Rogue Countess (18 page)

Would he hold her close and offer comfort?

Anna shook her head, blaming the disquieting train of thought on sleep deprivation.

“You should be fine to return to the house now,” she began, needing to say something to distract her thoughts from the unexpected yearning that filled her. She gestured toward the bedroom as she continued. “He will sleep for a while, I think.”

Jude did not reply at first. She remained still under his studied regard, too drained of energy to care what he saw in her just then. His blue eyes were soft but direct, his gaze penetrating beyond her strained façade of calm composure to the worry and exhaustion beneath. He lifted his hand to her face, sweeping her thick black hair back behind her ear. His fingertips brushed along the crest of her cheek and the outer ridge of her ear as he did so, causing a fine tingling of sensation to rush over her skin.

Was he going to kiss her?

She hoped he would kiss her. Her eyes nearly drifted closed as she again experienced an urge to lean into the warm strength of his body.

“Will you return home with me?” he asked.

Anna reveled in the odd comfort of hearing him speak of home in such a manner. God, she really was tired. Lifting her chin, she shook her head and met his eyes with more strength than she felt.

“I need to stay and watch for signs of fever. He may need me. I cannot leave until I know he will be all right.”

Jude frowned, and then lifted one corner of his mouth in a way that confused Anna, much as the rest of his actions had that night.

“Then I will stay as well.”

Opening her mouth to argue, her words were cut off when Jude added more sternly, “I am not leaving without you so do what you must to accept it.”

He pushed his hand through his hair, sweeping back the tousled locks that had fallen over his forehead as he lifted his gaze to peer past her shoulder down the hallway.

“I saw a sofa in a room downstairs,” he continued. “I’ll sleep there, just in case…”

He didn’t need to finish the statement. Anna knew he was referencing the fact that the man with the gun may still change his mind and return.

Anna nodded silently, trying to ignore the hard emotional lump that had formed in her throat. She was not sure what to say. Thank you sounded so inadequate and almost trite under the circumstances. He was likely as tired as she was, and Anna was suddenly warmed by his decision to stay. Knowing he would be in the house gave her a sense of comfort and safety that she hadn’t expected and yet fully welcomed.

Apparently unconcerned by her lack of response, Jude gave a short little bow and then turned on his heel to head downstairs. Once again, Anna was left gaping after him in utter confusion.

Chapter Fifteen

It was late the next morning when Anna decided it was safe to leave her friend in someone else’s care. The threat of infection had been avoided so far and Leif continued to sleep off his drunken coma. It had actually been Jude’s idea to fetch someone from her own household to come and take over the care of the wounded man, someone Anna trusted to notify her immediately if anything should change in the baron’s condition. Jude seemed to understand her need to retain some control and involvement in the situation. By the time Lorna, a mature and capable maidservant, arrived with a sturdy footman to assist her, Anna was nearly dead on her feet.

Filled with the solid hope that Leif’s luck would hold out and he would make a full recovery, she allowed Jude to walk her out to the carriage. She barely felt the pavement beneath her feet or noticed the activity on the street as London went about its daily business. All she could think about was the soft comfort of her bed. She drifted off on the short carriage ride to her house and started in surprise when Jude leaned over to touch her hand and whisper that she was home.

She stumbled up the steps to her bedroom, thinking it was a good thing she was still in her bedclothes as she dropped her cloak onto the floor and fell onto her bed. Her last thought as she dipped gently into unconsciousness was to wonder if Jude had gotten any sleep on the threadbare sofa in Leif’s study.

It was several hours later when Anna awoke with an intense ache of hunger. Still exhausted, she lay in bed debating whether or not she should go back to sleep or rise to go in search of something to eat. After a few more minutes of sleepy internal debate, hunger won out and she rolled to the edge of the bed.

She called for a bath and washed quickly, feeling refreshed and much more alert once her hair was cleaned and her skin was scrubbed. She dressed in a simple and comfortable gown and decided not to bother twisting up her hair. Instead, she pulled it back and tied it at her nape with a long ribbon, leaving the thick length to fall down her back.

The clock in the hall struck eleven in the evening as she made her way down to the kitchen. The house was strangely quiet and she wondered if Jude had left for the night or if perhaps he still slept in his room upstairs.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs and started to head back toward the kitchen to see what Cook could throw together for her, she was distracted by the scent of ham and coffee and warmed butter. She didn’t recall ever being so hungry that she had been able to conjure up such delectable scents by desire alone. A welcoming glow of light flowed from the open door of the breakfast room, and Anna made an abrupt decision to veer off course.

Her eyes widened in surprise as she crossed the threshold and saw the mini-buffet spread out on the sideboard. Steam rose up from fresh baked scones and cream pastries. There was also salted bacon, smoked salmon, soft-poached eggs, a variety of fresh fruit and a steaming pot of coffee.

She was so drawn in by the fascinating collection of foods that it took an extra minute to realize someone else was already in the room. She hesitated and came to an awkward stop with one hand already reaching for a plate.

Jude rose from a chair at the small breakfast table. A half-finished plate of food and a cup of coffee were in front of him.

“I couldn’t quite resign myself to cold meats and yesterday’s boiled potatoes,” he offered dryly in explanation for the elaborate display on the sideboard.

He appeared refreshed, his remote composure completely restored. Yet there was something different, a new layer of awareness. She knew it by the swift rise in her temperature the instant she noticed his presence and by the confusion that wasn’t fully hidden behind the practiced aloofness in his blue eyes. Somehow, in the midst of the previous night, a small kernel of something unfamiliar had become lodged in the space between them.

“I see,” Anna finally replied.

Jude cocked his head in a nearly imperceptible gesture and he swept a quick, but studied glance down her body before returning his gaze to her face. She resisted the urge to lift her chin and smooth nonexistent wrinkles from her skirt. He was scanning for her breeches, no doubt.

But when he continued to stare at her in an oddly expectant way, she stiffened self-consciously, wondering what else he saw.

He couldn’t possibly know how her pulse quickened and her breath thinned when he looked at her. Or that she sometimes felt light-headed when she met his impenetrable sapphire gaze. Surely he hadn’t somehow become privy to her intimate thoughts.

The idea nearly sent her into a panic before she realized Jude was still standing beside his chair, having risen at her entrance.

“Please sit. Finish your meal,” Anna said. Shaking her head, she blinked away her distraction, hoping it was residue from the night before, though she was starting to suspect it was more directly related to the man in front of her.

She turned back to the buffet with a faint blush of embarrassment. Being rude was one thing when it was done with full intention and entirely another when basic manners were simply forgotten.

To keep herself from apologizing, she grabbed a plate and began to make her selections.

“Breakfast at eleven o’clock in the evening,” she muttered in renewed amazement.

She didn’t think she had spoken loud enough for Jude to hear her until he replied, “It is rather late for coffee, but tea didn’t seem appropriate either.”

“No, no, the coffee is fine,” Anna answered, “just perfect.”

She turned away from the sideboard and approached the table, keeping her eyes averted so the sight of him wouldn’t distract her into making another
faux pas
. After setting her plate down across from his, she went to pour herself some coffee. When she returned to her seat, her eyes widened as she caught sight of her plate heaped high with enough meats and breads and fruit to feed a small family.

“If you eat all of that, I’ll have to roll you back up to your bed to sleep it off,” Jude commented. His lips twitched with a smile that seemed determined to break through despite his effort to hold it back.

Anna shook her head in bewilderment. “I’m not sure all of my faculties have completely woken up yet. It all just looked so appealing.”

“Let me give you a hand,” Jude said as he swiftly reached across the table and snatched up a warm pastry smothered in buttery cream and jam off her plate. He had it stuffed in his mouth before she could even utter an objection.

Unsure of where his playful manner had come from, and frankly still a bit out of sorts, Anna replied in kind. “You had better be careful with such thieving tactics. You may not like my form of retaliation.”

“I don’t have any more mistresses to scare off. What more could you do?” Jude answered with a nonchalant shrug as he licked the remaining cream from his fingers.

Anna narrowed her eyes as she sat and chose a slice of bacon.

“I’m certain I could come up with something,” she answered evasively, waving the bacon in an imperious gesture.

“I don’t doubt it.” His voice dipped and his brows lowered over his blue eyes, as if to shadow their inquisitive gleam. “I have come to understand that above all else, you are a very determined woman.”

Anna met his direct gaze. Wariness crowded out the companionable comfort that had existed just a moment before.

“I am that,” she admitted without apology.

She was sorely tempted to argue that determination was not such a horrible trait, but she remained silent under his studied regard. She felt like a creature of curiosity being examined for unexpected oddities. Her pride kept her from looking away, though she grew frustrated when his penetrating blue eyes gave away nothing of his own thoughts.

Then, after a long moment, his handsome face softened just a bit. His blue eyes flashed with what could have been humor and the corner of his mouth twitched again with that reluctant smile. Anna’s heart gave a tiny skip at the way his swift shift in tone lightened his entire demeanor.

“Determined and stubborn,” he clarified as he glanced away and reached for his coffee.

“Of course,” Anna replied coolly. “I suppose you think it’s easy for a woman to attain success in a world dominated by men.” She leaned back in her chair, grateful that the moment of silent intimacy had passed.

Her smile was wily as she continued, “Oh wait, that’s right, I couldn’t possibly have created a successful business all on my own. There were all those—” she waved her hand dramatically, “—what do you call them, wealthy benefactors I seduced and manipulated into dumping loads of money into a venture from which they had no chance to profit.”

Jude dipped his head just a bit in what could be construed as contrition. He set his coffee carefully back in its saucer as he replied.

“Your presence in the tavern surprised me. I may have been hasty in my accusation.”

“Really,” Anna noted with dry sarcasm.

Jude narrowed his eyes at her tone, though he didn’t seem truly annoyed. Without hesitation, he reached across the table and snagged another sweet pastry from her plate. When she raised her eyebrows at his repeated theft, he smiled with false innocence and popped the sweet bread into his mouth whole.

The man had a serious penchant for sweets.

“You have to admit you do not exactly present a picture of decorum,” he argued.

Anna frowned and crossed her arms across her chest. “I will admit no such thing. Simply because I wear the clothing most suited to my tasks and make friends amongst gentlemen who share my interests does not and should not imply I am a woman of loose morals. It is exactly that kind of thinking that keeps women from fulfilling their own ambitions and claiming their own happiness.”

“I fully agree.”

Anna stared at him in surprise. “Excuse me?”

Jude wiped at his mouth with his napkin and set it aside his plate. He rested his arms on the table and leaned forward. His eyes were calm with earnest intent.

“I have been to places where women are fighting right alongside their men to carve out a small spot of paradise in a harsh and unforgiving environment. I have seen matriarchal societies where women own the land and wield the power of their culture with great compassion and success. And I have been to countries where the women have no liberties of their own and are bartered like livestock. One of the many lessons I have learned in my travels is that everyone, men and women, should have a right to seek their highest potential, regardless of the circumstances of their birth.”

Anna was skeptical and spoke with bitterness on her tongue. “You gained such wisdom amongst the royal courts and seedy bordellos of Europe?”