Juliet murmured her goodbyes to Emma. After Drake escorted Emma from the room to go in search of Lord Sinclair, Juliet turned back to Caroline. “What’s going on?”
“Olivia.”
Juliet knit her brow. “What does Lord Sinclair’s sister have to do with anything?”
“She probably requires some attention, specifically Marcus’.” Caroline pulled Juliet to the side of the room with one hand and simultaneously directed the musicians to begin playing again with the other. “She was always a bit mad, mind you, black moods, tantrums, rash decisions, and the like. But from what I understood the footman to say, Marcus is needed back at Ridge Water before something far more extreme than normal happens.”
“Do you think something happened to her in America?” Juliet asked, truly concerned about the safety and well-being of this infamous creature.
“Besides getting a good dosage of what it’s like not being born to wealth and privilege? No. No, I think the reason she’s taken such a leave of her senses tonight is quite simply due to her current condition.”
“Of course.” Juliet nearly forgot Lord Sinclair’s sister was increasing. That explained quite a lot, actually. Juliet had seen her mother breeding enough to know the drastic changes in emotions and reactions a woman often faced during that time. A hint of sadness settled over Juliet as, not for the first time since she married Drake, she was reminded she’d never get to experience that part of motherhood. Sure, she’d always get to play the mothering role to his three daughters, but she’d never get to feel life growing inside her, or hold a baby and rock him to sleep. Drake had said he wanted to start fresh, and she was more than willing to do just that, but he’d never said anything about a real marriage, and while she’d never admit such to him, she’d be lying to herself if she didn’t admit a part of her―albeit a small one―yearned for a real marriage with him.
“You know―Oh, Juliet, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” Caroline said.
Juliet blinked. “It’s all right, I was just woolgathering. What was it you were going to say?”
Caroline leaned closer. “I was about to comment that if the way Drake’s been looking at you all night is any indication of his plans for later, you just might find yourself in the same condition as Olivia rather soon.”
Heat crept up Juliet’s face. She highly doubted Drake wanted to visit her bed tonight, or any night, but she couldn’t tell her friend that. Instead she forced a smile and said, “Is it true he hates to dance?”
Caroline blinked. “You know, now that you say that...” She cocked her head to the side and tapped one finger on her right cheek. “I wouldn’t say he hates dancing, but I think he’s very selective in his partners.”
“Oh?”
Caroline picked at the seam of her elegant gloves, her face turning a pale shade of pink. “As you know, I spent much of my girlhood studying him, and with the exception of the late Lady Drakely, I never saw him dance.” She swallowed and glanced at the far wall before turning her gaze back to Juliet. “Marcus even tried to bribe him to dance with me once and he refused.”
Juliet stared at her friend, mouth agape. “He didn’t,” she forced herself to say when she could finally get over her shock.
“He did.”
“I should have known he’d always been Lord Presumptuous,” Juliet muttered, shaking her head.
“What?” Caroline asked laughingly.
“Lord Presumptuous. It’s what I called him because of his high handed and presumptuous ways. Apparently, I was right and his arrogance is nothing that started the day he married me.”
Caroline smiled warmly. “Juliet, you missed my point. I may have been slightly distraught at the time, being fifteen years old and all, but that’s not what I meant and I hope you don’t leave tonight thinking your husband is the biggest snob ever to grace England’s shores. He’s not. He’s just...” She trailed off and sighed. “Let’s find a little corner, shall we?”
“But don’t you wish to dance with Alex?”
Caroline glanced at her husband and grinned. “No. He appears occupied at the moment.”
Juliet looked over to where Alex was talking to a very captivated duke. Gateway, the duke in question, stood with a short, broken-in-half quill in one hand a very small notebook in the other, jotting something down. “What are they doing?” Juliet wondered.
“I’m not sure exactly.” Caroline sat in an empty chair and waited for Juliet to sit next to her. “Since he married Alex’s cousin, Madison, he’s taken up an interest in science. Alex said he can’t explain the sudden interest, but apparently every time Gateway comes to any family event, he corners Alex and asks for some obscure scientific facts he can recite to impress his wife.”