returned home. For once Juliet used forethought. She checked her forward movement and stopped to observe the crowd. R.J. Hopkins was nowhere to be seen.
CHAPTER FIVE
The fates had spoken, Juliet was sure of it. Eagerly, she approached the girl. "How delightful to find you here, Miss Hopkins."
The girl looked startled and a little uneasy. Her gaze surveyed the area nervously as she replied politely, "Miss Fenster, how kind of you to remember me."
"How could I forget you? You were so very kind to introduce me to your brother." A slight blush appeared upon the girl's cheek, but Juliet ignored the sign that her words had been unwelcome. "Let me return the favor and introduce you to my sisters. Rosaline and Helena, this is Miss Hopkins. She is visiting from America."
"Hello." Miss Hopkins's naturally outgoing nature took over at that point as she glanced at the girls briefly and then returned her gaze to them more fully. "My, you are remarkably alike. Are you twins?"
"Yes, we are," they replied in unison.
Her gaze traveling from one to the other of the pair, the American said in a tone of wonder, "I don't believe I have ever met twins who resembled each other so greatly before."
Rosaline answered dryly, "We may have similar looks, but our natures are very different."
Miss Hopkins took a step closer to them, obviously forgetting any warning she might have had from her brother. "How fascinating."
Juliet, rejoicing that the ice was now broken and Miss Hopkins was as open as she had been when they first met, said, "We have two sets of twins in our family."
"Indeed?"
She nodded. "Yes, the duchess and my brother Valentine are twins as well. But they do not look at all alike, to the relief of our family."
Their laughter was cut short by a curtly snarled "Susannah!" The voice, with its harshly unpleasant accent, was familiar.
Juliet turned to face Mr. Hopkins. "How nice to see you again, Mr. Hopkins," she lied with as much gaiety as she could manage. "I was just explaining to your sister that my family boasts two sets of twins. May I introduce my younger sisters, Rosaline and Helena Fenster."
"Miss Fenster." He nodded politely at her sisters, but his glance came back to her and held, focused for a pointed moment on her buttons once again. She had an urge to apologize for the carved ivory elephants. She quelled it. It was no business of his if she chose to use a few pretty buttons to decorate an otherwise plain outfit. Only a man without a heart or soul would concern himself with whether a button actually has a useful purpose.
"I am delighted to see you," he said, although his expression did not match his rather wooden words. There was a fury burning in his eyes that she very much feared she had caused.
With a quick glance of warning to his sister, he grasped Juliet by the elbow and said, "I have a sculpture that I believe you would enjoy viewing." He nodded to the openmouthed girls and said, "Excuse us just a moment, please."
Juliet thought briefly of refusing to follow him. The grip on her arm did not allow her the option, however.
Juliet found herself in front of a realistic but otherwise rather unremarkable carving of a tiger before she could formulate an objection. "Really, Mr. Hopkins, I do not see this as being worthy of your dragging me across the floor like this."
"Miss Fenster, I remember from our last meeting that you do not mince your words, so I will not mince mine."
She was caught by his eyes, which shared the same cold ferocity as those of the carving by which they stood. Juliet could see that she would not like to hear whatever it was he felt compelled to say. She attempted to disarm him with a smile. "Why Mr. Hopkins, I — "
He leaned in toward her slightly, exhibiting, as he moved, a menacing grace that quite took her breath away. "I do not wish for you to make a friend of my sister."
"Surely — "
He did not wait for her to finish her thought before he growled, "I do not wish for you to speak to
CHAPTER FIVE
The fates had spoken, Juliet was sure of it. Eagerly, she approached the girl. "How delightful to find you here, Miss Hopkins."
The girl looked startled and a little uneasy. Her gaze surveyed the area nervously as she replied politely, "Miss Fenster, how kind of you to remember me."
"How could I forget you? You were so very kind to introduce me to your brother." A slight blush appeared upon the girl's cheek, but Juliet ignored the sign that her words had been unwelcome. "Let me return the favor and introduce you to my sisters. Rosaline and Helena, this is Miss Hopkins. She is visiting from America."
"Hello." Miss Hopkins's naturally outgoing nature took over at that point as she glanced at the girls briefly and then returned her gaze to them more fully. "My, you are remarkably alike. Are you twins?"
"Yes, we are," they replied in unison.
Her gaze traveling from one to the other of the pair, the American said in a tone of wonder, "I don't believe I have ever met twins who resembled each other so greatly before."
Rosaline answered dryly, "We may have similar looks, but our natures are very different."
Miss Hopkins took a step closer to them, obviously forgetting any warning she might have had from her brother. "How fascinating."
Juliet, rejoicing that the ice was now broken and Miss Hopkins was as open as she had been when they first met, said, "We have two sets of twins in our family."
"Indeed?"
She nodded. "Yes, the duchess and my brother Valentine are twins as well. But they do not look at all alike, to the relief of our family."
Their laughter was cut short by a curtly snarled "Susannah!" The voice, with its harshly unpleasant accent, was familiar.
Juliet turned to face Mr. Hopkins. "How nice to see you again, Mr. Hopkins," she lied with as much gaiety as she could manage. "I was just explaining to your sister that my family boasts two sets of twins. May I introduce my younger sisters, Rosaline and Helena Fenster."
"Miss Fenster." He nodded politely at her sisters, but his glance came back to her and held, focused for a pointed moment on her buttons once again. She had an urge to apologize for the carved ivory elephants. She quelled it. It was no business of his if she chose to use a few pretty buttons to decorate an otherwise plain outfit. Only a man without a heart or soul would concern himself with whether a button actually has a useful purpose.
"I am delighted to see you," he said, although his expression did not match his rather wooden words. There was a fury burning in his eyes that she very much feared she had caused.
With a quick glance of warning to his sister, he grasped Juliet by the elbow and said, "I have a sculpture that I believe you would enjoy viewing." He nodded to the openmouthed girls and said, "Excuse us just a moment, please."
Juliet thought briefly of refusing to follow him. The grip on her arm did not allow her the option, however.
Juliet found herself in front of a realistic but otherwise rather unremarkable carving of a tiger before she could formulate an objection. "Really, Mr. Hopkins, I do not see this as being worthy of your dragging me across the floor like this."
"Miss Fenster, I remember from our last meeting that you do not mince your words, so I will not mince mine."
She was caught by his eyes, which shared the same cold ferocity as those of the carving by which they stood. Juliet could see that she would not like to hear whatever it was he felt compelled to say. She attempted to disarm him with a smile. "Why Mr. Hopkins, I — "
He leaned in toward her slightly, exhibiting, as he moved, a menacing grace that quite took her breath away. "I do not wish for you to make a friend of my sister."
"Surely — "
He did not wait for her to finish her thought before he growled, "I do not wish for you to speak to
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