When You Give a Duke a Diamond by Shana Galen

fiancée is waiting.”
    The prince blinked. “Ah—I—”
    Pelham began to move away, and Juliette almost choked.
    Pelham was going to cut her!
    In front of the entire beau monde.
    Prinny was still stammering, trying to think of something to say to keep the duke from walking away, from ruining her.
    Juliette couldn’t leave this to the prince, and she couldn’t allow Pelham to cut her. She didn’t have time to think. She composed her face into an expression of ennui and remarked, “Too bad the papers didn’t mention how rude you are.”
    The prince gasped. At least she thought it was the prince. It might have been someone else in the crowd. But her statement worked. Pelham stopped. Slowly—her heart pounded at least ten times—he turned and directed those dark blue eyes at her.
    “Excuse me?”
    Her instinct was to apologize. Instead, she stepped forward to face him. They were standing toe-to-toe now. “I thought you had better manners than to be rude to a lady.”
    He raised a brow. “You are correct.”
    She was? Juliette almost smiled. She was saved.
    “I would never be rude to a lady. You, madam, are not a lady. You are nothing more than a well-paid whore.”
    The silence surrounding them was as thick as London’s morning fog. Juliette could all but hear the blood racing through her veins. It flowed fast and hot because she was truly angry now. How dare he? Who did he think he was? She had done nothing to him to deserve this.
    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fallon and Lily approaching. No doubt they would intervene to save her. But Juliette didn’t want to be saved. She wanted to bring Pelham down a notch or three. He had turned away from her again and was beginning to move through the crowd. Juliette cleared her throat. “I would rather be a well-paid whore, sir, than an insufferable ass.”
    He jerked to a halt and spun around. His fists were clenched and his face red with what looked like fury.
    “One is a choice and can be changed,” she continued, raising her voice so it would carry. “Whereas the other is a permanent trait of the personality. Not that you have much of one.”
    And with that, she turned on her heel and strolled away. She kept her head high and her face composed, but inside she was seething. And as she caught a glimpse of the faces of the members of the ton , she felt the first stirrings of panic. They were moving out of her path, their expressions full of pity. Juliette didn’t mind the pity; it was the men who refused to meet her eyes that caused her stomach to tense and tighten. If she had just become unfashionable and unwanted, her career was over. How would she pay for her town house? Her clothes? Her carriage?
    Her debts were not outrageous, but she did not have nearly enough saved to cover them. And she would not, could not, ask Sinclair to pay them for her. He had done more than enough for her already.
    Damn Pelham! She wished she had never heard his name.
    She was still walking, she knew not where, when Fallon and Lily appeared on either side of her. Somewhere in the distance she heard the orchestra begin to play a reel.
    “That was magnificent,” Fallon said. “You put him in his place.”
    Juliette shook her head. “Then why isn’t anyone looking at me? Why are you two the only ones dashing to comfort me? I’m done for.”
    “Nonsense,” Lily said, but she was a bad liar, and Juliette heard the tinny notes of false confidence in her voice.
    “Who cares?” Fallon said.
    “ I care,” Juliette hissed. “My creditors will care. How will I pay them?”
    “Sinclair—” Lily began.
    Juliette held up a hand. “No. I won’t take his charity again.”
    “Calm down.” Fallon put a hand on Juliette’s arm. “We’ll discuss this in the carriage on the way to Somerville. Lady Sinclair will know what to do if we three are unable to work out a solution.”
    Fallon was right, and Juliette took a long, measured breath. Her heart slowed its rapid staccato.