True Love's Deception (book 3) (The Fielding Brothers Saga) (8 page)

Panic twisted his heart.
If her family noticed her duress...

He leaned over and brushed a kiss across her brow then slid his lips tenderly to her ear and whispered, “You had better appear as if you at least tolerate me, instead of a frightened kitten. Your family will never believe we are married if you keep looking the way you are now.”

When he pulled away, she smiled up at him, her sour expression had vanished.

Footsteps crunched on the path behind him, and before another word was spoken between them, a deep voice called Juliana’s name. She turned toward the tall and slender man who had his arms opened wide. A delightful squeal came from her as she sighed and launched into her father’s embrace.

The older man picked her up and swung her once. Andrew grinned. Juliana resembled her father perfectly, except for the color of hair. The man’s thick red hair had streaks of silver, but his eyes were just like his daughter’s.

She touched the dimple in her father’s left cheek and laughed. “Oh, Father, it has been much too long.” She stepped back, clasping her hands in his. “I cannot believe how much I have missed you.”

“Not as much as I have missed you, my dear.” His gaze moved off her to meet Andrew.

Andrew waited for Juliana to make the introductions. She stepped next to him and took his hand, pulling him closer to her parent.
“Father?
I want you to meet my husband. This is Andrew Dean Lawrence. As I told you in my letter, Andrew is a distant relative of the Lawrence’s here in Kent.”

She already had a story for him?
But of course.
Their hasty marriage couldn’t look out of the ordinary.

Andrew put forth his right hand and smiled. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you, sir.”

The older man’s stern expression caught Andrew off guard. He held a breath, hoping the man couldn’t see through the deceit.

Juliana’s father looked at her with arched brows. “I still don’t know if I’ve forgiven you for marrying without my consent.”

She hitched a breath and brought her hand to her mouth.

The older man’s expression remained stiff for a few awkward moments then a smile broke out on his face. “But I’m most certain you’ll be able to convince me otherwise.” He turned to Andrew. “Please call me Clifford.” Juliana’s father gave him a hearty handshake. “It’s certainly a privilege to meet anyone related to the Lawrence family.”

Juliana’s heavy sigh made Andrew smile wider. Stepping into character, he squared his shoulders and recalled everything she had told him about her family. “Mr. Beaumont—Clifford—I must tell you that although your daughter has bragged constantly about you since our marriage, she hasn’t done you justice. It’s nice to know that I have married into a warm and amiable family.”

Clifford chuckled as he released Andrew’s hand. “My boy, you not only resemble the Lawrence family by your looks, you also have their charm.”

Truly?
This was certainly good to know.

Clifford’s attention returned to his daughter. “You may relax now, my dear daughter. I approve of your husband. But the real question is
,
does he treat you well?”

When Juliana met Andrew’s gaze, her enchanting turquoise eyes weakened his heart. She slipped her arm around Andrew’s arm and cuddled close. He held in a pleasurable sigh.

She smiled into his face, her eyes twinkling. “Andrew is the most wonderful man in the world. I’m so fortunate to have found him. He treats me like a queen.”

Her words made Andrew want to kiss her. But he couldn’t do that in front of her father. So instead, Andrew tightened his arms around her shoulders.

Clifford laughed. “Before you two get caught up in each other, let’s hurry into the house so that the rest of the family can meet Andrew.”

Andrew shook out of the stupor her warm expression had just put him under. He couldn’t understand the unsettled rhythm of his heart. He had to remember that she didn’t know they were married. For the moment, he had to resist showing too much affection.

He refused to release his arm from around her shoulders as they followed Clifford into the house. Then again, she didn’t act like she wanted to pull away either. Her cheeks held a pink tint, and her eyes wouldn’t meet his gaze. She enjoyed it, too, he was certain.

The coziness between them was nice...too nice. Andrew could get used to this if he let himself.

Chapter Four

Juliana breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Her father approved...but more importantly, he believed her. Andrew had given such a wonderful performance she was overjoyed with pleasure. Yet they still had to pass one more test.

Her stepmother, Constance.

That controlling woman might be harder to fool, although Juliana hoped not.

When she, Andrew and her father walked into the house and stepped into the parlor, Constance rose from the sofa. The older woman had lost a lot of weight and looked almost frail. Instead of the skeptical expression Juliana expected to see, her stepmother’s eyes were wide as she gazed over Andrew. Within moments she looked at Juliana and smiled, stretching her hands toward Juliana’s.

“Oh, look at you. What a beautiful woman you have blossomed into.”

Hesitantly, Juliana slipped her hands into her stepmother’s. The older woman squeezed them then leaned into Juliana and kissed her cheek.

Juliana scrunched her forehead. That wasn’t what she’d expected either. Since she’d gone against her father’s wishes—and especially Constance’s—Juliana expected scolding and lectures, but so far both her father and stepmother were showing her a completely different side of them.

“Darling, why don’t you introduce me to your handsome husband.”
Constance smiled as she glanced at Andrew.

Warily, Juliana made the introductions again, and as before, Andrew’s charm won over another person. Juliana breathed another sigh of relief. But her relief was brought to a halt when the click of heeled shoes echoed on the marbled floor in the hallway.

She turned her attention to the sound just in time to see her stepsister, Madeline, enter the parlor.

Madeline’s hair had grown longer since Juliana saw her last. Her stepsister’s blonde tresses cascaded over her shoulders, the sides pulled away from her face and tied with a ribbon that matched her rose-colored gown. Short sleeves fluffed around Madeline’s shoulders as the girl ran her hands down the fitted bodice and tight waist. Juliana wasn’t surprised to see Madeline had budded into a real beauty.

Madeline’s gaze skimmed over Juliana then jumped to Andrew, where it stayed. The girl’s smile widened with each step closer. Juliana scowled and bunched her hands into fists. Obviously, Andrew had captured Madeline’s interest. Then again, why wouldn’t it? Andrew was a very attractive man.

Juliana glanced at her pretend husband as he conversed with her father and stepmother. When Andrew folded his arms, his muscles strained against the sleeves of his jacket. Hopefully, her family wouldn’t question why he was so large and looked built for hard labor.

She swallowed, bringing moisture back to her suddenly dry throat. The ends of his dark brown hair swept his collar slightly. Sideburns were well groomed, and the rest of his face was shaven clean, which was the style of men in England. She closed her eyes and shook away the warm tingles prickling her skin. Of course...remembering the kiss they shared last night didn’t help one bit.

“Juliana, it’s good to see you again.”

Madeline’s voice brought Juliana out of her thoughts and she blinked her eyes and met her stepsister’s gaze. The girl stood next to Juliana, her lips pulled into a wide stretch.

Juliana pasted on a fake smile just like she’d always done when greeting her sister in front of their parents. “Madeline, you are almost all grown up now. The years have been extremely kind.”

Andrew stepped away from her father and stood next to Juliana. “Andrew, this is my step-sister, Madeline O’Neil.”

Maddie’s
smile grew and the light in her eyes brightened as she shook Andrew’s hand. Anger built inside Juliana.
The flirt!
Juliana gritted her teeth. Why that little hussy was flirting with
her
husband. Um...pretend husband, she corrected.

Andrew didn’t treat Madeline any different than he had Constance, but Juliana’s young sister hung on his every word and batted her lashes. Juliana needed to give her sister a good talking to. How dare that girl flirt with the man who was supposed to be Juliana’s husband?

Then again, they had always competed when they were younger. Perhaps Madeline was only continuing with tradition.

Well, Juliana would put a stop to it and fast. She slid up next to Andrew and slipped her arm around his elbow. His gaze met her and his eyes sparkled. His grin widened and he patted her hand then let it rest on hers.

Very cozy.
Too cozy.
In fact, she could get used to this if she wasn’t careful.

She threw a warning glare at her stepsister and gave her a fake smile. It looked as if Juliana would have to watch her back...and Andrew’s, especially with Madeline around. That girl could not be trusted.

Finally Juliana made excuses to the family about needing to retire to her room to rest. The strain of the morning made her very exhausted and she feared she’d fall asleep standing. When she finally walked into her room and closed her door, she leaned against the wall and smiled. Everything had gone well.
So much better than she’d expected.
Andrew was wonderful, and he took her breath away every time she looked at him.

Frowning, she scolded herself for the hundredth time. That was a weakness she must control. She could
not
be attracted to the stable hand. But she hadn’t thought of him that way today. Andrew had treated her with such care and kindness, which made her heartbeat skip with excitement. He was so amazing with her family and that, too, softened her emotions.

The worst part about all of this was she had enjoyed it. She took pleasure in the way he tried to comfort her in the coach. She liked the way he’d kept his arm around her while they sat in the parlor as the family got to know him. She enjoyed how Andrew had made her feel special, and she hated herself for feeling this way with him.

Although she was happy with him for pulling off their little deception, she really needed to tell him to stop acting so lovey-dovey in front of everyone. Most of her father’s friends didn’t show their wives affection so openly, and so Andrew could back off without causing any suspicions to anyone. Her father and stepmother showed their love for each other in front of their daughters, but out in public they did not. So, neither should Andrew.

Both Juliana and Andrew’s luggage were taken upstairs. Instead of having her own room like she usually did when coming home to visit, she and Andrew were put in the west wing of the manor. They were each given a different room, but the rooms were joined with a single door. She was grateful she didn’t have to share his bed.

Yawning, she walked to her bed and sat on the edge. There was enough time for a nap before dinner, and she planned to use the time catching up on her sleep. She rang for Pearl to help her undress down to her shift then her maid hurried out.

Juliana frowned. The poor older woman probably thought the worst...especially after seeing Juliana with Andrew alone in his room at the inn. But it didn’t matter now. All Juliana concentrated on was trying to impress her father and keep up the façade until he handed over her inheritance.

She lay on the bed and closed her eyes, but they sprang open and she stared at the ceiling. Exhaustion weakened her limbs, but her mind was too alert for rest. Juliana cursed Andrew for making her like this. When she closed her eyes again, images of him in his room at the inn, passed through her head.