Chapter 56: I'll Fight for You

The sun hung low over the horizon, painting the sky in amber and blush. The lake at the far end of the estate shimmered like a mirror, tucked away in a cradle of thick trees and wildflowers. It was a hidden world, far from watchful eyes and heavy expectations. Few knew of its existence. Even fewer dared to come this far.

Juliana stood barefoot on the mossy edge, her riding boots discarded nearby. Her gown was light and simple, not the kind she wore to breakfast with her family or walks through the gardens with Evelyn. This one fluttered in the breeze, whispering like her heartbeat.

Juliana had always loved this place, its stillness, its secrecy, the way it felt like it didn't belong to the world her family ruled. Today, it belonged only to them.

She sat on the grassy slope with her knees drawn up, her riding gloves beside her. The breeze danced with the hem of her simple linen dress. Her gaze was fixed on the lake's mirrored surface, but her thoughts were far away.

Thomas stood a few paces behind, still dressed in the plain shirt and trousers of the stable hands. He didn't speak at first. Just watched her, as if to convince himself this moment was real. Her dark curls were loose, the setting sun lit them like threads of fire.

She turned when he didn't sit beside her. "You're standing like a stranger," she murmured.

He gave a half-smile and joined her, his movements a little stiff, part fear, part awe. "You've been quiet."

"So have you."

A pause.

"I thought you might change your mind about meeting me," he admitted, voice low.

Juliana gave a bitter smile, pulling up a blade of grass and twisting it between her fingers. "After what Emilio did to you? I've done nothing but want to see you since."

Thomas looked down, jaw tight. The bruises from the beating were faint now, fading under his collar, but the humiliation hadn't healed.

"He shouldn't have touched you," she said, her voice trembling now. "He shouldn't have..."

"He's a lord's cousin. I'm no one."

"Don't say that." She looked at him, eyes bright. "Don't you dare say that."

He glanced at her, surprised at the fire in her voice.

Juliana inhaled deeply, her voice softening. "You're not no one. You're kind. Strong. Honest."

Juliana looked at him, then out at the water. "Do you remember the first time we met? I was eight. You were the stable boy who rescued me when I wandered too far and got my foot stuck in the marsh."

He smiled faintly. "You were crying."

She nudged him with her shoulder. "I was not."

"You were," he teased softly, then grew quiet again.

The silence between them was full not empty. It was thick with everything they couldn't say in public.

Juliana finally broke it. "Thomas… I want to talk to Nathaniel. About us. About… everything."

Thomas's brow furrowed, the tension returning to his shoulders. "You really think he'll let you be with someone like me?"

She turned to face him. "He's my brother, Thomas. My only family. He's never denied me anything."

"He's not just your brother," Thomas said, voice low. "He's the Duke of Wycliffe. You're his sister. I'm just..."

"You're not just anything," she cut in, stepping close to him. "You're the man I want."

He looked down, struggling with the emotions on his face. "And if he says no?"

"Then I'll fight for us," she said. "I'll fight him, if I have to."

Thomas shook his head, but he was visibly struggling. "Juliana, I love you, but you don't understand. You think the Lord will just smile and give us his blessing? You think the Duke of Wycliffe would let his sister marry a stable boy?"

Juliana looked into the lake, the reflection of stars beginning to shimmer on its surface. "He loves me. More than anything. I'll talk to him. I'll beg him if I must. I've never asked him for anything, not like this."

Thomas looked at her, torn between hope and dread. He reached over and gently brushed a loose curl from her cheek. "And if he says no?"

"Then I'll run away with you," she said with conviction, looking into his eyes. "I'll leave this whole place behind if I must. The dresses, the titles, the fortune. None of it matters to me if I can't be with you."

His eyes met hers then, searching. There was a storm in them: love, disbelief, fear, and something very close to worship. "Juliana…"

She held his gaze a moment longer, then suddenly took a step back and began undoing the ties of her dress.

Thomas's eyes widened. "What are you doing?"

A mischievous glint entered her eye. "But before I do something reckless... I want to remember today as ours. Completely."

Thomas tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

She stood there, her voice playful again. "Let's swim."

"Juliana, if someone sees..."

"No one comes here," she said, already stepping toward the water's edge. "Besides, it's warm. And the sun's about to set. Perfect for mischief."

He watched in horror as she began pulling at the laces of her dress. "Juliana... really you can't... what if someone...l"

"They won't," she interrupted, sliding the fabric off her shoulders, revealing the soft underdress beneath. The delicate linen clung to her in the breeze, translucent in the light.

Thomas swallowed, visibly torn between fear and temptation.

"I'm not afraid," she said softly. "Not here. Not with you."

With that, she stepped into the water, letting it rise to her calves, her knees, her waist. She turned and looked over her shoulder, half a siren, half a girl in love. "Well?"

Thomas hesitated a second longer, then gave in.

Clothes discarded, he waded into the water and reached her with long, powerful strides. The water was cool, wrapping around them like silk as they waded deeper.

It was cooler than expected, and the shock of it was sobering. But when their bodies met in the middle, when his arms slid around her waist, the cold became irrelevant.

Their eyes met, close and unblinking. No more words. Just the rhythm of breath and heartbeat.

Juliana's fingers touched his chest, trailing up to the curve of his jaw. He bent his head, slowly, carefully as though asking permission with every inch. Her lips met his halfway. The kiss was slow, tender, and filled with emotion. It deepened with each heartbeat, the water rippling around them as if the lake itself knew to hush and hold its breath.

She moaned softly into his mouth as he deepened the kiss, hands running down her back, fingers digging slightly into the thin linen clinging to her soaked body. He pressed her against him, and the tension broke like a dam bursting.

They kissed under the trees, half-submerged in the lake, surrounded by fireflies and shadows. His mouth found the curve of her neck, her shoulder, and she clung to him, gasping softly.

They held each other for what felt like forever, letting the cool water veil their passion, the darkening forest their only witness.

In this secluded haven, with no one to judge or interrupt, their love bloomed quietly, defiantly, and with the fragile strength of something deeply, beautifully forbidden.