A Scandalous Charade (3 page)

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Luke was pleasantly surprised to discover that the Ice Princess was simply enchanting—much more so than his usual companions. And he found himself smiling at her, completely amused. In fact, he was beginning to realize that he’d seriously misjudged Juliet from the onset. For one thing, he now didn’t think that she’d care at all if she lost Will’s interest. On the contrary she’d probably be elated. But most importantly, cold and frigid weren’t apt descriptions of the charming woman on his arm. Smoldering was a more accurate term, and he began to think of ways he could convince Will to give up the chase, and leave Juliet to him.

And that, in itself, should have been a most alarming thought.

Innocent, young, virginal girls were too dangerous to dally with. He’d learned that lesson years ago, when he’d nearly been forced to marry a chit, who wasn’t even as innocent as she’d led on. Quite honestly, until now, he thought he’d lost the taste for such creatures, generally preferring much more experienced women of one sort or another.

He should bow and take his leave from her. He should walk away and forget that their paths had ever crossed. Yes, he really should do all those things. “Would you like to join me in the garden, Lady Juliet?” he asked instead.

She focused her intelligent brown eyes upon him and her delicate pink lips upturned to a knowing grin, as if she could read the devilish thoughts in his mind. “Just because I have no desire to marry doesn’t mean I wish to have my reputation ruined, Mr. Beckford.”

Luke couldn’t help but smirk at that. Lady Juliet truly did have a fiery spirit, and he was becoming more intoxicated by her every moment he spent in her company. He dipped his head down toward hers.

“Finally!” came a shrill voice from behind them. “I’ve been looking all over for you!” Luke knew that voice and nearly winced when he turned around to face the unwanted interloper—Louisa, Lady Ridgemont. Their hostess wore a dark red dress and a forced smile, though she frowned when her eyes fell upon Juliet.

Damn! Things had been going so well. He’d been able to breeze past Louisa when he’d arrived, since she was clinging to her ancient husband’s arm. Somehow she’d gotten free, and Luke’s stomach churned.

“Lady Ridgemont,” he nodded curtly, and prayed in vain that his one-time paramour would leave him in peace to continue his talk with the much more intriguing Lady Juliet.

But that was not to be.

Louisa edged closer to him, with what she must have thought was a seductive look in her crystal blue eyes. “My dear Mr. Beckford, it’s a bit stifling in here, don’t you agree? Can I persuade you to follow me outside for a breath of fresh air?”

Lady Juliet slid her hand from Luke’s arm and stepped away from him. He turned instinctively to meet her big brown eyes. She smiled knowingly up at him and took another step away. “Thank you for the walk, Mr. Beckford, it was most enjoyable.”

And then she was gone, disappearing into the crowd like an apparition. Luke scanned the room with his eyes, but his princess was nowhere to be found. Damn! He’d much rather have spent the evening matching wits with Juliet than dealing with Louisa.

Louisa—who was now tugging hard on his arm, and trying to steer him thorough the veranda doors to the crisp outside air. Luke wrenched his arm free from her grasp and hissed, “Sweet Lucifer, Louisa, do you want Ridgemont to see you behaving like this?”

She took a deep breath and puffed out her ample chest in his direction. “I don’t care what Ridgemont knows, darling. Please follow me outside.” Then she whispered, “It’s been far too long since I’ve enjoyed your company.”

And she’d still be waiting until the end of time, if Luke had anything to say about the matter. He took a step toward her, hoping to keep anyone else from overhearing them. “Louisa, you have guests to attend to. Pray do so.”

Then he turned on his heel and started back toward the crowd of people. He spotted Will immediately, now holding a glass of ratafia at the edge of the room and scanning the throng of guests like an expectant puppy.

However, Will and his problems were the last things on Luke’s mind at the moment as he looked the room over himself. But still he couldn’t locate Lady Juliet. She was simply gone.

Blast and damn!

~ 2 ~

Georgie sat, fuming, with her arms folded across her chest, glaring at Juliet from the other side of the carriage. “Would you care to tell me why we left Louisa’s in such haste, as if the watch were chasing after us?”

Not in a million years. Nothing she could possibly say would make sense to Georgie anyway. She’d never felt her entire body tingle with awareness before. Heavens, all she’d done was walk around the ballroom with the rogue. Prolonged contact with Mr. Beckford was to be avoided, particularly as nothing could be gained from such an acquaintance.

Besides, she hadn’t even wanted to attend the ridiculous ball in the first place, but Georgie had insisted, as Lady Ridgemont was an old friend. Then when they’d first arrived, Louisa Ridgemont tearfully pulled Georgie aside and monopolized her, leaving Juliet alone to fend off the pack of scavengers that shadowed her every move. “You didn’t have to leave,” she replied with a shrug.

“I was just supposed to let you go gallivanting off by yourself across London?”

Juliet tried not to smirk. As if she ever gallivanted anywhere. “I hardly think my returning home alone would cause a fuss. Besides, who am I trying to impress, Georgie? Certainly none of those snakes or vultures, that’s for sure.”

They continued in silence, as Juliet knew they would. Whenever she cast her suitors in an unfavorable light, Georgie would just pretend she hadn’t heard the insulting remark. And that suited Juliet just fine. She didn’t want to argue with Georgie, she just wanted to climb into bed and forget that the night had ever happened—at least most of it. She doubted she could ever forget the warmth that shot through her as she circled the room on Luke Beckford’s arm. Fool that she still apparently was.

Though Georgie frowned at her from across the darkened coach, Juliet could see her sister’s countenance drop even further. “I don’t want to drag you from event to event and make you miserable, Jules. Why don’t you consider going home to the District for a while? It’s been forever since either of us have been home.”

Juliet narrowed her eyes on her sister. Georgie knew that was not an option. And it was annoying that her sister would bring it up. So, she feigned a sickly sweet voice and replied, “That’s a wonderful idea, Georgie. After you’ve kicked out those beggars, I’ll be more than happy to return to Prestwick Chase, but not until then.”

They’d had this argument many times, and apparently they were about to have it again. Though Juliet didn’t relish the fight, she would also never agree to return to Derbyshire until their ancestral home was vacant of their vermin relations who had taken up residence there.

Georgie sighed and leaned her head against the back of the velvet squabs. “I assume by ‘those beggars’ you mean Uncle Albert and our cousins?”

Actually, Juliet had thought ‘those beggars’ was a fairly complementary term. At least it was the most complementary she could think of. It certainly hadn’t been what she’d wanted to say. “I don’t know how you can even consider seeing them after they tried to wrestle Edmund from you after Papa died. I can’t see how you can even let them stay in The Chase.”

“Jules,” Georgie began, her voice sounding weary, “what would you have me do? Send them packing? They have nowhere else to go.”

Where they went wasn’t Juliet’s concern. They were despicable people and she would prefer never to see them again. Up until her brother, Edmund, was born, her uncle, Lord Albert St. Claire, had been the next in line for the dukedom. And he hadn’t been happy to be replaced by a drooling infant. Therefore, he’d planted all sorts of nonsensical ideas in the old duke’s mind about the child. Uncle Albert had insisted that Edmund’s deceased mother was unfaithful and the boy was a by-blow. He also suggested that Edmund was a simpleton, since he couldn’t speak at the ripe old age of six months. Uncle Albert never resisted an opportunity to say something dreadful or derogatory about the young, defenseless boy.

Then after the duke’s death, Uncle Albert had sought custody of Edmund, which would have been a travesty. However, Lord Albert had miscalculated the Marquess of Teynham’s greed for power as well. Though Juliet had never cared for her unpleasant brother-in-law, she was relieved when Edmund had been awarded to Teynham and Georgie, along with herself and their sister, Felicity. Taking in the three orphans was the only decent thing the marquess had ever done, not that it was out of the goodness of his heart. However, a few years later, Teynham passed away himself, before he could do any real damage to Edmund.

Thankfully, life had been fairly peaceful since, and Juliet couldn’t understand why Georgie would even consider seeing that despicable side of their family. It brought up too many awful memories.

“Uncle Albert writes every few weeks inviting us to The Chase,” Georgie replied softly.

Juliet snorted. Loudly. “How kind of him to invite us to Edmund’s home. Georgie, I don’t want to stand in your way. If you want to go to Derbyshire, please do so. Edmund and Carraway will be leaving within the fortnight and I am perfectly willing to stay in London by myself.”

That was the end of the conversation, as Juliet knew it would be. Georgie would never leave her in London alone. This argument would be revisited in a month or so, and then they would rehash it again.

For the rest of the ride they sat in silence, staring at each other.

When Juliet and Georgie finally arrived back at Prestwick House on Upper Brook Street, they discovered Edmund, the nine-year-old Duke of Prestwick, sleeping across the main staircase, snoring lightly. His head was resting on one arm, while the rest of him was scrunched up on the stair below. There was no way in the world the child was comfortable. He’d wake in the morning with a stiff back and neck for sure. Georgie rolled her eyes at the sight, but Juliet smiled indulgently. Edmund was the greatest joy in her life, as she’d cared for him since his mother died in childbirth.

Crawford, their grey-haired butler, who had devoted his life to the two previous Dukes of Prestwick, stood at Georgie’s side with a beleaguered grimace. “His Grace insisted on waiting for you here.”

Juliet carefully walked up the stairs, dropped onto the step below her brother, and caressed his curly brown hair. “Edmund,” she whispered soothingly.

The little duke stirred and blinked his blue-green eyes open. “Jules!” Then he sat up straight and threw his arms around her neck. “You’re back?”

Edmund snuggled more securely in Juliet’s lap and sighed. “But, Georgie, I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I just wanted to wait up is all.”

Juliet ruffled his hair and kissed his forehead. “Come on, Edmund, you can hear all about the ball in the morning. Nothing much to tell anyway.”

He stumbled to his feet and took Juliet’s hand in his. “Did you have to put any of those scavengers in their place again?”

Juliet couldn’t help but laugh, though Georgie shook her head in obvious disapproval. “Edmund! That’s a terrible thing to say about Juliet’s suitors.”

“She says it,” the small duke replied stubbornly.

“She shouldn’t say it either. Now off to bed with you.”

Edmund hung his head and climbed the remainder of the stairs. Juliet threw Georgie a mild look of irritation, then followed their brother, taking his little hand in hers. “Come on, sweetheart. I’ll tuck you in.”

Edmund’s countenance lifted as they ascended the stairs. When they rounded the corner, out of Georgie’s sight, Edmund exuberantly bounced down the hall on his toes. “Did you have fun tonight, Jules?”

Strangely enough she did, though she couldn’t admit that to her precocious younger brother—or anyone else for that matter. Still, she smiled as she thought about Luke Beckford and the tingly way he’d made her feel. Though, if she was honest with herself, most rakes probably had that effect on women, or they wouldn’t be rakes in the first place. Were some men simply born to be scoundrels? She had definitely remembered feeling fluttery when she’d first seen him a decade earlier. And it seemed…

“Juliet?” Edmund asked again, a note of concern marking his voice.

She wiped the silly grin from her face and shook her head. “It was terribly boring, Edmund, just like all the others Georgie makes me go to. Just wait until it’s your turn. Girls will swoon whenever you walk in the room.” Juliet adopted a giggly voice to imitate the featherbrained chits that filled the balls she went to, “Oh, Your Grace, you’re so clever. And your fashion sense is simply unparalleled. Why you’re the most interesting man in all of London. In all of England. In the entire world!”

Edmund was giggling now as well, and they stopped in front of his bedroom door. With his fingers on the handle, he tipped his face up to look at her. “Does no one tell the truth?”

Juliet heaved a sigh. She didn’t want to pass her cynical view of life to her sweet little brother. There was plenty of time for him to acquire that all on his own, when he was older. “Some people tell the truth, Edmund. It’ll be your job to figure out which ones they are.”

“And none of those scavengers that plague you tell the truth?” he asked innocently.

Juliet ruffled her brother’s hair. “No, I’m afraid they don’t.”

Edmund nodded his head, with a childlike understanding. “Well, I think you’re the most amazing and beautiful woman in all the world.”

She loved her brother more than anything. He had an innocent sweetness about him, a trait he inherited from his mother and certainly not their father. “Thank you, Edmund. That means more coming from you than anyone else.” She dropped a kiss on the top of his brown curls.