Chapter 2
Juliet
She’d expected him to be early. After all, she had been. So where had he got to? With every minute that passed she was beginning to feel less romantic about this escapade.
She’d had to dress herself for the prospective journey as not even her faithful maid, Betty, knew of her intentions.
Once Betty had departed, leaving her mistress safely tucked up in her bed for the night, or so she thought, Juliet had been unable to sleep.
Which was good, as one of her fears had been that she would oversleep and leave Rupert waiting outside for a girl who was never going to appear because she was snoring in her bed.
She need not have worried. Nerves and excitement had kept her wide awake and fidgeting.
So much so that very soon after Betty had said goodnight, she’d jumped out of bed and started dressing.
This had proved harder to accomplish by herself than she’d been expecting, especially with her stays and a gown, chosen for its appearance rather than its utility, that annoyingly fastened down the back.
Acrobatic contortions had been required and she was certain she didn’t look quite the ticket.
But never mind. It was dark, she also had a spencer on, and she felt certain Rupert, who loved her dearly, wouldn’t notice such a minor point.
She’d had more trouble with her hair, which was thick and luxuriant and had sadly refused to adhere to any of the lovely styles Betty was so good at creating.
So in the end she’d just put it into a bun on the back of her head, from which it was now escaping but was thankfully partially hidden by her bonnet.
For the twentieth time, she smoothed down her skirts and peered out into what had at first been impenetrable darkness.
After twenty-five minutes outside, she now could see the shape of the woodland on the far side of the Haha.
Could that be Rupert now, dashing from behind the old cedar tree?
Why was he coming that way? She strained her eyes to see.
A cry of surprised shock rent the air, and the shadowy figure she’d taken to be Rupert vanished from view. He’d clearly fallen into the Haha.
She waited and was rewarded by the vision of him climbing out and over the walled side of it. He stood up straight, brushed himself down a bit, then glanced around and started toward the terrace. He probably couldn’t see her where she was standing in the shadows of the house.
Heaving up her portmanteau, in which she’d packed all her favorite belongings which she didn’t think she could do without, she hurried toward him.
“Rupert?” Her whisper carried through the silence of the night and she sent a nervous glance over her shoulder.
No one could know that she and Viscount Stapleton were eloping together, for if her horrid oldest brother found out, he would surely come outside waving his pistols and possibly shoot Rupert.
The fact that Theo had downright forbidden her to ever see Rupert again after what had happened at her birthday ball might have been the reason for that.
Her partner in crime ran into her arms and she dropped her portmanteau in order to return his embrace. Their lips met and, for an inordinately long time, neither resurfaced.
Eventually, however, they had to. Juliet’s lips were tingling from the ferocity of Rupert’s kisses.
Of course, this wasn’t the first time they’d kissed, as during the fateful ball she’d managed to sneak off to the summerhouse and meet Rupert, who had been expressly not invited.
She shivered at the thought of that first, longed-for kiss.
A delightful hot feeling cascaded through her body.
Very soon they’d be man and wife and nobody would be able to undo it.
That would teach her mean brother and Rupert’s awful mother.
And all their other interfering brothers and sisters.
Hers were particularly bad, because she had the misfortune to have four of them, all male and all older than her, and all absolutely convinced that their sole mission in life was to stand guard over their little sister.
Even George, the youngest of them, who was up at Oxford and whom she’d thought might have some sympathy for her.
She clung onto Rupert as though she never wanted to let him go, which was just how she felt. And he hung onto her.
“I’m sorry I was late.” He kept his voice as low as possible, but she still glanced back toward the dark windows of the Hall and reached up to put a finger to his lips. He kissed her finger and she giggled.
“I thought you might have decided not to come,” she whispered. “And then I saw you.”
He released his hold on her. “Of course I was coming, you goose. Give me your bag. Oh, good heavens. It’s heavy. What on earth have you brought with you?”
She gave him a little admonitory frown which he most likely couldn’t see. “Just the sort of things a girl can’t do without. That’s all.”
He shouldered the bag with a Herculean effort and took her hand. “Quick. Show me the way back around that infernal Haha. I really don’t want to fall into it again. It’s full of mud.”
She’d already planned her route and led him on tiptoe around the house, avoiding all the giveaway gravel, and thus through a gate out onto the open parkland. A few minutes walking brought them to the wood, and her young lover led the way into it.