Page 56 of Taken By the Broken Duke
“I have not been here for a month!”
“Yes, you have,” Mrs. Swift replied calmly.
“I was at Ravenscourt. I was tending to Horatio. Mr. Hall, the butler, was there. It did not happen a month ago!”
“It did not happen at all. Listen to yourself!” Mrs. Swift’s voice lashed out, sharp as the crack of a whip. Then, as if recognizing her own lapse in control, she closed her eyes and inhaled a calming breath. “You tended to an unmarried Duke while he was injured? You fell asleep in his presence. At his bedside no less. In what world would such scandalous behavior be permitted, dear?”
Juliet opened her mouth to retort, but her gaze drifted past Mrs. Swift’s shoulder, catching sight of a familiar figure hovering just beyond the doorway. “Edith…”
Mrs. Swift stiffened and turned, following Juliet’s gaze. Edith stood there, her gloved hands folded primly before her.
“This is no concern of yours, Miss Edith,” Mrs. Swift said sharply, her eyes narrowing. “I have full authority over my patient.”
“I merely wished to visit my cousin and inquire after her health,” Edith replied sweetly.
“And as you can see,” Mrs. Swift muttered, her tone cold enough to frost glass, “nowis not the time.”
She slammed the door on Edith, shutting her out of the room. Then, she turned back to Juliet, clasping her hands together before her.
“It would be better for all if you surrendered this ridiculous fantasy, dear. The sooner you admit to your confusions, the sooner you can begin to heal. Until that time, you will remain confined to your rooms. I sincerely hope that tomorrow we will not have to endure this conversation again.” Her gaze hardened, and her lips curved in a tight, humorless smile. “That being said, I am prepared to repeat it every day, from now until the day of judgment if necessary.”
She spun and marched from the room.
Juliet heard the key in the lock a moment later. She ran to the door and tried the handle. It was locked, of course.
Juliet hammered at the door again, shouting until her voice went hoarse—but there was no answer beyond the door. Eventually, exhausted in body and spirit, she wilted to the floor, her back to the door and tears flowing freely down her cheeks.
“Juliet?” came a whispered voice beside her ear.
At first, it was so soft that Juliet thought she had imagined it. Then it came again, and she realized it was Edith. She turned, peering into the keyhole. Edith's gray eye was looking back.
“Edith! Thank goodness! You must let me out! Please!”
“I don't have the key, and... and they will take away my books if I help you. They said you are unwell...” Edith murmured.
“All lies, Edith!” Juliet insisted.
“But why would mama and papa and Mrs. Swift all lie?” Edith asked.
Juliet took a deep breath, wanting to convince Edith but not wanting to seem mad. If she became too passionate, too animated, it might just feed into the lies that the Godwins were telling.
Assumingthey were lies.
That small voice at the back of her mind shocked her. Of course they were all lies. As to thewhy...?
“Aunt Margaret wants to make sure that it is Frances who marries Horatio and not me. This is a ploy to keep us apart.”
Edith's eye disappeared from the keyhole. There was silence from the other side of the door for a moment. Juliet waited, biting her lip, heart pounding.
“They said you would say that.Exactlythat.”
“They also said that I have been under the care of Mrs. Swift for a month! Youknowthat is a lie!”
“It has been a month since Mrs. Swift arrived,” Edith said, quietly.
Juliet stared at the keyhole, unable to believe it. It could not have been a month since she fell asleep at Horatio's bedside. It was impossible...
“And… and they said I have never been to Ravenscourt! I went there for the annual masked ball with Aunt Margaret, Uncle Gilbert, Frances, and yourself.”
