Page 4 of The Duke Who Stole Me (Stolen by the Duke #4)

Chapter Four

“ J ulie!”

Sitting at the breakfast table the following morning, Juliana could not help but think back to her encounter with the Duke of Blackmoor the night before.

Before her unchaperoned visit to his residence, she had not heard much about him. He barely attended events, but the little she’d heard of him was about how extremely unfriendly and cruel he was. At the time, Juliana had thought that the rumors might’ve been exaggerated, but now she knew for a fact that he had horrible manners.

He had practically kicked her out of his house, unwilling to give her information despite having ample knowledge.

She should curse him.

Damn him!

“Juliana!”

Juliana blinked, momentarily taken aback by the sound of her name being called harshly, and by her mother no less.

“I thought I was speaking to a lady, but it turns out she was a statue all along,” Lady Ridgewell huffed, placing a hand on her head and the other on her chest.

“I was simply lost in thought, Mama,” Juliana offered.

“Is that why your breakfast is untouched?”

Juliana looked down at her plate, which indeed looked the same as it was minutes ago. A small sigh escaped her lips.

She lacked the appetite for anything, with the heavy thoughts that weighed on her shoulders. Her mother and sisters, sitting around her while chatting over breakfast, were oblivious to her inner turmoil, but she did not have the heart to tell them a thing.

She shook her head and opened her mouth to explain the reason behind her lack of appetite.

But before she could make a sound, their elderly butler, Mr. Henry, who had worked for her family for as long as she could remember, walked into the room, a slightly worried expression on his face.

“My Lady,” he addressed her mother.

“What is the matter, Henry?”

“The constables have arrived,” he said. “They wish to speak to the entire family about what transpired at Lady Juliana’s engagement ball.”

“Oh, Henry, did you not direct them to the main house? I’m sure Lord Ridgewell will have more coherent answers than anything our frayed minds can remember.”

The butler bowed his head slightly. “I did, My Lady. However, they made it clear that they intend to speak to everyone involved, since it is an investigation.”

The dowager countess opened her mouth, no doubt to order him to turn the constables away, but Juliana beat her to it.

“Show them in, Henry. We shall be there in a minute.”

Mr. Henry bowed and then retreated to where he had come from.

“The constables? Here? Oh my goodness. The entire neighborhood must have seen them! Oh God, whatever will they whisper? What do we do, Julie?” Lady Ridgewell cried out, her brown eyes running over each one of her daughters, before landing on Juliana.

Juliana rose from her chair. “Mama, please calm down. We are not in any sort of trouble. The crime happened at an event our family hosted—it is only normal for the constables to visit to know what we know.”

“Julie is right, Mama. This must simply be part of their job,” Ava chimed in, placing a hand on their mother’s shoulder.

“What’s a protocol?” Georgina blurted out.

Juliana couldn’t help but smile at her little sister’s innocence.

“I’ll explain later, darling.” She offered her hand to the eight-year-old. “Now, come. We don’t want to keep them waiting.”

“In order for us to apprehend the criminals, we expect everyone to cooperate by simply recounting everything you remember from that night,” a constable no older than forty, who had introduced himself as Mr. Alastair Townsend, said.

His face was set in what seemed like a permanent frown, for the lines on his forehead didn’t relax even as he finished speaking. He was wearing a dark navy frock coat and a pristine white cravat, and a silver pocket watch was tucked neatly into his waistcoat.

In fact, all four constables were dressed formally. The constable right next to Mr. Townsend had a monocle on his left eye.

“I remember drinking a glass of wine while talking to a few mamas who had approached to congratulate me on…” the dowager countess trailed off when she noticed the disdainful looks on their faces.

“There were about eight of them. I am certain that by now, you are all aware that the men wore masks,” Juliana interjected.

The constables turned their attention to her, nodding as spoke.

“Do you recall anything else? Perhaps any detail at all?” the constable with the monocle asked.

Juliana’s mind drifted to the Duke of Blackmoor. He had attended the ball in disguise. He didn’t want to be exposed, yet he seemed to be the only one who knew anything about the attackers and their possible motives.

“They seemed to be looking for my betrothed, Lord Norfield,” she responded, pushing all thoughts of the duke to the back of her mind. “However, they didn’t find him.”

The four constables looked between themselves, exchanging words with their eyes as they all nodded.

“Lord Norfield disappeared, and the men left when they realized it,” Juliana continued. “The issue at hand, good sirs, is that he has gone missing. I called on him at his townhouse, but the staff told me he hadn’t returned since our engagement ball.”

They all seemed unbothered by her complaint, much to her dismay.

“I implore you to help me search for him, as I have tried and realized I cannot do it on my own,” she added.

“I see. I am afraid we do not have enough time to search for your betrothed , Lady Juliana. The most likely scenario is that the man has hidden away in fear of another attack against him. So, if you will excuse us,” Mr. Townsend drawled and signaled to his colleagues, who rose to their feet.

“But—” Juliana tried to protest.

“I understand you are worried about your betrothed, My Lady, but you must accept that. Lord Norfield will eventually show up,” Mr. Townsend cut her off, even more condescendingly this time.

“Mr. Townsend, it is clear that he is an important piece to this puzzle. Your investigation can only proceed smoothly if you include him in it!” she insisted.

“Thank you for your cooperation, ladies.” Mr. Townsend ignored her and turned to her mother and sisters. “We shall take our leave. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

Swiftly, all four constables filed out of the living room and out of the dower house.

Silence fell over the room as her sisters and mother watched her with identical looks of concern.

One question was bouncing around in her mind.

Where in God’s name was Geoffrey?

“Maria! Juliana!” Francis’s loud voice echoed through the corridors.

Two days after the constables’ visit, Juliana rushed to the parlor, where her mother and uncle stood.

Francis’s face was creased into a tight frown, and his breathing was labored as if he had just finished a gruesome exercise.

Her uncle would visit them from time to time, but never without prior notice. This was not a good sign.

“What brings you here, Lord Ridgewell?” Lady Ridgewell asked, her eyes narrowing on the man.

Instead of speaking, Francis reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a white envelope, and threw it on the table. Both Juliana and her mother stared at it before exchanging confused looks.

“I have just received a letter from Lord Norfield, and I am not pleased, to say the least.”

Upon hearing that the letter was from Geoffrey, Juliana reached for the white envelope, scrambling to tear it open.

“Do not bother reading it, Juliana. It is far different from what you must be expecting,” Francis said.

Juliana slowed down, raising her head to look at her uncle.

“Where is he?” Lady Ridgewell asked, her interest piqued. “Did he say why those criminals were after him?” She paused, raising her teacup to her lips. “Whatever it is, I hope he is in good health and will make it for the wedding.”

Francis scoffed. “I can assure you he is well.”

However, something in his tone told Juliana that he wasn’t very pleased with that, and she would find out why.

“He claims that he has spoken to the authorities about what transpired at the engagement ball and that the matter will be handled accordingly.”

“That is splendid news, is it not?” Lady Ridgewell asked, confused by Francis’s hostility toward the man he had once held in high regard.

“Splendid news, indeed,” he agreed.

Juliana did not miss the sarcasm in his tone.

She could skim through the letter in a matter of seconds instead of waiting for her uncle to get to the point. Still, she feared what was written in it.

“However, he didn’t fail to inform me that he has also left for France to care for his sick aunt!” Francis snapped.

Juliana blinked, tilting her head to the side as though the simple act would help her better understand what her uncle had just said.

“Since when was he a caretaker?” Lady Ridgewell asked.

“That is not the shocking bit,” Francis declared.

Juliana braced herself, as though she could tell whatever her uncle would say next would hit her hard.

“Lord Norfield was also kind enough to break off the engagement.”

She felt a cold sensation wash over her as she heard the words.

That couldn’t possibly be true. Then, as if on cue, the Duke of Blackmoor’s cold words echoed in her mind.

“…Norfield will find an excuse to break off your engagement…That man does not give a damn about you. Now that he knows he’s being hunted, he will disappear to cover his tracks.”

Juliana shuddered, her palms suddenly feeling clammy, the small envelope somehow weighing a ton in her hands.

“Are you certain, Uncle?” she asked, her voice strained.

“The words are written in there. See for yourself. He claims he does not wish to burden Juliana with his family’s woes, as he will be gone for a long time.”

Juliana opened the letter, and as she read the words, everything her uncle said was confirmed.

Oh God.

The Duke of Blackmoor had been right on all accounts. Geoffrey had indeed broken off their engagement and fled, proving that he truly did not care for her, her reputation, and that of her family.

“What does that mean?” Lady Ridgewell gasped, her breathing quickening. “What does he mean by that? Oh, oh dear! The disgrace! First the attack, and now this! Heavens, what?—”

Before Juliana could interject, her mother’s eyes rolled to the back of her head.

“Mama!” She rushed to her mother’s side instantly, instructing the maid nearby to bring some water.

Rosy sprang into action, returning with a bowl of water and sprinkling it on Lady Ridgewell’s face.

As they tried to revive the dowager countess, Francis stood in a corner, running his fingers through his hair in utter frustration. For some reason, he seemed even more livid than Juliana, whose engagement had just been canceled.

“What’s going on?” Georgina’s voice came from the doorway.

Juliana turned to see her three sisters standing at the door.

“Is Mama all right?” Emily asked worriedly as they looked between their mother, whom Rosy was still trying to revive, and their uncle, who looked as though he might commit a crime.

“Don’t worry, darlings.” Juliana rushed toward them. “It’s only the heat. Mama will be up and fussing over us in no time.”

She motioned for another maid to take them away.

“Why don’t you go ahead and bring some more fruit for Mama, huh? She’ll need an apple or two to gain her strength,” Juliana urged, the anxiety in her sisters’ eyes piercing her heart.

“All right,” Ava muttered and then pulled Emily and Georgina down the corridor.

Juliana turned back to sit beside her mother, who was slowly coming to.

Damn you, Geoffrey .

It wasn’t that she felt deeply for Geoffrey. No. If anything, she had no feelings for Geoffrey. Their engagement was only a matter of duty, and she was fine with their arrangement.

Now, Geoffrey had gotten himself in trouble, and her entire family would suffer for it.

A few moments later, her mother was fully conscious again, and after her sisters brought in a few slices of orange, Francis dismissed everyone except for her and her mother.

“Lord Norfield’s situation has put the entire family in jeopardy,” he started just as the maid closed the door behind her.

“And I wonder who led him into our home,” Lady Ridgewell piped up sarcastically.

Francis sucked in a sharp breath. “Now is not the time to shift the blame, Lady Ridgewell,” he scolded, his voice just as sharp as the breath he’d just taken.

Lady Ridgewell fell silent.

“There are only two ways we can salvage this situation.” Francis cleared his throat and stole a glance at Juliana.

She knew right then that she would hate whatever was about to spill out of his mouth.

“I shall send Juliana to the countryside for the rest of the Season. We can say she got ill. Or…” he trailed off.

“Or what, My Lord?” Lady Ridgewell asked impatiently.

“Or we find her another match before the ton finds out about Norfield,” he finished.

Juliana’s blood ran cold. She could only hang her head, not bothering to argue. Those were truly her only options because the ton was merciless when it came to ruined reputations. And it wouldn’t matter what the truth was anymore; whatever rumor was the most popular would be the truth.

“No!” Her mother’s voice jolted her out of her reverie. “Juliana cannot leave London. That would mark her as ruined forever—and by extension, her sisters. I cannot let that happen!” Lady Ridgewell declared firmly. “ You are the one who has brought this calamity upon us, and as such, you must find her another respectable match!”

“I won’t be blamed for Norfield’s choices!” Francis argued.

“You aren’t. But you will be blamed for Juliana’s and this family’s ruination. This family also involves you , so you must take responsibility for it as its head, Lord Ridgewell .”

Juliana was not in the least surprised by her mother’s outburst because she had witnessed this side of her a few times.

Francis, however, was an entirely different story. He watched Lady Ridgewell as though she had grown a second head, and perhaps a pair of horns and a tail.

He nodded, rising to his feet. “Very well then. Since I am to be blamed for this match, I shall take care of it. But I must warn you.” He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. “We must keep the end of Juliana’s engagement a secret until we find a suitable match for her.”

He marched off without a word or a second glance at Juliana.

Her stomach dropped. They had spoken about her as though she wasn’t even in the room. And now, God knew what kind of man her uncle would choose for her. Considering his past choices, she had a bad feeling about it.

Even so, she was bound by her duty to her family. This was for Ava, for Emily, for little Gina. She would do anything to secure their futures.

Even if it meant sacrificing her happiness.