Mother nodded slowly. “Wedding night jitters?” she whispered in Juliet’s ear.
Juliet’s face flamed. “No.”
“It’ll be all right, I promise,” Mother whispered again, patting Juliet’s arm. “There’s nothing to worry about. We all survive it.”
“Shh,” Juliet whispered, glancing around to make sure nobody could hear their conversation. For whatever reason, there hadn’t been an equal number of men and women to attend the breakfast this morning and as a result Juliet, her mother, and Henrietta all sat in a row with no male escort in between them. She inwardly groaned and wished she’d insisted Father sit next to mother. Oh well, just another thing to remember for the next time she got married. She was now up to three: one, make sure the groom knows who the bride is; two, the veil is lifted after the vows are repeated; and three, Father needs to be seated next to Mother at the breakfast. The first seemed to be the most crucial with number three trailing a close second.
Time crawled as course after course was brought out. After the fifth plate Juliet quit pretending to pick her way through food. Instead, she stared at her plate and silently willed everyone to just leave. If this was a real wedding breakfast she’d enjoy the company, but since it wasn’t, she wanted nothing more than for everyone to go home so she could, too.
At long last the final guest who didn’t bear the Hughes name rode off in a carriage.
“My study, Mr. Hughes,” came Lord Drakely’s cold voice, sending chills up and down Juliet’s spine.
With a slight nod which seemed to indicate he’d understood, Father started down the hall behind his lordship.
Not wanting to be left out of this little council, Juliet followed, too, walking as fast as her heeled slippers would allow.
“This is a man’s matter,” Mother called after her.
Juliet ignored her. This was not a man’s matter. This matter involved her, therefore, she’d be right there in that room to hear it. She may have been outside the room eavesdropping for their first meeting, but she’d be in the room for their second. She’d make sure of it.
“Go wait with your mother,” Father said to Juliet wearily just before crossing the threshold into Lord Drakely’s very large and masculine study.
“I think not,” Juliet said defiantly, breezing by him and taking a seat on Lord Drakely’s plush red settee. “I will not have my future discussed without having any input.”
“What are you talking about?” Father asked, blinking owlishly at her.
Without so much as a glance in his highhanded lordship’s direction, Juliet bluntly stated, “His lordship would like an annulment.”
“Pardon?” Father and her hoax of a husband choked out in unison.
“I know you think I’m daft, my lord, but let me tell you a thing or two. In this family we speak frankly, and quite frankly, you brought my father in here to announce your plans to petition an annulment. Am I right?”
Lord Drakely stared at her unblinkingly. “Well, yes,” he burst out after a brief moment. “And I think I’m owed the courtesy of your compliance in the matter. Not that it really would matter one way or the other.”
“An annulment,” Father wheezed, sinking into a vacant leather chair.
“Come now, Mr. Hughes,” Lord Drakely coaxed, “you didn’t honestly think I’d just let you make a mockery of me, did you?”
“A mockery?” Father repeated.
Juliet so badly wanted to get up off the settee and fan her father before he fainted. She clasped her hands together in her lap to help fight the urge. It wouldn’t do to give this demeaning man any more ground than he already had. Father may be having a moment of shock right now, but he had his pride, too.
“Also,” Lord Presumptuous continued, “now that our bargain has been forfeited, I expect full payment of your loan upon the completion of Miss Hughes’ schooling.”
Father made some odd gurgling noise in his throat and patted his chest while Juliet burned with rage. Was this how it was to be, then? Perhaps it was time to set him to rights. She knew she should be ashamed for the thoughts she was entertaining about how delicious his reaction would be when he learned her real identity and the fault was all his. She just couldn’t care.
Of course she started the day with the notion she was going to shock him a little at the church, but just now, with him bullying her father this way, she was going to revel in his surprise and rub his nose in his mistake. Just see if she didn’t.
“My lord,” Juliet said sharply, garnering his full attention. “You’ll apologize to my father at once and rescind your last statement.”