Page 72 of A Deal with the Broken Duke
“You look unhappy,” Juliet observed.
They had come back inside from their walk. Harry was doing his best to act normal, as if he hadn’t just had this monumental conversation with Juliet. As if she hadn’t just confided her feelings for him, at least to some degree. He was trying to act as if this was just another ball.
Of course it wasn’t. How could it be, now that she knew the truth about the curse?
They had been dancing for the past five minutes or so, making small talk about the people around them. But the conversation never seemed to last very long. Every few minutes, they would fall silent and struggle for something to say to one another.
Was it always going to be like this between them now? Would they never find a way to speak to one another normally again?
Harry was afraid it might be so.
“I’m not unhappy,” he said.
“I think you are. And I think I know why. The curse.”
Harry sighed and said nothing.
“Do you really think about it all the time?”
“Most of the time, yes.” It felt strange to just acknowledge it to her. He was so used to avoiding the topic altogether. “It’s a hard thing to forget about.”
She was quiet for a moment. “Will you come out to the patio with me?”
“Just the two of us?”
That was taking a risk. If they were seen, it could damage her reputation, even though they were courting. And he knew he would never marry her, even if it did mean ruining her reputation. Better to be disgraced than dead.
“I’ll take the chance.” She shrugged. “I want to speak to you privately.”
“All right.” If that was what she wanted, he would allow it.
They made their way over to the patio. A curtain separated it from the ballroom, and they slipped behind it, hoping not to be noticed.
Once on the other side, things were quieter. The night air was calming, and Harry did feel a little bit better than he had when they were trying to dance.
Juliet put a lot of space between the two of them. Harry wondered if that was for the sake of protecting her honor, or if she simply didn’t want to be near him.
Whichever one it was, he thought, it was probably the right choice. Sheshouldn’twant to be near him. He shouldn’t be indulging the fact that she did. He should be chasing her away from something as deadly and dangerous as he was.
The wind gusted, blowing a few strands of her hair around her face, and Harry couldn’t help it. He wanted to close the distance between them. It was all he could do to stop himself.
“Why did you want to come out here?” he asked.
The moonlight caught her face, and he saw that she had tears in her eyes. It made his heart drop.
“Juliet… what is it? What’s wrong?”
“I can’t stand this,” she whispered.
“You can’t stand what?”
“It’s all making you so unhappy.”
“What do you mean?”
“This business about your curse,” she said. “You know I don’t believe it’s real. You know that. If it was up to me, we would simply set it aside and never talk about it again. But youdobelieve in it, and I can see the way it torments you.”
“I’m all right,” Harry soothed. “I don’t want you to worry about me.”
