Two years! Two years since she left Ethan, but he was still as in love with her, as he had been the first day they met.

She had been a naïve sixteen year old with dreams of her own —dreams that did not involve marrying a man of influence, staying at home to care for his house, and showing up to social gatherings dressed in a less than comfortable dress while clinging to the arm of her husband like a piece of jewelry. She had dreamed of living the life of an independent female, of owning her own property, being in charge of her own household, and living her life the way she wanted.

Then, Ethan had shown up. He had been visiting the manor that was being occupied by Juliet's guardians. Unfortunately for her, her Aunt Elaine had only just finished giving her lessons on etiquettes —she was always forced to wear a purple ball gown the entire time, to elaborate Elaine's point on how to behave properly in a ball.

When the ridiculous session with Elaine came to an end that afternoon, she had raced out of the front door in a hurry, pausing briefly once she was outside, long enough to slip out of her dress, before continuing her run through the field. Unknown to her, Ethan had been watching the entire time.

Ethan went back to the manor many times after that day in an attempt to gain her attention. She tried pushing him away but he kept coming back. The moment Elaine noticed Ethan's interest in Juliet, she convinced her to marry him, insisting it was best to marry a man of noble birth.

Their marriage had been nothing but a complete bore and Juliet never regretted her decision to walk away.

Until now.

Seeing Ethan and her daughter with another woman left her feeling on the edge. It was the main reason she decided to come back —to find out what her feelings were and whether or not she wanted Ethan back. This was why she was now making her way to his study after first ensuring that Gretchen would not be interrupting her time with him. She had seen Gretchen take Elizabeth to the nursery after dinner and was certain she would spend quite some time putting the child to sleep.

Reaching the study, she found Jacob standing by the door. He raised tired eyes to her as she approached, a small frown creasing his aged face.

“You look exhausted,” she smiled as she reached him. “Go ahead Jacob, you are excused.” She said, dismissing him. But rather than obey her, he stood there, staring at her. “Ethan is expecting my presence; you are not required to announce me.” She leaned forward. “Also, if you walk away right now, I shall not be obliged to mention to Ethan that his butler seems to be stricken with an ailment that has left him almost useless to this household.” She smiled then, seeing fear flicker in his eyes. “You are excused.”