Silk and Secrets(151)

The journey to Constantinople had been a leisurely one. In Meshed they called on Reza to assure themselves that he was well. His grateful family's hospitality was so pressing that they could have spent the rest of their lives if they had wished to. In Teheran they said farewell to Murad, leaving him with such a large bonus that he was, very briefly, speechless.

In Constantinople Juliet had had an emotional reunion   with her mother, who was more than a little smug over the accuracy of her maternal instinct; not only had she been right about Ian, but her long-held belief that Juliet and Ross belonged together had been spectacularly confirmed.

Her vigil over, Lady Cameron traveled with her daughter and son-in-law the length of the Mediterranean. She left them in Gibraltar when she decided to spend a sunny winter with friends.

Now, finally, they were back in England. Juliet's musings were interrupted when Ross returned to the stateroom and perched on the edge of the sofa. "Ready to go ashore?"

"Yes, but I'm going to miss making love on the water. There's something very nice about the way the ship rolls."

He chuckled. "Remember the little river at Chapelgate? If you miss the water, we can put blankets on the floor of a punt."

"Sounds worth trying." Juliet gazed at him in admiration. "You really are the handsomest man in the world, all cool English elegance." The curve of her mouth became wicked. "Who would believe what a splendid bozkashi barbarian you were?"

"I will remind you what a barbarian I can be tonight." He laid a gentle hand on her stomach, getting a kick in return. "The heir is restless today."

Juliet laid her hand over his. "He knows he's coming home."

"If it is a he, think of how much he will impress the other schoolboys when he tells them he was conceived in Bokhara." Ross stood and took her hand to help her up. "Time to go. I'm looking forward to getting home to Chapelgate. Tomorrow we can call on Sara and Mikahl and meet my new goddaughter."

Juliet was glad to have his help in rising, since she was not as nimble as usual. She had been slow to realize that she was pregnant, because she had felt wonderful, entirely different from the first time.

Perhaps Ross's speculation was correct and there had been a physical problem before, or perhaps the difference was that now she was ready to be a mother. Either way, being with child again had mysteriously healed much of her grief and guilt about what had happened before. Perhaps she was too full of happiness to have room for guilt.

At the top of the gangway Juliet closed her eyes for a moment and inhaled. "Mmm, smell that wonderful greenness."

"I'm glad Britannia is cooperating and sending a fine sunny day for your return home." Ross took her arm to steady her down the gangway.

"I wouldn't have minded rain," she said cheerfully. "Without it, there wouldn't be so many lovely trees and flowers."

They were halfway down to the dock when Ross suddenly exclaimed, "Look! Sara and Mikahl have come to meet us."

Juliet grabbed his arm in sudden panic. "I'm not ready to meet Sara again! She'll push me off the dock for the fishes to eat because of what I put you through."

Ross was not usually demonstrative in public, but now he turned his wife toward him and gave her a firm kiss. "No, she won't. Sara must have received my letter weeks ago, so she's had time to get used to the idea."

He smiled down at Juliet teasingly. "I told her that I had traded three camels for you, which was too large an investment to abandon." He gave her stomach a quick, unobtrusive pat. "And you are definitely getting to be quite a large investment."

"Wretch!" Juliet said feelingly, but Ross's nonsense helped her regain a grip on herself.

Following his glance, she saw Sara, who was waving to get her cousin's attention. Her old friend was lovelier than ever, with a glow that spoke of deep happiness. She was being escorted through the crowd by a tall, dark gentleman whose formidable presence was sufficient to keep anyone from jostling his wife.

When Ross and Juliet reached the bottom of the gangway and stepped onto the dock, Sara abandoned her husband and darted forward to hurl herself into her cousin's arms.

Juliet hung back. She was reasonably sure that Ross's parents would be willing to let bygones be bygones since their daughter-in-law was doing such an efficient job of producing an heir, but gentle Sara, who could easily forgive transgressions against herself, could be a tigress in defense of those she loved.

Before Juliet could succumb to nerves, Sara's husband turned and bowed to her. "It appears our graceless spouses are too busy to provide introductions. I am Mikahl, and you, of course, are the woman for whom Ross paid three camels." His lazy gaze surveyed her approvingly. "He got a bargain."