Page 58 of A Deal with the Broken Duke
“Did you want to see him, or not?”
“I don’t know. I know in my mind that it’s not a good idea right now. It will just make me feel more confused about everything, and I reallyshouldwant him to stay away.”
“But?”
“But that doesn’t stop me from wanting to see him.” Juliet stared into her glass of wine. “I think about him all the time. It’s awful.”
“It sounds rather lovely.”
“I don’t know how you can say that.”
“I don’t know.” Matilda sipped her drink. “I think I’d like to be in love. I’d like to feel excited all the time, the way you seem to.”
“Trust me, it’s not as nice as you’re making it sound.” Juliet grunted. “And I don’t know if I’m inlove.”
“I think you are,” Matilda said calmly as if she was talking about nothing of more import than the weather. “And do you want to know something else?”
“What?”
“I think it’s a shame that Harry isn’t here today. I actually hoped that he would be. I thought it might be good for you to see him.”
“Matilda,” Juliet hissed. “You have to stop meddling.”
“I haven’t meddled a bit. All this time, I’ve done nothing but go along with what you’ve asked of me. And I’m not going to change that now. But I do think you two need to see a little more of each other. I don’t think you’re ever going to sort out the things you’re feeling unless you speak to him directly about them, and I think you each owe each other that.”
“Nothing’s going to happen.”
“You don’t know what could happen.”
“I do know! He would laugh at me and tell me he didn’t feel the same way. And then, everything would be ruined.”
“Or maybe he wouldn’t, Juliet. Maybe he does feel the same way.”
Juliet shook her head. “He’s always been very clear about his feelings,” she insisted. “I’m not going to put this to the test now. And I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” She put her drink down and turned slightly away from Matilda so she wouldn’t have to look her sister in the eye.
Matilda, to her credit, said nothing more.
Juliet was soon lost in her thoughts again. She had come here to escape thinking about Harry, but it hadn’t worked at all. She couldn’t seem to rid her mind of him, much as she would have liked to.
She was grateful when she saw Lady Annie coming their way. Here, at least, was someone she knew, someone who would provide a distraction from the things she didn’t want to think about.
At least, she hoped so.
“Lady Juliet!” Lady Annie gushed. “We do seem to keep running into one another, don’t we? But I haven’t ever seen you at the opera before.”
“I don’t often attend,” Juliet explained. “I was in need of something different to do today, something unusual.”
“I see… Is His Grace here with you, then?” Lady Annie was already looking around for him, being much more obvious about her search than Juliet could have possibly been.
“He isn’t here,” Juliet replied. “I’m with my sister today. This is Lady Matilda. Matilda, Lady Annie.”
“Lovely to meet you,” Lady Annie said. She sounded rather dismissive, and she quickly returned her attention to Juliet. “But why on Earth hasn’t His Grace come with you? Is everything all right?”
“Everything is fine,” Juliet answered. “My sister and I made the decision to come here on the spur of the moment, so there was no plan. That’s why His Grace isn’t with us.”
“Ah.” Lady Annie nodded. “Well, if you say that’s what it is, I suppose that makes sense.”
“What else would it be?”
