Page 53 of A Deal with the Broken Duke
She was wearing the hat Harry had bought for her the day they had gone to town. That was the first thing he noticed, and he was unprepared for how much he liked seeing it on her. It looked absolutely lovely. Beneath the hat, her green eyes sparkled, and Harry felt a surge of joy at the knowledge that, finally, he was going to get to spend time with her.
He reached her side. “Juliet,” he said. “I had started to wonder whether I would see you today at all!”
“Forgive me, there was quite a lot to take in upon my arrival here at Montgomery. I’ve been roaming the grounds.”
He nodded. “I spotted you earlier,” he said. “But then you disappeared before I could reach you. I was most aggrieved.”
“We’ve been greeting people,” Matilda put in. “We’re so sorry we didn’t notice you, Your Grace. Of course we would have come right over to you if we had.”
Harry nodded. He didn’t enjoy occasions like this, and being surrounded by large groups of people forced them to speak formally to one another. But it was important to treat Juliet like a lady he was courting rather than an old family friend. It was important that no one realizes the true nature of their relationship, especially while there were people like Lady Beatrice out there trying to spread unfriendly stories and make things seem like less than what they were. He knew Lady Beatrice would seize on any detail of this courtship to try to drive them apart from one another.
“May I join the game?” he asked, watching as Daniel took his turn.
“Of course.” Juliet smiled. “Anyone can join. We’re only just getting started, so it’s an opportune time for you to involve yourself.”
“Perfect,” Harry said. “Why don’t we go and sit down while we wait for our turns?”
Someone had arranged a row of chairs a small distance away from the game, and he led both Juliet and Matilda over to them. The three of them took their seats and watched the game proceed.
“How have you been since we saw you last, Your Grace?” Matilda asked. “I haven’t seen you since the outing at the lake.”
“No, that’s right. I guess we haven’t seen one another since then.” Harry smiled at her. “You’re always a pleasure, Matilda. I do wish we saw more of each other.”
“Father won’t let me attend balls yet,” Matilda explained. “But I was permitted to come to this garden party.”
“Well, that’s fortunate. I’m glad to see you here, and I’m sure Juliet is glad to have you here as well. I know how much the two of you mean to one another. Honestly, your relationship is the sort that makes me wish I had a sister of my own.”
“Perhaps you will someday,” Juliet murmured. She wasn’t looking at him. Her eyes were on the game of nine pins. “If you marry someday, perhaps your wife will have a sister, and then you’ll have a sister-in-law.”
It was strange. What Juliet had said was nothing more or less than simple fact, and Harry knew it. But somehow, he felt as if she had suggested something much deeper. This marriage Juliet was talking about, who was she imagining him marrying? Who did she think this sister-in-law he might eventually find would be?
And why did he suddenly feel like this mattered?
He hadn’t come into this season wanting to marry.
He wasn’tevergoing to marry. Not after what had happened to Susan. Marriage was the last thing in the world he wanted.
It was just that, suddenly, it felt very easy to forget about that.
Now it was Juliet’s turn to bowl. She got to her feet and selected her ball, moved to the pins and set it rolling.
She was good. She knocked over seven of the nine and smiled in clear satisfaction at her success. Harry applauded her with the others, impressed at her skill, and rose to his feet to congratulate her and to take his turn.
And that was when it happened.
The ground was a little uneven, and as Juliet was walking back to the row of chairs, she caught her foot on a clod of grass. Her arms flew up, and she let out a cry and fell forward. Harry moved without thinking about it. He flung his arms out and caught her.
For just a moment, their eyes met, and Harry felt his heart skip a beat.
He pulled her upright and tried to set her on her feet again, but the moment he started to withdraw his arms, she let out a cry.
“What is it?” he asked.
“It’s my ankle. I think I might have twisted it.”
He couldn’t think about all the people who were watching them. He couldn’t think about the whispers he heard all around them. All he could focus on was the fact that she was in pain.
He supported her carefully, helping her over to a chair and easing her down into it. Then he dropped to his knees on the ground in front of her.
