Desire In His Eyes (21 page)

Was Jeffrey supposed to find them together on the bank of the river? What had happened that their plan had not worked? And what of last night in Harrison’s bedroom? Was Mrs. O’Neil or one of the servants supposed to walk in on them?

What she had believed was a magical and intimate moment between her and Harrison was nothing more than a stunt to publicly humiliate her so she would be forced into marrying him to save herself. How could he think that manipulating her into a marriage would work? Filled with a deep sense of betrayal and hurt, Juliette felt hot, stinging tears spill down her cheeks.

“I knew you wouldn’t like it,” Melissa said softly. She rose from the canopied bed and walked over to Juliette. “I wanted to tell you last night.”

Wiping distractedly at her tears, Juliette looked up at Melissa. “What do you mean?”

“That’s why I came to your room before you went out. I thought I should warn you.”

“Why didn’t you?” Had she had that little bit of information beforehand, Juliette certainly wouldn’t have allowed Harrison to lead her away from the party to a secluded spot and do the things he had done to her. However lovely they had felt.

Melissa sat on the floor at Juliette’s feet, her legs curled under her.

“I am not quite sure. I felt uncomfortable and I wasn’t sure if you would believe me. I ended up showing you my paintings instead.”

Juliette stated woodenly, “I believe you.”

She doubted that Melissa could concoct a story this involved on her own. Melissa definitely overheard Harrison and Jeffrey discussing how to manipulate her into doing what they wanted. Juliette’s stomach clenched at the idea of them talking about her as if she had no feelings, no will of her own, no say in this matter that would alter her whole life.

“I waited for you to come home last night, but you went to Harrison’s room before I could tell you. And so I waited here for you to come back. I wanted to know if their plan worked.”

Juliette shook her head. “It didn’t.” At least not in the way that they had planned.

Melissa gave her a quizzical look. “Don’t you want to marry my brother?”

Juliette stood up, her blood racing in outrage. “Melissa, if I ever choose to get married and allow a man to control my life, it will be because I made that decision. Not because I was forced into a marriage by a pair of misguided idiots.”

Juliette was not sure who angered her more for coming up with such a contemptible plan, Harrison or Jeffrey. How could they both think so little of her? And to add to her outrage, she was upset with herself for how dangerously close she had come to allowing it to happen! She fell in with Harrison’s plans all too easily. She had lost herself completely with Harrison last night. How humiliated she would have been had they been caught by Jeffrey! Or by anyone at that party! It was bad enough that Harrison’s sister had discovered her skulking back from his room after an incredible night and morning of lovemaking.

With her mind spinning and her heart aching, she began pacing back and forth the length of the room. Good fortune had been on her side her twice last night, once at the river and once in Harrison’s bedroom. Anyone could have caught them together in either situation and she would have been done for. But they had not. Why they had not been found out last night, made her pause. But it also worried her. Was he planning for another time? Now that she was aware of his scheming, she could not allow Harrison near her again.

She could not risk it.

Outside, the rain continued to fall, although the intensity had lessened and the rumblings of thunder drifted further away.

“I know…I know my brother takes good care of me,…but there are times…when…sometimes…” Melissa began hesitantly and then faltered.

Juliette stopped pacing and turned to look at Melissa, still seated on the floor in her pink nightgown. It suddenly struck her that Melissa never wore any color but pink. “There are times that what?” she prompted.

Melissa glanced up, her eyes filled with emotion. “There are times I wish I could do what I wanted. I know Harrison is looking out for me, but he makes all the decisions and he thinks he knows what is best, but…”

“But what?” Juliette asked.

“He never asks me what I want or what I think would be best for me.”

Juliette moved to sit on the floor beside Melissa and she took her warm hand in hers. “What do you think would be best for you?”

Melissa’s jade green eyes widened and she appeared frightened. “Oh, I…I don’t know. I just feel very frustrated.”

“I can imagine how you must feel,” Juliette offered in comfort, squeezing Melissa’s hand.

“I don’t have any friends.”

“Yes, you do.” Juliette smiled, her heart breaking at the earnestness in Melissa’s voice. The woman was more alone than anyone she had ever met in her life. “I am your friend.”

“You are?” Melissa’s expression was a mixture of disbelief and gratitude.

Juliette confirmed with a smile. “Yes, I am.”

They sat in silence for some time, as the patter of the rain faded away completely.

“Thank you for helping me, Melissa. You are a good friend.”

Melissa grinned and squeezed Juliette’s hand back. “What are you going to do?”

What was she going to do?

Her head was spinning but Juliette knew she had to do something. And very soon. One thing was certain. She was not going to wait around until Harrison and Jeffrey put their plan to trick her into effect. It was then another one of her ideas came to her.

“Melissa,” she began, “can you please help me with something?”

“Since it is Harrison’s birthday, he wanted me to be a part of his birthday dinner,” Melissa explained, with a shy look and her green eyes wide.

Harrison cast a bright smile across the dining room table. His sister looked lovely in a pretty pink silk gown, her pale blonde hair pulled softly from her face.

“We are fortunate that you could join us, Miss Fleming,” Jeffrey offered gallantly from the other side of the table.

“Why, thank you, Lord Eddington!” Melissa beamed with pleasure, her intense jade green eyes alight with happiness.

Harrison watched his sister carefully. She had not had much of an opportunity to interact with Jeffrey since he had been at Fleming Farm and Harrison felt somewhat nervous about allowing her to dine with them this evening. Melissa seemed perfectly normal and rational now, and one could not imagine she was the same hysterical person who had attempted to break windows with her hands. As always he marveled at her drastic mood shifts and prayed her calm and pleasant frame of mind would last the evening.

“Yes, I thought it would be nice to have Melissa join us since she has been feeling so much better lately.” Harrison glanced across the table at Jeffrey.

“This is such fun for me to be here with you,” Melissa chattered on, her excitement at joining them quite evident. “Mrs. O’Neil made all of Harrison’s favorite dishes tonight. And we shall have a chocolate cake for dessert.”

Jeffrey said, “It’s a shame that Juliette is not feeling well enough to join us.”

Juliette had remained in her room all day and Harrison had not seen her since early that morning when she left his bed. His concern for her grew when she sent word that she did not feel well enough to come downstairs for supper and he hoped she was not very ill. Every time he asked Lucy how she was doing, the maid said that Juliette was sleeping.

“Harrison loves chocolate cake. Did you know that, Lord Eddington?” Melissa questioned.

Jeffrey glanced up and smiled at Melissa. “It’s my favorite as well.”

“Mrs. O’Neil allowed me to help her make his birthday cake today.”

“That was very thoughtful of you, Melissa,” Harrison said kindly.

Even before they had his birthday cake, Harrison was impatient for the evening to conclude. Once everyone had retired, he wanted to visit Juliette’s room. Aside from his concern for her well being, he needed to see her. He had fought a distinct restlessness and uneasiness all day until he came to the realization that he missed seeing Juliette.

He had relived every moment of last night in his mind a hundred times. He could not stop thinking about her. He could not stop desiring her. He did not know if he could ever get his fill of Juliette Hamilton. And once he married her, she would belong only to him. The thought filled him with satisfaction.

And he was tired of waiting for the stubborn chit to come to her senses. There was not a doubt in his mind that he was going to marry her. While he had been out earlier that day, he spoke with the reverend in town about marrying her this week. She was definitely not returning to New York and London with Jeffrey. She would not be going anywhere in the future without her husband by her side.

“Excuse me, Captain Fleming?”

Mrs. O’Neil stood in the doorway, her expression puzzled and somewhat worried.

“Yes, Mrs. O’Neil, what is it?” he asked.

“Well, I am not quite sure.” The woman appeared nervous, wringing her hands together. “That is…It’s Miss Hamilton.”

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. “What about Miss Hamilton?”

“It seems she is missing, Captain Fleming.”

“What do you mean she is missing?” Harrison demanded, already rising from his chair.

“She is not in her room. When Lucy went to check on her and bring some of the broth I made, she was not there. Her bed was made up to look like she was sleeping in it, but Miss Hamilton was nowhere to be found. Lucy came to inform me right away.”

Harrison could not believe it. Juliette could not have run off again.
Could she?
“Are you sure she’s not in the library or the drawing room or some place?” He walked toward the doorway, but not before he caught the look on Jeffrey’s face. Jeffrey knew it as well as he did.

Juliette had fled.

“Most of her things are gone, Captain Fleming.” Mrs. O’Neil looked as if she might cry.

Rushing from the dining room, Harrison ran up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time, and raced along the corridor to Juliette’s room to see for himself. He swung the door open and stepped inside. The sight of her empty room confirmed what he already knew in his heart. He stood there in disbelief. Was the idea of marrying him so repellent to her that she had to sneak away from him a
second time
?

He sighed heavily, yet an intense anger began to grow. Glancing around, there was not even a note from her.

“She’s gone.”

Startled, Harrison turned to see Melissa standing behind him. Knowing how attached his sister had become to Juliette, he fervently hoped that Juliette’s abrupt departure would not upset her too much. “Yes, it seems that way.”

“I know where she went.”

Deflated, he said, “Where else would she go but to New York.”

“Yes, that is where she went. She left on the ferry this afternoon. She had one of the stable boys drive her to the dock while you were out.”

“How do you know that?” Harrison asked, perplexed by his sister’s knowledge of Juliette’s actions.

“Oh, we had quite a long talk about it this morning before she left,” Melissa explained softly. “I wasn’t going to tell you, but you look so sad now.”

Harrison’s eyes narrowed at her and his chest filled with a sudden unease. “What happened this morning?”

Melissa stared at him oddly. “Do you know
why
she left you, Harrison?”

“I think I have a pretty good idea, yes,” he remarked bitterly. She did not want to marry him that was why she fled from him once again. But then again with Juliette he could never be one hundred percent sure of anything.

“Well, I know exactly why.”

“You do?” What had the two of them been up to this morning? When he had last seen Juliette she had given him no inkling that she was about to pack up and return to New York. They had just made love in his bed yet again, after an incredible night. How could she just leave him without a word of explanation? Or even a good-bye? On his birthday, for God’s sake!

“Yes.” Melissa nodded emphatically. She seemed angry with him. “It’s because of what you and Lord Eddington were planning to do to her.”

“What Jeffrey and I were planning to do…?” Harrison suddenly had a very bad feeling.

“Yes. I heard you both talking and plotting that night on the patio about how you could get her to marry you.”

“You heard us that night?”
Oh wonderful.
This was all he needed.

“Yes. And I told Juliette because I didn’t think it was very nice of you to treat her that way. When I knew she spent last night in your bedroom—”

“Melissa!” Harrison exclaimed, in shock that he was even having this conversation with her. She should not know what happened in his bedroom. She shouldn’t even mention it. “That’s enough!”

Good lord! His sister knew more than was appropriate about his relationship with Juliette. But worst of all was that Juliette thought he had planned to trick her into marrying him. Yes, he and Jeffrey had discussed it while they were both well on their way to being more than inebriated, and it had seemed like a very good idea at the time. But now, Juliette knew what they had planned to do but never actually got around to doing. After last night on the river, she must have assumed the worst of him. Harrison groaned inwardly, angry with himself. No wonder she left!

Melissa gazed at him thoughtfully. “Harrison, you think because you’re the captain of a ship that you can order everyone around all the time, but you cannot just give orders to people you love and expect them to obey. Do you know that you never
asked
Juliette to marry you?”

“That’s ridiculous!” he exclaimed hotly in defense. “Of course I asked her. More than once!”

“Did you?” Melissa asked softly, her green eyes intent. “Or did you simply tell her that she had to marry you?”

Dumbfounded, Harrison stared at his sister as the dim light of realization dawned. He had been a complete idiot. Melissa had finally given him the key to handling Juliette and the information left him reeling.

Looking frazzled, Jeffrey entered the room, glancing nervously in Melissa’s direction before speaking. “I checked with the stable and one of the boys drove her to the dock this afternoon. Juliette has gone to New York.”

“I know.” Harrison nodded woodenly. That was exactly where he would have expected her to go.

“We’ll go after her in the morning,” Jeffrey continued reassuringly. “The only logical conclusion is that Juliette must have gone to the Dunbars. We’ll catch up with her soon enough. We’ll find her.”

Harrison stood there in mute silence, with Melissa and Jeffrey staring at him. Juliette was gone from him. Torn between an overwhelming sense of outrage and a profound hurt at Juliette’s betrayal, he wondered just how far he would have to go before he reached her and made her see that they were perfect for each other.

And if it would even be worth his effort.