Duke Looks Like a Groomsman - Valerie Bowman Page 0,49

happy. What if she was telling the truth and the story in the Times had simply confused the issue?

He stopped pitching and stood staring unseeing at the stall door, his breaths exhaling in deep bursts. What if he was the biggest horse’s arse to ever take a breath?

Chapter Twenty-One

Julianna made her way over to the window and pulled back the curtain enough to pick out the stables across the meadow. She and Mary had just finished lunch with their mother and had been bidden to rest. Julianna had no more interest in doing so than usual.

Rhys had told her that Lord Murdock was coming. Had Rhys merely been trying to provoke her, or was it true? And if it was true, why was that the first she’d heard of it?

But Murdock’s visit wasn’t what had truly alarmed her. For some reason, the possibility of his attempt to move up the wedding date had nearly sent her into a panic. She’d written a letter to Papa, asking if it were true.

Meanwhile, her mother had confirmed that Murdock did, indeed, intend to arrive in the morning.

“I thought you knew, dear,” was all Mama had said in response to Julianna’s questioning. “Your father wrote and told me.”

But Julianna hadn’t known, and it irked her that her father or Murdock wouldn’t think to tell her such a thing. It seemed like a common courtesy.

Julianna traced the cool windowpane with her fingertip. It was difficult to think of Murdock when Rhys was so near. Rhys had surprised her again today. Perhaps as much as her sister had. He’d been patient, kind, and caring while teaching Mary to ride. He’d gone out of his way to ensure Mary was comfortable and he’d been willing to stop the lesson each time she appeared overwhelmed. Julianna’s heart had been in her throat watching them together in the paddock.

Rhys had taken her barbs quite in stride, actually. Apparently, nothing ruffled the man. Julianna had been counting on the fact that he was a pampered, privileged duke who was used to being waited on, not waiting upon. Surely, doing a hard day’s work and being critiqued at it would cause such a man to become frustrated and ill-tempered. Instead he appeared to have endless patience with both Mary and the horse. Surprising indeed.

Sighing, Julianna crossed her arms over her chest and contemplated the entire complicated affair for a moment. Perhaps she’d been thinking about this all wrong. Perhaps he hadn’t left and tossed her over on a whim. Perhaps the ladies’ gossip on the tour was true and Rhys was deep in debt. Perhaps he had wanted to be responsible, and hadn’t wanted to bring a wife into that situation. Perhaps he was a hard worker and a kind man who merely wanted to help her sister learn to ride and win his bet to put his outrageous gambling debts to right. Perhaps he had truly loved her, and it had hurt him when he’d seen that story in the Times, making him believe that she’d never cared a whit about him. Perhaps the past was in the past and she no longer needed petty revenge.

Julianna rushed over to her wardrobe to find a riding habit. She had to get to the stables and talk to Rhys.

Less than an hour later, Julianna made her way to the stables with tentative steps. A riot of emotions ran through her and she was still mentally jumping from thought to thought in a matter of seconds. For the first time in an age, she felt as if the sadness and anger that constantly plagued her whenever she thought of Rhys Sheffield had lifted.

Apparently, Rhys was destitute. No doubt that was why he hadn’t wanted to offer for her. He’d said something about doing her a favor. That could easily have been what he meant. And if that were true, she could see how he had truly felt as if he was doing her a favor by leaving and not returning. It would have been kinder, of course, to tell her the truth. But men like Rhys were proud. She tried to imagine her own dignified father having to admit to gambling away his fortune. The thought made tears spring to her eyes.

If Rhys had left to allow her the space to move on, however, he should have been resigned to seeing her engagement announcement in the paper. Only it hadn’t just been her engagement announcement. No. It had included a bit of nonsense