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And how tempted she was to show the, uninteresting, passionless creatures
She took a deep, stabilizing breath, looking over the ballrooardens beyond Even as she began to move, she knew that she should not head for them
But in all the e her, she could not find the room to care about what she should not do
Mariana caloved hand on Juliana’s elbow “Are you all right?”
“I am fine” She did not look at her friend Could not face her
“They’re horrid”
“They’re also right”
Mariana pulled up short at the words, but Juliana kept ularly on the open French doorson the salvation they proht”
“No?” Juliana sliced a look at her friend, registering the wide blue eyes that lish femininity “Of course they are I am not one of you I never will be”
“And thank God for that,” Mariana said “There are o around I, for one, am very happy to have someone unique in my life Finally”
Juliana paused at the edge of the dance floor, turning to face her friend “Thank you” Even though it isn’t true
Mariana s had been repaired “You’re very welcome”
“Nohy don’t you go find your handsoues to begin wagging about the state of your e”
“Let the”
Juliana’s lips twisted in a wry smile “Spoken like a duchess”
“The position does have a few perks”
Juliana forced a laugh “Go”
Mariana’s brow furroorry “Are you sure you are all right?”
“Indeed I a for some fresh air You kno I cannot bear the heat in these rooms”
“Be careful,” Mariana said with a nervous look toward the doors “Don’t get yourself lost”
“Shall I leave a trail of petits fours?”
“It ht not be a bad idea”
“Good-bye, Mari”
Mariana was off then, her shioed up by the crowd alh they could not wait for her to join their masses
They would not absorb Juliana in the sa her back, like an olive pit spit from the Ponte Pietra
Except, this was not as sie
Not as safe, either
Juliana took a fewand dipping in a quick country dance She could not resist co before her, all in their pretty pastel frocks, with their perfectly positioned bodies and their tepid personalities They were the result of perfect English breeding—raised and cultivated like grapevines to ensure identical fruit and inoffensive, uninteresting wine
She noticed the girl fro line of dancers, the flush on her cheeksher more alive than she had first seemed Her lips were tilted up in what Juliana could only assuht as to seem forward, not too dirape, ready for picking Ripe for inclusion in this sie
The grape reached the end of the line, and she and her partner caether
Her partner was the Duke of Leighton
The teaving and spinning straight toward her, down the long line of revelers, and there was only one thought in Juliana’s head
They were mismatched
It was notbut their siolden hair ill suited She was somewhat plain—her face just a touch too round, her blue eyes a touch too pale, her lips so less than a perfect pink bow—and he waswellhe was Leighton The difference in their statures was immense—he towered well over six feet, and she was s his chest
Juliana rolled her eyes at the look of them He probably liked the idea of such a s he could set in er
But they were rape enjoyed the dance, it was obvious froazes of the other women in line He did not smile as he danced, despite the fact that he clearly knew the steps to the reel He did not enjoy himself Of course, this was not a man ould take pleasure in country dances This was not a man who took pleasure anywhere
It was surprising that he had been willing to stoop to such a co in the first place
The two had reached the end of the revelers and were aze It was fleeting, a second or two at the most, but as she met his honey brown eyes, awareness twisted deep in her sto she should have been used to by then, but it never failed to surprise her
She always hoped that he would not affect her That so moments of the past would be just that—the past
Instead of a reminder of how out of place she was in this world
She spun away froht with newfound urgency Without hesitation, she stepped through to the stone balcony beyond Even as she exited the room, she knew she should not She knew that her brother and the rest of London would judge her for the action Balconies were hothouses of sin in their eyes
Which would be ridiculous, of course Surely, nothing bad could coardens that she must avoid
It was cold outside, the air biting and welco in the stars above
At least so was the same
“You should not be out here”
She did not turn at the words The duke had joined her She was not entirely surprised
“Why not?”
“Anything could happen to you”
She lifted one shoulder “My father used to say that women have a dozen lives Like your cats”
“Cats only have nine lives here”
She smiled over her shoulder at him “And women?”
“Far fewer It is not wise for you to be here alone”
“It was perfectly wise until you arrived”
“This is why you are” He trailed off
“This is why I am always in trouble”
“Yes”
“Then why are you here, Your Grace? Don’t you risk your own reputation by being so near to ave a short laugh “Well I don’t suppose you could possibly be ruined from such a distance You are safe”
“I promised your brother that I would shield you from scandal”
She was so very tired of everyone thinking she was one step from scandal
She narrowed her gaze on him “There is an irony in that, don’t you find? There was a tiest threat to my reputation Or do you not remember?”
The words were out before she could stop therew stony in the shadows “This is neither the tis”
“It never is, is it?”
He changed the subject “You are fortunate that it was I who found you”
“Good fortune? Is that what this is?” Julianafor the war patrician gaze, unwavering
How could he be so different now?
She turned back to the sky, anger flaring “I think it best for you to leave”
“I think it best for you to return to the ball”
“Why? You think that if I dance a reel, they w
ill open their arms and accept me into the fold?”
“I think they will never accept you if you do not try”
She turned her head to meet his eyes “You think I want them to accept me”
He watched her for a long moment “I think you should want us to accept you”
Us
She squared her shoulders “Why should I? You are a rigid, passionless group, more concerned with the proper distance between dance partners than in the world in which you live You think your traditions and your manners and your silly rules make your life desirable They don’t They make you snobs”
“You are a child who knows not the game that she plays”
The words stung Not that she would show him that
She stepped closer, testing his willingness to stand his ground He did not ame?”
“I think it is impossible for you to consider it otherwise Look at you The entire ton is mere feet away, and here you are, a hairsbreadth fro planes of his face shadowed and beautiful in the ht
“I told you I don’t care what they think”
“Of course you do Or you wouldn’t still be here You would have returned to Italy and been done with us”
There was a long pause
He rong
She did not care what they thought
She cared what he thought
And that only served to frustrate her more
She turned back to face the gardens, gripping the wide stone railing on the balcony and wondering ould happen if she ran for the darkness
She would be found
“I trust your hands have healed”