The Sweetest Kiss (Brothers of Worthington Series) (34 page)

Trey’s eyes widened. Within seconds, the look of surprise left his face and he grinned.
“Oh, my sweet Judith.”

He pulled her against his chest. She wanted to fight him, to pound her fists into his solid muscular frame and sob until she relinquished all her tears, but his caring voice stopped her. The emotion illuminating from his blue eyes eased her fears.

“Forgive me for using the wrong word, my love. I don’t think of marriage to you as being torturous. The reason I said it that way was because I was being humorous.”

“Humorous?” Her voice shook slightly and she looked up at him. “You showed no expression of humor, Trey.”

He stroked her cheek as he stared deep into her eyes. “Forgive me again. The shock of what’s happened is still very real. I cannot believe I said what I did last night.”

“Do you wish to take your words back? Tell me your feelings now. Don’t hide them any longer.” She gripped his shirt, praying he’d say what she wanted to hear.

“No. I don’t wish to take my words back.” He kissed her forehead and rested his mouth against her hair. “Judith, I could not let Mr. Cutler take you, even if it meant causing scandal.”

“I didn’t want to leave with him.”

“I know.”

“But I worried you would think…” She swallowed the knot in her throat again.

“What?” He pulled back and looked down at her.

“I didn’t want you to think I was forcing you, or trapping you.” Her eyes watered again.

“Why would I think that? I know you are not trapping me. I said what I did of my own free will.” He stroked her bottom lip with his thumb. “I said what I did because I didn’t want you to leave me.”

Her chest tightened with happiness, making it harder to breathe. She couldn’t jump to conclusions. “I will not leave you, Trey,” she whispered. “I—I love you.”

Groaning, his mouth swept down and captured hers as his arms circled around her. She held onto him as she answered his passionate kisses with urgency. He pushed her against the door.

She sighed and met his urgent kisses. Immeasurable pleasure swept through her. He loved her and wanted to marry her!

Breaking the kiss, she leaned her head against his as she took in deep breaths.
“Trey?”

“Yes, my darling.”

She smiled. “I will make you very happy. Please believe that.”

“I know you will.” He winked. “And I will do my best to make you a good husband.”

She nodded. “I shall make sure of that, my beautiful lord.”

~*~*~*~

The next morning, Judith walked down the hallway with a straight back and
chin
held high, trying to give the appearance of having strength. She couldn’t go another minute without talking to the dowager. Although, her nerves jumped inside her stomach and she wrung her hands, showing her weakness.

She didn’t want to disappoint Isabelle. In the last little while, the older woman had replaced her mother, if only in small measurements. Judith loved the dowager more than she realized she would when she first arrived.

Would Isabelle be distraught, wasting away in her bed, stressing over the scandal Judith and Trey had caused? If so, could she ever make things right with the older woman?

Judith reached Isabelle’s bedroom door and knocked. Her hands shook so she quickly clasped them together and held them tight against her breast. From the other side of the door, footsteps padded on the floor in hurried steps.

Finally a voice rang through the room, telling Judith to enter. When she walked inside, the curtains were closed and only a few candlesticks were lit. The dowager lay in bed, the covers pulled up and tucked underneath her arms as they rested on the blankets. Ringlet hair spilled from underneath her frilly nightcap.

“Your Grace, I hope you forgive my intrusion, but I must speak with you. I cannot wait a moment longer.”

Isabelle glanced across to the room to her maid who was sitting in one of the cushioned chairs reading a book. “Mary? Will you leave us, please?”

“Yes,
Your
Grace.” The servant bobbed and hurried out of the room.

Isabelle lifted her hand and motioned. “Come closer, child so I can see you better.”

On shaky legs, Judith did as instructed until she stood next to the dowager’s bed. Taking a deep breath, she prayed for strength to say the right words. She also prayed Isabelle would forgive her and Trey.

She swallowed the lump in her throat before saying anything. “I wanted to talk to you about what happened during your birthday party. I’m extremely saddened by the turn of events. I honestly didn’t think Mr. Cutler would come.”

“Tell me about this man. Is he really your fiancé?”

Judith shrugged. “
Yes,
and no. Before my parents died, I started seeing him in secret. I knew they would not approve because he was not of noble birth. Although we discussed marriage, there was no legal document signed. The one he showed you the other night was false, I assure you.”

The dowager nodded.
“Why did you not tell me about him when you first arrived?”

“I made an agreement with Trey. He said he would hire a solicitor to look for Mr. Cutler if I would allow you to prepare me for my coming out ball. Trey knew I was very displeased with coming to your estate. I felt I was too old for a guardian, and I certainly didn’t want to have a ball.”

“Why?”

“A month before my mother died, she had started to prepare one for me. The memories weighed heavily on my heart and I could not bear to let someone else take my mother’s place.” Tears pricked Judith’s eyes and the lump in her throat returned. Still, she fought for control over her emotions.

“I see,” the dowager said. “And how do you feel now? Do you feel you need a guardian?”

“Not really,
Your
Grace. I’m very grateful for everything you and Trey have done to help me in my time of need. I feel I have made friends with you over the past few weeks, and I shall never forget your generosity and kindness.”

“Did Trey ever find information about your Mr. Cutler?”

“Yes.” Judith cleared her throat. “He found out some very upsetting news, in fact. The night of my ball, after the guests were gone, Trey told me what his solicitor discovered. Apparently, Mr. Cutler had deceived a lot of people. He was not the man I thought he was.”

“Is that when Trey seduced you?”

The dowager’s voice held a sharp edge, yet the older woman’s eyes almost twinkled. Judith scrunched her forehead. For some reason, Isabelle appeared almost delighted to think Trey had seduced his mother’s ward.

“Yes and no. Trey had turned on his charm way before my ball.”

Isabelle’s eyebrows lifted. “Indeed?”

“Yes. I know he was fighting his attraction for me, just as I fought it. Yet it was inevitable. Whenever we were alone, sparks flew between us, either in verbal swordplay or physically.”

The dowager rubbed her chin, still not taking her eyes off Judith. “I should have suspected something was amiss. Trey usually never stays around the estate more than a few days.”

Judith sat on the edge of the bed and clasped the older woman’s hand. “Please believe me when I say this was not meant to happen. When I first arrived, I disliked Trey’s very presence. He felt the same about me, too.”

“Are you in love with my son now?”

Peace settled in Judith’s chest, making her smile. “I’m completely in love with him. I think I fell in love before my coming out ball.”

Suddenly, the dowager’s face relaxed and she grinned. “I noticed the changes in Trey the longer he was with you. I wanted him to love you, Judith. I have been praying for that since you two were young and he used to tease you.”

Judith gasped. “What? You have wanted this for that long?”

“Yes.” She shrugged. “I have secrets, too. Please do not be angry with me, but this was one of the reasons I brought you to my estate after your parents died. I knew you were old enough and independent enough to take care of yourself. I also knew you did not need instructions on how to give a dinner party, or to dance. Your father left you a large inheritance, but I wanted you here to tempt my son. I wanted him to fall in love with you.”

Shock vibrated through Judith’s body, along with the bubble of laughter that sprang from her throat. “I cannot believe this.”

“Please don’t blame an old woman for playing matchmaker.”

“Oh, Isabelle.”
Judith wrapped her arms around the older woman and hugged her tight. The dowager returned her hug and kissed Judith’s cheek.

“I have always wanted a daughter, you know. Because your mother was my best friend, I wanted you as my daughter, too. Now my wish has come true.”

Judith laughed again and pulled away. “Does Trey know about this?”

“No, although I believe he suspects I’m hiding something.”

“Then I have you to thank for my happiness right now.” Judith smiled.

“No, you have Trey. I feared he would not come up to scratch. He has had a hard life, and his father was not a decent example. I worried Trey would grow up to be like him.”

“That’s one of the reasons he fought the attraction the way he did. He didn’t want to become like his father.”

The dowager shook her head. “He’s not. Trey has a heart. My husband did not.”

Judith squeezed Isabelle’s hands again. “Thank you for telling me. I do love your son, and I want to make him a good wife.”

“You will. I have no doubt. Now, let me up so we can plan a wedding.”

Laughing, Judith stood and helped the older woman out of bed. Falling from her lap spilled a deck of cards to the floor.

Judith lifted an eyebrow. “What’s this?”

The dowager shrugged. “I had to keep myself entertained while pretending to be out of sorts. I’m so relieved you decided to
come
talk to me. I fear I would have bored myself to death waiting for you and Trey to make the first move.”

“Indeed, you are full of surprises, Your Grace.” Judith shook her head. “Trey is exactly like you. He does not have to worry about being like his father, because Trey’s sneakiness comes from you.”

They laughed together and hugged. Judith’s stressed eased considerably. Now she had a wedding to plan, and her heart beat with renewed life.

Wearily, Judith walked out of the drawing room where she and Isabelle had been discussing the wedding plans for most of the afternoon. Although spending time with the dowager was pleasant and the plans were exciting, the stress of the past few days had Judith feeling very exhausted. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep.

Dominic had arrived earlier this afternoon and met with Trey. She wanted to break away from Isabelle just to greet her friend, but she didn’t dare. The last time she and Dominic were together, things hadn’t turned out very well.

Or had they? Was it due to Dominic’s kiss that Trey changed his mind about marriage? Or was it Alex who had forced Trey to admit his true feelings? Either way, she was happy for the final result.

She turned down the hallway and headed toward the study. Trey’s heated voice echoed in the corridor, overriding her soft slippers clicking on the marbled floor. What had made him angry?
Hopefully, not Dominic.

As she reached the door, which was cracked open slightly, she slowed her steps. She couldn’t see through the space into the room, but both Trey and Dominic’s voice rose in volume.

“I will not do it,” Trey shouted. “That poor woman has been through enough already. I’m not going to distress her unnecessarily.”

“If she does not hear it from you first, she will be put out,” Hawthorne answered.

Trey growled. “Don’t you think I know this?”

“When will Mr. Lewis be in touch with you? When will he know for certain?”

“I don’t know.”

Judith’s heart sank. Were they talking about her?
About Alex?
They’d have to be since they mentioned Mr. Lewis’ name. So what was it that Trey didn’t want to tell her?

She shouldn’t eavesdrop but couldn’t help it. The need to know overrode anything she’d been taught about manners. As she leaned toward the door, she bumped it with her shoulder and it squeaked open.

Cursing under her breath, she quickly straightened. Trey stood by the window, facing the door, and Dominic who’d been sitting on the leather sofa jumped to his feet. Neither man appeared pleased to see her.

She smiled her best and walked in. “Good evening gentlemen. I hope I didn’t disrupt anything important.”

Dominic jerked his attention to Trey and scowled but said nothing.

Trey walked toward her, his grin stretching. His smile wasn’t real because there was no light in his eyes, which confirmed to Judith the conversation she’d
overheard
was indeed about her.

“My dear Judith.”
Trey took her hands and kissed her on the cheek. “How was your day with Mother?”

“Very enlightening.”
She chuckled. “We accomplished a lot.”