Her Secondhand Groom (10 page)

“
I can wear what I have, thank you.”

He grimaced. He’d only seen her twice before their wedding, but both times she’d worn something he wouldn’t even allow his lowest maid to wear. “You’re getting the wardrobe.”

Her eyes burned into his. “I don’t want it.”

“
I don’t care, you’re getting it. I’ll not have my wife go around in rags.”

If it were possible, she looked even angrier. “Short of you holding me down and dressing me, which I highly doubt you’d trouble yourself to do, I’ll wear whatever I like, thank you.”

He leaned his face in close to hers, so close in fact, there couldn’t have been more than in inch between them. “You truly don’t think I’d do such a thing?”

“
No, I don’t,” she said, the only thing giving away her unease at his closeness was the slight hitch in her words.

“
Try it,” he countered, his determined eyes locking with her wide, apprehensive ones.

“
You’d like that far too much.”

Patrick shook his head. Despite what she thought, he wouldn’t like to do that at all. But he would if she didn’t dress her part. “I’ll contact Mrs. Somers tomorrow about commissioning a new wardrobe for you. What else would you like?”

Cold eyes and flaring nostrils was her only response. Oh, and perhaps a bit of steam he imagined emanating from her ears and nose.

“
Well, if you’re not going to name your price, I guess you don’t want anything,” he said. She’d better realize this was her last chance to squeeze anything out of him.

Once again, she said nothing.

“
All right, then. I suppose you’d like a bit of time by yourself to get acquainted with your new home,” he stated. It didn’t take a genius to know she’d refuse his offer if he suggested he show her about. “I’ll see you tonight at dinner.”

Forcing his eyes to avoid looking at her, and commanding his guilt over his poor treatment of her to vanish, Patrick quit the room

Chapter 8

Juliet had never been so angry in her whole life. And she wouldn’t be fooling anybody if she didn’t admit it was entirely her fault. If only she’d not been so intent on seeing him get what he deserved for attempting to snare her sister that way, this all could have been avoided.

She exited the drawing room and walked down the hall in search of Links, the butler. She’d need his help to navigate this maze that she might truly have to accept as her new home.

Links was a tall, thin, grey-headed man, the epitome of an English butler. Just from the brief statements the two had exchanged, it was clear he was a man of few words. That suited her just fine. She had no interest in having a conversation right now. All she wanted to do was be shown to her room.

And that’s exactly where he took her, straight to her room. Straight to her empty, dusty, and dare she say a wee bit musty room. Without much thought or emotion, she walked around to inspect the massive oak furniture positioned around the room.

The day before, she’d packed up a few of her possessions to appease her mother who was in a dander that the task had yet to be done. Without much thought or care, Juliet selected some of her clothes and personal items and put them in a trunk to be delivered to Briar Creek. Good thing she actually put enough in that trunk to make due until she could either get Lord Presumptuous to agree to an annulment, or at the very least, have someone retrieve the remainder of her items from her parents’ cottage.

She sighed and plopped down on her bed. Never before had her daring streak led her into anything close to this amount of trouble. All she had wanted to do was teach Lord Presumptuous a lesson and instead she had ended up his wife! With an uncomfortable swallow, she pushed the thought as far from her mind as she could. Which wasn’t
that
far, unfortunately, since she was in
his
house laying on a bed intended for
his
wife.

She needed to concentrate on something else, if only for a few minutes.

Juliet’s eyes did a quick scan of the ceiling. There was a slight crack running the length of the room straight above her bed. Curious. It went all the way from one end of the room to the other. It had a few slight bends and curves, just barely though. Only one or two here and there really. Not too many.  The crack itself wasn’t so bad. Just long. Not wide. Maybe as wide as a quill tip or maybe even a half-penny. With a quick jerk of her head, she tore her eyes away. What had her life come to that she found a crack in the ceiling fascinating? She closed her eyes and shook her head. Dinner wasn’t for a few more hours; she’d busy herself until then. But with what?

The girls! Yes, that was it. She’d go visit the girls. She may not like their father overmuch, but she did like them. Before the wedding breakfast she’d glimpsed a woman whisking them away to what Juliet assumed was the schoolroom. The woman looked a little old to be a governess, but perhaps she’d been with the family so long she’d not wanted to leave.

Thirty minutes, five wrong turns, six curious stares, and three confusing conversations with passing servants later, Juliet entered the schoolroom.

“
Juliet! Juliet!” Kate cried upon Juliet’s entrance

Less than ten seconds later, six arms wound their way around Juliet’s midsection, squeezing her so tightly she might have popped if she’d actually eaten more than five morsels at her wedding breakfast.

“
Have you come to spend the afternoon?” Celia asked, tucking a tendril of her dark hair behind her ear.

All three of the girls looked so hopeful, Juliet’s heart melted on the spot. “Of course. What are you three doing in here anyway?”

“
Learning letters,” Helena said dully.

The side of Juliet’s mouth tipped up. “Hmm, am I correct in assuming you’re not enjoying learning your letters?”

No one responded.

Juliet laughed. “Dislike them that much, do you?”

“
How did you know?” Kate asked, her voice filled with awe.

“
You told me, or should I say your lack of words and facial expression did.” Juliet said.

“
Oh,” Kate marveled. “And what does my expression say now?”

Juliet pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at the little girl, letting her eyes do a slow, thorough sweep of the little girl’s sparkling hazel eyes and giant grin. “Hmmm, I could be wrong, but I think you’re thinking of biscuits. Yes, biscuits. That’s it.”

Kate’s eyes widened so far Juliet was sure they were on the verge of popping out. “How did you know that?”

“
Oh, so my prediction wasn’t wrong?”

Kate shook her head wildly.

Juliet bit the inside of her cheek. It would never cease to amaze her the workings of young children’s brains. Who under the age of eight
didn’t
chronically think about biscuits or a similar treat? Juliet cocked her head to the side and tapped one finger against her cheek. “Now that we have that mystery solved, we have a larger matter at hand. Does anyone know if there are any of these rare little finds somewhere around here?”

“
In the kitchen,” Helena and Kate said at the same time.

Juliet furrowed her brows, put her hands on her hips, and adopted a tone of pure disbelief. “Are you sure?”

“
Yes,” Kate said proudly.

Juliet blinked at her. “I don’t believe it. Celia, do you know what they’re talking about? They claim there are actually treats in the kitchen here at Briar Creek. Is that true?”

“
Yes,” Celia said with a little giggle.

“
Hmm.” Juliet twisted her lips then gave an exaggerated sigh. “Well, what are you three waiting for? Now that you’ve made such a declaration―one I’m not sure I actually believe―I need to see the proof! Let’s go see if we can locate such a thing around here.”

Kate’s little hand suddenly gripped Juliet’s and tugged. “The kitchen’s this way.”

Juliet was sure she’d worn a hole in the soles of her slippers three minutes later when she entered the kitchen. One thing was certain, those little girls sure knew their way to the kitchen. Probably the fastest way to get there from the schoolroom, too.

“
What do ye want now?” a robust woman wearing an apron asked, a small smile bending her lips.

“
Biscuits!” Kate answered, running across the kitchen.

Cook laughed. “All right. Go get ‘em.” She turned back to look at Juliet. “Excuse me, milady. His lordship sends his girls down here so often for treats, I’ve gotten in the habit of letting them pick what they want.”

Juliet nodded. Living in a simple cottage almost all her life, she wasn’t concerned with servants and their roles. She’d never even had them except for the few years she’d attended school. Other than that, she or her mother had done the inside chores.

Celia and her sisters walked over to a little table in the corner. “Are you coming, Juliet?” Helena called.

“
Of course.” She walked over to the table and sat in a vacant chair between Helena and Kate. “Don’t eat too many, girls. You’ll want to be able to eat your dinner tonight.”

“
Don’t worry, we will,” Helena assured her, popping half a biscuit in her mouth.

Juliet shook her head. If her count was correct, and they hadn’t swiped more than she thought they had, there was no way those little girls would be able to eat more than three bites tonight at dinner. Good thing this was a lofty household where children ate meals separate from the adults or Juliet might have a lot to answer for.

“
Do you three think you’ve had enough?” Juliet asked, casually sweeping crumbs off the edges of the table and into her open hand.

“
Yesh,” Kate said around a mouth crammed full of biscuit.

Juliet raised an eyebrow at the girl. “Do you have any milk?” she asked Cook.

“
Aye.” Cook left the room for a minute and came back with a little jug of milk. She put it down on the table with a
thwack
and turned around to grab three empty cups from a shelf behind her. With three more thwacks, she put the empty cups in a little row by the milk and filled them. “Jist a minute.” She turned and grabbed a little jar from the shelf. She turned back and sprinkled a little powder in each of the three cups. “For their stomachs,” she whispered to Juliet with a wink.

Juliet flashed her a grateful smile. “You girls ready to go back upstairs and practice your letters?”

“
Do we have to?” Helena asked, her eyes hopeful.

“
Yes. All young ladies should learn to read and write. It’s important.”

“
But it’s boring,” Celia protested.

Juliet stood and pushed in her chair. “And what if I could think of some way for it to be fun? Would you be interested then?”

“
Of course they would,” a sweet voice said from the doorway.

Juliet spun around to face their visitor. But before she could say anything to this stranger who’d interrupted, Celia, Helena and Kate were off their chairs and embracing this woman with such speed Juliet would have thought a rabid dog were after them and this lady was their only source of rescue.

“
Miss Green! Miss Green!” Kate cried excitedly.

“
No, not Miss Green,” Celia corrected. “She’s Lady Sinclair now.”

“
Yes, she is,” a tall man with a heavily scarred face said, coming up to stand beside the petite blonde who Juliet assumed was his wife. The man bent down and gave each of the three girls a quick hug. “Are you three being good?”

“
Of course,” Celia said matter-of-factly.

“
Still modest as ever, aren’t you?” Lady Sinclair teased, her lips curving up while her green eyes twinkled.

Juliet knew instantly they’d be good friends. That is, if they were ever properly introduced. She cleared her throat.