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When they arrived at Renton House, Hector nudged Juliet in the direction of her bedroom and said, “You should get some rest. Dinner was a tiresome affair.”

Juliet shook her head, pressing closer and clinging to his arm as she replied, “I quite enjoyed it. Wouldn’t you like me to stay with you again tonight? Because I would…”

“No,” Hector stated firmly, brushing her hands away as he stepped back, putting some distance between them. “I will sleep alone tonight.”

Without another word or even a backward glance at her, Hector walked away, leaving Juliet enveloped by the embarrassing heat of rejection.

CHAPTER 28

Hector had never wanted an event to arrive and pass as much as he did the ball to which they had been invited.

Renton House did not hold the same degree of peace with Juliet in it. His thoughts of Juliet occupied as much space in his consciousness and dreams as she did in his reality. He suddenly wished they were back in Islington Hall with its larger hallways and wider corridors to put some distance between them.

Juliet’s presence practically haunted him, her body and warmth calling to him every second of the day. He had begun to think that he might have made a mistake by giving into his urges.

Marcus could tell that something had changed between himself and Juliet, and his cousin seemed to expect that any day now, they would announce that Juliet was with child.

If his wife also bore those same notions, it would spell his ruin because he was unprepared for such a commitment and did not believe he would ever even want a child in his life.

Perhaps it would have been better if they hadn’t consummated their marriage after all.

“The carriage has pulled around to the front door, Your Grace,” John informed him.

Hector inhaled deeply. Finally, the night of the ball had arrived, and he could put his time into something other than thinking about his wife.

Or at least, that was what he expected until he watched Juliet descend the stairs to meet him.

My dear Lord, she is breathtaking.

Juliet had told him that the modiste did not have anything that suited her taste and that the modiste would make something especially for her which had been delivered yesterday.

Hector did not know what he had expected, but he could not take his eyes off of her.

The dress was made from some sort of breezy, dark green fabric that shimmered when she moved. The design seemed to have genuinely been made with her in mind, accentuating the beautiful curves of her body in all the best ways.

She looked regal enough to be a queen.

“Shall we?” she asked curtly when she arrived at his side.

“You…are truly…stunning. You look like a goddess, Juliet,” Hector heard himself stutter.

“Thank you, husband.” She curtsied slightly, giving him a beautiful view of her spectacular breasts.

Hector quickly ripped his gaze away, clearing his throat as he tried to shift his thoughts to other things. However, before he could compose himself, she walked outside on her own, leaving him alone in the foyer.

He had initially thought that she was simply too excited to get to the ball, but she had then ensured there was distance between them in the carriage, not edging close to him as she had done when they went to visit his family.

It frustrated Hector how conflicted he felt. Although he knew he should feel grateful for the distance, it was almost painful how much he wanted to take her.

He was befuddled by how Juliet kept compromising his standards simply by existing.

When they arrived at the ball, the event was already in full swing. Juliet held onto him like a dutiful wife, and when themaster of ceremony introduced them to all in attendance, she kept her chin up and walked with a regal air surrounding her.

Not for the first time since their marriage, Hector felt proud of her.

“Your Grace, I am so glad you could make it!”

Hector quickly put on what Marcus referred to as his ‘business smile’ and nodded at the man who quickly approached them.