Page 1 of The Secret of the Dashing Detective
CHAPTER1
“You may call it a prison, but it is certainly the loveliest prison I have ever seen.”
Juliana couldn’t help but laugh at her dearest friend and now sister-in-law. Emma always found a way to see the light in most situations, no matter how dire they might be.
“I suppose I am being rather dramatic,” Juliana admitted, tapping her fingertips against the stone bench beneath her. “I am well aware that most people would give anything to be trapped in one of London’s finest mansions.”
“You are correct,” Emma said diplomatically as she dug a hole in the garden bed next to Juliana’s bench before pouring water into it from the pot at her side. “And yet, I understand that feeling trapped is feeling trapped, no matter what luxuries might surround you.”
Juliana sighed. “You do understand me as no one else does.”
Her sister, Prudence, snorted from the path she was walking on around the circular flower bed, close enough that she could remain part of the conversation. “I am right here, Jules.”
Juliana rolled her eyes good-naturedly with a smile for her elder sister.
“You know I love you as much as I love anyone, Pru, but we will never completely understand one another.”
“I suppose that is true.”
Juliana allowed her eyes to drift over the great expanse of gardens that composed the grounds surrounding Warwick House. It sat a few streets east of Berkley Square in the middle of London. At one point in time, it had been near the edge of the city, but was now ringed by houses, businesses and neighbourhoods. Yet it still felt like one could become lost in here, away from the crowds of most London streets.
It could also feel rather isolating.
“Giles is only trying to keep you safe, Juliana,” Emma said softly.
“I know,” Juliana replied. It was true – her brotherwastrying to keep her safe. Their family was clearly under threat. They had thought their father’s death over a year ago had been an isolated incident, even though the physician had told them he had likely been poisoned. It was widely assumed that Juliana’s brother had killed him due to the hatred between him and their father, but no one had yet legally questioned the new duke.
Just over a month ago, however, Juliana had been abducted as the kidnappers intended to draw out Giles, to kill him too – and the plan had nearly worked. Fortunately, Giles had only been grazed by the bullet.
“Here we thought we would be done with all of this after Mr. Archibald found the man that kidnapped you,” Prudence said, drawing Emma’s ire when she snapped a flower off a bush and began to pick the petals off one at a time. Juliana knew she would be chanting the “loves me not” rhyme, even though Prudence didn’t have potential suitors – nor, apparently, did she wish for any.
“We should have known it would be much more complicated than that,” Emma murmured as she gently picked up a small sapling and placed it in the hole before pushing dirt around it.
“I shall never understand why a duchess sits in the dirt and works with the plants herself,” Prudence said, her nose wrinkling as she watched Emma, who simply laughed at her.
“First, I only became a duchess two weeks ago, and I enjoyed such work long before that,” Emma said. “Secondly, there is nothing that fills my soul like sitting in the gardens or the orangery and working with plants. You should try it.”
“No, thank you,” Prudence said politely as she continued her slow stroll.
“Why, do you have too much else to do?” Juliana asked, raising an eyebrow, and Prudence eyed her with a withering glare.
“Who are you to be asking me such a thing?”
“I have much to do,” Juliana said indignantly, sitting up straight on the bench now. “My work is important.”
Prudence clasped her hands behind her back.
“I know it was important to you, Jules, but Giles will never allow you to go back.”
Juliana stared at her mutinously. “We shall see about that.”
“Perhaps once we have this threat negated,” Emma began diplomatically, but Juliana stopped her words with a wave of her hand.
“You are married to my brother now, Emma, which is wonderful and I am so happy we are now sisters and actually live together, but really, how would you like being kept under lock and key and told where you can go and who you can see?”
“You do not have to remain here,” Emma said, moving onto the next hole. “You are welcome to leave, which means that you are not a true prisoner.”
“I can leave, but only if I am accompanied by Mr. Archibald.”
