Welcome, welcome, welcome!
Last week we talked about Michael’s background, but what about his love, Lady Juliet Dalton? I’m so glad you asked!
Lady Juliet Dalton, a perfectionist who learns to manage her anxiety and rely on herself.
Juliet (Jules) is the only child of Richard Dalton, Earl of Westfield. The earl wanted nothing in the entire world more than a son. Jules has been disappointing her father since birth.
-
Juliet’s mother and father were married for four years and only managed to conceive once. Her mother dies in childbirth.
Afterwards, her father remarries quickly. Miss Sophie Smith is Juliet’s mother for all intents and purposes. She, too, struggles to conceive and it takes many years. She dies after giving birth to a stillborn son.
In addition to disappointing her father with her very existence, Jules walks on egg shells in his presence. His moods vary wildly, from jovial and generous, to terse, to hurling vitriol to both Jules, her stepmother, and the staff. After her stepmother’s death, there is no one to shield Jules from the brunt of his wrath.
In fact, an entire life spent appeasing her father’s volatile moods has left Jules anxiety ridden and prone to panic attacks.
Unbeknownst to Juliet, her father has gaming debts, a lot of them. He also has a plan to recoup those losses, fix a boxing match and win it all back. Unfortunately for him, his plot is easily spotted and thwarted by Michael and Augie at Waylands.
Now in even more debt, Westfield needs an influx of cash. He has no assets he’s willing to part with, except is anxious slip of a daughter. Sadly, he’s lost her dowry in his failed scheme.
When Alexander (Xander) Hasket, Duke of Rosehill presents himself as a suitor, and one willing to pay for the pleasure, Westfield has no further questions to ask. So what if the man has one failed courtship under his belt?
The night of her dearest friend, Kate’s, ball, Juliet finds herself hiding away in her favorite place, the library. Of course, when someone dares to enter her sanctuary, her first reaction is to hide.
Trapped under a table, she learns the horrible truth. Her father owes everything to a mysterious stranger who is none too pleased about his plan to recoup his losses at her expense.
Fate, and Kate, keep throwing Juliet and Michael together. Infuriatingly handsome, clever, well read, and oh, so addicting, Juliet doesn’t want to stay away either.
Unlike Michael’s witty, devil-may-care attitude toward his family, Jules reacts differently to her abuse. She’s spent her entire life striving for perfection. But the more time she spends in Michael’s presence, the more she begins to realize that there is no level of perfection that will make her father love her. And more still, she’s happier than ever before now that she’s breaking all the rules.
In the end, Juliet is faced with an impossible choice. Not only abandon the only life she every planned for, but set it aflame on the way out. Or live without the love she never knew she needed.
For the rest of Juliet’s story, you’ll have to read Courting Scandal out this July!
I’m so excited for you to watch her grow!
<3 Ally!