Page 76 of A Mismatch Made in London

I personally preferred Jeremy Beaumont, though I wasn’t exactly sure why.

21

Early the next morning, when only some of the servants were up, I helped Juliet dress and tidy her hair before promising to watch out of the window, as the fountain was just below our room.

In the gray half-light of dawn, Mr. Shelley appeared below. He sat on the edge of the fountain, then jumped up and paced back and forth. But he didn’t have to wait more than a minute, as Juliet emerged from the house and came toward him.

I had opened the window, in case their voices were loud enough for me to hear; Juliet had given me permission to listen. They faced each other at the fountain. Though I could hear them talking, I couldn’t make out the words.

They were speaking very soberly, it seemed. Juliet was doing most of the talking. I’d expected it to end sooner, but then she was crying. He was handing her a handkerchief.Oh no.My stomach sank. Poor Juliet. If only I could hear what they were saying.

Mr. Shelley was bending down, their faces very close together. He was speaking and Juliet was still wiping her cheeks. Then he suddenly dropped to one knee, took her hand in his, and gazed up at her with the sweetest expression I’d ever seen on a man.

Juliet was nodding, then they were embracing, and I was pretty sure, though I couldn’t quite see, that they were kissing.

I felt my own tears spilling over. Unlike Juliet, I did cry rather often. I was just so happy for her.

I finished getting dressed, since I knew Juliet would never want to go back to bed after such events. Then, seeing that the two of them were no longer standing in the garden, I ventured out of my room, thinking to go downstairs to congratulate them.

They were standing at the bottom of the staircase in a very close embrace. But then they parted, he going a different way and she coming up the stairs. When she saw me, she broke into a happy grin and quickened her pace.

“We are engaged,” she whispered as she came close. “Come, let us go to the room.”

Once we were inside, Juliet closed the door.

“I am so happy for you! Are you happy?” I asked.

“I am, but I...” She sighed. “He surprised me by asking if I would tell him exactly what happened the night that I went riding with Mr. F—I don’t like saying his name.”

I nodded, imagining what Juliet must have felt.

“Well, I told him everything, but I was a little angry. What right did he have to ask me? And truly, I am surprised I was able to tell him. I think it was what you said that gave me the courage, that it wasn’t my fault and thathewas the one who chose to betray my trust and good faith in him. It was still difficult and upsetting to tell him, and I cried a little. He immediately told me he was sorry and that he understood that Mr. F had been very evil to me and that I had not deserved that, and then he asked me to marry him.”

She was smiling again.

“I told him he had to vow to me not to duel with Mr. F.”

“And he agreed?”

Juliet nodded.

“He is a good man, Amelia, not like me. He is steady and honorable and not impulsive or rebellious by nature. He is the kind of man I need. Do I not sound like I’m maturing?”

“You do, but you are a good person too, Juliet.”

“You don’t have to make me feel better, although I do appreciate it. You are such a good friend to me, Amelia.”

We smiled and embraced, and Juliet said, “This is the happiest I’ve been since Mother passed away. I wish she was here to see me happy and to know Mr. Shelley—Timothy. Don’t you love that name, Timothy? I think it’s the best name in the world.” She sighed, a happy sound.

“I am very happy for you, Juliet, and for Mr. Shelley, as he is marrying a wonderful person who I know will make him happy.”

Juliet giggled and spun around in a circle, gazing up at the ceiling.

I believed many men would have reacted differently to what Juliet had told Mr. Shelley, and I was glad that he had turned out to be the man she needed. I blessed him silently, praying God would also bless their union.

When we were back in London, I returned to my aunt and uncle’s home, and Juliet and Jeremy returned to theirs. Juliet was now engaged and would be spending much of her time with Mr. Shelley. I was engaged to Jeremy, and though I wasn’t sure if we would be getting married, it seemed best that I go back to Mrs. Kendall’s.

Jeremy called on me every day, and my heart would lift every time he walked into the room. I would get almost giddy when he talked only to me, Mrs. Kendall usually speaking with the housekeeper or other callers, as she had many friends who called on her.