Juliana strolled next to Lord Emsbury along the rows of the strawberry patch in his private gardens, a basket of the sweet fruit dangling from the crook of her arm. She forced her head up every time it drooped to look at her feet. If unable to look at his face, she concentrated on his lips. She must exhibit confidence. Lesson two. Colin may be a callous scoundrel, but his teachings held merit.
In the days since they’d last spoken, her sadness had become the anger that drove her to throw herself into the mastery of his lessons. She would not allow the season to end without obtaining a husband. Proof to Colin, her uncle, Lady Eleanor, and everyone else in the society who disparaged her that she was worthy.
And proof to herself.
Today was the capstone of her training. A private outing with Lord Emsbury. She had to exercise everything she’d learned to make the day a triumph. Succeed and she could be well on her way to obtaining a proposal.
Lady Roxburrow trailed behind Juliana and Lord Emsbury, giving them a wide birth. So wide, Juliana could probably sneak an intimate brush against him, or exchange a suggestive glance, without notice. Not that Lady Roxburrow would make a fuss if she witnessed such behavior.
“I must say, Miss Drake, I was very delighted when you accepted my invitation to join me today. I’ve been wanting to better make your acquaintance for some time.”
The stench of Lord Emsbury’s lie could make a pin of pigs run for more fragrant surroundings. He hadn’t acknowledged her existence prior to Colin’s reemergence in her life. She suspected his current interest had more to do with the disastrous wager he made with Colin and the subsequent slight to the earl’s dignity than any genuine attraction to her. A case of the unfortunate male compulsion to assert dominance by pilfering what another held dear. An exemplary representation of lesson three.
If only Lord Emsbury knew how wrong he was. Colin did not value her. For the right price, he’d leave her behind without a second thought.
Her broken heart could attest to that.
“How could I neglect a prime opportunity to learn more about you, my lord? Others have sung your praises to me since I arrived in London for the season. And somehow you knew to suggest a day spent gathering my favorite fruit. A better way to spend my day, I couldn’t imagine.”
Lesson four. Flattery. A hearty portion of it.
No matter the reason for Lord Emsbury’s attentions, Juliana was not above accepting them to further her own ends. She needed a husband—hopefully a tolerable one—and if the wealthy earl wished to retire her from the marriage mart, she wouldn’t protest.
And his rivalry with Colin was part of Lord Emsbury’s appeal to her as well. She’d imagined the hurt and repugnance on Colin’s face the first time he see’s her on Lord Emsbury’s arm, often in the past few days. She’d cherish the sight until she took her last breath.
Lord Emsbury tucked his right hand beneath the lapel of his morning coat and stood taller. “Strawberries are your favorite? I will tuck that knowledge away for future use.”
“You flatter me with your consideration of my likes and more so that you deem them important enough to commit to memory.” Juliana met his eyes long enough to tease, then demurely brushed her lashes over her cheeks.
She was doing well. Better than she could have hoped. Needing a moment to calm her nerves and contemplate further tactics to win his favor, she plucked a ripe red berry from her basket and took a bite.
A hunger that had nothing to do with the sweet fruit they harvested ignited in Lord Emsbury’s gaze. His attention fell to her lips, eagerly watching them as she chewed. Juliana wanted to suck them in.
Lord Emsbury moved closer, touching his shoulder to hers. He glanced behind them at Lady Roxburrow. Assured of their privacy, he stroked a finger over Juliana’s bare arm. She suppressed a shudder and hoped he attributed the trail of gooseflesh to delight instead of its true source.
Disgust.
“I pride myself in knowing all the ways to please my woman,” he crooned.
Juliana inhaled deeply, desperately needing air to choke down his barely concealed innuendo. Imaging his thin lips, kissing her or his lanky frame hovering over her in the marriage bed conjured many adjectives. Pleasurable, not among them.
She pressed a hand to her hollow stomach, willing herself to remain resolute.
You are in want of a husband.
You are in want of a husband.
A circumstance that was beginning to hold less and less sway over her resistance to abandoning this entire endeavor. Perhaps being without a home wouldn’t be as dreadful as forcing herself to share one with this man. Or any many she did not love.
She opened her mouth, then snapped it shut, unable to conjure a response. She’d never experienced this manner of flirtation with anyone other than Colin.
She needed a pithy retort.
“I’ve been taking lessons on how to please a gentleman from the Duke of Herstshire,” she rushed out in a clumsy attempt to fill the silence. Juliana covered her mouth with both gloved hands, stifling her mortified gasp.
What. The. Bloody. Hell?
Why had she strung together that panicked declaration, using that phrasing? She’d practically confessed to ruining herself with her current suitors adversary.
“Oh no,” she groaned behind her fingers. She held her hands out in pleading surrender. “What I meant to say was that the Duke has been helping me to shed my more undesirable character traits to increase my appeal to marriage minded gentlemen. Such as my brash tongue, which I have yet to master.”
Heaven above, why did she have to be so… so… her?
Inept.
Ineloquent.
Impetuous.
None of Colin’s lessons could save her from herself. She held her breath and waited for Lord Emsbury to declare her a strumpet and storm away.
His harsh reprimand never came, but Juliana soon realized how much of a kindness of fate it would have been if he had issued one.
A predatory grin slowly twisted Lord Emsbury’s lips, a barely concealed deviousness darkening his features. He exhaled as he slid a languid finger over her lower lip.
“There is no need for contrition. I don’t mind if you’ve taken lessons from Herstshire. In fact, I’m eager to receive the bounty of the skills he imparted to you. Of course, after we marry, I assume you will be a rather eager pupil of the additional instruction I have to offer. I confess to having rather daring tastes. Some of which make a brash tongue a valued prerequisite.”
Juliana recoiled out of his reach. That’s it. She couldn’t continue this farce any longer. Whether to procure a proposal or take revenge against Colin, she could no longer entertain the notion of binding herself to Lord Emsbury.
She had to flee.
Now.
“How nice.” She forced a smile that quickly crumbled. Thinking quickly, she touched the back of her hand to her brow and wilted a bit. “I’m sorry, my lord, I’m suddenly feeling rather odd. Almost faint. I hope you don’t find it rude, but I think it best if we conclude our outing earlier than expected.”
The lust evaporated from Lord Emsbury’s emerald eyes, replaced with a healthy measure of disappointment and annoyance. “Yes, you have gone rather pale. Shall I fetch my physician?”
“No,” she blurted. She winced. Under no circumstances would she abide a moment longer than necessary in his company, but she did not wish to offend him more than necessary. She quieted her voice before replying. “No, thank you. I’m sure all I need is proper rest.”
Not allowing him a chance to protest, she turned and addressed Lady Roxburrow. “I apologize, my lady, but I informed Lord Emsbury that I am no longer feeling well. I think it best if we depart for home before my ailment escalates.”
Lady Roxburrow glanced between Juliana and Lord Emsbury. Questions danced in her eyes and the confused tilt of her head. Juliana wrung her hands, hoping her aunt wouldn’t protest the abrupt change of plans.
She nearly melted into a puddle of relief when Lady Roxburrow finally smiled and nodded in agreement. “Very well.” She curtsied before Lord Emsbury. “Thank you for your hospitality, Lord Emsbury. I hope this will not be the last time we receive it.”
“I can assure you it won’t.”
A vow that today would be the last day she subjected herself to Lord Emsbury’s attentions teetered on the tip of Juliana’s tongue. Her future remained murky and undecided, but one thing she knew with certainty was that it would not include marriage to the earl.
Lord Emsbury escorted them to their carriage, which Juliana wanted to immediately wanted to climb into, close the curtains, and hide from the disaster of this day.
While she waited for a footman to hand Lady Roxburrow into the carriage, Lord Emsbury captured Juliana’s hand and pressed a kiss to it. “Until we meet again.”
Juliana did not reply. If they met again, it would be under much different circumstances. No matter what it meant for her future, she would not marry Lord Emsbury. She entered the carriage behind her aunt and exhaled a sigh of relief when it pulled away.
She slumped back into her seat and peered out the window, blissfully grateful that Lady Roxburrow kept her own confidence. They’d no doubt discuss what happened later, but for now, she needed a moment to think.
She severed her most promising prospect for a husband because… because…
Because he wasn’t Colin.
The sting of hot tears pricked the back of her eyes. She was doomed.