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“Of course not!” Julie cried in irritation as she shot off the bed. “I would have confronted you sooner about it if I did.”
“What did he do?”
“What?”
“What the devil did he do while he was on my estate?”
Julie cleared her throat lightly. “Nothing happened. The dowager came in just in time.”
“Just in time to what?”
“He—uh, he—” she raised her eyes timidly to his. “He tried to seduce me,” she finished lamely.
“Did he succeed?”
Julie’s head shot up at that. She stared at him, her mouth agape. “Are you seriously asking me that?”
“Well, you seemed pleasant enough when you talked to him today. You are calling him Eric—”
“How dare you?” his wife’s quiet growl interrupted him. “How dare you accuse me of that when you were the one out in London visiting your mistress!”
“My ex-mistress, and I think we covered that already.”
“Yes, and I believe you!” Julie cried in irritation as she shot off the bed. “And yet you seem to think that I would be seduced by your cousin. Under your own roof, with Mary and the dowager sleeping in the next room. Is that really what you think of me?”
Robert just looked at her in silence.
Julie sniffed lightly. “It is what you think of me.” She shook her head and closed her eyes. “I was trying not to create even more scandal than we already were by fighting with him at the ball, I didn’t want to ruin Mary’s night, but you know what?” She opened her eyes and looked at him with pure anger in her eyes, and something else, something akin to hurt. “I’ll tell you exactly what your cousin did.” She made a step toward him, “He kissed me,” step, “forcibly,” another step, Robert flinched and stepped back, “and he wanted more.” She stopped almost toe-to-toe with him. “He pushed me down and raised my skirts—” her voice was breaking, and her eyes glinted with tears.
“Julie.” Robert’s voice was hoarse. He didn’t know where he found the strength to even speak. His insides were quivering with rage and self-hatred and pain. He reached for her, but she twisted away from his touch.
“No,” she said, tears now running down her one cheek. “No, if it wasn’t for the dowager, I wouldn’t be able to stop him.” She was wiping her tears away from her face. “And all the while you were in London, doing God knows what—”
Robert couldn’t take it anymore; he reached her in one long stride, grabbed her by the arms, and drew her flush with his body, hugging her close. “Hush,” he whispered, “don’t cry, my sweet, please don’t.”
“You should have been with us.” She was sobbing into his shirt, and his heart was breaking with her every sound. How could he have suspected that she fell for Eric’s charm? He knew the answer, the unreasonable jealousy based on his unfortunate past experience.
“I’m sorry,” he crooned against her hair as she sobbed, “I’m so sorry, I am an idiot. Please forgive me.”
All the words stopped for a while as she cried. He took her into his arms and placed her gingerly on the bed. She wiped her tears and regarded him with a wary gaze.
“Julie—”
“Tell me what happened between you and Eric truthfully,” she whispered almost inaudibly.
Robert closed his eyes briefly, remembering the night before his wedding when he left his bachelor party because he was too eager to see his lovely bride.
“He seduced my fiancée,” he finally said. “I found them in bed together the night before our wedding, but I assume it wasn’t their first interlude.”
Julie frowned for a moment before nodding slightly.
“I need to rest, Robert,” she finally whispered, dismissing him.
“Julie—”
“Please,” she didn’t look at him as she pleaded for him to leave.
Robert nodded, placed a kiss on her forehead, and left the room. He closed the door and leaned against it. That was well done, idiot.
