Page 32 of A Deal with the Broken Duke
“I was glad to meet you too,” Lady Annie said with a smile. “And I’m sure you and I will be seeing a great deal more of one another.”
“Do you think so?” Juliet asked.
“Well, yes, if you’re courting His Grace,” Lady Annie replied matter-of-factly. “I imagine you’ll be present at all the banner events of the Season. I’m sure His Grace will want to show you off.”
That was almost certainly true, Juliet knew. This whole plan would come to nothing if she and Harry weren’t seen publicly.
“Well,” Juliet said. “I suppose we will see one another again, then. Thank you for coming over to introduce yourself. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Lady Annie smiled. “I’ll let you go on about your day now. Do give my regards to His Grace!”
There was something odd about the encounter that Juliet couldn’t quite put her finger on. She watched Lady Annie go, then turned and made her way to the bank towards where Harry was standing.
The Duke was watching her, she noticed. His eyes were narrowed as if he had seen something he didn’t like.
He was approaching her now, and he intercepted her on the way back to Daniel and Matilda. “Perhaps we ought to walk on,” he suggested.
“Should we?” Juliet asked.
“I think the weather might be starting to turn.”
Juliet didn’t think it was. The sky was still clear as polished glass, and the air was warm and pleasant. But somehow, she suspected that the weather wasn’t really the problem here. Something else was bothering Harry.
Deciding not to push it, she allowed him to lead the way back over to Daniel and Matilda, who were waiting on the path, having clearly noticed that Juliet and Harry were on their way back over.
“Are you ready to keep walking, then?” Daniel asked, his voice still tight.
Juliet wished that she could say something to her brother about his chronic unpleasantness. But the truth was, she didn’t know what to say.
CHAPTERTEN
“What shall we do now?” Matilda asked.
Of the four of them, she was the only one who didn’t seem to have descended into a glum mood.
Juliet was so grateful for her sister’s presence. Having Matilda around always made everything easier. And seeing her looking so cheerful did lift Juliet’s spirits.
“Perhaps we should go into town,” Juliet suggested.
“Do you think so?”
“I think we’ve made enough of an impression here at the lake,” Juliet said, glancing at Harry in what she hoped was a meaningful way.
He seemed to understand what she meant. There was no more reason to stay there, and they would gain more attention as a newly courting couple if they moved along to another venue.
“Quite right,” the Duke agreed. “And we are near enough to walk.”
Juliet couldn’t resist. “You’re not worried about the weather, then?”
“If it rains, we’ll go into a shop to wait it out.”
The four of them started to walk away from the water and towards the center of town, but after a moment, Harry caught Juliet by the arm and pulled her back a few paces.
“What was all that about?” he murmured, low enough that the others wouldn’t hear.
“What was what about?”
“I saw who you were talking to.”
