Page 69 of A Deal with the Broken Duke
Juliet knew better.
Telling Harry that she knew about the curse would make things less awkward between the two of them, and she was happy about that. But there was nothing she could do to ensure a happy ending between the two of them. This had never been that kind of arrangement. And though she would admit she’d felt a moment of hope for it when Daniel had told her about the curse, that hope had now faded. She was going to be realistic. She wasn’t going to let herself believe in something that could never be real.
Matilda smiled at her knowingly as she left the room. Juliet didn’t bother trying to argue. Her sister would learn the truth in time. And until then, there was probably no convincing her.
That night, though, Juliet decided to join her family for dinner for the first time in days.
When she walked into the dining room doing her best to act as if she had been there every day for the past week and hoping that no one would react, she was confronted immediately with what a foolhardy thing that had been to dream of.
Her father looked up at her and put his fork down. “So you’ve decided to rejoin us,” he said.
Daniel was on his feet, moving to her side. “I’m glad,” he murmured. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” she assured him.
“Are you still planning on attending the ball tomorrow?”
“Of course she’s going to the ball,” Lord Linford replied for her. “What a question.”
But Juliet read between the lines and understood what her brother was really asking. “I’m looking forward to seeing Harry there,” she said.
Daniel nodded slowly. “Would you like me to speak to him?”
“No. I’ll speak to him myself. I’m sure everything will be all right, Daniel.”
Harry would have to know about the conversation Daniel and Juliet had. Of course, there was no other way she could have come to find out about the curse. Juliet knew that it was difficult for her brother to stand back and allow her to be the one to tell his friend that the secret was now out. She greatly appreciated his willingness to do that for her, and she would do all she could to ensure that Harry didn’t walk away blaming Daniel for having told her the truth.
The courtship might not be real, but their friendship was, and Juliet would do all she could to protect it.
CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE
Harry hadn’t stopped berating himself for his behavior at Montgomery since it had happened. What a fool he had been, storming away from Juliet like that! What a selfish, arrogant fool!
And yet, even now, it did bother him to think of Lord Cumberland talking to her. Laughing with her. He felt distressed at the memory, especially when he thought about the fact that he and Juliet hadn’t been getting along well before Lord Cumberland had stopped them.
He knew that if Juliet had any positive memories of Montgomery, they would not be associated with him. And he wasn’t sure how he was going to face her at tonight’s ball.
But then, all too soon, it was happening. He wasn’t sure whether she had approached him deliberately or not, but he turned and found himself face-to-face with her.
“We need to talk,” she said. “There are several things you and I need to sort out tonight, I believe.”
He nodded. That much was certainly true, though he wasn’t sure which things she had in mind, precisely.
“Shall we walk? It’s a mild night, and there are plenty of people out on the grounds, but I don’t think we’d be overheard there.”
Juliet nodded. “That sounds all right to me.”
Harry led the way through the back doors out onto the grounds. There were lanterns scattered here and there, lighting a path, and the moon was bright overhead, so seeing where they were going wasn’t a problem. He wanted to reach out and take her arm to make sure she wouldn’t fall, but he couldn’t help remembering the way he had acted at Montgomery, and he knew she wouldn’t welcome his touch right now. She might pull away from him if he tried, and he didn’t think he could bear it.
He waited until they’d reached the stream that ran behind the manor before he spoke. “What did you want to talk about?” he asked her, although he was fairly certain he knew.
This was going to be about the way he had treated her the last time they had been together. There was nothing else it could be about.
She drew a breath. “I don’t want you to be angry.”
That was unexpected. “Me? Angry? What on Earth would I be angry at you for, Juliet?”
“Not at me,” she said. “At Daniel.”
