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“Certainly not,” Lydia seethed, “but I want you to…”

Freckles,he mused, unfazed by the bristling woman’s forward manner.How…adorable.

“You must understand something, Lady Lydia,” his deep, clear voice cutting her off mid-sentence. There was no mockery this time. “I am in control of this situation. Not you. This visit was…complimentary on my behalf. But there is no discussion to be had here.”

She looked at him with pure fury at first, but as he let the black void of his soul take over and reposition his features, he saw her anger change to alarm.

“I…I apologize, for my brashness, Your Grace,” Lydia stammered, breaking her gaze away from his, “But I mustinsistwe…”

“As I stated, I am out of time,” Ezra replied, his tone cutting through hers like a knife.

He walked to the doorway of the sitting room, but as he was about to step into the hallway, he paused and turned back to Lydia with a taunting look.

“That was a valiant effort to save your sister from my wicked claws, Lady Lydia,” he remarked. “Truly.”

Ezra stifled a grin as he watched the fury return to her eyes and he slipped out into the hallway.

CHAPTER TWO

“Juliet, I swear to you I do not know what came over me, I just…I just…I became enraged! Consumed! I…I completely lost myself!”

Lydia stumbled over her words as she paced back and forth in Juliet’s room. Her younger sister watched her worriedly from the bed. At dinner, their father had talkedatthem the entire time about Ezra, and before Lydia could do anything, he had pulled Juliet into his office for a private conversation afterward. She’d waited impatiently in Juliet’s room for her to return, and the moment she did so, she began to spill her thoughts.

“You just looked so frightened, and I suddenly remembered, you know? All those things we hear about him. Not just from the ton,but from Duncan and Alice too, and the others! Oh, I know they love him for whatever reasons and that is fine, but his reputation is accurate. He is a vile man. He…he is reputed to be soulless. It is worrisome how he is repeatedly able to climb out of his father’s debt…”

“Debt?” Juliet asked, interrupting Lydia for the first time. “What debt?”

Lydia grimaced. While Juliet knew about the four dukes and their fathers’ deaths, she did not know the specifics. Lydia preferred to keep it that way.

“Never you mind,” she replied hastily, returning to her pacing, “What I meant to say is that he is horrid. Absolutely horrid.”

“It does not matter what you think anyway,” Juliet laughed sadly, shaking her head as she looked down at her hands. “He could have the perfect reputation, and I still would not want to marry him. But what can I do? Papa has made up his mind. He told me so after dinner tonight. I am to be the Duke of Frampton’s wife whether I wish it or not.”

Papa. During the flurry of emotions in which Ezra had wrapped her, she had completely forgotten about her father’s final say in the matter. It was as good as law, and even if Juliet had managed to say no to Ezra in the sitting room earlier, it would not have mattered. Not if Ezra had chosen her and their father had agreed.

“Oh, darling,” Lydia sighed, going to Juliet.

Like she had since she was a child, Juliet opened her arms and let her oldest sister scoop her into a tight hug. There were some things, no matter their age, which would never change.

“I cannot do it, Lydia, I cannot,” Juliet sobbed, clinging to her. “I…I must confess something. I have been holding the truth from you, sister. Trying to find my way to happiness, but now I…I must tell you and you…youmusthelp me.”

“Juliet,” Lydia gasped, pulling away to look at Juliet, “Tell me what is going on this instant,please.”

“I am in love,” Juliet confessed, her eyes shining with fear as her tears ran unchecked.

Lydia deadpanned.

“Wh…what? But, if you have found your match and he is noble…Juliet, I do not understand!” she sighed, exhausted. “Why would you go through the charade of accepting suitors if you are already set? Why didn’t you confess this earlier to Father and me? Is he not noble?”

“His name is Edmund Perth, and he will be a baron,” Juliet answered through her sniffling, “But his father forced him to join the Navy for two years as a demonstration of his loyalty before he was allowed to claim his title. He left a few months ago, just as he was about to approach Father, and it was so sudden that he only had enough time to get a short letter to me, asking me to wait for him. I did…did not even get to say goodbye. But I have to wait for him, Lydia, I have to!”

“Hush, now, Papa will hear you,” Lydia whispered insistently, covering her sister’s mouth as she looked toward the door.

Juliet’s voice had risen so suddenly from a trembling plea to a frightened, desperate cry that Lydia had not been able to catch her in time. They waited anxiously until they were sure their father was not coming, and then Lydia let out a sigh and dropped her hand from Juliet’s mouth.

“I am sorry,” Juliet rasped, her eyes filling with tears again.

“Do not be sorry,” Lydia whispered back, patting her youngest sister’s cheeks dry, “I just do not want Papa to hear you.”