Page 8 of A Deal with the Broken Duke
“Yes, you absolutely should,” Harry agreed.
Daniel stepped back and waved Juliet over.
Juliet was staring at the pair as if she had seen a spider. Harry frowned. What on Earth was the matter? His memories of Juliet did involve her looking awkward and pudgy, but she had never been one to behave strangely. He couldn’t understand it.
Daniel went over to her and took her arm. Harry saw her resist a little, but she quickly gave in and allowed herself to be led over to where the two of them had been standing.
“Juliet,” Daniel said. “You remember His Grace, the Duke of Burghley, don’t you?”
“You don’t have to do that,” Harry interjected. The title was correct, but it still made him feel strange to be referred to as ‘His Grace.’ All his life, that title had belonged to his father, not to him. It didn’t feel like people were talking about him when they used it. And besides, this was Juliet. She was an old family friend. “It’s still just Harry,” he said, smiling at her. “It’s so good to see you again, Juliet, after all these years.”
Juliet wasn’t smiling. “It’s good to see you too,” she returned cautiously as if she was afraid he was going to change his mind and tell her that it actually wasn’t good to see her.
Harry wondered what she was so worried about. It was impossible that he had made a bad impression so quickly after reentering her life. They had barely spoken to one another yet.
She seemed to gather herself. “Daniel told me about your father. I was so sorry to hear about your loss.”
“Thank you,” Harry said, somewhat surprised. Most people who had heard about his father’s death just wanted to issue him congratulations on inheriting the dukedom, as if that was all that really mattered. As if Harry was in any sort of mood for celebration after the loss of his father. “It’s very kind of you to say so.”
“And I also heard about…” Juliet hesitated. “About your fiancée.” She shook her head. “I can’t even imagine. I’m so sorry.”
Harry was amazed. This was a topic no one ever broached with him, at least, not after those first few awful weeks. He supposed that everyone just assumed he didn’t want to talk or think about Susan, but that wasn’t true. The truth was that pretending she had never existed, that she had been taken out of his life without a trace made things worse.
It felt good to have someone acknowledge her.
Had Juliet always been this kind and perceptive? He only remembered her as a child, so he couldn’t say for certain.
“Thank you. I can’t tell you how much that means to me, Juliet.”
Juliet nodded.
“And how have you been in the years since you and I last met?” he asked, then smiled. “Apart from growing into the lovely young lady I see before me, that is. Why, the last time I saw you…”
He trailed off, shaking his head and thinking fondly of the little girl he had known.
But Juliet stiffened.
What was troubling her now? He didn’t understand. Had he said something wrong?
“I’ve been very well, thank you,” she replied stiffly.
“Is this your first season, then?”
“My second.”
“I see! And I’m sure you’ve had plenty of suitors. Has anyone caught your fancy yet?”
“Careful, Harry,” Daniel said with a laugh. “You make it sound as if you’re trying to court my sister yourself!”
Of course, it was a subject that could be laughed at because both Daniel and Harry knew that courtship was out of the question for Harry. He was fairly certain he would never involve himself with any ladies.
Daniel probably assumed that was because his friend’s grief over Susan was too painful. And that was certainly true, but it wasn’t the whole reason Harry had chosen to flee to Paris and hide away from society for the past four years.
He had seen what happened when he allowed people to get too close to him. He understood the curse he carried.
Everyone he had loved died too soon.
When he had lost his mother, he had considered it as bad luck. A tragedy, to be sure, but a tragedy that could have happened to anyone.
