Page 31 of A Marquess' Season of Secrets
Unfortunately, her mind decided to protest the movement and caused another violent dizzy spell. Closing her eyes did not help her this time around. Juliana swayed, feeling the familiar blackness come over her. Her last thought was about the glasses in her arms and how much trouble she would be in if they broke.
When Juliana’s mind swam up to a state of consciousness, she could feel that she was lying on something very comfortable. It certainly wasn’t her bed because that was somewhat lumpy, and her shared room did not smell like the fragrance wafting about her nose.
This scent was fresh and had a tangy lemony note to it. It was lovely and reminded her of ... Juliana’s eyes snapped open, immediately knowing which room she was in.
I fainted again! But how on earth did I come to lie on this chaise longue? And why does it smell like the duke is somewhere nearby?
Juliana lifted her hand to massage her throbbing temples and was surprised to find it had been bandaged. That was enough for her mind to send a painful message that she was hurt and her hand stinging.
“How do you feel?” said a deep voice.
Juliana turned her head to the side, shocked to see the duke sitting in an armchair a few steps away from where she lay. Her face burned with the knowledge that not only had she fainted in his study, but he had likely picked her off the floor and put her on his chaise longue. Her bandaged hand was further evidence of his heroic tendencies.
Rather than answer him, Juliana moved to get up and hissed at the sudden jolt of pain to her head.
“Lie down!” the duke commanded. “Can you not see you are not well?”
“Forgive me, Your Grace,” Juliana pleaded, too embarrassed to even look at him. “I did not mean to faint in your study. I think I—”
“Do not apologise for something you have no control over,” he interrupted. “It is abundantly clear to me that you have been overexerting yourself, Isabella. Why push yourself to do something your body is not yet ready to do? Look at the blisters on your hands! I would not have noticed them if I had not bandaged the cut from the broken glass.”
Juliana turned her hands inward, hiding her unsightly palms. “We are what we repeatedly do, Your Grace. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit. If I continue to sit about while waiting to heal completely, how will I learn the workings of this house and earn my keep?
Things are only achieved by habit, and I would rather have excellence in my duties than waiting for my body to dictate when I should resume work.”
If Juliana were to repeatedly lie in bed day after day, she might become a lazy person, or perhaps others would mark her as a slothful creature. A habitual life of work seemed to earn more respect among commoners, and each day was a new day to learn more skills to become an excellent servant.
“Did you just quote Aristotle?” the duke asked, frowning.
“I do not recall who that is, Your Grace.”
“He was a Greek philosopher who said the very thing you just spoke of. Are you certain you do not know of him? I cannot imagine you would quote such a thing unless you were knowledgeable about it.”
What could Juliana say? She had no memory of the philosopher or his quote and had only said that which had suddenly come to mind.
“Forgive me, Your Grace, but I have no answer for you. My mind is currently a blank canvas.”
“I wonder ...” he said, his frown deepening as he regarded her. “I suppose you have no notion of how literate you are, but it would be interesting to test your capabilities. ’Tis rare to find an Aristotle-quoting commoner.”
“Test my capabilities, Your Grace?”
“Yes. It might help to further narrow our search into your past life. Wait a moment while I select a book.”
Juliana rose to a sitting position while the duke walked away, gritting her teeth against the heavy feeling of her head. One would think it weighed more than a few pounds!
I cannot remain lying down while in the duke’s presence. That seems disrespectful. He may not allow me to rise to my feet, but I can at least sit while he tests my knowledge until I can assure him that I am well enough to continue my duties.
How long had she been lying in the study? Kitty would have come to see her if too much time had passed because she was aware of Juliana’s moments of weakness. The duke must have eaten his breakfast earlier, or not at all, and decided to come to his study where he found her on the floor.
“I think I have a simple one to start with,” the duke said, returning to her. “Read a passage from ... page five, I think.”
Juliana took the book from him, her stomach clenching in worried anticipation. What if she couldn’t read? She wanted to impress the duke, but there was not much hope if she truly was a commoner.
Juliana turned the pages and looked up. “First or second paragraph, Your Grace?”
The duke’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “Whatever you wish.”
She nodded and drew in a breath, releasing it slowly as her finger found the starting point.
