at Marius and left the room at once. Juliet knew her maid detested him, but felt abandoned by one she thought she could trust to assist her.
“Well?” she asked unhelpfully, standing in the center of the lovely room, while refusing to take a seat so he might tower over her.
“When did you meet your husband?” Marius demanded nastily. “And where?”
“I met him while with Miss Pritchard. He swept me off my feet, which you can readily believe now you have met him. He is a most persuasive man, indeed.” She summoned what she hoped was a reflective smile to her lips.
The connecting door opened. “Juliet, will you help me with—” Alexander paused in the doorway, then entered her room as though he did it often. “Sorry, I did not know your stepbrother sought time with you. I shall see you later.” But Alexander didn’t move, looking to Juliet for a clue, she suspected.
“Do not leave, Alexander. I can help you in a moment. I was merely telling Marius how we met. He wants to know about when we married.” Turning to her stepbrother, she continued, “It was most romantic. He whisked me off to Gretna Green, where we were married by the local parson.”
“A parson, you say?” Marius said with a frown.
“It would not do for a viscount to wed over an anvil, would it?” Juliet countered.
Marius shook his head. “There is something distinctly fishy about this entire thing. It stinks to high heaven.”
“Indeed?” Juliet snapped. “Then perhaps you will want to leave immediately. I would not wish to think you found our company or our home objectionable.”
“Can’t until Taunton finishes with the estate business. His uncle left him a tidy sum.” Marius gave Juliet a superior look as though to make her think she chose the worst of two bargains.
“Which Lord Taunton will promptly lose at the gambling tables,” Juliet charged.
“No, no,” Marius insisted. “His luck has turned now. Can’t help but make a fortune. Likely to reform and all that, you know.”
“Give me leave to doubt your words,” Juliet replied, turning to Alexander as though to dismiss her stepbrother and his unwelcome inferences.
“I wish to speak with Juliet,” Alexander said quietly but with unmistakable authority. “Be so good as to meet us downstairs in a few minutes.”
There was little Marius could do but agree and leave the room at once.
“Thank you, Alexander. It was difficult, talking with him.”
“When Pansy informed me that Marius had confronted you, I decided I had better intervene. You are a tigress, my pet, but not up to his weight, I think.”
Juliet was delighted that Pansy had not forgotten her as she first believed. Then she considered Alexander’s words. “I doubt I am your pet, but ‘tis true I have never been able to face him down. He was ever the bully.”
“And I doubt he will change. And you are my pet, dear girl.” With those words he returned to his room, not bothering to close the door behind him.
Juliet stood frozen in place while she listened to the soft conversation between Alexander and Randall. Was she Alexander’s dear girl? She doubted that just as she doubted her stepbrother would leave here willingly if he thought he might cause trouble.
“Still here? Come, we will go down together, present a united front so to speak.” Alexander rook her hand to place on his arm, then led her from her room. “You must not permit Marius to intimidate you.”
“I believe I can withstand him now that I have your protection,” Juliet said simply, trembling a little at the thought that one day she would no longer have that protection.
“My dear girl, you unnerve me.”
Juliet chuckled. “Now that I refuse to believe.”
Her eyes were still lit with amusement when they entered the drawing room to find Marius and Lord Taunton awaiting them.
“Dashed good of you to put us up for a bit,” Lord Taunton ventured to say in a burst of speech quite unlike his usual taciturn self. “Uncle
“Well?” she asked unhelpfully, standing in the center of the lovely room, while refusing to take a seat so he might tower over her.
“When did you meet your husband?” Marius demanded nastily. “And where?”
“I met him while with Miss Pritchard. He swept me off my feet, which you can readily believe now you have met him. He is a most persuasive man, indeed.” She summoned what she hoped was a reflective smile to her lips.
The connecting door opened. “Juliet, will you help me with—” Alexander paused in the doorway, then entered her room as though he did it often. “Sorry, I did not know your stepbrother sought time with you. I shall see you later.” But Alexander didn’t move, looking to Juliet for a clue, she suspected.
“Do not leave, Alexander. I can help you in a moment. I was merely telling Marius how we met. He wants to know about when we married.” Turning to her stepbrother, she continued, “It was most romantic. He whisked me off to Gretna Green, where we were married by the local parson.”
“A parson, you say?” Marius said with a frown.
“It would not do for a viscount to wed over an anvil, would it?” Juliet countered.
Marius shook his head. “There is something distinctly fishy about this entire thing. It stinks to high heaven.”
“Indeed?” Juliet snapped. “Then perhaps you will want to leave immediately. I would not wish to think you found our company or our home objectionable.”
“Can’t until Taunton finishes with the estate business. His uncle left him a tidy sum.” Marius gave Juliet a superior look as though to make her think she chose the worst of two bargains.
“Which Lord Taunton will promptly lose at the gambling tables,” Juliet charged.
“No, no,” Marius insisted. “His luck has turned now. Can’t help but make a fortune. Likely to reform and all that, you know.”
“Give me leave to doubt your words,” Juliet replied, turning to Alexander as though to dismiss her stepbrother and his unwelcome inferences.
“I wish to speak with Juliet,” Alexander said quietly but with unmistakable authority. “Be so good as to meet us downstairs in a few minutes.”
There was little Marius could do but agree and leave the room at once.
“Thank you, Alexander. It was difficult, talking with him.”
“When Pansy informed me that Marius had confronted you, I decided I had better intervene. You are a tigress, my pet, but not up to his weight, I think.”
Juliet was delighted that Pansy had not forgotten her as she first believed. Then she considered Alexander’s words. “I doubt I am your pet, but ‘tis true I have never been able to face him down. He was ever the bully.”
“And I doubt he will change. And you are my pet, dear girl.” With those words he returned to his room, not bothering to close the door behind him.
Juliet stood frozen in place while she listened to the soft conversation between Alexander and Randall. Was she Alexander’s dear girl? She doubted that just as she doubted her stepbrother would leave here willingly if he thought he might cause trouble.
“Still here? Come, we will go down together, present a united front so to speak.” Alexander rook her hand to place on his arm, then led her from her room. “You must not permit Marius to intimidate you.”
“I believe I can withstand him now that I have your protection,” Juliet said simply, trembling a little at the thought that one day she would no longer have that protection.
“My dear girl, you unnerve me.”
Juliet chuckled. “Now that I refuse to believe.”
Her eyes were still lit with amusement when they entered the drawing room to find Marius and Lord Taunton awaiting them.
“Dashed good of you to put us up for a bit,” Lord Taunton ventured to say in a burst of speech quite unlike his usual taciturn self. “Uncle
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