Page 37 of Juliet's Touch

Lord Chesterhill’s brow furrowed. “Where do they think she is?”

“She no longer wishes to marry Lord Riley because he is an insufferable beast,” Emily said. “She is staying here while we try to find a way for her to break the engagement, which I am sure we are all aware, Mother and Father will never let her out of.”

Her face pale, Juliet sat stone still, the rise and fall of her bosom the only indication she wasn’t a ghost. Eric forced a full breath into his lungs, then exhaled slowly.

“We are family, and she needs our help,” Emily said, her voice stern.

“Thank the bloody bollocking hell.” Alexander’s booming voice echoed in the long chamber. “I was hoping that was the decision you would come to. That man is a boil on the arse of the aristocracy. Juliet, I will do everything in my power to protect you.”

“Of course, my dear,” Chesterhill said. “I will help you. No woman should have to marry a man she detests.” He swallowed. “We must not allow the younger generation to make the same mistakes we made. Marrying for duty is for the passionless. I will speak to your father. Surely, he will respect the opinion of one of his oldest friends.”

Her eyes void of their usual sparkle, Juliet nodded.

Eric silently pledged to do whatever it took to bring Riley down. However, outing the man’s sexual proclivities might somehow hurt Auntie and the girls. Not only that, but he doubted anyone would care that the son of an earl liked to hurt women.

Despite the man’s status, Eric would rid the world of Riley in a heartbeat. He’d grab him by the throat and squeeze until he held a corpse. Or maybe not. Since he’d never killed a man, fantasizing about aggressively ending a life was masculine bravado nonsense. Besides, spending his life in Newgate for murdering a lordling might not be the best-laid plan.

Perhaps he should steal Juliet Coldpepper away from Riley and marry her himself.

Good lord, he was a fool. He had about as much chance of marrying this woman as he had of…being a pugilist.

That wasn’t a fitting comparison since he was a champion fighter.

Becoming a hero of the people.

Somehow, he’d inadvertently done that, too.

Being the son of a wealthy aristocrat.

Well, damn. If things continued at this rate, perhaps there was a chance that he could marry Juliet Coldpepper.

Snow glistened from the boughs of the evergreens framing the vista as fluffy flakes fell from the sky, blanketing the gentle slope his companions climbed. The ladies walked ahead of Eric and Alexander, the wind lifting the hems of their velvet cloaks and tearing at the ribbons that held their winter bonnets in place. Emily’s hands were deep inside a fluffy red muff that matched her coat. Juliet’s mittened hands swung in time with her steps. Thankful for the heavy wool he wore, Eric shoved his gloved hands deep into the pockets of his borrowed great coat.

Juliet halted, grabbed Emily’s elbow, and pointed at the sky. The sisters popped onto their toes. Eric studied the treeline, eventually seeing the source of their excitement. A bird of prey, wings extended, dipped and swooped.

Alexander chuckled. “The two of them would enjoy a deadly storm at sea as long as they were together.”

That is because the sisters were radiant orbs of sunlight in an often-bleak world.

“I’m relieved that we have a moment alone,” Alexander said. “There are a few things I would like to say to you.”

Since he didn’t detect any malice in Alexander’s tone, the statement didn’t unnerve Eric. He tramped along patiently waiting for his half-brother to continue.

“Thank you for staying,” Alexander said. “I know you were hesitant at first, so I am pleased that you reconsidered. Your visit means a lot to our father.”

The wordsour fatherechoed in Eric’s mind. There was no way he’d ever adjust to knowing who his seed donor was.

“The truth is,” Alexander said, “I have spent most of my life horrified by our father’s indiscretions. My mother deserved better. Right after she passed, Father brought home a new wife who was villainous. She made Charlotte’s and my life a living hell. She is currently in a private hospital for wayward women. I’m unsure if there is a cure for her maleficence, so I praythat she never escapes. She seems to have something called a histrionic disorder according to her physician.”

“It would take me forever to fill you in on everything, so it is easiest to sum our sordid history up in one sentence. Family secrets almost destroyed us. Our father’s conscience could no longer take the cheating, lies, and deception. He has never been a saint, but he genuinely wants to do better.

“If you saw him a few months ago, you would have thought that death was knocking on his door. Trying to make up for his sins has given him purpose, and a renewed vigor. I don’t know how long he has, so I treasure every day I spend with him.”

This was a lovely sentiment that Eric simply didn’t feel. Perhaps life had jaded him, or maybe he didn’t have a heart.

“I suppose we have that in common,” Alexander said, waving to the ladies who had just reached the summit.

Nonplussed, Eric cocked his head to regard his brother. “What?”