Page 47 of His Unforgettable Bride
The best course forward was friendship. “I am simply saying I already count you as my friend, perhaps even more so than Icala or Cy.”
They gazed at one another as a current snapped between them. Was he the only one who felt the chemistry, an indisputable tug in the other person’s direction? Maybe. Either way, she had the most enticing lips and stood a breath away from him.
A fine-toned bell rang in the evening’s stillness, and another chimed in tune, followed by more music. Juliet stepped backward a pace with her chin cocked. “Church bells are always so beautiful.”
“I concur.”
“Do they play a particular song? I think so.” A few more notes echoed. “If I’m not mistaken, the ditty is called ‘Home, Sweet Home.’”
In silence, they listened until Juliet sang the lyrics softly.
No more from that cottage again will I roam. Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.
Juliet retied the scarf’s knot underneath her chin. “A sailor on the bride ship sang this tune frequently on our journey, drumming up memories of my grandfather. At the end of his workday, he always said, ‘Let’s go home to the best place on earth.’ And it was.”
“A cherished memory, indeed.”
“We resided across the road from a church.” Melancholy threaded through her voice. “I fell in love with the bells. Grandfather often said on Sundays, ‘God is calling us to church, Juliet. Let’s not keep Him waiting.’”
Was that a tear in her eye? “I see how much you still miss him.”
“Yes.” She lightly placed her hand on his sleeve. “But I wonder who you miss.”
He waited for a face, a name to enter his thoughts. But nothing resembling a memory arrived. “I shall table your question for a later date.”
He glanced toward the sisters’ house across from the park, though he could not see it from where they stood. “I hate to leave. However, I suppose we should be on our way.”
“Of course. The sisters will want to know that we haven’t taken a fancy to one another and lost all track of time.” Juliet strode down the bridge’s slope, her laughter ringing.
Gray, on the other hand, remained transfixed, then smiled at her cheekiness. As much as he wanted to rush after her and confirm what she just declared, at least on his part, to do so at this point would be unfair to them both.
Fifteen
Of all the amusements open for young people,
none is more delightful and more popular
than dancing.
Aknock rattled on Juliet’s bedroom door, interrupting her daydreams about Gray and their time together in the park one week ago. “Ten minutes until your first dance lesson, dear,” Livy called. “Are you excited for tonight?”
“Ugh,” Juliet whispered before raising her voice, “overjoyed.”
Holding her grandfather’s journal, she crossed to the bureau, reading the first line again. “Just as I am.” What did it mean, and why were the words important enough to record?
If only she could ask him. Instead, she slipped the little leather book into the drawer and closed it. She wished she could tell him about her time in Everly, things he’d probably never believe. Especially about all the manners she was learning.
Livy had taken the lead in the etiquette training, which recently included hotel behavior and accepting gentleman callers. Surprisingly, each lesson had dozens of rules. Most likely, she’d never spend the night in a hotel. And though the reverend had asked to call on her, she’d told him she was too busy getting the tearoom ready.
Ruby still hadn’t returned, and Juliet wasn’t one speck closer to solving the blackmail problem. Obviously, she didn’t have the jewels to hand Ruby. The only way to gather the funds was to steal them. Snakes alive, she’d never do that again.
An expensive teapot had gone missing from a storage crate in the workroom. Was it stolen, or had Livy absentmindedly misplaced the fancy item? She had a knack for forgetting where she placed things.
Juliet plopped on the bed and exchanged her shoes for a pair of black satin dancing slippers, compliments of Livy. Tonight, Gray would serve as her dance partner. She wished she could say she only thought of him as a brother or a cousin, but why lie to herself?
Yesterday she’d emptied a crate of dainty teacups packed with straw in the tearoom. Naturally she’d peeked at him as he stretched for a nail and noted how his biceps flexed when he hammered the little pegs. What young woman could ignore such things? Not any she knew.
She’d carried laundry to the washhouse the day before and observed him cutting firewood. She hadn’t meant to gawk, especially after Livy caught her in the act. Juliet made an excuse, expressing concern for Gray’s safety with the axe. Instead of a scolding, Livy confessed to falling head over heels for a stable boy growing up.
