Tis the Season to Be Sinful (11 page)
Richard consoled himself with that thought as he walked out of the room, leaving an obviously confused Juliet behind.
Juliet’s emotions rioted as she watched him leave. The sight of his back made her feel as though she were admitting defeat. Married only one day and already living apart. This was not what she had expected, what she had hoped.
She swiped the back of her hand across her forehead, telling herself to remain calm. Turning, she gazed out the front window and saw Richard striding purposefully across the gravel drive. A footman held the waiting carriage door open, but before he entered, Richard gave a quick, darting glance over his shoulder.
He was too far away to see her clearly, or to even know that she watched him. But there was something in the rigid line of his body that told her he was uncomfortable. At leaving?
Juliet felt her anger slowly drain away. This was an encouraging sign. His manner could be brisk and distant at times, but he had a heart. Appetite returning, she buttered a piece of toast, added a dollop of blackberry jam, and then took a bite. If she was not mistaken, her stoic, self-assured husband was a bit nervous around her.
How delightfully intriguing.
He had not meant to stay away for so long.
First there were the copper mines in Cornwall to inspect before the sale could be finalized. The process, along with the negotiations for the property, took far longer than Richard had anticipated, but the successful completion of the deal made it worth the weeks spent in the area. Or so he told himself.
Leaving Cornwall as the heat of summer faded, Richard had every intention of stopping at Highgrove for a few days, perhaps even a week, but a strike at the steel factory in Leeds sent him off in another direction. By the time that was all sorted out—successfully—he was needed back in London for an important shareholders meeting.
Once he was back in town, it was far too easy to get mired in more business obligations, making even a weekend visit to the country impossible. News of his sudden marriage had reached the ears of many of his associates. There were congratulations and well-wishes, even a few wedding gifts, yet none of these men seemed to think it unusual that he lived apart from his new wife.
As the color of the leaves changed from green to burnt orange, Richard acknowledged that too much time had passed for him to make a brief appearance in the country. He could not present himself at Highgrove and spend a handful of nights at the estate—in Juliet’s bed—then turn around and leave.
No, when he next ventured across the threshold of the manor, he needed to stay for at least a month, perhaps longer. Repeating that plan to himself each evening eased the weight on his conscience, but it was Juliet’s letters that lifted the occasional twinges of guilt from his mind.
They began arriving within a week of his departure. Always starting with a report of her progress on the manor renovations, then neatly transitioning into asking his opinion on the next set of changes she wanted to institute, and finally ending with a few chatty, casual remarks about herself or the children.
He soon learned that his new wife had a preference for blue, disliked nearly all shades of orange, had an aversion to spiders, yet whenever possible, instead of squashing them, she had them removed while very much alive, and placed in the far-flung areas of the gardens.
She had an eye for quality and a nose for a bargain. She had swatches of many of the fabrics she ordered from London brought to him so he could voice an objection if he found any distasteful, a precaution that had not been necessary. Richard could not help being impressed with how well Juliet seemed to be managing the myriad of problems involved with a major renovation and redecoration.
Her efficiency and work ethic earned his admiration, but it was the personality that she revealed through her words that piqued his interest. She had a wry sense of humor and a caring heart. She was tough, yet fair with the merchants who sought her business and quick to praise the efforts of others.
Richard began looking forward to receiving her letters, and in turn, his responses became longer, more detailed, and eventually more personal.
He was a man who kept his own counsel. He was used to being alone, to solving his own problems, to charting his own course. This wall of isolation had served him well, yet somehow these almost daily missives from Juliet had breached that wall. It was a feeling that was hard to define, but grew stronger with each letter.
He could not help wondering if being together would strengthen this unique bond that had somehow formed between them. Or instead would it break?
“I’ll be leaving for the country tomorrow, George,” Richard announced as he made a few corrections to the report he was reading. He placed it on the growing pile on the corner of his desk and reached for the next report. “Will you be leaving town soon to join your family for the Christmas holidays?”
“Not this year. My sister-in-law is increasing.” George gave him a bleak look. “Her conversation could never be called sparkling, but these days all she can speak about is her condition. And my poor milksop of a brother simply nods his head and gazes at her with worshipping eyes. I fear I will be driven to shoot my brains out if I am forced into their company.”
“Can’t have that happen, now can we? It would make a damn unappetizing sight at the dinner table.” Richard smiled, but he felt a deep sense of sympathy for George. Pregnant women could make a man very nervous—it was best to avoid them whenever possible. “I would be pleased to have you come to Highgrove for the holidays. Juliet has already started planning the celebration and specifically asked me to extend an invitation to you.”
“I accept!” George smiled broadly. “Wangling an invitation to the country was the very reason I plunked myself in front of you in the middle of the afternoon.”
The door to Richard’s study opened and his new secretary bustled into the room. A fresh pile of papers was placed neatly on the edge of Richard’s desk while the remaining stacks of papers and books were efficiently straightened.
“Is this the last of it?” Richard asked.
“Yes, sir. I’ve packed all the materials you requested along with various correspondence, the contracts for the steel merger, your address and appointment book.”
“Very good. That will be all.”
The secretary nodded and swept silently from the room. Richard crossed out a sentence and reworked the wording. “Stop staring, George,” he warned.
“How do you know I’m staring?” George asked indignantly. “You haven’t taken your eyes off that bloody paper since I sat down twenty minutes ago.”
“I can feel your eyes boring into the door my secretary just passed through,” Richard replied.
“It’s not entirely my fault, you know,” George grumbled. Huffing loudly, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Tell me again why you hired a
female
secretary?”
female
secretary?”
Richard’s eyes never left the document. “Miss Hardie was qualified and badly in need of a job. I hired her on a temporary basis so that she could be trained, but have been so pleased with her work and efficiency that I plan to keep her on permanently.” Richard signed his name with a flourish, then lifted his head to meet his friend’s gaze. “And I fail to see how this is any concern of yours.”
“She’s damn distracting.”
Richard stared at his friend in amazement. “I don’t see how. First of all, Miss Hardie is in my employ, not yours. Second, you rarely have contact with her and most certainly have no cause to engage her in conversation. And finally, not to be unkind, but she is a rather plain, average-looking woman.”
“Upon first acquaintance she might appear all prim and prudish,” George agreed, polishing off his drink. “But you must agree she has a marvelous figure. Fabulous, full breasts.”
Miss Hardie voluptuous? Richard hadn’t noticed. “I apparently have not studied her various attributes with the same intensity that you have employed.”
“That’s because you’re working all the time.”
Richard could not hold back a small grin. George, who could effortlessly charm any woman with a pulse, had finally met his match—the immovable Miss Hardie. “You’re just annoyed because she doesn’t sigh beneath her breath when you enter the room and glance at you with adoring eyes when she thinks you are not looking.”
George shrugged philosophically. “True, she does neither of those things.”
“As a female with sense, she obviously sees the many flaws in your character and wisely chooses to keep her distance.”
George shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “I’m not that much of a reprobate.”
“Enough of one to make her wary. Plus you are a lord and she is a working female, an oddity if you will. She is a sensible, practical woman and as such would not expect anything virtuous to result from an alliance with you.”
“I am not a debaucher of defenseless women,” George retorted hotly. “Anyway, at her age, I’d wager she’s hardly innocent.”
Richard slapped his pen down sharply on the mahogany desk. “She is my secretary, not your next plaything. She is traveling to Highgrove and will be there working over the holiday. You are to treat her with respect, George. If you start harassing her, I will send you packing. Is that understood?”
“Yes.” George slumped in his chair, looking like a disgruntled toddler who had lost his favorite toy.
“If you have a true interest in Miss Hardie, then you should court her. Properly. Respectfully. With grace and finesse.” Richard’s grin widened. “Hell, George, you should see the expression on your face.”
George instantly blanked his features. “I know what you’re thinking, Richard. It’s not the differences in our social position that prompt such a response against a courtship,” George replied defensively. “You should know me well enough by now to understand my views on the subject. Marriage should only be undertaken in the most dire, extenuating circumstances. Or at gunpoint.”
A rumble of amusement escaped from Richard’s chest. George was a confirmed bachelor and likely to stay that way for the rest of his life—a course of action Richard might have previously agreed was prudent. But he was slowly coming to realize the benefits that a good match could bring to a man. As long as the relationship remained on reasonable terms.
She had no idea he would be away for so long.
After recovering from his abrupt departure, Juliet found herself too busy to feel a true sense of loss at his absence. Awash in her newfound financial freedom, she plunged headlong into the task of directing the renovation and redecoration of the manor. It gave her a tremendous sense of purpose and as each room was finished, an enormous sense of satisfaction.
With money no object, she was able to make the choices she wanted and her confidence soared at the results of her efforts. She had taken on the challenge partly as a way to prove herself to her new husband. Yet in the end, Juliet realized the experience had given her a sense of self-worth at a time when she most needed it.
No, she had not initially missed Richard when he had so abruptly left her the morning after their wedding. But then they began to exchange letters. The stiff, formal, almost businesslike tone had been daunting to read, making Juliet feel as though writing to her was yet one more obligation he was reluctantly undertaking.
However, gradually the tone, along with the content of Richard’s letters, began to change. A dry wit shone through, along with a dedication to his work she found admirable. Yet most intriguing was his honest interest in her opinion and his willingness to defer to her decisions. She felt more of an equal with Richard than she had with any man she had ever known, and this surprising feeling was heady stuff indeed.
As the seasons gradually changed and the days apart turned into weeks, then months, Juliet started longing for her husband. Their correspondence kept them connected, but it was no substitute for spending time in each other’s company. Thankfully the children, and keeping busy, helped Juliet from falling into melancholy.
Yet there were times when she was seized by the ridiculous idea of packing a bag and taking a train to London. ’Twas only the worry that her unexpected, unannounced arrival might be met with a lukewarm response that held her back.
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