Page 1 of His Unforgettable Bride
One
To be truly polite, remember you must be
polite at all times and under all circumstances.
Victoria, Vancouver Island
Monday, November 1863
Juliet Dash knew how to spot a thief. Once upon a time, she’d been one.
Standing in the doorway of her attic bedroom and staring at her roommate, Juliet’s heart thumped in a wild clip. “You stole from the Firths?”
The cold November wind rattled the rafters as Ruby O’Reilly crouched to scoop up what sparkled like an emerald ring from the chilly floor. Juliet’s roommate stood, hiding the gem inside the folds of her dingy navy cape. “I don’t know what you’re yammering about.”
And yet Juliet had spied the ring with her own two eyes—the ring that Mrs. Firth hadn’t been able to find today. “I disagree.”
“Says you.”
Wasn’t that obvious?
A flickering tallow candle cast shadows on the unpainted walls and meager furnishings—a wooden bed, a two-drawer bureau, and a wash basin. She’d grown accustomed to the musty scent and had no quarrel with her living arrangement for the last ten months.
Other than the person who shared the space.
She and Ruby had little in common except for their employment and perhaps a thievery tie. But Juliet hadn’t swiped as much as an apple since she was ten.
They certainly looked nothing alike. She was average height and had fair hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. Ruby, small-boned and red-headed, had dark, knowing eyes that appeared older than the mighty ocean on the edge of Victoria. The purplish-green bruising around her left eye had nearly faded.
Juliet undid the cuff buttons on her black chambermaid dress and glared at Ruby, who stared back. The missing emerald wasn’t the first disappearing jewel in the house. A pearl-trimmed hatpin and an expensive brooch that had once belonged to the Queen’s daughter and awarded to the Firth family had also gone missing over recent weeks.
There had been unannounced inspections of the servants’ rooms ever since. Would another happen before bed tonight? “If you took the ring, give it back.”
“Don’t tell me what to do, Miss High and Mighty. You walk around with your nose tipped toward the sky day after day.”
“Huh?” The opposite was true, and for good reason. The only thing Juliet had done with her nose was shove it against the grindstone. Never had she deemed herself better than anyone else because she knew deep in her heart she wasn’t.
“If you must know, I dropped a trinket from my beau. That’s what you seen on the floor.” Ruby tossed her cape’s hood over her head and stomped out of the room. A moment later, the servants’ back staircase creaked as she descended.
Juliet raised her eyes to the ceiling. The slanted walls peaked like the letter A. Where was Ruby sneaking off to on the brink of bedtime? To meet her man or for another reason? A troubling reason?
What could Juliet do about it? The easiest option was to crawl into bed and pray for a better day tomorrow. This wasn’t her business. She didn’t need to get involved. She wasn’t at fault.
After all, what if she’d been mistaken about what she’d seen Ruby drop? What if it was just a trinket? Yet Juliet’s experience and gut told her no. The stone on the bedroom floor had glinted like a priceless emerald, something she’d held and seen firsthand long ago.
The truth was that thievery was wrong. Juliet had learned that lesson the hard way. If Ruby had stolen the jewels from the Firths, especially the priceless heirloom from the Queen, she needed to return them. Now.
Besides, Juliet couldn’t sit back and do nothing, not when the Firths had been so kind to her over the past months of working for them. The least she could do was investigate where Ruby had wandered.
Juliet grabbed her black shawl from her drawer, tossed it over her shoulders, and tied her headscarf under her chin. Then she quietly crept down two narrow staircases to reach the bottom level and cracked open the door to a small back entrance hall without making a sound. Good or bad, she had a knack for sneaking around and doubted anyone would see her tonight.
Light shone underneath Mrs. Quinborow’s office door down the hallway, and Juliet hesitated. What if the strict housekeeper was about to do one of her surprise searches? There would be countless questions if she found Juliet and Ruby missing.
One more reason to return to the attic and not get involved.
Yet, if she didn’t do something now, Ruby might keep stealing. And Juliet would be just as guilty for allowing the crimes to continue.
Straightening her shoulders with resolve, she slipped from the servants’ entrance and into the starry night. The moon offered a heavenly glow—perfect for catching a thief. An owl hooted a greeting. Or perhaps a warning.
