Desire In His Eyes (18 page)

Juliette had to make a decision. Soon.

As the carriage pulled up in front of Fleming Farm, the sun hung low in the sky. Jeffrey helped Juliette to the ground.

“I am serious, Juliette,” Jeffrey said to her. “I must leave by Friday.”

Harrison had remained unusually quiet and avoided her eyes.

“Yes, I understand,” she murmured.

Juliette entered the house with the two of them following behind her. She made her way upstairs without saying a word to either of them. For the first time in her life, she did not know what to say to either man.

Once in her room, Lucy helped Juliette out of her traveling gown, while she retired to the cool, white tiled bathroom. After two days at the shore, she felt covered in sand and salt and she longed for a bath. She sank gratefully into the warm water.

Harrison and Jeffrey had taken her to the beach in Sea Bright and down to see the pier in Long Branch, which was the most fashionable city on the Jersey shore and even President Grant had come up from Washington, D.C., to vacation there. They had a lovely time together, enjoying the bustling beach town and watching the horse races at Monmouth Park.

Yet in the carriage on the way home from Long Branch that afternoon, Jeffrey announced that he had been away long enough and had important business to attend to back home. He told her he was returning to New York by the end of the week and then sailing back to England as soon as he could. Which left Juliette in something of a quandary. She couldn’t very well stay on at Fleming Farm without Jeffrey. Unusual as his chaperone status was, he provided a bit of respectability for her. At the very least she would have to return to New York with him. As much as she did not wish to return to the Dunbars, where else could she go? The idea of returning to London filled her with even more apprehension. The thought of leaving Harrison filled her with feelings and emotions she could not name. And did not wish to face.

Juliette was enjoying her stay at Fleming Farm more than she would have expected, in spite of the issues between her and Harrison. She loved the graceful and modern house and the lush greenery surrounding it. After spending her entire life on a city street above a bookshop, she never thought she had any interest in quaint country villages. But looking out a window and seeing nothing but green grass and leafy trees was more than a novelty to her. The pastoral scenery filled her with a strange sense of peace.

While they were at the shore, she and Harrison had not resumed their conversation about marriage and acted as if they had never argued that night at dinner. They were civil and polite, and with Jeffrey acting as chaperone they were never alone. Juliette could not help but sense an odd change in both him and Jeffrey but could not quite put her finger on what it was. They seemed to be in collusion about something. That did not bode well for her. She had a feeling they were finding a way to force her to return to London.

She needed to make a decision, but not tonight. Tonight Harrison was taking Jeffrey and her to party at a house by the river. As she stepped from her bath, Juliette wrapped herself in a thick towel, lost in her thoughts and pondering her options.

“Hello, Juliette.”

Surprised, Juliette spun around to see Melissa sitting in the center of her canopy bed.

“Oh, Melissa!” Juliette cried. “You startled me.”

“I knocked, but you didn’t answer,” she whispered. Her wide eyes stared at Juliette.

“That’s because I was in the bath and didn’t hear you,” Juliette said.

“Oh.” Melissa sat there, biting her nails.

“Where is Lucy?” Juliette glanced around for the maid who had laid out her gown for dinner.

Melissa shrugged. “She wasn’t here when I came in.”

“Well, was there something you wanted?” Juliette asked, wondering what Melissa was doing upstairs and without Annie looking out for her. She pulled the cord that rang for the maid, cursing inwardly that her fashionable wardrobe required that she have someone help her dress.

“No,” Melissa whispered, shaking her head. It appeared as if her long blonde hair had been pulled into a neat bun at some point during the day, but now many tendrils had escaped and hung haphazardly around her pale face. The bandages had been removed from her wrists, but long scratches were still visible and poignant reminders of that terrible night.

Frustrated and wishing for a little privacy so she could get dressed, Juliette stood uncomfortably waiting for Melissa to take her leave.

“Why don’t you wait for me in the drawing room, Melissa?” Juliette suggested in as cheery a voice as she could manage. “I’ll join you there as soon as I’m dressed.”

“I don’t want to go to the drawing room,” Melissa stated calmly.

An odd sense of panic welled within Juliette’s chest. “Well, where would you like to go?”

Melissa regarded her as if weighing an important decision. “I wouldn’t like to go anywhere.”

Juliette stared at her, at a loss as what to do.

“I would like to show you something, Juliette.” Melissa gave a little smile, looking like a child. “If you would come with me.”

Not even able to imagine what Melissa would like to show her, Juliette hesitated. “I need to get dressed before I can go anywhere.”

“Oh, of course,” Melissa laughed. “I’ll help you since Lucy left.”

That was not quite what Juliette had in mind. “I rang for Lucy, but she’s not here yet. Melissa, would you please find her for me? I’d prefer her help.”

“Is that what you are wearing?” Melissa pointed to the raspberry taffeta gown Juliette had planned to wear to the outdoor party.

Juliette nodded.

“It’s very pretty,” Melissa said. “You have pretty clothes.”

Her nervousness growing and feeling even more vulnerable in nothing but a towel, she simply said, “Thank you.”

“If I get Lucy, will you promise to come with me? I have something special I want to show you.” Melissa’s green eyes stared at her intently.

“Yes,” Juliette agreed readily. “If you get Lucy, I will come with you.” Heavens! Would the woman never leave? Juliette stepped toward the bedroom door, hoping to lead Melissa in the right direction.

There was a quick rap on the door before Lucy stuck her head in. “Did you need me, Miss Hamilton?” The plump maid’s eyes widened when she saw Melissa sitting on Juliette’s bed.

“Yes, Lucy,” Juliette said, giving the girl a pointed look. “Would you please take Miss Fleming to wait for me in the drawing room, and then come back to me?”

At Juliette’s words, Melissa quickly hopped off the bed and made her way to the door. She leaned close to Juliette. “I won’t be in the drawing room,” she whispered in Juliette’s ear. “I’ll wait for you right outside. In the hallway.”

Juliette said, “All right then.”

Lucy stepped aside, giving Melissa a wide berth as she allowed her to pass through the doorway and shut the door quickly.

“Please help me dress quickly,” she said to the panic-stricken maid, “and then please inform Annie Morgan that Miss Fleming is up here unsupervised. I’ll stay with her.”

“Yes, Miss Hamilton.” Understanding the urgency of the situation, Lucy bustled about, helping Juliette into her corset and gown and arranging her hair as quickly as possible.

When she was dressed, Juliette entered the hallway to find Melissa seated on the floor just outside her door, waiting for her, while Lucy scurried off.

Melissa stood and took Juliette’s hand in hers. “At last you are ready! Come. I have something very special to show you.”

Juliette took a deep breath and let Melissa lead her. They continued along the hallway until they came to a back staircase. Slowly they descended the narrow steps, which brought them to another hallway and a part of the house that Juliette had not been in. Still clutching Juliette’s hand tightly in her own, Melissa glanced back and smiled wide. She seemed as excited as a child, and Juliette could not help but smile back at her.

Wondering where they were headed, Juliette mentally prepared herself for anything. Finally Melissa stopped in front of a door and looked at her expectantly.

“This is my art studio,” she said, beaming with pride. “Harrison had it made for me. This is where I paint and I want to show you my paintings.”

“Oh, that sounds lovely,” Juliette murmured in relief.

Melissa released her hand and opened the door. The room was spacious and airy, with high ceilings and tall windows. The last vestiges of the setting sun glinted through the windows. Various sized easels, canvases, and tables filled the room, along with the expected pots of paints and brushes, while the distinctive smell of oil paint filled the air.

Juliette’s eyes were immediately drawn to a large canvas, which clearly depicted a replication of the grounds of Fleming Farm. The detail in the architecture of the house and landscaping was painstaking and quite impressive. That Melissa had captured the many and subtle shades and tones of green surprised her. All the paintings were beautiful, as if they had been painted by a professional artist. There must have been hundreds of canvases filled with seasonal landscapes and flowers and sunsets on the river. Not an art connoisseur by any means, yet Juliette could not deny that Melissa definitely possessed a rare talent.

Stunned, Juliette smiled in delight. “Oh, Melissa. I had no idea you could paint. These are so beautiful!”

“Do you truly think so?” Her jade green eyes pleaded with hers.

“Yes, I do think so,” she said. Juliette continued to glance around at the staggering array of remarkable paintings in the studio. “You are quite talented.”

“I’m so glad you like them.” Melissa gave her a shy smile. “I wanted you to like them.”

“Of course I like them. Anybody with eyes in their head could not help but like them. Have you taken lessons?”

“No.” Melissa shook her head. “No. I just paint.”

Impressed more than she could say, Juliette wandered about the studio, looking at the paintings resplendent with vibrant colors and realistic details. She had never seen anything like them. It amazed her that such a troubled person could create works of such stunning beauty. Juliette blinked back tears. Harrison had allowed his sister to live in this beautiful house, in this scenic and tranquil environment with people to care for her, and to have this incredible creative outlet, instead of placing her in an asylum, as the best doctors in the world advised him to do. She did not know what to think.

“Come over here, Juliette!” Melissa called to her, waving from behind a tall easel. “This is what I wanted you to see.”

Juliette made her way through more easels and paintings to reach Melissa.

“Please tell me that you like it,” Melissa whispered breathlessly. “You inspired me to paint this.”

Juliette stared in utter disbelief at the canvas to which Melissa pointed. This was not a lush landscape, or a cloud-filled sky, or a deer in the woods. Melissa had painted a woman seated in a rocking chair in a library. The woman wore a pale peach muslin dress. She had blue eyes and dark hair. Melissa had painted Juliette, as she had been the afternoon they first met.

“I’ve never painted a person before,” she explained tremulously, “so I don’t know if it is even any good.”

Juliette could not speak, too filled with strange emotions to utter a single word.

“Do you like it?” Melissa asked in an insistence.

Slowly Juliette nodded. It
was
a beautiful painting. The colors, the light, the pose. And that she had painted it in such a short time and from nothing but a brief memory. It was quite extraordinary. That she could not deny. It was the subject of the painting that caused a slight feeling of trepidation to wash through her.

“There you are, Melissa!” Harrison entered the studio, his expression one of relief seeing the two of them together. He had obviously been alerted and searching for his sister.

Juliette met Harrison’s eyes over the many easels as he made his way toward them. Juliette could not speak.

“Oh, Harrison!” Melissa cried with excitement. “Come see what I painted while all of you were away at the beach.”

Harrison’s expression changed from one of relief to one of complete surprise as he came to stand beside them and saw Melissa’s painting of Juliette.

“Well,” Melissa urged. “What do you think of it?”

Harrison glanced nervously between the two women, his gaze resting on Juliette. “I think it’s quite beautiful. It’s an incredible likeness.”

“I wanted to paint Juliette because she has been so nice to me,” Melissa explained, her eyes darting wildly between Juliette and Harrison.

“Did you sit for her?” Harrison asked Juliette, his brows drawn together in puzzlement.

Silent, Juliette shook her head. She certainly had not posed for this portrait.

“Melissa has never painted portraits before, have you, Melissa?” he questioned his sister.

“This is my first one,” she said, beaming with pride.

With his voice full of awe he asked, “And you did this from memory?”

“Yes,” Melissa nodded enthusiastically.

Harrison stared at the painting. “The likeness and detail are amazing. You have captured Juliette’s spirit in her eyes.”

Melissa asked, “Do you like it, Harrison?”

“Yes, of course I like it,” he said. “It’s a beautiful painting.”

“Good,” she squealed, clapping her hands together, “because it’s your birthday present!”

“My birthday present?” Harrison echoed.

Juliette had known that Harrison’s birthday was coming up, since he mentioned it to her on the
Sea Minx
. She had purchased a gift for him at a little shop in Long Branch the day before.

“Tomorrow is July third, isn’t it?” Melissa laughed excitedly.

“Well, yes,” he murmured, obviously uncomfortable.

“I was waiting to give it to you tomorrow, but since you’ve seen it already I’ll just give it to you a little early! Happy birthday, Harrison!” She threw her arms around him.

“Thank you, Melissa,” he said, avoiding Juliette’s eyes, and giving his sister a hug.

Juliette felt her face grow warm. Melissa had made an extremely flattering painting of her to give her brother as a gift for his birthday. She suddenly wanted to leave the room.