Page 76 of The Secret of the Dashing Detective
“Oh, no—” Juliana began, but his mother had held up her hand again.
“I insist,” she said. “Go on, now. I am sure that Lady Juliana’s family shall be waiting, and there might be a few things you need to discuss with her brother.”
Of that, there was no doubt.
* * *
It waswith a great amount of trepidation – and yet a great amount of joy – that Juliana and Matthew returned to Warwick House a short time later, after collecting Abigail on the way back.
Matthew was as stoic as ever, but Juliana could hardly contain the differing emotions within her.
“What do you think Giles will say?” she asked Matthew for what seemed to be the twentieth time since they had left his parents’ house. The ever-loyal James had been waiting, and for the first time since Juliana had met him, Matthew sat in the carriage with her. She had tried her very best to tempt him on the way over, but he had resisted – barely – telling her that if they started anything he was not sure they would be able to stop.
She figured that was a good enough reason, and it was made much easier once Abigail joined them.
Jameson answered the door with raised eyebrows as he took in the two of them.
“Lady Juliana. You have returned. And with Mr. Archibald.”
“Yes, Jameson,” she said, unable to worry about the butler being cross with her, although his mood was usually a good indication of her mother’s. “Where can we find Giles?”
“The family is partaking of their final dinner course,” Jameson replied.
Juliana’s heart sank. She should have realized the time. She would have much rather had this discussion with one family member at a time, although she supposed that perhaps having Emma and Prudence’s support would not hurt. And, if what Matthew told her was any indication, it seemed that her grandmother was in their favor as well.
She looked down at her dress which, while fine by Holborn standards, would certainly not pass her mother’s inspection for dinner. That was, of course, besides the fact that it was currently covered in a few splashes of food that had missed the apron while she was cooking. She lifted a hand to her hair, finding that as much of it had escaped its pins as was still hanging off her head.
But if her family was going to accept her marriage – and she certainly hoped they would – then they would have to accept her as she was.
She reached down and took Matthew’s hand.
“We shall wait in the drawing room until they are finished.”
Jameson lifted his eyebrows in a silent disapproval of her idea, but Juliana was not going to be discouraged. Did it truly matter if she was considered ruined now?
Matthew said nothing but gripped her hand tightly and followed her down. When they took a seat, she sighed and leaned into him, and he reached an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
“Do we have a plan?”
She closed her eyes and smiled at the fact that he was asking for her thoughts first.
“I suppose we shall explain all and then you will have to speak to Giles to ask for my hand.”
“He might not give it.”
“He might not,” Juliana acquiesced. “But I am a grown woman, and I give it to you regardless.”
She didn’t like the idea of running away without approval any more than she knew Matthew did, but she refused to stay and marry the next man her mother chose for her just because that was expected.
Juliana was near to falling asleep from the excitement of the day when the door of the drawing room was nudged open and she jolted up in her seat.
“Juliana!”
It was Emma who entered first, thank goodness. She rushed in and leaned down to embrace Juliana. “We were worried about you when you didn’t return before dinner.”
“Juliana,” Giles said from the doorway, where he stood with his arms folded over his chest. “I was about to send out a search party for you, to call on every armed man in London to find you, until our grandmother here gave me an inkling of where you were.”
His eyes flicked over to Matthew. “Archibald.”
