Chapter 24 #2
Juliet gazed into my eyes. “I am sorry. I am sure they were glad to see you, more than you think.”
“Perhaps, but I am happy to be here with you now. So, if Jeremy was here two nights ago, then he knows I was arriving today?”
“I told him, and he read your last letter to him.”
We started talking about what had prompted Juliet to make the decision to postpone her wedding to Mr. Shelley.
“Tell me exactly what Miss Snowden said to you.” I remembered how cold she had been to me, but how friendly she’d been with Juliet.
“Well, she said she was sorry to tell me, but she had heard more than one person talking about how I’d been alone with that man in his carriage late at night. One of them said I was with him all night and came home the next morning after dawn.”
“That is not true.”
“I told her it wasn’t true.”
“Do you think she may have made it up?”
“Why would Miss Snowden do that?”
“I don’t know of any motive for her doing that,” I said. “I believe she may have been hoping to marry Mr. Beaumont, but—”
“You may call him Jeremy,” Juliet said with a grin. “You are engaged, you know.”
“Very well. Jeremy. But I can’t think what she hoped to gain from pretending that people were gossiping about you when they weren’t.”
We were both silent as I thought about how I could discover the truth. “I know what we should do,” I said. “We should call on Mrs. Kendall and ask her. She hears more gossip than either you or I. That is, if you think we can trust her not to talk to anyone about it.”
“It’s worth the risk, I think,” Juliet said, “as I do think your aunt would be unlikely to spread anything about me.”
So the second day I was in London, we went to call on Mrs. Kendall.
“My dears!” she cried when we arrived. “You are both looking very pretty. And pray tell, what is the date of your future weddings?”
I thought I noticed a bit of apprehension on her face when she asked that question.
“Mr. Beaumont and I have not set a date yet,” I said.
“And Mr. Shelley and I will be married very soon,” Juliet said with a rather fake smile.
We sat and Mrs. Kendall began to talk of balls and engagements she had heard about. Tea things were brought, and while we waited for Mrs. Kendall to serve the tea, I began as Juliet and I had agreed.
“Aunt Kendall,” I said, “have you been hearing any ridiculous rumors about Juliet? I only ask because Miss Snowden, who we all know as a genteel and respectable young lady, came to Juliet a few days ago and said that there were rumors spreading, rumors about Juliet and—”
“And Mr. Fairweather.” Mrs. Kendall’s cheerful smile was gone and her forehead creased. “Yes, I have heard them as well. I told the gossips that they were not true and not to spread such lies about a dear, sweet girl like Juliet Beaumont.”
“Who told you?” I asked.
“Mrs. Roberts wrote to me, and also, Mrs. Sugarbaker whispered it to me at last night’s ball given by Lady Swinburne.”
“Do you happen to know from whom they heard it?”
“I don’t, but . . . let me see, I have Mrs. Roberts’s letter over here.
” Mrs. Kendall fetched the letter from a drawer and put on her spectacles to read it.
“Yes, here it is. She writes that she heard it from a Mrs. Churchill, and Mrs. Churchill heard it from a lady who lives in Mr. Fairweather’s parish. ”
“It seems the gossip is likely coming from Mr. Fairweather,” I said.
“Did you say he lives in Shropshire?” Mrs. Kendall asked.
“Yes.”
“Mrs. Roberts also lives in Shropshire.”
“I believe that is where Jeremy is.” Juliet looked at me.
“What is he doing there?” Mrs. Kendall asked.
I suddenly wondered if we were doing the right thing in speaking to Mrs. Kendall about this. Could she keep a secret?
“Aunt, please do not tell another soul anything we’ve said to you about any of this,” I said.
“Oh, no, I listen to a lot of gossip, but I will not speak a word about any of this. Miss Beaumont’s reputation is at stake, and I know that good Mr. Jeremy Beaumont is doing his utmost to keep this quiet. No doubt he will succeed. I will not breathe a word of it, you have my word.”
“Yes, Mr. Beaumont is doing his best,” I said. “He is trying to put a stop to this vicious gossip about his sister. He will find Mr. Fairweather and confront him, and he will impress upon him in whatever ways necessary to stop telling lies about our dear Juliet.”
“Oh, yes. I have no doubt in Mr. Beaumont, no doubt at all that he can and will do as he intends. Never you worry, Miss Beaumont. You have an excellent brother, and he will do it. He will.”
“Thank you,” Juliet said.
“And how are Mr. Kendall and Algernon? In good health, I trust?”
“Oh, yes, very well.”
Mrs. Kendall regaled us with Mr. Kendall’s faithful service in Parliament, as well as Algernon’s sturdy constitution and how he was never sick or in ill health. We sipped our tea and ate cake and tarts, sipped a second cup of tea, then bid Mrs. Kendall farewell.
“And don’t you worry. I am mum about the gossip, and if anyone else says anything, anything at all about Miss Juliet, I will tell them that it is untrue and that Christian ladies do not spread lies about good people.”
“Thank you very much, Aunt. You are very good.”
“If you do hear anything else,” Juliet said, looking a bit pale, “you will tell us about it, will you?”
“Of course, my dear, of course. You have a friend in me, I assure you. And you shall be happily married to your Mr. Shelley in no time, dear, in no time.”
“Thank you.”
I was relieved to see how sincere my aunt seemed, and I believed, since I was engaged to Jeremy and it was our family’s reputation at stake, she really would keep her word.