Page 67 of A Deal with the Broken Duke
That brought her up short.
He hadn’t told her so far. It was clear that he didn’t want her to know. Maybe it would be for the best to let things continue without saying anything about the curse at all, at least for now. Maybe she should let him tell her about it in his own time.
If that time ever came, that was.
Juliet sighed. She had no idea what the right thing to do was. But at least she knew now that there was a reason behind the distance Harry had kept with her.
That, at least, was something worth knowing, and she was very glad Daniel had told her.
She just didn’t know what she was going to do with her newfound knowledge.
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
Matilda’s eyes grew wide. “Harry is cursed?”
“Of course he isn’t.” Juliet rolled her eyes. “Things like that aren’t real. He onlybelieveshe’s cursed, but you and I know better.”
“But are you sure?” Matilda asked. “I mean… it is true that everyone close to him has died. And there must be something to blame for that.”
“That’s not a curse,” Juliet argued. “That’s just misfortune. I don’t believe in silly things like curses.”
“Nobody believes in curses until they fall victim to one,” Matilda said sagely.
“Matilda, you’re not helping.” For once, Juliet found herself deeply irritated with her sister. “First Daniel, and now you! What’s wrong with everyone?”
“Do you mean to say that Daniel believed in this curse too?”
“Foolishly. I would have expected both of you to know better. Daniel’s too old for things like this, and you’re usually so much more levelheaded. If anyone in this family was liable to be ridiculously superstitious, I would have said that person was me. But it seems I’m the only one thinking clearly.”
“I don’t know, Juliet,” Matilda said. “If there’s a chance this curse is real, perhaps you’d be well advised to stay away from him.”
“It’s not real!”
“Maybe you just don’t want to accept it because you’re in love with him. Maybe I’m not the one who isn’t seeing clearly.”
Juliet glared. “I admit my feelings for Harry have gotten a bit out of control, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to allow myself to give credence to something so silly. I don’t believe in this curse, and my mind cannot be changed on the matter.”
Matilda picked up a pillow and ran her fingers over the embroidery on the fabric, saying nothing.
“What?” Juliet asked. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m just wondering what you’re going to do next,” Matilda replied. “How you’re going to handle this, now that you know?”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Juliet said. “I wish I did.”
“Are you going to tell Harry that Daniel told you this?”
“I want to tell him.” Juliet closed her eyes. “I can’t help wondering if this curse is what’s causing him to put up walls between the two of us. If he’s only keeping his distance from me because he thinks he’s cursed, maybe the fact that I know the truth now will make a difference. Maybe when I tell him I don’t believe in the curse, he’ll be more willing to take a chance.”
“Maybe,” Matilda said doubtfully.
“You don’t think so?” Juliet was surprised by the despair she felt at the idea.
“I think that if he’s been trying to distance himself from you anyway because of this curse, the fact that you know about it isn’t going to make all that much difference,” Matilda said. “And I think that’s the right thing, by the way. I wouldn’t think very much of Harry if he changed course on all this just because you told him it was all right. What if the curseisreal? He’s not going to change his mind and allow himself to fall in love with you just because you told him you didn’t mind, surely? I would expect him to want to spare you the effects of the curse even if you don’t believe in it.”
“So then perhaps I have to convince him that it isn’t real.”
“But how are you going to do that?” Matilda asked. “He’s been living with this for years, Juliet. We already know that he fled to Paris because of it. He lost his parents. He lost his betrothed. Curse or not, this has probably been the most significant thing in his life so far. And if he’s convinced himself of it, I don’t think that it’s very likely he’ll just put it down so easily.”
