Page 35 of A Deal with the Broken Duke
Harry smiled. “Why don’t you wait here,” he suggested. “I’ll go inside.”
“You don’t want us to come with you?”
“You three stay out here and enjoy the sunshine. I’ll be right back.”
He pulled open the door and disappeared inside the shop.
Daniel let out a sigh as his friend vanished.
Matilda turned to him. “All right,” she said. “What’s the matter with you? You’ve been unpleasant all day long.”
“I haven’t been unpleasant,” Daniel objected.
“Yes, you have. It really feels to me as if you don’t want to be here at all. Don’t you feel the same, Juliet?”
“I don’t know,” Juliet said. “I suppose you do seem a bit unhappy, Daniel. Are you and Harry having an argument or something?”
“No,” Daniel replied stiffly.
He didn’t want to discuss it further, Juliet could see that much. So, she decided to let the matter go. But she wasn’t sure she believed what he was saying either. Something wasn’t right. Danielwasupset about something, and at some point, she intended to find out what it was.
Perhaps he’s just angry that his friend is showing an interest in his sister.
Perhaps it was difficult for him to think that Harry might actually want to marry her.
Well, if that was the problem, he would be relieved to know that Harry didn’t really want to marry her at all. Perhaps she should just go ahead and tell him the truth. It would make her life easier to keep the secret from one less person, which was inarguable.
A few minutes later, Harry emerged from the shop clutching a hatbox and wearing a big smile on his face. “Come here, Juliet.”
Juliet went to him.
His hands lifted to the hat she was currently wearing. “May I?”
She nodded.
Behind her, she heard her brother grumble.
I was right. He doesn’t like this.
Harry untied Juliet’s bonnet, removed it from her head and tucked it carefully under his arm. Then, he removed the new hat from its box and put it on her head.
“There,” he said. “You look lovely.”
“Oh, you really do,” Matilda gushed. “May I borrow it sometimes, Juliet?”
Juliet laughed. “I just got it on my own head, and you’re already trying to borrow it?”
“Well, nottoday.” Matilda giggled. “Perhaps another day.”
“Yes, you can borrow it.” Juliet was pleased to be able to share this gift with her sister, who, after all, had been so helpful in orchestrating her ruse with Harry. “Any time you’d like.”
She turned to Daniel to show him the hat. “What do you think?” she asked her brother. “It’s nice, isn’t it?”
“It is,” he admitted. He looked at Harry. “This was kind of you,” he said rather grudgingly, Juliet thought, as if he didn’t want to admit that Harry had the capacity for kindness.
“It’s been known to happen,” Harry teased.
“Shall we move on?” Matilda asked. “I’d like to look into some of the other shops.”
