Chapter 27
Count Montagu's mansion was outside the busy capital, as is often the case with old mansions.
Located in the midst of lush greenery, the house of Count Montagu, looks more like a secluded quiet suburb.
The appearance of the mansion, with its clean white roof shining in the sun, looked ancient, but in simple terms, we could say that it looked old-fashioned.
Visitors rarely came to this mansion since seven years ago the count and countess died in an attack by unknown people.
It cannot be said that this happened because of human heartlessness, because almost immediately after the accident, the only surviving member of the family went to the North, and there was no one left there but a few old servants.
And now, the old servants of the late count, who have not met guests for several years, were frightened by the sudden visit of an unknown guest.
- .... Excuse me, who?
The servant was so shocked to hear the name of the great aristocrat, about whom everyone knew in the empire, that he even asked in confusion.
But for some reason of the gloomy appearance, a man with red eyes did not need to prove his identity, despite the fact that he was not dressed in luxurious clothes corresponding to his status, but in simple road clothes impregnated with moisture and dust.
When the stunned servant looked at him from head to toe, he realized that this man was their mistress's lover, whom all the servants had only heard of, but never seen him personally, after which he hastily opened the gates in front of him.
- Come here, please.
Servants in the mansion, who have not received guests for seven years, have long forgotten about the rules of etiquette that prescribe polite treatment of precious guests. And for this reason, the servant who picked up the reins of their guest's black horse was puzzled and confused, not knowing what to do with him.
Meanwhile, Duke Carlisle, entrusting the care of his horse to his servant, glanced at the garden before entering the house.
The garden, where the only daughter of the family once played hide-and-seek, was overgrown with lush greenery and weeds and looked very neglected, and the fountain next to it has long dried up.
- Don't you have a gardener?
- Oh, we don't have enough hands...
The old butler reflexively apologized and immediately came up with an excuse.
However, such an answer to a respected guest of noble origin was a gross violation of the rules of etiquette. And despite the fact that the visit was made by the infamous ruler of the North, he still remained an aristocrat of noble origin.
Nevertheless, while the old butler was painfully wondering whether to worship him right now and apologize, the young duke passed by him and went alone to the main building.
The old butler hastily followed him.
In fact, it was against the rules of etiquette - to enter the mansion without the permission of the owner, since formally Duke Carlisle was just a guest.
Even if he was a nobleman and lover of the owner of the house, it did not mean that he could afford to do as he wanted.
But now that the countess was absent and all the members of her family have died, there is no one left to stop him...
- ..... Doesn't this contradict etiquette if the hostess is not at home?
Although the old butler was worried about it, his concern in this matter was initially useless.
Since no man in the empire would ever dare to talk about good manners with Lennox Carlisle, let alone scold him for non-compliance with the rules of etiquette.
- Which way is Juliet's room?
- Huh? Ah, in the west wing on the third floor...
Duke Carlisle did not hesitate to go to the third floor for a second, as if he were the owner of the house.
The butler, who ran after him in small steps, suddenly guessed why he could visit them.
- Your Serene Highness. Can I ask you something?
In fact, it was a question that he had to ask him from the very beginning, but because of the suddenness of the visit, he was confused, so he did not ask.
- Ask. - The Duke left carelessly without stopping.
- Thank you. Your Serene Highness, tell me, did you come to visit Lady Juliet?
Hearing his words, Duke Carlisle suddenly stopped and turned to him.
At the moment when the old butler saw the red eyes of the famous Duke Carlisle, he was thrown into a cold sweat, and small goosebumps ran down his skin.
But a couple of moments later, the butler somehow managed to gather his courage and opened his mouth again.
- I'm sorry to tell you about it, but unfortunately, Lady Juliet is not home now.
The old butler thought that the Duke could get angry with him because he hadn't told him before, but contrary to his expectations, he did not react to this news.
With bated breath, waiting for the Duke's answer, the butler was able to see him better. Looking closely at him, he suddenly realized that Duke Carlisle was a pretty handsome man, despite his terrible reputation.
There were also rumors that the Duke used to change women often.
And looking at him now, the butler realized why he so attracted women's attention. The perfect beauty of this man could really win the heart of any woman if he only wanted it.
For this reason, the butler could not help but wonder why rumors about his appearance were not as widespread as rumors about his terrible reputation?
Reflecting on this, the butler suddenly thought that perhaps the Duke was not looking for their lady.
- Juliet...
- Yes?
- Did she use this room all the time?
- Ah... Yes!
They stopped in front of the bedroom door.
- She's been using this room since early childhood.
The butler forgot about the presence of Duke Carlisle for a moment and smiled with a happy smile.
Most of the servants who remained in Montagu's mansion were those who had worked for the Count's family for a very long time.
Many of them watched the Count's young daughter take her first steps as a child.
- ..... I see.
Lennox's hand touched a column near the door to the room.
At first glance, it was difficult to notice them, but there were small marks on the column indicating that every Juliet's birthday, it celebrated her growth.
These little notches kept memories since she took her first steps, when she first burst into tears when at the age of five she ran down the corridor and, stumbled, fell, and how she first visited the debutante ball when she turned 16. And until she entered adulthood, when one of the winter days she turned 18.
A beautiful hand with long fingers gently stroked each mark.
The old butler watching this scene seemed to feel something intimate in these touches, which led him to think that he should not see it.
- Hmm, Your Serene Highness, I apologize. If you need anything, call me. - The butler muttered embarrassedly, after which he turned away and immediately left.
Lennox, left alone, entered Juliet's bedroom and looked around absent-mindedly. Then he went to the next room behind a small door. It was a small reception room and at the same time a dressing room.
An exquisite dressing table with a mirror on which hair combs, carefully hung clothes and many books in leather bindings were neatly laid out.
And there was a four-poster bed in the bedroom, on which she has probably slept since she was little.
Looking at all these things, Lennox came to the conclusion that Juliet was a child who took care of her children's things, and even after so many years, she continued to store them instead of throwing them away.
As evidenced by a large box full of children's toys, standing on the side of the small reception room. It was with them that she spent her childhood until she grew up.
Returning to the cozy sunny bedroom, Lennox took a large doll lying by her bed.
The rabbit doll, which once apparently was pale pink, has now almost blossomed and looked little like its original appearance. His ears fell sadly, and the cotton wool that was inside was almost worn out. But despite this, there were still echoes of Juliet's energy in it.
Lennox could easily imagine a little girl falling asleep, hugging a soft doll that was about the same size as her.
Looking at all these things, he felt a very strange feeling. It's like it was a mansion where time froze.
All that time, Juliet, whom he did not know, remained intact in this space.
Leaving the room, Lennox quietly closed the door behind him and stayed in the corridor.
Of course, there wasn't the woman he was looking for in this old mansion.
Moreover, these people didn't even seem to know that Juliet had left the capital.
It seemed that they were just wondering why the Countess's lover, Duke Carlisle, suddenly came to their mistress in the mansion.
Her bedroom was cozy and sunny, furnished exclusively with women's taste.
He tried his best to remember what kind of girl Juliet was at the age of eighteen when they first met, but he vaguely remembered that time. All he knew about Juliet Montagu was that she was a mistress who never talked about her tastes or preferences.
No, maybe it's all about it that he never asked her about it?
In this place, I felt a light aroma in the air, similar to the aroma of Juliet's body, but that's all.
His lover wasn't here.
"So what was I looking for here?"
"Perhaps I wanted to know why Juliet left me? Or did I try to find evidence of her affair?"
Lennox coolly cut off these thoughts, bitterly laughing at his stupidity.
And at the moment when he was just about to leave the mansion, he heard...
- How are you, Duke?
At the end of the corridor, an old woman with gray hair appeared, accompanied by a young maid.
- My name is Yvette. I'm Miss Juliet's nanny.
The woman who introduced herself as a nanny politely bowed in the direction of the room where Duke Carlisle was supposed to stand.
The old woman's silvery-gray eyes did not focus on what was before her at all.
- Can't you see? - Lennox asked directly, after a while, watching her strangely absent-minded look.
- Yes, it is. - Juliet's nanny answered with a smile. - I had a chronic disease, but since I lost my sight five years ago, I can't see anything else. However, Lady Juliet was still very kind and attentive to me, allowing me to continue to stay in my position in her house.
Lennox's eyebrows involuntarily crawled up.
He did not need further explanation, as it was enough to look at the house and the servants that worked in it to understand the situation.
An old nanny who lost her sight and an old clumsy butler.
Older servants or too young. Overgrown, untidy garden and old-fashioned mansion without an owner.
All these people were servants who would hardly have been hired or left to live after they grew old, other aristocrats.
And although they could not take care of their mistress's house, since there were less than 10 of them left, everyone seemed friendly and got along well with each other.
Lennox, of course, knew that Juliet belonged to a ruined aristocracy, but he didn't know that her affairs were so bad.
Which was not surprising, because it never interested him, and Juliet never mentioned it.
Lennox with a darkened face put his hands in his pockets.
Probably, she barely managed to maintain her mansion on income from the remaining estates of Count Montagu. And judging by the look, it was literally enough for simple maintenance. Since the older the mansion, the more money is spent on its maintenance.
Compared to the Duke Carlisle's palace in the North, this house looked more like a hut than a mansion of a noble aristocrat.
- It seems that you have a pretty hard time now.
- Thanks to the Duke's care, we don't know the need.
Lennox didn't believe his ears when he heard her words.
..... What?