Lord Arnsbury had the grace to look guilty at that. “It need not ruin the rest of your life, Juliette.” He rubbed at his beard, sighing. “The gift you gave to Charlotte and me is beyond price. How could I ask you to wed a poor man, when you deserve so much better?”
“As I said before, I haven’t agreed to marry anyone. I still might not marry.” She held her ground, though inwardly, she wondered if her memories of last night were somehow evident. Her cheeks warmed at the thought.
Her aunt exchanged another look with her husband. “There’s more, Juliette. Not only about Dr. Fraser.”
She waited, and from the tight expression on their faces, she knew the news could not be good.
“I’ve received a letter from Beatrice. It seems that the Earl of Strathland is in London. I don’t know how long he’s been here, but I thought you should know.”
She felt as if she’d taken an invisible blow to her stomach. No, he couldn’t come here. London was her sanctuary, her escape from him. Her hands twisted in her skirts, and a ringing noise resounded in her ears. “Keep him away from me, Aunt.”
“I will send word to all of my friends not to receive him or invite him to any of their gatherings. He will not be welcome.”
Charlotte reached out and squeezed her hands. “At a moment like this, I wish youwerealready married, my dear. For I fear he’ll only pursue that which he cannot have.”
Juliette straightened in her chair, knowing her aunt was right. “Are my parents still planning to stay in Scotland?”
Charlotte nodded. “Your sister Victoria has decided to remain there, until the child is born. Beatrice will want to be with her.” The look of sympathy that crossed her aunt’s expression suggested that she, too, was remembering Juliette’s painful labor.
Silence descended as Juliette tried to determine what to do. Avoiding the earl was the best course of action, until Strathland returned to Scotland. Surely she could manage to remain invisible for a short time.
But in the meantime, Dr. Fraser needed to know about the earl’s arrival. If she attended any gatherings at all, she wanted Paul shadowing her at every moment.
For she trusted him to keep her safe.
Four days later
Amelia took Juliette’s arm as they stopped by a confectioner’s shop. Her sister had a bright smile on her face, but although they stood and admired the rows of frosted cakes and sugared fruits, Juliette knew Amelia had another topic she wanted to discuss.
“I saw Dr. Fraser at the assembly last night,” she began. “He was looking for you.”
“Was he?” Although Juliette had obeyed her aunt’s suggestion to avoid invitations until they knew for certain where Strathland was, she was startled to hear about Paul. “Did he dance with anyone?” She wanted to take back the words as soon as she said them. It made her sound possessive.
“Of course.Youmight have decided to be a spinster, buthehas been invited to most of the parties this Season.” Amelia changed voices, mimicking: “Why, Amelia, Mr. Fraser is so divinely handsome. And his voice! Just a hint of a Scottish accent. I could listen to him speakall night.” Her sister rolled her eyes. “If they only knew the truth…”
Amelia went on to describe what Paul had worn and prattled on about the young ladies he’d danced with. A strange flare of jealousy caught Juliette’s heart at the thought. Though she knew Paul was devoted to her, she didn’t like the thought of young women throwing themselves at him. She wouldn’t put it past them to try and compromise him, if they believed he was truly a viscount’s heir.
“Why has no one discovered the truth about Dr. Fraser?” Juliette wondered aloud. “Surely someone would have exposed him by now.”
“No one has questioned it at all,” her sister admitted. “Either he’s a very convincing liar… or could it be true? He did have an uncle in Edinburgh.” Amelia frowned, as if considering it.
“It’s not true. Paul was the son of a crofter, and his mother was the midwife. He hasn’t a drop of blue blood in him.”
“But I remember hearing stories about his father. Kenneth Fraser hadn’t spoken to his family in years, according to Bridget. And Fraser isn’t a name from the local clans—they’re MacKinlochs.”
Juliette smiled. “Always poking your nose into other people’s gossip, aren’t you, Amelia?”
“Well, how else am I to learn anything interesting? No one tells me anything.”
Juliette shook her head in amusement. “It isn’t true. If Paul were truly a viscount, he wouldn’t have been living like that, in such a small house with his mother.”
“Unless he didn’t know about it,” Amelia ventured. “I, for one, prefer to believe it. Can’t you imagine it? The poor crofter’s son turns out to be a nobleman in disguise? It would be like one of those fairy stories Mrs. Larson used to read to us.” Her sister beamed and let out a dramatic sigh.
“This one isn’t true,” Juliette insisted. “And the longer Dr. Fraser continues the ruse, the more likely it is that he’ll be thrown out.” She had hoped he would stop attending the gatherings, particularly when she was remaining at home. After she’d sent him a note warning him about Strathland’s impending arrival, he’d refused to hide away. Instead, he’d responded:I’ll face him when he arrives.
She didn’t like the thought of an open confrontation between the two men. She’d pleaded with him to let it go, and yet she suspected Paul was more likely to cause trouble.
They continued walking toward Madame Benedict’s shop, and Juliette glanced behind to ensure that their footman was shadowing them. When they arrived, the shop was crowded with people, making it impossible to enter at first.
