that the guests would be in a line, and it would be up to her and Anne to properly welcome them into the manor individually.

When Estelle finished adorning her mistress, she turned her head towards the door.

"Should I come with you?" Estelle asked. She didn't want to leave Juliet like this, so inherently uncomfortable. If she couldn't figure out what was going on with her mistress, the least she could do was stay by her side until she knew what it was.

"No." Juliet responded, her voice crisp. "I am sure you will find some work to do in the kitchen. Go help them there. Do not worry. I will be fine."

Lie.

She was far from fine, but she hoped her words were convincing enough for Estelle to take them.

Estelle nodded and watched Juliet head out of the room and gently close the door behind her.

Meanwhile, Juliet, on the other hand, skirted peacefully down the Estfield halls. The buzz was a bit louder than usual as maids flooded the rooms, scrubbing and mopping the floors. Weston had gone for a ride earlier than usual because he was also bound to attend the ball. The guests were beginning to arrive, and soon, she would have to start attending to them.

"My grandmother can scrub that floor harder than you. And she's already dead!" She could hear Lady Beatrice screech at some helpless maid. Juliet shook her head and moved to the staircase after the drawing room. Lady Beatrice was standing next to the railing, watching the servants work. Her eyes landed on Juliet the moment she appeared in her field of view.

"Well, don't you look ravishing." Lady Beatrice called, throwing a slight smile at her. Confused and taken aback by this compliment, Juliet curtsied.

"Do you need my help with anything, Mother?" She asked, dangerously hoping she didn't.

"The guests are arriving already. I can hear their carriages from here. Do what I already asked you to do in the first place. Or will that be too much for you?"

There it was. The mother-in-law she was used to.

"Not at all, mother." Juliet replied, remaining as polite as possible.

"Good. Go stand by the doors. Anne is going to join you soon."

Juliet nodded and did as she was told. The harrowing feeling she had shelved away earlier started to resurface the closer she got to the door, its effect almost twice as harsh.

What was happening? This was an odd feeling for her, and she did not like it at all.

The line before her had stretched out past the cobblestones already. It was time to get to work.

She started to welcome the guests, most of them women who have either deemed themselves as Beatrice's friends when she didn't even know their names or acquaintances she had met at one event or the other. Thanks to the footman assigned to assist her, she didn't have to worry about not knowing their names or the names of their houses. Her eyes spotted the Duke and Duchess of Thornewood as they joined the line in the distance. She looked away almost immediately. She didn't want to be perceived by them until she absolutely had to. Soon, Anne joined her, and the lines started to move a bit faster. Juliet continued to plaster the biggest smile on her face and laugh off every genuine or backhanded compliment she received.

"It is great to see you have managed to turn your life around." One of the women had said as Juliet held her hands in greeting. "We thought you would become so depressed in your marriage that you would begin to throw yourself to drunk men in taverns."

Again, Juliet laughed as much as she could. It was all she could do. Saying anything else would cause even more unnecessary drama and she did not want that.

She had ushered in a few more Dukes and Madams when her eyes landed on it.

A familiar carriage that caused her heart to drop.

Her eyes followed it till it finally stopped near the other carriages. The harrowing feeling in her body became even more magnified, and at that moment, she knew why.

It bore her family's insignia. Willowbrook's insignia.

"Oh, dear Lord." She whispered, feeling the blood drain from her face.

Like the ultimate confirmation of her fears, she watched her father, Lord Peter Fairmont, slowly descend from the carriage, aided by a footman. He was followed by Adam and Camilla, who remained stuck together as they all walked towards the line.

Juliet felt her heart start to pound mercilessly. That was the source of the feeling of doom. That was why she wouldn't stop thinking something catastrophic would happen to her.

The catastrophe just landed before her new home, and she couldn't move her feet off the floor.

Her father had lost a little weight. Not enough to raise any kind of concern. He looked mightily sharp in his green waistcoat and shirt. Adam was in the same outfit except in red. His hair had grown fuller, and she could see a few wrinkles around his eyes. Camilla, on the other hand, was in a giant light blue dress. One that covered her entire feet and dragged off the floor.

The closer they got, the harder it became for her to breathe. She wasn't ready to hear whatever they had to say to her. She wasn't even ready to talk to them about anything. This was all sudden and had disoriented her. Soon, she started to suffocate even harder.

"Come with me." Anne had silently called behind her. She did not argue. They headed away from the doors and the guests.

"But the guests—" Juliet felt herself say in between labored breathing.

"If mother has a problem, she shall take it up with me. Do not worry about that."

Anne led Juliet to her room, throwing nasty glares at the servants who stopped to watch them go. Juliet rested on her bed and clutched her chest.

"I can't— I can't—" She whispered. Anne rushed out of the room and in a few minutes, returned with Weston.

"Juliet." Weston called, rushing to her side, his face laced with the utmost worry. "What is wrong with her?" Weston asked, turning to Anne, who rested gently on the doorway.

"My father." Juliet managed to say. "He is out there with my family. With Adam and Camilla."

"What? This was an anniversary. They didn't need to be invited. Why would they—" Weston called but froze halfway, feeling a twist of epiphany crash into him.

"Mother." Anne said, lending a voice to the thoughts in his head.

Weston turned to his wife and grabbed her gloved hands. "Juliet."

"I can't breathe. The room."

"Are the windows open? I cannot breathe."

"Juliet—"

"Why can't I breathe?"

"Juliet!" Weston raised his voice. "Listen to me."

Juliet turned to him, her eyes looking earnestly into his.

"I need you to take deep breaths. I think you're just suffering from sheer panic. Take deep breaths."

At first, it did not work. The more she breathed, the harder it became. Weston, noticing this, pulled her closer to him.

"Deep breaths, Juliet." He whispered, placing her head gently against his shoulder. "Deep breaths."

The panic started to slowly dissipate. Weston turned to look at Anne, a desperate question in his eyes. Anne seemed to understand and bowed slightly before excusing herself.

"They are not supposed to be here." Juliet said, her voice slow as she breathed into Weston's chest.

"I know. This is one of my mother's games." He replied, wrapping his hands around her even tighter.

"Why would she invite them? This party had nothing to do with them whatsoever."

"Why does mother do anything, really?"

Weston felt her starting to slowly shake. He bit back his tongue in anger. She was sobbing.

"I cannot face them, Weston. I cannot talk to them. Not Father, not Adam, and most definitely not Camilla." Juliet said, amidst quiet sniffles.

"You have to. Or Mother wins. You have to show her this didn't get you as much as she thought it would."

Juliet raised her head and looked her husband in the eyes. "How am I going to do that?"

"By going back to the door and becoming the best version of yourself." Weston continued. "The one I've grown to like over the past few weeks. You're a kind and intelligent woman, Juliet. You've learned to interact with your family for almost a quarter of your life. Today wouldn't be any different. Today, you will have me by your side."

Juliet wiped the tears off her face with the back of her hand. "Really?"

"Yes." Weston replied. "You are going to talk to them and they are going to see how well you're doing and choke back whatever nasty remarks they thought they were going to deliver to you."

Juliet nodded.

"And then, we're going to dance." Weston continued.

"What?"

"Yes." Weston replied. "We're going to dance. And they're going to watch."

Juliet shook her head in utter disbelief. "But we've never danced together before."

"There's a first time for everything." Weston replied. He reached for Juliet's hands and held them gently, his next words offering her the ultimate reassurance.

"And we're going to make it count."

***

"Oh, there you are." Anne gasped when her sights landed on Juliet. She swam past the crowd and headed straight to her. Before Juliet could vocalize a reply, Anne had threaded her arm with hers. The hall was filled with people in their heavy gowns and thick boots, all talking, clinking drinks, and laughing rather loudly.

"There is a certain gentleman who has been eyeing me in the drawing room since I got back."

"Why? Are the maids not enough to fulfill his errands?" Juliet asked, momentarily taken out of her own world.

"You do not understand." Anne replied, leading Juliet towards the drawing room. "I think he is looking to dance with me."

Juliet shrugged. "Well, do you want to dance with him?"

Anne said nothing, giving Juliet all the confirmation she needed.

"You should give it a try."

"I don't know, Juliet." Anne replied. "Mother probably would not want him for me."

Juliet held Anne tighter as they crossed the foyer into the drawing room, feeling a few eyes dart towards them.

"Do you really want to have a dance with someone your mother picked? If you like this man and he seems responsible enough, I would advise you to ask him instead."

"Ask him?!" Anne asked, bringing her right hand over her mouth. "That is just pure madness."

"Madness that works." Juliet replied.

"I do not know, Juliet. There he is." Anne replied, gesturing towards a tall and relatively attractive young man sitting in a corner, gently drinking wine from his cup. He was in a dark jacket and pants, and his sleeves were outlined in white.

"Usually, the fact that they are alone should be a warning, but he looks harmless enough."

"So you think I should ask him to dance?"

"Yes." Juliet said. "But the instant his presence starts to affect you strangely, you should leave him immediately."

Anne stared gratefully into Juliet's eyes. "Thank you."

Juliet smiled. Anne had taught her, over the past few months, what it would have felt like if she had a little sister. One she could confide in and tell jokes to. In another world, Anne would've been that person, but she was grateful nonetheless for the relationship they had now.

"Go. And come back to tell me everything." Juliet whispered. "And do not run. You do not want to seem desperate."

Anne nodded, taking in every bit of Juliet's advice before she headed into the room. Like clockwork, his eyes landed on her almost immediately, and Juliet saw a smile appear on his face.

Harmless enough.

"There you are!" Adam's voice called behind her, causing severe coldness to run down her spine. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd taken the tunnels out of town just so you wouldn't see us."

Juliet turned slowly to come face to face with them. With a closer inspection, she could tell the wrinkles on Adam's face were even more defined than she thought. Camilla rested on his shoulder, giving Juliet a helpless smile.

"Hello, Juliet."

"Adam." She said, steadying her voice. "It is nice to see that you managed to leave the tavern so you could be here. That must have taken a lot of effort."

"Careful, young lady. Just because you're in your husband's house doesn't mean I can't still knock some senses into you." Adam retorted. His breath smelled of beer, and for a few seconds, Juliet wondered just how much he had taken.

"You know, if you're not careful, you may end up leaving with a horse, thinking it is your wife if you keep up the drinking."

Camilla stifled a chuckle, and Juliet threw her a mischievous wink. Adam started to slowly grow red. "How dare you speak to me this way?"

"Does Father know you've colonised the brewery to yourself? I'd be careful if I were him."

Adam huffed. "You lowlife snake! Wait till Father hears about this. He will have your head for breakfast!"

Before Juliet could come up with another brilliant retort, her husband's voice interrupted the heated conversation.

"Is everything alright over here?" Weston asked, appearing like a guardian angel, his hands on his back and a courteous smile on his face.

"Restrain your woman, or I will have to do it for you!" Adam croaked, evident venom in his voice.

Weston took a step back. "Sir, you seem drunk. Am I going to have to ask the guards to escort you out of the manor?"

"What?"

"Drunk, sir. Disoriented." Weston continued, the smile slowly disappearing from his face. "Drunk men like you are powder kegs around parties like this. I do not want any form of nuisance on my watch, so I will ask again. Will I have to ask the guards to drag you out of my house?" His voice was now firm and commanding.

"The—" Adam's eyes darted from Juliet to Weston in confused horror.

"Great. If you don't mind, it is time for the first dance, and I would like to have it with my woman. As you have so eloquently put it."

As Adam continued to find words that wouldn't come, Weston stretched out his hand towards Juliet. The quartet had started playing, and men were beginning to take places with their women partners.

"Would you do me the honour, Lady Juliet?"

Juliet laughed. He hadn't called her "Lady" in so long. The word felt strange yet comforting in his mouth.

"Most definitely." She finally responded and gingerly placed her hand in his.

He pulled her closer to him and placed his other hand firmly around her waist. They began to sway to the music like the other people in the ballroom. Weston stared into Juliet's eyes as they danced as if freezing every moment for posterity. He could feel the wondrous wave of euphoria that flowed through him as he danced with her. They continued to twirl around the hall until every other person faded from Weston's view. All he could see was Juliet. Her green eyes, rich with wisdom and care. Her hearty laugh, as she almost slipped off her gown, her thick, shiny hair under her well-made headgear.

He knew, even before the dance ended that he was seeing her, truly seeing her for the first time. As the day continued to darken, a brand new feeling started to sink into his chest. He was dancing with her. His wife. The one he had grown to like.

The one he had fallen in love with.