A Rogue in the Making (Forever Yours #11)- Stacy Reid Page 0,4

sky a perfect reflection of her mood. Her throat burned, and her eyes ached intolerably. It was very tempting to give in to all the raw, chaotic feelings and cry. “I will not allow them to steal my choices,” she whispered fiercely. “But what to do?”

Her mother had allowed the viscount to take over administering Juliana’s monthly allowance, and he had withheld it for the last three months. Her mother acted frail and flustered when Juliana and the viscount had argued. Her stepfather had accused her of being far too independent with her spending, and her mother had actually apologized on her daughter’s behalf.

Juliana blew out a sharp breath. How it infuriated her that someone she had given her trust to had placed her in this awful predicament. Only a few months ago, she’d thought her mother’s new husband was someone to hold in high esteem and had given him her respect. How short-sighted that had been. He had appeared such a nice man who treated her mother so well. The idea that her fortune would not remain in his family had been too big a temptation for him to resist. At first, his son had been fairly charming. He had done his best to court her, but the more she had spent time with Matthew Chevers, the more she found she disliked him.

With a sigh, Juliana glanced back at the townhouse. She had heard the rumors that labeled the young earl an eccentric, albeit a brilliant one. He’d completed his University studies at the age of seventeen, a feat that was very unusual in English society. Her brother had called him a good friend and seemed to ardently admire the earl.

Perhaps he, too, would have alerted her stepfather. Juliana’s presence might well have been a nuisance, a distraction from his precious books. “What do I do?” she whispered, her throat aching.

Juliana walked away, with no direction in mind. She had little money, and the people known to her in Town were more acquaintances than genuine friends. “What I need is to hide in plain sight.”

Preferably away from London and Derbyshire.

Sussex maybe.

Juliana froze, her thoughts furiously churning. Could she find a way to infiltrate the Earl of Rawlings’s household and plead her case? Perhaps assess his character before she told him of her plight. The earl needed a valet most urgently. How hard would it be to transform herself into a gentleman? If she acted fast, possibly she could pawn the necklace she wore, it had two strings of natural pearls and a ruby clasp. It would fetch her at least two hundred pounds. With that money she could find safe lodgings in a hotel after making some necessary purchases. In fact, she could travel about for the next two months until she was of age with that amount. But, even if she were to disguise herself as a man, such an undertaking would be too dangerous, far more so than the alternative.

She lifted a hand to her hair, a bite of regret curling through her. The most tremendous loss would be of her heavy dark tresses. Unless it could be tamed, and a wig fitted. Hope and excitement unfurled through Juliana, and she quickened her pace, intending to visit High Holborn and search for a reputable pawn store.

Her form had always been petite, her lady’s charms almost nonexistent. Her mother had often gently reassured Juliana she was simply a late bloomer. But a couple of years ago, she had accepted her body was not the type to bloom. Once in trousers and the full ensemble of men’s clothes, it should be easy to pretend to be a man and a worker in an Earl’s home.

Valets did not wear the house livery but dressed as a gentleman. She wouldn’t be an ordinary servant, reporting to the butler or the housekeeper, Juliana would be answerable only to the earl. And if his nose were continually in a book, that would be perfect! Considering the delicate nature of womanhood, there should be enough privacy for her ruse to be successful, since in the domestic quarters she would have a room of her own.

Juliana clearly recalled her stepfather manservant’s duties—his most important occupation had been to ensure his master appeared to the best advantage. She had always been reasonably independent and so could iron and repair her own clothes if necessary. On occasion, she had even polished her own boots. Though that was only to cover up her unchaperoned escapades into the woods