Chapter 5 #2
“I hope you don’t think Jeremy had anything to do with the moral failing of his friend.
Johnathan Skeffington was always a man who drank too much, and Jeremy made sure I was never left alone with him.
In fact, he sent me away to stay with our cousins not long after Mr. Skeffington arrived.
But you can be sure that Jeremy had nothing to do with what happened to this servant girl.
He would never participate in something so wrong. ”
“Well, I should hope not.” I mumbled the words, more or less, to myself.
“Indeed, I did not have anything to do with it.” Mr. Beaumont was suddenly behind me. “I did discover that he was trifling with one of the servants, but I did not know it had gone so far, and I sent him home as soon as it was discovered.”
He had changed into traveling clothes.
“Where are you going?” Juliet asked him.
“To Kent to force Skeffington to do the right thing.” His lips were pressed together in a straight line as he tugged on his riding gloves.
“But that is more than forty miles away,” Juliet cried.
“It must be done. I will not allow a guest of mine to misuse those who are under my protection. And I am on my way to ask Robert and Marianne to come and stay with you while I am gone.”
“Is it really necessary to bother our cousins?” Juliet scrunched her face.
“It is.” He turned to me. “I must thank you, Miss Moore, for pointing out this injury to one of the servants, which might have been successfully hidden by Mrs. Smith. I never would have known. I’m glad to be able to address it, and I have you to thank.”
His expression was extremely sober and a bit sour.
The thought that he was inwardly squirming because he had to thank me lifted my spirits considerably.
His eyes met Juliet’s, and his expression softened.
“Godspeed,” Juliet said, “and take care.”
“Listen to Robert and Marianne, and don’t get into trouble.”
“I shall try!” Juliet smiled cheerfully as he turned and strode from the house.
Jeremy fetched his horse and rode to the Lynches’ house. Just as he was leaving there, having secured their promise to watch over Juliet and her friend, he spotted his friend Timothy Shelley walking down the street at the same moment that he looked up and saw Jeremy.
“Shelley, good to see you.”
“Beaumont, old chum.” Shelley eyed his full saddlebags. “Where are you off to?”
Jeremy told him about his urgent errand to Kent.
“I could come with you,” Shelley said. “You might need some company on such an errand, and I could help, since I know Skeffington. It would only take me a few minutes to be ready.”
There was certainly no better fellow than Shelley, but . . . “I hate to take you away from London. It won’t be a pleasant visit to Skeffington, I imagine.”
“Nonsense. I’m glad to do it. It will give me a respite from so many parties.”
It was soon settled, and the two were off, riding toward Kent.
Since he knew Timothy Shelley so well, and the man was so good-hearted, he actually told him of his worries about Juliet being preyed upon by unworthy suitors.
“I am glad to take responsibility for her, now that our parents are gone,” he said, miles down the road as they were watering their horses, “but there are so many mercenary types. I wish that she could find a good fellow and marry. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about her.”
“I wouldn’t mind finding a wife.” Shelley looked thoughtful as he stared out across the open field beside the stream where the horses were drinking.
“I don’t understand these men who only wish to make conquests and never settle down until they’re old enough to be a grandfather.
But there are many young ladies in London, and it is difficult to sort out who would make the best wife. ”
Jeremy had never heard any gentlemen of his acquaintance speak so.
Most said things like, “I’ll dodge marriage as long as I can.
” And when they did marry, they wanted the lady who would bring with her the largest fortune, the highest connections, and the prettiest face.
They never spoke of who would make the best wife, though that seemed the wisest thing to search for, and it was what Jeremy wanted as well.
“Juliet is too trusting,” Jeremy said. “She makes friends too easily, and those friends only want to use her for their own gain.” He told Shelley about Miss Scofield.
“That must have been uncomfortable for you.”
“I will say I didn’t handle it well. I was furious that Juliet’s friend would betray her, that she was forced to discover that her friend was only using her. But she never seemed to blame me or get too distraught.” Jeremy blew out a breath and ran his hand through his hair.
He thought better of telling his friend about Juliet’s newest friend, Miss Amelia Moore.
He was still waiting and expecting Miss Moore to misstep and show herself for the mercenary she really was, but Shelley would surely think him ungentlemanly to criticize her when he as yet had no proof of her bad character.
Besides, it would be difficult to describe her to Shelley without mentioning how annoyingly pretty she was.
But they were speaking of Juliet.
“It’s a cruel world, and I’d feel better if my sister was married to a good man.”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he remembered Shelley saying that he would like to be married.
Perhaps there was a way . . . But he would not try to deceive his friend.
No, he would be very straightforward and clear; no man liked feeling duped.
But if he could see Juliet married to Shelley, a gentleman who would love and care for her, he’d be able to stop spending so much of his time worrying about her.
Shelley looked very thoughtful.
“If you would like to be introduced to her . . .”
“Miss Juliet and I have met,” Shelley said. “In fact, I’d been hoping to see her at a ball or dinner party while I was in London.”
“I’m happy to arrange it.”
How very fortunate he had run into Shelley today.