She tilted her head. “What of me?” she asked, but although her tone strove to be carefree, it drooped at the end like a flower deprived of light. “Would you continue to see me if I were plain, or if I didn’t offer you what I do?”
“I think we both know the answer to that.”
“Then we are in a similar position, Your Grace.” Her gaze sharpened. “Except you have a wife and are less inclined to share my bed.”
“I am busier than I’d intended, certainly.”
“I remember a man who assured me in no uncertain terms that his wife would not change his life.”
Nathanial also remembered that man, in the same way one recalls a particularly distant dream. “It appears matrimony is a rather consuming state.” He looked again at Juliet. There were fine lines around her eyes and she was looking at him with more possessiveness than he liked.
She was no Theo. And the prospect of being with her now was not an appealing one.
“This was a mistake,” he said, standing abruptly. “Excuse me.”
“Your Grace—”
Without another word, he strode from the room.
Juliet tucked her muff more tightly against the chilly breeze. An iron sky glowered down at her, and not for the first time, she concluded this had been a mistake. Meeting Montague at her home was one thing; there, they could speak in private and no one would see them together.
Here, in Hyde Park with the Serpentine River glinting away in the distance, they were exposed in a way she didn’t appreciate. Montague added nothing to her status or reputation, unlike Nathanial, andhehad never consented to walk out with her.
Finally, Montague strolled towards her in a dark coat and elegant navy gloves. “Juliet,” he said, a secretive smile curling his lips. That was a smile that would make many a young girl’s heart flutter, if they were susceptible to such things. Juliet was not. “You are looking especially well today.”
“I know,” she said, accepting his arm. “I always look well. You’re late.”
He pulled out a pocket watch and examined it. “Only by ten minutes or so.”
“Ten minutes in the cold may as well be half an hour.” With Montague, Juliet didn’t bother with her usual politeness; they had a mutual purpose that depended little on her personal charms. “Did you not get my note?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
“I said it was urgent.”
“I’m here,” he repeated, smiling at a young lady as they passed. “I had not taken you for a shrew, my dear.”
“The Duke visited me this morning for the first time in a long while,” she snapped. “And he was distant. Said something about being occupied with his wife. He looked at me and he didn’tseeme, Montague.” And she had tried everything she knew of; nothing had erased that distant look in his eyes like faraway stars. “He was thinking of her—I know it.”
“It appears you are having less luck with the Duke than we had hoped.”
“Thank you for identifying the obvious.” The cold had penetrated her gloves and the tips of her fingers were numb. She was not built for the cold; the sooner spring arrived, the better. “How are you faring with her?”
“She’s willing but shy. When I find the right place, if I make it romantic enough, I have no doubt she’ll be amenable. Then all I’ll have to do is allow Nathanial to see our intimacy. I know women, and he’s not had her yet. I’m certain of it.”
“What’s taking you so long?” Juliet demanded. “She’s a blushing girl and you an experienced man—if you cannot lure her to bed, there will be few who can.”
“Patience, my dear,” he murmured. “She needs time.”
“We do not have time, Montague. The longer we dally, the more likely the Duke is to fall in love with her pretty face.” A pretty face Juliet could not compete with; despite her best efforts, she could not ward away time forever. “I have known Nathanial well over these past five years and he is falling for her. I can feel it.”
“That will matter little if she does not fall for him.”
“And you are certain of that?” Juliet pulled her hand from Montague’s arm and turned to face him. “He is her husband; she may not deny him.”
“Was that your experience with your husband?” Montague’s voice was gently mocking, and she turned her head away. Hegripped her chin with strong fingers. “You may choose not to trust me, but the Duke’s pretty little wife is within my grasp. If I bide my time, she will lift her skirts for me, and we will both get what we want.”
“Only if the Duke knows about it.”
