Page 86 of A Mismatch Made in London

“We need to think and plan. Don’t go running off and meet the man in a rage and end up killing him, intentionally or unintentionally. It isn’t worth having that blood on your hands.”

Jeremy took a deep breath, trying to clear his head.

“You and Juliet have always had a close relationship,” Shelley said, “but you will not be able to completely do away with the consequences of that man’s evil actions. That is the way life is. Bad things happen. And the truth is we cannot take on the responsibility for anyone else’s happiness. Not even a sister’s. Not even a fiancée’s, and not even a wife’s. Juliet wouldn’t want you to throw away your own happiness and peace of mind while trying to secure hers.”

“Those are pretty words, Shelley, but Juliet is my responsibility. I will do what I need to do to stop the man who has wrought so much evil on her.”

Shelley took in a long, slow breath and let it out just as slowly. “I understand. But meanwhile, I will be trying to find another way to solve this problem. I also wish for this to be over as quickly as possible, because I want to marry Juliet. I love her.”

If it had been almost anyone else saying these things, he might have been suspicious of his sincerity, but this was Shelley, and Jeremy believed him.

“I am glad you will be searching for a nonviolent means of resolving this. Keep an eye on Juliet while I’m gone.”

Shelley nodded. “I will.”

In her letter, Mrs. Kendall seemed eager enough for me to return, so after being away for a week, I packed my trunk and a bag and headed to London.

Father lent me the carriage to the halfway point, and from there I hired a coach. We made good time, as the roads were dry, and soon I was in London again.

I had received one more letter from Jeremy, the day before I left. He said,“I wanted to write you briefly to say that you are always in my thoughts. After this, I pray we willnever be separated again. If you are willing to marry me, I shall endeavor, every hour,to be worthy of your love. My love for you will never wane, even for a moment.”

His words made my heart flutter. I found myself reading them over and over. Wasn’t this what I wanted? If he was telling the truth and not just saying what he thought I wanted to hear ... I alternately read them for clues that he was not being genuine, and then I would read them as if I knew he was sincere.

I’d been afraid to admit that I might love him, but now I was afraid that I did love him. He was Jeremy Beaumont, a wealthy, sought-after gentleman, a good man by everyone’s standards, and yet I knew him as a fallible human being. He was someone in whose company I’d spent a lot of time. I’d seen him when he was tired, I’d seen him when he was agitated, I’d seen him in unguarded moments, and he was not perfect. But I’d also seen him apologize and admit he was wrong. At least he could be humble when the occasion warranted it, and that seemed like a very important trait.

In his brief letter he added that he was still trying to track down Fairweather. They’d scoured the London papers, but thankfullythe gossip columns had not yet printed anything about Juliet and Mr. Fairweather.

How terrible it would be if one of the papers printed something about Juliet! There would be no living it down if they did. I imagined it would read something like this:Miss J. B. of Bedfordshire was discovered alone in a carriage after dark in the company of Mr. G. F. of Shropshire, and to this day they arenot engaged.

That was all the gossips would need to figure out that it was Juliet. It would be whispered about and talked of, and her reputation would be ruined.

But what of Mr. Shelley? How did he feel about all of this?

I’d only received one more letter from Juliet, saying,“Please come to me. You will stay with me, will you not? Your aunt will not mind. I am distraught and your company is the only thingthat I have to look forward to now.”

Had Mr. Shelley given her up? Would he let the gossips tear her reputation to shreds?

Poor Juliet. I’d never heard her say such hopeless words.

I still needed to go to my aunt and uncle’s home, as my parents wished, but I went first to see Juliet.

When I arrived at the Beaumonts’ townhouse, Juliet called out, “You are here!” She hurried down the stairs and threw her arms around me. “You cannot know how glad I am to see you. I hope you are not upset with me for cutting into your time with your family. Please forgive me.”

Her expression had already changed from joy to tears of sadness in her eyes in a matter of a few seconds.

As soon as we were alone in her room, I whispered, “What has happened? How does Mr. Shelley feel about all of this?”

“He told me he didn’t want to postpone the wedding. I think he was a bit angry with me for a day or two, but he has been helping Jeremy search for that evil man.” Juliet sighed, folding her arms over her chest. “Even if they find him, even if Jeremy fights him, I’m not sure if that will help anything. And the last two nights Idreamed he killed Jeremy in a duel. He was standing there laughing. It was horrible.” Juliet swiped at the tears under her eyes.

For a moment I felt sick, thinking of Juliet’s dream.

“He will not kill Jeremy.” I surprised myself by sounding quite confident. “You must tell yourself that that will not happen. And Mr. Shelley loves you. All will turn out well, you will see.”

Reassurance was what Juliet needed now. What we both needed.

We spent what was left of the day talking and keeping each other cheered and thinking of happier things.

I asked, “When did you last see Jeremy?”