"The moon was too bright ... " R.J. trailed off. His words sounded foolish to his own ears, and he didn't want the duke to laugh aloud at his feeble excuses. He just wanted to get the damned marriage over with and go home to Boston.
"I see. The moon is at fault." The duke's mouth did not twitch even a hair in amusement. Still, R.J. felt the formidable will suppressing the smile.
Ignoring the humiliation that swept over him, he asked pragmatically, "If you have already heard the rumors, I suppose everyone else has as well?"
"As you suggested, the moon was full of mischief last night." Kerstone lifted the note in front of him and held it out to R.J. "Unfortunately, you were seen."
"Seen?" He felt sick as he remembered the abandoned kiss he had indulged in while the moonlight shone full on the balcony. Anyone could have seen them. And apparently had.
The note was an elegant but obviously disguised scrawl. A woman's handwriting? He wondered who, fleetingly. In the end, though, who had seen them was not important. The note was damning enough. And the gossip would see his sin exposed.
Kerstone repeated the words of the brief note. "I saw Romeo Hopkins climb the trellis onto Miss Juliet Fenster's balcony. Miss Fenster, clad only in her night clothing, allowed her suitor a most unsuitable kiss."
R.J. said bitterly, "I like the signature better than the message: 'A concerned party.'"
"Nevertheless, the information is accurate."
"I am set to sail for Boston shortly." He pressed his lips together at the thought of explaining this to his father. To his stepmother. Annabel would be furious with him. "The voyage can be the excuse for the hasty marriage, to avoid scandal, if not gossip."
Kerstone sat back in his chair, as if surprised. "Has Juliet agreed to a marriage?"
"She is reluctant. But I will make her see reason."
"I remember feeling a similar sentiment once, years ago. I don't recall that reason swayed my wife at that point." Kerstone again raised a skeptical brow. "I confess, I'm not certain anyone can make a Fenster woman see reason if she does not wish to."
R.J. was astonished. Did that mean the duke would not insist on the marriage? Did he not care about the reputation of his wife's sister, then? "I will convince her."
A nod. The duke stood and held out his hand. "I will leave it up to the two of you, then. You will convince her to marry, or she will convince you to give up your suit."
Give up his suit? As if he were any lovelorn swain, and not the man who had…. "What would happen to her if she did not agree?"
The duke shrugged. "She must marry. I imagine the number of willing suitors would decrease, but no doubt one could be found to marry her."
"Why would you do such a thing?"
"I am not likely to send her to America with a stranger if she is set against it. I would allow her to choose an English husband if she so wished."
An English husband? Impossible. R.J. would not allow it. He opened his mouth to object, but before he could, there was a wordless cry from behind him. Juliet. He turned to see her standing next to the duchess. If not for her sister's steadying hand at her elbow, he was certain she would have already fled the room. Considering the depth of the dismay on her face, possibly even the house.
Juliet heard the duke's words in horror. Marry Mr. Hopkins and exile herself to America or choose an Englishman? An Englishman who would know, just by looking at her, that she had — She would not.
Why had Miranda not warned her of what business the duke had with her? She looked at her sister with a mute plea for support and saw that she was white with shock. Apparently she had not known what he would require any more than Juliet had.
Miranda said, "Simon! Surely that is extreme."
"I'm afraid it is not, my dear."
Miranda, with an expression that indicated she was ready and willing to do battle for her sister, put her arms around Juliet. "For one kiss?"
Simon shook his head and, looking directly at Juliet, asked, "Is that all it was? A kiss."
Juliet did not answer, though the heated flush that rose up her neck and covered her face probably revealed the truth. She glanced at Mr. Hopkins sitting quietly in the chair. What had he told Simon? She should have realized he would not keep his promise to her.
Miranda took her by her shoulders and, watching Juliet's expression closely, asked, "Tell me? Was it not just a kiss?"
Juliet, knowing that if she did not have Miranda's support, she had no chance of avoiding marriage unless she ran away from her family forever, whispered, "I don't want to marry anyone."
Miranda pulled her into a tight embrace. "Oh, Juliet! How could you — "
"I didn't mean to — " Juliet fought back tears and pulled herself out of her sister's embrace.
Simon, never all that comfortable with feminine tears, said dryly, "Mr. Hopkins seems to think the moon shares a large part of the blame."
Miranda gave R.J. a suspicious look and asked Juliet in a hushed voice, "Did he force himself on you?"
Juliet stared at her oldest sister and then at R.J. "Force himself on me?" Had he? Was that what it was called when a man pushed inside you as he kissed and caressed your body until you wanted to scream with pleasure?
Miranda said sharply, "Did he do you violence?"
"Violence?" How could anyone think of what they had done as violence? She had noticed some soreness this morning as she dressed. But surely that was natural? For a virgin. Which she was no longer, she realized with a sharp pang of loss.
Her sister sighed. "Did you willingly make love with Mr. Hopkins? Or did he coerce you into doing so against your will?"
Coerce her? She glanced at him before she answered. He looked so miserably guilty, no wonder Miranda had asked. "Of course not." She tried to reassure him with a smile. "He would never do such a thing."
She could not help smiling through her tears as she confessed, "He was wonderful. So romantic — " To her surprise, he blanched at her compliment.
Miranda gasped, and Juliet realized that had not been the answer her sister was expecting. Hastily, she added, "But it was a mistake. I will never do it again until I am married. I swear it. We just — "
Miranda said softly, sadly, with a slow shake of her head, "Juliet — "
"The moon ... The play ... " Juliet could see that neither Miranda or Simon were swayed by her words at all. R.J.'s expression spoke for all of them. They intended that she be married. One way or another. The American or whatever Englishman would have a woman who was no longer a virgin, the duke had said. Intolerable thoughts, both. The term ruined was not as much a misnomer as she had first thought. What would she do?
R.J. crossed the room to take her hand. With a gentleman's aplomb, he helped her to a seat and then sat next to her. He took her hand. As if they did not have several pairs of eyes focused on them, he said, "Miss Fenster, please do me the honor of agreeing to be my wife."
His face was so close to hers, she could see the nick on his chin from this morning's shave. She could smell the faint scent of peppermint again. Did the man bathe in it? "I do not even know you." She added bitterly, "Besides, you do not keep your promises."
"You will come to know me." He bent his head, the peppermint odor growing more defined. He said quietly, "We were seen last night. Someone sent a note to the duke this morning. You will do no good to continue to protest."
"Seen?" she whispered in disbelief. Heat flooded her face and neck at the thought of what someone might have watched them doing on the balcony. "We have created a scandal?"
He nodded reluctantly. "I believe we have created a singularly large scandal. And it will only grow if you refuse to marry me."
Stubbornly, she did not want to believe such a thing. There must be a way to salvage the situation without marriage. There must. She would have protested further, but the door came open again unexpectedly, bouncing with a forceful bang against the wall.
Annabel Hopkins entered the room in a fury greater than any Juliet had ever seen. Ignoring her host and hostess completely, the woman crossed to confront her stepson. She positively hissed when she saw Juliet. But her words were directed to her stepson alone. "R.J., I forbid this marriage."
The duke stood. "Mrs. Hopkins."
R.J. stood as well, holding on to Juliet's hand and bringing her up to stand beside him. He said calmly, "The matter is decided, I am afraid."
Decided? Juliet would have protested indignantly. But her own indignation cooled when Annabel Hopkins's nostrils flared with outrage. "I speak for your father on this matter. I hope you know what that means." The woman seemed to consider those words a grave threat.
R.J. tensed beside her, as if he, too, feared his father's wrath. She glanced up at his expression, but the dratted man appeared as cool as if he were discussing the weather on a sunny day. Still, his grip on her hand was almost painfully tight, and she had to believe he was worried. How could that be? Surely a father would forgive his son an indiscretion. Wasn't it only women who were supposed to be tediously virtuous?
R.J. said quietly, his expression grave, "I understand what I have done and what consequences must be. I assure you, Father will find Juliet to be an acceptable wife for me. Even if my method of choosing her did not meet his exact specifications."
"Scandal! Do you know what is being said about the two of you at this very minute? Romeo and Juliet! What a story. And you must believe the news will reach London within a day."
Annabel's scorn was scalding as she glanced once dismissively at Juliet. "She is not a suitable wife. You need someone sober and serious. Someone who can grace your table, not someone who will seduce every eligible man in the city of Boston for her own amusement."
Juliet remembered, belatedly, that he had said his father would disown him for causing such a scandal. For the very first time, she understood that her life was not the only one turned upside down by their madness.
She sighed. Though she didn't much like the fact, she knew it was her responsibility to protect Mr. Hopkins — R.J. — from the worst of the consequences. If she must be married, at least she could choose a man who would never be able to lament the loss of her virginity before marriage. She said forcefully, "I may have been a flirt. But I know the duties of a wife, Mrs. Hopkins. And I will meet them so that R.J. has no cause to complain."
Everyone, including Miranda, turned to look at her, mouth agape. R.J. was the first to snap his mouth closed and smile at her with bemused approval. Sadly, there was no sign of the hunger she would have preferred to see in his eyes.
The duke moved to stand next to Miranda and said with finality, "We shall have the wedding in two days' time." He raised a single brow as he inquired with a glance at Juliet and R.J., "If you think you can manage to keep yourselves apart for that long."
R.J. said solemnly, "You have my word, your grace."
Juliet would have preferred that he hesitate a bit longer before answering. When the duke gazed at her, waiting for her answer, she sighed. "I promise, your grace. I will not so much as look at the man until I am his wife."
"Excellent." The duke turned to Miranda for approval. "If we can manage everything in such a short time." His gaze was warm, and Juliet realized with a little shock that they probably had experienced the same pleasure with each other that she had had with R.J. last night. Or maybe more, she reflected sadly, because they loved each other.
Miranda threw Juliet a troubled glance. "You are certain of this?"
"Yes," Juliet lied. She could not let R.J. be disinherited simply because she had seduced him and refused to marry him. Such a thing would ruin his life. She did not want that on her head.
Miranda smiled bravely at Simon. Well, then" — she nodded — "of course we can. We can work miracles here. You, of all people, should be aware of that."
The smile she directed at her husband made Juliet ache. She had lost the chance for a strong bond of love like that of her sister and the duke. Or had she? She glanced at R.J., so proper, so calm, and remembered him as he had been last night.
The question was, who was the real Romeo Hopkins? She would soon find out. And spend a lifetime living with the answer.
* * * * *
Two days. Forty-eight hours after she had agreed to the marriage, Juliet found herself exchanging vows with R.J. Hopkins. Found herself accepting a new name, a new husband, and a new home in another country.
She searched R.J.'s eyes as she recited her vows, hoping for a glimmer of the fire she had seen the night she had tossed her future to the winds of chance. He had wanted her once only days ago. Where had his passion gone?
She tried not to fear for her future as she listened to his steady voice, with his odd American inflection, reciting his own vows. Her mind reeled, unable to assimilate all that had happened since she opened her mouth to defend R.J. from his stepmother and found herself volunteering to be a dutiful wife.
What was she doing here? For a mad moment she considered running from the room, from the marriage. Only the knowledge that she had brought this on herself kept her standing here. No, not true. The man facing her kept her here as well. She wanted to see him look at her again as he had that night. He would. He must. Tonight.
As the minister pronounced them man and wife, her stomach clenched. He would kiss her now. Surely she would see the spark in his eyes then. How could he not remember what they had shared? He must hunger for what they would share in the future, just as she did.
As he bent to kiss her, she thought she saw an ember of desire. But his kiss was a mere brush of lips, dry and businesslike. As if he were sealing a deal rather than greeting his bride. The woman who must be by his side for the rest of their lives.
If only she could see a little of what she felt reflected in his gaze, she would not worry so much despite the fact that the marriage, the wedding, the scandal had been so very different from what she had envisioned for herself.