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Her heart ached for Hector, and she wished he was by her side to quell the nervousness welling up within her. As she entered the ballroom, she quietly prayed that things were going well on his end.

“Is that the Duchess of Islington?”

“My goodness, she is rather bold, isn’t she? To show her face in public after all we have heard about her.”

“And where is her husband? Has he perhaps seen the light of reason and nullified their marriage?”

Juliet thought it was quite a feat that the gossip had begun immediately upon her entry into the room. She was both a little impressed and disheartened by the murmurs she heard.

It was astounding that they found her so interesting that they were willing to push aside the evening’s entertainment just to talk about her and Hector. There was a lovely string quartet playing stunning music, and two jesters were juggling in one corner of the room, yet it was as though she was the most fascinating thing in the room.

“Your Grace!” a small group of women approached her, the sickly-sweet smiles on their faces making Juliet’s stomach churn with apprehension. “What a lovely surprise it is, seeing you here!”

Juliet tried to be polite despite her initial introduction to the gaggle of gossiping women. “I am honored and happy to be here. It looks like a wonderful evening will be had.”

“Yes, Eleanor is known for throwing excellent parties. We had not expected that you would be in attendance without the Duke,” another woman said, her eyes wide with innocent wonder.

“Ahh,” Juliet nodded, glancing around nervously for a moment. “My husband is currently away on business. I decided to attend on behalf of us both as it would have been disrespectful to the host to simply disregard her generous invitation.”

“How magnanimous of you, Duchess,” the first woman spoke up again with a piteous expression on her face. “I do think it is rather interesting, though.”

Juliet blinked, a little confused. “What?”

The lady glanced at the other women and snickered.

“Oh, nothing. I am just fascinated by the lengths men will go to avoid their wives.”

Heat filled Juliet’s cheeks, and she spoke up quickly, “That is not what happened!”

“So, you say, and yet, here you are, alone, in the face of all we have learned about you. Perhaps he felt you would be better suited to deal with the things we have heard, given that you were taught to embody the temperament of Christ and all the other things that we trust that disturbing place instilled in you.”

Hearing St. Catherine’s referred to in such a degrading manner upset Juliet, and she had barely started to speak up against their insults when the ladies curtsied slightly, and one of them smiled and said, “Enjoy the rest of your evening, Your Grace.”

They scurried away quickly, leaving Juliet feeling ashamed and angry.

For the rest of the evening, Juliet was subjected to blatant ignorance, insults, and ridicule from people who clearly believed all the rumors they had heard and took it upon themselves to punish her for the crimes they believed she had committed.

Eventually, when she’d had enough and decided to return home, she left the soiree with a deep ache in her chest, greatly craving the presence of her husband.

CHAPTER 34

“We merely think it would be difficult for potential clients to look past the growing controversy and trust us with their resources.”

Hector sighed, tried not to look as frustrated as he felt, and turned to question his business associate, Gabriel.

“I am hearing a lot of problems but not a single suggestion on workable solutions. What can we do to curb the situation?”

Gabriel looked uncomfortable as he glanced between Hector and the documents he was reviewing.

“I am not sure, Your Grace. If it were merely complaints related to the nature of your businesses or anything of the sort, we might have found a way to contain it. But as it stands…These rumors are vicious, and they are not completely baseless. Unless they stop completely, and people are given enough time to forgetabout them while you also work to prove that they are not factual, we might not recover from this.”

Hector groaned, tilting his head back to stare numbly at the ceiling and trying to ignore the twinge of pain in his shoulder. He had been at this for far too long. What was supposed to be a trip lasting a few days had turned into weeks.

Initially, he had expected the problems to be resolved quickly by his presence. He had hoped to quell their worries by assuring them that the rumors about Juliet were utter falsehoods and that the nature of their marriage did not impact Hector’s business acumen. As he began speaking with his business associates and tenants, he’d discovered that the problems were far more profound than he had predicted.

He had decided to handle it all within a span of three days, hoping to gain enough insight that would guide him on how to tackle the issues, but the first day set him off on the wrong foot.

The tenants he had met with were a little welcoming, but by the time Hector had delved into the situation, their faces took on a stiff expression.