Page 68 of A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Heirs

Simon nodded. “He said he wanted the evening to be perfect. Said something about making a final change to your portrait and bringing it to unveil this evening as well. Of course, he was feeling a bit full of himself after that win at speculation.”

Drake’s eyes crinkled at the corners. “Besting both Middlebury and Lord Whyte the way he did made it even better. When Victor turned over that king of hearts, I thought Middlebury’s eyes were going to bulge out of his head. And Whyte! The look on his face was almost as good as Stratford’s when I revealed I was Burwood. Regardless, Victor understands the importance of unmasking the person behind that scurrilous rag. Middlebury took the bait with greedy jaws last night, even believing the ridiculous part about Clarence refusing the throne, although Whyte saw through it. I doubt he’ll pass that information on to his wife or Lydia.”

“Which begs the question, who should we target for the bit about the captain?” Simon asked.

Juliana frowned. “Who is the captain?”

“Miles.” Drake answered. “He served in the navy like his father. Since gossip involving him relates to our family, perhaps someone who has a direct vendetta against you, Juliana.”

“You mean Lydia?”

“Yes,” Drake said. “Whyte made a point of stating Victor’s and your engagement broke Lydia’s heart.”

Both Charlotte and Nash barked a laugh, but Charlotte was the one who voiced her disbelief. “Lydia doesn’t have a heart.”

Simon quirked a dark eyebrow at his wife.

“No comments from you, please. I have a heart. I simply don’t parade it around for all to see.”

“I know that, my love. It’s because it’s the softest of hearts and in need of that coat of armor you wear for protection.”

Charlotte gave a sharp nod, then lifted a slender finger. “And if anyone in this room repeats that, I will have a narrow list of people to interrogate and seek retribution.”

Honoria chuckled into her tea. “I agree with Juliana. Lydia should be the one to hear about Miles. That leaves Lord Felix and Lady Cartwright.”

“Leave Felix to me,” Nash said. “According to Charlotte, he’s aligned himself with my brother and will likely report back anything he hears about me. I can drop some false news about my investments.”

“What about Victor’s mother?” Juliana hated thinking the woman was behind the awful gossip sheet. “She wouldn’t report anything that appeared to harm Victor, even if it involved me, would she?”

Honoria shook her head. “I would hope not. Aurelia’s taste in gossip leans more toward inappropriate behavior or unfortunate matches.”

Juliana cringed. “Like mine and Victor’s?”

Honoria grasped Juliana’s hands. “Oh, my dear, I didn’t mean to imply you at all. And there was nothing inappropriate about your behavior, nor is your match unfortunate. But I do have an idea and will enlist Lady Montgomery’s help.”

With their plans in place, the men dispersed to attend to business, and Juliana excused herself to have breakfast.

The piece of toast she nibbled sat like a stone in her stomach. She needed to warn Victor about Adalyn.

A note would not suffice. She wanted—no needed—to see his face when he heard the news. Only then could she be certain of her next course of action. She took a deep breath and another bite of toast, hoping the evening itself didn’t end in disaster.

Too excited to sleep once hereturned to his apartments, Victor stayed up until the wee hours, making a few small changes to Juliana’s portrait.

Finally at dawn, as the rising sun cast stripes of yellow light across his studio, he snuffed out the candles and, with hands on his hips, stood in front of his easel, more than proud of his work.

As he studied Juliana’s expression in the portrait, something settled in him he hadn’t known was missing. Not the frantic chaos of the past, but something steadier, more solid and real. Peace and surety flowed through him like warm honey.

However, his feelings for Juliana were anything but passionless. The kiss they’d shared where he’d stupidly said Adalyn’s name had turned his world upside down. His foolish mind simply had reeled back to Adalyn.

But it wasn’t Adalyn who elicited such strong sensations in him. He’d been so focused on the past, he couldn’t see what was right in front of him in the present—offered like a gift of rare price. He couldn’t wait to see Juliana and tell her, to beg her to marry him even if they unmasked the perpetrator ofThe Muckrakerand disproved the horrendous allegations.

Victorwantedto marry her.

Like a brush in his hand, or the perfect color combination, it felt—right.

Tierney knocked and entered, taking one look at Victor and shaking his head. “Sir, have you been up all night? You have a bit of paint splotched on your face and nightshirt.”

“Come see, Tierney. Let me know what you think.” Victor motioned his valet over and waited for his reaction.

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