"My final letters, were they read? Or were they written in vain?"
Although born in France, Juliette Villeneuve often spent her childhood summers in London. With the passing of each summer, her adoration for a certain Bridgerton boy grew. During thei...
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A WEEK HAS PASSED SINCE LORD VILLENEUVE ARRIVED IN LONDON. Juliette was still less than impressed with the current predicament. Thankfully, Lord DuBois was hesitant about letting the man stay at the DuBois house. So, her father rented a house a few blocks from Grosvenor Square for a couple of weeks. Despite lodging elsewhere, her father often visited the DuBois house in search of his daughter with wishes to spend time with her. Under her father's request, they went on a few promenades and played a couple of rounds of card games. More than once Juliette denied his efforts. The reasons being, she still hadn't forgiven him and the vast majority of the time she honestly did not want to see him.
Lord Villeneuve was persistent.
Juliette Villeneuve was annoyed.
From her father showering her with gifts — she received more jewelry in the span of a week than in the span of five years — to requesting she spend time with him, Juliette was exhausted. She needed time to be alone and to think things through.
There was one thing Juliette was certain of: she did not forgive her father.
Quite honestly, she's adamant that she never will forgive nor forget.
What he did to her and Anthony did not merit forgiveness. He acted out of bitterness and envy, causing harm to the one person he forever swore to protect. Lord Villeneuve hurt his daughter for no reason other than he could. Nonetheless, she understood why he did what he did and although she is angry, she sympathizes too. For, Juliette could never imagine losing Anthony in such a way her father lost her mother. Sudden and unexpected.
She was torn. When she was with her father, he acted as he did before her mother's death. He recounted familiar jokes she had forgotten over the years and tales of her childhood. And, for the first time in three and a half years, he readily spoke about her mother in a lighthearted way. Juliette had heard the story of their love a hundred times before, but she never expected to hear it again. Lord Villeneuve had come to terms with his wife's death in the months of Juliette's absence.
Yet, his actions were inexcusable.
What sort of father forces such heartache on their child without thought?
Between her father's desperate attempts to make amends and her aunt planning for the wedding, Juliette hardly had a moment to breathe. Thankfully, Madame Delacroix completed Juliette's wedding gown the day before. Now the beautiful dress was in her bedroom, which was a source of relief. Lady DuBois shed quite a few tears upon seeing her niece in the finalized dress for the first time.
Three days before their wedding, Juliette found herself alongside Anthony at the Hastings ball. It was the last ball of the social season. Time together was scarce in the recent weeks, but Juliette was content to be in his presence once again. The pair stood deep in the crowd of ladies and gentlemen off to the side of the dance floor. From where they stood, they were somewhat shielded by the forms of other attendees. Hopefully, hidden enough from her father's eyes. If her father were to find her, he would no doubt wish to speak with her.
