Chapter 8

The light melody in the dance hall has changed for the fourth time since the banquet began.

Several times, the guests, under the guise of acquaintance, came up and offered Juliet champagne, trying to start a conversation with her in this way, but each time she only shook her head negatively and said:

- Thank you, but I have to refuse because I feel bad.

Lennox watched the scene unfolding from the balcony below.

Perhaps because of what happened in the temple this morning, people continued to stealthily throw curious glances at Juliet.

Well, it wasn't surprising, because scandals have always been a favorite topic in high society.

In addition, he saw that men who took turns inviting her to the dance came back with nothing, because she also referred to her condition, saying that today she was not in better physical shape.

Only once did Juliet, who stayed away from the general fuss and did not pay attention to the interested eyes of others, show interest in a group of girls standing near her.

These girls were the same age as Juliet. They gathered at one end of the banquet hall and, laughing joyfully, loudly congratulated one of them.

- Oh, my God! Congratulations on your engagement! I'm so happy for you!

- You'll be the most beautiful bride!

One of the girls immediately blushed embarrassedly and smiled happily, from which he concluded that she was the future bride ahead of the wedding.

Juliet stared at this shy bride with a look he had never seen before. He didn't know him.

Lennox Carlisle wondered what thoughts are spinning in Juliet's head now.

- What are you thinking... - Lennox murmured thoughtfully.

While he was watching Juliet, he noticed that few guests dared to come up without hesitation to talk to her.

But at the same time, this cold and worthy look with which she looked at others did not allow them to mock her.

- Why, are you standing alone?

Lennox, for some reason, didn't like the fact that she stood alone like a child who lost his mother.

This reminded him of how before the banquet he called Kane, whose task was to accompany Juliet, and his desperate attempt to protect her.

However, he was not the only one who took such actions, as his secretary, Elliot, also tried to do so.

And even Jude openly asked what Juliet did wrong, after which he said, "I don't know what she could have done to you, but can't you just forget about it this time?"

In Lennox's opinion, the behavior of his hot-tempered subordinates looked quite funny. They had all served him for quite a long time and knew very well what fate awaited those who irritated him. But despite this, they sincerely worried about her and tried to protect her.

So this time Lenox let them get away with this mistake.

In fact, he wasn't too serious about the fact that Juliet could really have an affair with another man.

It wasn't because he believed in her virtue or because of his own pride, but because it wasn't like Juliet Montagu's behavior he knew.

That's why Lenox's thoughts flowed in a different direction.

Maybe it was him who was acting strangely, not Juliet?

If he were the same as usual, he would never track down his mistress.

The usual way to solve such a problem is to clarify the relationship at this stage to prevent further trouble.

And yet he hesitated.

- Did I really get so attached to her?

Funny.

In fact, it's a paradox that our relationship lasted so long, it should have ended much earlier.

He quickly became bored with all his previous mistresses, so he preferred a light, short relationship.

He's already become a habit of sloating off contact with them in cold blood as soon as he lost interest.

That's why his whole relationship ended when he was starting to feel bored.

But since then, Lennox has noticed a weak sense of mental discomfort.

He's been used to the presence of this woman in his bedroom for a long time, you can even say that it has become natural for him.

With the first dawn rays, he stood up quietly to start the routine duties of the day, and left her in his bed, after their night together, and when it began to twilight and he came back, she was always waiting for him.

After a while, he instinctively felt that such a relationship could pose a danger to him.

It happened three years ago, during a summer festival in the north, when this feeling became even more obvious.

According to the tradition of the holiday, Juliet presented him with a neat handkerchief with Lennox's initials embroidered on it and his family coat of arms.

When Lennox saw him, he frowned instantly, then looked at her coldly and said:

- It wasn't necessary.

At the same time, he noticed how the eyes of several ladies rushed towards them, and they seemed to shine complacency and ridicule.

- Yes, you're right.

Although their relationship lasted a little longer than usual, Juliet Montagu ended up no different from the previous women who went through his bed.

Not accepting such a "sincere gift" would surely hurt her feelings and mean she was rejected, and the continuation of the novel would certainly give her hope that would always hope for more.

At that moment, he decided it was time to break this long connection.

But before he had time to say goodbye to her, this woman, who usually behaved quietly and silently, suddenly spoke...

- You don't like it, do you?

It was said as if she knew what he was thinking about now.

While he was trying to find the right words to answer, she smiled at him with such a clean open smile that she began to look like a beautiful summer flower.

Then she looked at the handkerchief he was holding and said:

- You can throw it away if you want. I don't care even if you give it to someone else.

It seems that the ladies she met at the holiday forced her to do so, because it is an ancient tradition to give a gift to a man. For this reason, she had nothing left but to satisfy their request.

However, she did not mention it and did not ask him to take the handkerchief, although she must undoubtedly feel embarrassed because she was rejected.

Instead, Juliet turned away from him quite calmly and went away without even hearing his answer.

She really seemed to think the thing she gave would be thrown away instantly.

Her carelessness and indifference in this situation seemed so unusual to him that he could not throw away this handkerchief.

From that day on, he kept it in the drawer of his desk because he thought it was unfair to give it to someone else.

Whenever Lennox saw this handkerchief, an image of her face with that unusual smile on her lips surfaced before his mental eye.

She didn't seem to realize it, but sometimes she acted like she knew him better than he did.

Juliet's words and actions from the outside looked like she had lived in this world for a long time, although in fact she was a little over twenty years old.

But even more incomprehensible to him was that he didn't feel it was so unpleasant to him.

Lennox could not realize and define this vague feeling he felt.

He didn't know what to do about it, because he couldn't get rid of it easily, but at the same time he didn't want to admit this uncertain emotion.

It was for this reason that he couldn't let her go or let her leave him.

Every time he was going to break up with her, telling himself he had to do it today, he ended up postponing it until tomorrow.

So, it's been many years since he made this decision.

And yet he still hasn't found out the name of this feeling.

*****

- I'm sorry, but I don't dance because I feel bad.

She tried to communicate politely and respectfully when she rejected requests for the first two times.

But now Juliet was already in an extremely irritated state and began to lose patience, as it was the tenth refusal to invite to dance.

She even sometimes regretted that she should behave with dignity in such situations, not as a "crazy bitch" as she has been called more than once.

"Damn, yeah, what's wrong with these people? Even if you're obviously already well aware of the noise I made in the temple in the morning, you're still much more annoying than usual!"

Or maybe that's not the point?

Perhaps these men think that since she's a woman Duke Carlisle will abandon anyway, they can flirt with her so brazenly in front of everyone?

Juliet then briefly escaped from the epicenter of her deep internal conflict, and stared fiercely at the sticky suitor.

... Maybe I should go with him to some quiet place and get rid of him?

Juliet barely held back so as not to laugh in her voice, presenting a terrifying picture of the massacre of an unlucky man in her imagination.

- Then what about champagne? There are other drinks here besides him...

- Do you have any important business with my companion?

Fortunately, this problem was solved before Juliet managed to commit another crime.

- Oh, Duke! I didn't know you had already arrived, I'm sorry, but I have to bow.

The man pretended to be drunk until then and lustful glanced at her now looked like he had seen a death reaper.

Needless to say, he evaporated hastily after that.

Juliet, seeing a man who alone made this idiot run away in a hurry, thought that this situation was completely unfair.

Damn, and why are there so many unjust things in this world?

This indifferent man was a Duke of the North, a war hero and at the same time a young, rich, unmarried man.

While I'm just Juliet Montagu, his mistress, whom he'll soon abandon.

Juliet quickly interrupted the joyless course of her thoughts and smiled charmingly at the black-haired man.

- Oh, Your Serene Highness, you've already arrived.

However, the man didn't give her a smile back.

I didn't expect it in principle, but still...

The man's eyes were so cold that Juliet's smile faded slightly.

It was a very complex look, in which a whole stream of different emotions mixed up.

- Let's talk. - said a man with a passionless face that looks like a piece of marble now.