Simone dropped her arms to her sides. “We are not a family, and we will never be,” she asserted. “How did you trick my father? At least, I am assuming that is what you did.”
“That was the easiest part. Your father was lonely, and I was more than happy to fill that void. Men are so predictable, so weak,” Juliette said.
“You are tricking him, then?” Simone asked. “Pretending to be someone you are not.”
Juliette’s eyes held amusement. “You are much smarter than I gave you credit for,” she said. “Now if you will excuse me, I have a lot to unpack.”
“I wouldn’t get too comfortable,” Simone stated.
A smug smile came to Juliette’s lips. “You would be wise to stay out of my way,” she warned. “I hold all the power here.”
“Not from where I am standing.”
“Then you would be wrong,” Juliette said. “Whether you like it or not, I am a part of your life for now.”
“I won’t accept that,” Simone remarked.
Juliette closed the distance between them. “Then do it for Mr. Bolingbroke. After all, I wonder what thetonwould say if it was discovered that he was working as a spy. It is a rather dishonorable position for a man of his standing, is it not?”
“You are threatening me now?”
“I am, and I know you will do the right thing,” Juliette said. “After all, I can see the way you look at Mr. Bolingbroke. You care for him.”
“Yes, I do, but not in the way you are referring.”
“Then you are lying to yourself.”
Simone held Juliette’s gaze. “You won’t get away with this.”
Juliette held her hands out wide. “I already have,” she declared. “And no one can stop me, or my brother.”
“I will stop you.”
Juliette’s eyes grew hard. “Don’t make promises that you can’t keep. Just stay out of my way and no one will get hurt.” She walked over to the door and opened it. “Good day. I shall see you at dinner where I will expect you to behave.”
Simone was fuming but she knew that nothing could be done about this, at least right now. After she walked out of the door, with her head held high, Juliette closed the door behind her.
She needed to see Caleb and she didn’t dare to meet with him here. They needed to be able to speak freely.
Once she entered her bedchamber, she saw Felicity organizing the dressing table.
Felicity looked up and asked, “How did it go?”
“Miss Laurent is one of the French spies I was tracking, as is her brother,” Simone revealed.
Felicity’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, what are they doing here then?”
“Apparently, Miss Laurent is deceiving my father into believing she is something that she is not.” Simone walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out her men’s clothing from a drawer. “I need to speak to Caleb at once.”
“You are going out dressed as a gentleman?” Felicity asked.
“I can’t very well call upon him,” Simone replied. “This is the only way I can speak to him without causing a scandal.”
“It would be a scandal if you were caught in men’s clothing,” Felicity pointed out.
“That is why I won’t get caught,” Simone responded.
Felicity approached her and started to help her getundressed. “I think this plan is foolhardy. You should think on it some more.”
