“Indeed,” she paused for a moment to take stock. “It has allowed us to reflect, to perhaps understand one another in ways we hadn’t anticipated. It is humbling. Please know I never meant to hurt you or Duncan. I was so certain I was protecting you.”
Ewan listened, understanding and regretting his actions. “I never doubted your intentions. I was determined to make everyone do things my way without thinking whether it was correct or not.” He gave her a sideways glance. “Duncan has a way of making me see the truth of things. You and I, we both have learned.”
“And, here we are.” Juliet nodded, her hands clasped in her lap.
“Yes, here we are,” he echoed. “And I believe we’re the stronger for it. We married in haste to help each other as well as ourselves,” Ewan continued. “Now, I find myself curious about the woman you are beyond the obligations.”
Juliet considered his words and longed for the warmth of his voice. Perhaps it was too soon to hope for that. “And I wish to know the man behind the Marquess.” She turned in her seat toface him squarely. “Do you think we can build a friendship, a foundation for a good future together?”
Ewan’s hand hovered near hers, a silent offer of companionship. “Take my hand, and as friends who share a name and a home, we will find our way.” He paused, waiting for her reaction. She didn’t move. “Together, Lady Glenraven, we can conquer anything.”
A shadow crossed his face, and his voice dropped to a whisper. “There’s something I haven’t shared. In Paris, I was tasked with a duty I failed to fulfill and cost a person their life. It’s a mistake that haunts me, one that I will not repeat. The memory of that failure drives me to keep control over everything around me, to ensure I never make the same mistake again.”
Juliet’s eyes softened, understanding the depth of his confession. “We all carry burdens, Ewan. What matters is how we move forward.”
Lady Glenraven, he called her, not Juliet or even Starling. She found it curious that she fought the idea of marrying without affection, yet here she was. Fate had played a dirty trick on her. She married someone whom she had great affection for, but by her own doing, it is no longer reciprocated. However, she swallowed around the hot knot in her throat. Juliet placed her hand in his.
Chapter Thirty-Two
They sat quietlyon the bench, each in their own thoughts. The gentle breeze and the warmth of his hand gave her hope.
She focused on the garden and the land on the other side of the far wall. “It all looks the same.”
“What does?” Ewan followed her gaze.
“The Fairmont land on the other side of your garden wall. Monster Mound isn’t far.”
“Monster Mount? You’ll have to explain.”
“My brother and I visited the Fairmont property when we were younger. Father forbade us from coming here. We were not to intrude on the Auringtons.”
“Shall we walk? You can get a closer look at your Monster Mount.” He rose and held out his hand.
She gave him her hand, and they walked through the garden.
“Of course, the two of you came here anyway,” he said as he led her under the wisteria arches.
“Of course. Forbidden fruit is always the sweetest kind.” She couldn’t keep the smile out of her voice. They walked around the small pond.
“We reasoned by renaming the property Monster Mound, and we were not disobeying Father.”
He chuckled, and the strain between them seemed to ease.
“We explored the land and groves of trees, pretending we were the first ones to ever set foot on it. And, of course, we climbed the base of the mound.”
“Monster Mound,” he interjected.
“Are you laughing at me?” she teased.
“Oh, no. Simply enjoying your story.”
“As I was saying, we climbed up the mound and found an ancient oak tree with gnarled roots twisted through the earth. Its branches stretched out like the arms of an old friend. It became the keeper of our secrets and the silent witness to our games. Bradley found a deep crevice in its bark, a hidden hollow where we hid things.” She peeked over the modest stone wall at the field beyond and then turned to Ewan. “I hadn’t thought about the mound until I read Bradley’s diary and found his mention of Monster Mound and the old tree amid his ramblings.”
“Ramblings? Did you find anything else of interest?”
Her heart pounded. She had assumed Duncan told him what they found. Glancing at his beautiful, penetrating gray eyes, she didn’t know if she was going to laugh or cry. Duncan had kept her confidence.
“Yes, a great deal…about his card games. It had the aliases he had given the players and the places where their games were held.”
