A Scandalous Charade (16 page)

It didn’t take him long to change his mind.

The puppy, which Luke had since dubbed Demon Dog, had already destroyed one cane, an old pair of boots, and had relieved himself on Luke’s favorite midnight blue jacket. He needed to deposit the little fleabag on Staveley’s doorstep—sooner rather than later—and never look back.

The trick was going to be placing the puppy in Adam’s awaiting arms before Caroline discovered what he was about. And he thought he had a good plan. He’d hidden Demon Dog in a small hatbox and was soon standing before his sister’s Curzon Street home.

Merton, a decrepit old fellow who looked like he’d been born about the time William the Conqueror had first stepped foot in England, opened the grand front door. A frown settled on the old butler’s face when he recognized Luke. “Her ladyship is not in at the moment, sir.” Then the old butler actually tried to shut the door on him.

Like hell! Luke was not returning to his rooms in Piccadilly with this little yipping, drooling, boot-chewing, demon of a dog. He pushed against the large door and Merton nearly stumbled backward. “I’m here to see my nephew, Merton. No need to announce me, I know the way.”

Then Luke brushed past him, down the corridor, and up two flights of stairs to the schoolroom—his little hat box lightly growling the whole way. The schoolroom was brightly colored in yellows and greens, with a long, child-sized table in the middle. Standing in the doorway, Luke surveyed the cheery room. Little Emma sat at one end of the table, staring intently at a primer. Rachel stood near a row of windows, working on a watercolor of some sort. Adam sat quietly, reading an old book that looked nautical in nature.

Luke cleared his throat, and immediately three sets of eyes leapt to him. “Uncle Luke!” the children all squealed in unison. Then his nieces and nephew abandoned their work and raced across the room, flinging their arms around his legs and waist.

Rachel answered his unasked question. “Mama has been ranting that she was going to strangle you for leaving without a word to anyone. You were supposed to take Adam riding days ago.”

Luke suppressed a grin. He’d been hearing such threats from his sister since she was in leading strings. Caroline was nothing if not melodramatic. He shrugged nonchalantly. “Well, I had to make a trip to Dorset, didn’t I, my dear?” Dorset, Sussex. He was sure Rachel wouldn’t know the difference. He prayed Rachel wouldn’t know the difference.

His niece’s pretty face lit up and she started dancing on her tip toes. “Do you mean it, Uncle Luke?”

It was hard to be annoyed with her when she was so happy to see him. He nodded. “I had her delivered to your father’s stables this morning.”

Rachel pulled his head down toward her and planted a huge kiss on his cheek. “Oh, thank you, Uncle Luke. You’re the best.”

“Yes, yes. Just keep up your end of the bargain, sweetheart.” The hat box in his hand began to whimper and Luke coughed to cover up the sound. Then he dropped to his knees and ruffled Adam’s hair. “Speaking of bargains, Adam my boy, please tell me that you have been snake-free since our conversation on the subject.”

His nephew’s eyes grew wide with anticipation and he chanced a glance at the small hat box. “Uncle Luke, is that what I think it is?”

Adam nodded his head so hard Luke thought it might fall off. So, he grinned and removed the top of the hat box. Demon Dog’s tiny, black nose twitched as he sniffed at the unfamiliar surroundings. His brown eyes looked from child to child and he wagged his little tail vigorously.

Adam snatched the beagle out of the box and cradled him against his chest. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, Uncle Luke. You’re the best uncle in the whole world.”

Rachel quickly seconded that thought. Luke chuckled to himself. The title of best uncle really wasn’t that difficult to earn, as their Uncle Robert rarely, if ever, laid eyes on the children.

Before Luke could respond, little Emma threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “I’m so glad Mama didn’t kill you.”

Guilt instantly flooded him. Rachel had blackmailed him for a horse, and he had bribed Adam with a dog, but he hadn’t brought a thing for poor, little Emma. He kissed one of her tiny rosy cheeks. “Emmie, is there something you want from Uncle Luke?”

She shook her head and smiled happily. “I just want you to visit more.”

Now he truly felt like a cad. He tapped her nose and winked at her. “Done, my little angel.”

He watched for a while as the three children gathered around Demon Dog, which Adam had promptly renamed Nelson. They giggled and squealed with delight as the puppy ran around the room, knocking over Rachel’s easel and crashing into a box of paints. They were delightful.

Perhaps domesticity wasn’t so bad.

Luke snorted at the thought and then pushed it away as quickly as it had entered his mind. He didn’t want domesticity; he just enjoyed watching it every now and then. He quietly left the children playing with the puppy, determined to go back to his rooms, fall across his bed, and sleep for a week.

Just as he approached the front door, Merton materialized at his side to open it for him. With a snort, Luke waived the old man off. He pulled open the door and his heart jumped to his throat. Emerging from a coach at the base of the steps was Caroline, Georgie, and Juliet.

Bloody hell!

He wasn’t prepared to see Juliet. Not yet. He needed more time to plan the perfect thing to say. He needed a good night’s rest, and he most certainly didn’t need an audience.

He knew his disappointment showed on his face, especially as Caroline angrily glared at him and sighed. Loudly. “Lucas, I don’t recall summoning you.”

His sister airily brushed past him into her entranceway, Georgie quick on her heels. Juliet followed the other women, though she held back a bit, meeting Luke’s eyes with a questioning look.

Reluctantly, Luke closed the door and met his sister’s fiery gaze. He couldn’t tell her he’d been to Sussex, because she might mention it to Rachel. Then he’d be in for it. And he couldn’t tell her that he’d been to Dorset, because Caroline would probably mention it in her regular correspondence with Robert—and he wouldn’t want to have to explain that. “I needed to make a trip that couldn’t be put off.”

“Well, heaven forbid you tell your sister when you’re going to just up and disappear. Instead, I think you should make her wonder endlessly about what happened to you, and where you are, and if you’re alive or dead.”

Luke’s head began to throb. Why must Caroline be so damned melodramatic? Why couldn’t she just thank him for stopping by and be a normal sister—and not the bloody harridan he saw before him? Before he could compose a question that wasn’t quite so offensive, Caroline turned her back on him without another word, and swept down the corridor and around a corner in a huff. As before, Georgie was right behind her.

Unfortunately, Juliet remained standing where she was. A worried frown had settled upon her pretty face and he cringed when he met her eyes. There was no other woman like her in the world, and he was going to regret this for the rest of his life—but he’d gone over this in his head countless times. No matter how much it killed him, he had to end things. It was for her own good and he would never again dally with a respectable girl. Those unions never turned out well.

***

“I missed you,” Juliet blurted out, and then blushed when he only stared at her.

Why was he just looking at her like that? It was some combination of sorrow, anger, and—strangely enough—desire. He looked tortured. “Luke?”

He took a small step toward her, and then seemed to think better of it and moved backward. He frowned and took a long breath. “I’ve been thinking, Juliet…”

“So have I,” she began and watched him fidget uncomfortably with his pocket watch.  Luke never fidgeted. He was always so carefree. What had happened to make him so anxious?

He shook his head, though he kept his green eyes focused on hers. “This isn’t going to work, princess. I can’t be the man you want. You must know that on some level.”

What has he talking about? He was exactly the man she wanted. There were no strings attached with Luke. She didn’t have to worry about marriage with him. She loved his unrepentant philosophy of life. She was always free to be herself around him. And she loved the way he made her feel. Juliet stepped toward him, a question in her eyes. “What do you think I want, Luke?”

His brow furrowed even more and he started to reach for her, but then drew his hand back. “More than I can give you. It’ll be best for everyone if we just go our separate ways before this goes any further.”

He was ending things between them?

Just like that?

A numbness spread across Juliet, though she managed to nod her head and force a fraudulent smile to her lips, determined not to follow Louisa Ridgemont’s example. “I see.” Though she didn’t. She willed herself to be strong. She would not cry, though tears began to pool in her eyes. She would not speak with a quivering voice, though a lump had lodged firmly in her throat. And she would not fall to pieces, though her heart was shattered. She would remain in control of her emotions—at least until she was alone. “I appreciate your honesty.” Her voice sounded hollow to her own ears. “I suppose this is goodbye.”

“Indeed,” he answered with a curt nod.

Juliet couldn’t meet his eyes. “Best of luck.”

Then she turned and walked away from him, down the corridor as smoothly as she could force herself—until she turned the corner. Juliet fell against the wall with a soft thud, as the first wave of tears began to stream down her face. She cried silently until she heard the large oak door shut—knowing that he was truly gone now.

Juliet stumbled into the first room she came to, which had to be the music room. Even through her pouring eyes, she could make out a pianoforte in the middle of the floor and a harpsichord in one corner.

She collapsed upon a small chaise, now not holding back any tears, but letting them fall freely. She no longer wondered if she loved the rogue. Her heart wouldn’t ache like this if she didn’t. How was she to go on without him?

Suddenly, a comforting hand touched her back, and she nearly jumped out of her skin when she turned to lay eyes on the interloper.

Caroline Staveley had tears in her own eyes. “My darling girl, I am so sorry.” Then Caroline knelt beside her at the edge of the chaise and wrapped her arms around Juliet, crying with her, comforting her.

When Juliet managed to pull herself together, Caroline brushed away the last tears from her cheeks. “I think I really shall strangle him.”

A gurgled sob escaped Juliet’s throat, and Caroline squeezed her hand warmly. “No, don’t start that again—you’ll make me start and I won’t allow that lout to make my cheeks puffy. Listen, darling, I won’t claim to know what is going on in my brother’s mind.” She frowned and stared off toward the pianoforte. “But I do know that he cares about you.”

Juliet shook her head. She didn’t want to hear this. She didn’t want to think about it. She just wanted to go home, fall into bed, and never come out again.

Caroline unconsciously tapped two piano keys with her graceful fingers. She looked a million miles away, but softly spoke. “Our brother Robert has a theory about Lucas. Would you like to know it?”

Not unless it would make the pain in her chest go away. Juliet shrugged, noncommittally.

With a sweet smile, Caroline suddenly refocused on her and continued. “Robert says that Luke was very close to our mother. I never knew her, as she died the same way yours did, with my birth. Luke was five at the time, and Robert says that our mother doted on him. She adored him, and he was enamored with her. Apparently, he took her death very hard. More so than anyone else, our father included. Robert says that Luke curled up in a ball and wouldn’t speak to anyone for more than a month.”

That was terribly sad, though Juliet couldn’t imagine why Caroline was telling her this about Luke. It didn’t have anything to do with the situation at hand.

“Women love him, and he certainly enjoys them—but love, real affection… Well, that’s an entirely different matter. Robert has always contended that Luke is incapable of such emotions—that part of him is still that little boy, afraid to open his heart to anyone. But I’ve seen him, Juliet. I’ve seen him with you. There’s a glow about him when he’s with you. It’s as if he’s truly happy—not the carefree façade he hides behind.”

“I don’t think he’s terribly happy with me.” He could barely look at her during their last conversation.

Caroline walked back across the room and squeezed Juliet’s hand. “I think he’s just frightened but doesn’t know it. He’ll come to his senses, and—”

Juliet managed to shake her head at that. “He meant what he said.” She’d seen the resignation in his eyes. Whatever had happened to make him reject her, he was determined not to see her again.

“He thinks he does,” Caroline amended. “Do you truly care for him, darling?”

Did she care for Luke? Shattered heart and all, she still did—more than anything. She was certain she always would. “Yes,” she whispered.

Caroline embraced her again and rubbed her back, soothingly. “Then I’ll figure something out.”

Juliet sat back and shook her head vehemently. “You mustn’t. I won’t follow him around like a sad, little puppy. I don’t want to be like Lady Ridgemont, or—”

With a determined shake of her head, Caroline met her eyes. “Trust me, you are not even remotely similar to Louisa. And you can’t give up that easily, Juliet—not if you truly care for him. I know you’ve got some fight in you.”