Jackal (Regency Refuge 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

it matters at all. Curiosity often leads me down odd little paths."
    Guilt flashed across the girl's face before she stared down at the hands resting in her lap.
    Rupert waited until Eudora lifted her eyes to him again. "I might be able to see you, but I haven't figured out yet whether or not you have a hooked nose." Then she stood and gave him a polite, "Good day," before exiting the room.
    After wiping his mouth, Rupert set his napkin next to his plate. He sat for a moment, staring at the creases in the cloth, before he rose to seek out Mr. and Mrs. Pembroke for a word.
     

Chapter Six
     
    Rupert saw to his errands in town and happily secluded himself in the study upon his return to the castle. He knew Juliana would seek him out once she was ready to speak to him. Sending for her wouldn't serve any purpose, so he took the time to make sure the ledgers were in order. At one point, Castle Felton had lacked a steward, and that period of neglect had done nothing to help the accounts or nearby village. If he was going to leave this land, whether for a season or permanently, he wanted to leave everything in order so the new steward Thomas hired would find whatever information he needed with all due haste.
    Lost in thought, he didn't hear the knock at his door a short time later. It wasn't until Juliana cleared her throat that his attention was drawn from the ledgers. Pleasure warmed him at the sight of her. Though pulled up in a chignon, her russet hair didn't seem to relish the captivity. Cascading ringlets gave her a youthful look, while her grey eyes held mystery.
    "Ah, please do come in."
    Juliana stepped across the threshold and sat in a chair opposite the desk. Rupert had intended to sit with her near the fire but decided to let her have her way.
    He watched as she situated her skirts. She hesitated before meeting his gaze, and he saw wariness and would have wagered the excessive fussing with her apparel had been her attempt to get her emotions under control. Her eyes which had before made him think of a cloudy sky now metamorphosed into steel as she watched him, forcing him to be the first to speak.
    "I have a question," he finally said.
    "I have several of my own, but pray tell, do go first."
    "Do you and your sisters share the same parents?"
    She stiffened, but the question begged asking.
    "My mother passed away when I was but a child. Father remarried, and eventually our family grew by two more."
    Rupert stroked his chin. "Were you and your step-mother close?"
    Juliana's features softened, and a faraway look came into her eyes. "She was good to me."
    "I wasn't aware of any Clairmonts in the family tree. Are the girls related to Uncle Fitz through their mother?"
    She nodded. "I was no relation to Uncle Fitz, but he allowed me to stay on with my sisters. He was kindness itself."
    "Is it because you weren't a blood relative that he never sponsored a season for you?"
    Juliana's eyes widened, and her mouth snapped closed long enough to make it clear he'd offended her. At last she spoke, her tone haughty. "Of course he offered me a season. Eudora, however, was still having nightmares, and Eleanor clung to me during her every waking moment. I couldn't leave them. They were my family, and I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I'd abandoned them."
    "You may have found a husband who would have let you bring the girls into your new home."
    An eyebrow arched high on her forehead. "Are you so far removed from the ton that you think such things are normal?"
    She was prickly, and Rupert was positive her rough exterior housed a loyal and loving heart. Juliana, however, didn't seem to trust him enough to let him in on the secret of what she was protecting her sisters from at the moment. "So you gave up your dreams of marriage and a family of your own to care for your sisters and to see them brought up well."
    A delicate smile danced across her features. "Indeed, I have a family of my own. They arrived with me in a carriage